1 Chronicles 18

Chapter context

What is happening in 1 Chronicles 18?

memoryworshipgenealogyDavid

1 Chronicles 18 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as David’s reign and the ark. First Chronicles surveys Israel through genealogies and then retells David’s reign with special attention to worship, Levites, and preparations for the temple. Read this chapter with the wider themes of memory, worship, and genealogy in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.

¹ Now after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them, and took Gath and her towns out of the hand of the Philistines. ² And he smote Moab; and the Moabites became David’s servants, and brought gifts. ³ And David smote Hadarezer king of Zobah unto Hamath, as he went to stablish his dominion by the river Euphrates. ⁴ And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: David also houghed all the chariot horses, but reserved of them an hundred chariots. ⁵ And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadarezer king of Zobah, David slew of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men. ⁶ Then David put garrisons in Syriadamascus; and the Syrians became David’s servants, and brought gifts. Thus the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went. ⁷ And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadarezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ Likewise from Tibhath, and from Chun, cities of Hadarezer, brought David very much brass, wherewith Solomon made the brasen sea, and the pillars, and the vessels of brass. ⁹ Now when Tou king of Hamath heard how David had smitten all the host of Hadarezer king of Zobah; ¹⁰ He sent Hadoram his son to king David, to enquire of his welfare, and to congratulate him, because he had fought against Hadarezer, and smitten him; (for Hadarezer had war with Tou;) and with him all manner of vessels of gold and silver and brass. ¹¹ Them also king David dedicated unto the LORD, with the silver and the gold that he brought from all these nations; from Edom, and from Moab, and from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek. ¹² Moreover Abishai the son of Zeruiah slew of the Edomites in the valley of salt eighteen thousand. ¹³ And he put garrisons in Edom; and all the Edomites became David’s servants. Thus the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went. ¹⁴ So David reigned over all Israel, and executed judgment and justice among all his people. ¹⁵ And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, recorder. ¹⁶ And Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Abimelech the son of Abiathar, were the priests; and Shavsha was scribe; ¹⁷ And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and the sons of David were chief about the king.

Study helps

Glossary

David Person v. 1, 3-11, 13-14, 17: Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam. 17:25 .
Gath Place v. 1: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tell es Safi.
Moab Place v. 2, 11: Biblical region. Modern identification: Kerak.
Euphrates Place v. 3: Biblical river. Modern identification: Euphrates River.
Hamath-zobah Place v. 3: Biblical region. Modern identification: Hama.
Damascus Place v. 5-6: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Damascus.
Syria Place v. 5-6: Biblical region. Modern identification: Damascus.
Zobah Place v. 5, 9: Biblical region. Modern identification: Brital.
Jerusalem Place v. 7: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Jerusalem.
Cun Place v. 8: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Ras Baalbek.
Tibhath Place v. 8: Confidence, a city belonging to Hadadezer, king of Zobah, which yielded much spoil of brass to David ( 2 Sam. 8:8 ). In 1 Chr. 18:8 it is called Tibhath. Modern identification: between Baalbek and Kadesh.
Hamath Place v. 9: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Hama.
Hadoram Person v. 10: Is exalted. (1. ) The son of Tou, king of Hamath, sent by his father to congratulate David on his victory over Hadarezer, king of Syria ( 1 Chr. 18:10 ; called Joram 2 Sam. 8:10 ).
Amalek Place v. 11: Biblical region. Modern identification: Ain el Qudeirat.
Ammon Place v. 11: Biblical region. Modern identification: Amman.
Edom Place v. 11-13: Biblical region. Modern identification: Buseira.
Philistia Place v. 11: Biblical region. Modern identification: Tel Ashkelon.
Abishai Person v. 12: Father of (i. e., “desirous of”) a gift, the eldest son of Zeruiah, David’s sister. He was the brother of Joab and Asahel ( 2 Sam. 2:18 ; 1 Chr. 2:16 ).
Valley of Salt Place v. 12: Biblical special. Modern identification: Es Sebkha.
Zeruiah Person v. 12, 15: Stricken of the Lord, David’s sister, and the mother of Abishai, Joab, and Asahel.
Jehoshaphat Person v. 15: Jehovah-judged. (1. ) One of David’s body-guard ( 1 Chr. 11:43 ). (2. ) One of the priests who accompanied the removal of the ark to Jerusalem ( 1 Chr. 15:24 ).
Joab Person v. 15: Jehovah is his father. (1. ) One of the three sons of Zeruiah, David’s sister, and “captain of the host” during the whole of David’s reign ( 2 Sam. 2:13 ; 10:7 ; 11:1 ; 1 Kings 11:15 ).
Abiathar Person v. 16: Father of abundance, or my father excels, the son of Ahimelech the high priest. He was the tenth high priest, and the fourth in descent from Eli.
Abimelech Person v. 16: My father a king, or father of a king, a common name of the Philistine kings, as “Pharaoh” was of the Egyptian kings. (1. ) The Philistine king of Gerar in the time of Abraham ( Gen. 20:1-18 ).
Ahitub Person v. 16: Brother of goodness = good. (1. ) The son of Phinehas. On the death of his grandfather Eli he succeeded to the office of high priest, and was himself succeeded by his son Ahijah ( 1 Sam. 14:3 ; 22:9 , 11, 12, 20).
Zadok Person v. 16: Righteous. (1. ) A son of Ahitub, of the line of Eleazer ( 2 Sam. 8:17 ; 1 Chr. 24:3 ), high priest in the time of David ( 2 Sam. 20:25 ) and Solomon ( 1 Kings 4:4 ).
Benaiah Person v. 17: Built up by Jehovah. (1. ) The son of Jehoiada, chief priest ( 1 Chr. 27:5 ). He was set by David over his body-guard of Cherethites and Pelethites ( 2 Sam. 8:18 ; 1 Kings 1:32 ; 1 Chr. 18:17 ).
Jehoiada Person v. 17: Jehovah-known. (1. ) The father of Benaiah, who was one of David’s chief warriors ( 2 Sam. 8:18 ; 20:23 ). (2. ) The high priest at the time of Athaliah’s usurpation of the throne of Judah.