Moab was on the east side of the Dead Sea. Earlier, the people of Moab had provided David’s parents with refuge during Saul’s reign (1 Samuel 22:3–4). David’s great-grandmother Ruth came from Moab. By David’s time, however, there was no longer a close or friendly relationship between Israel and Moab.
two lengths those to be put to death, and with one length those to be spared: This is the only time in 2 Samuel that David executed captives taken in battle (see Numbers 21:29; 24:17; Deuteronomy 2:9).