Keraia
2 Samuel 10

2 Samuel 10:4

David’s Messengers Disgraced · 2 Samuel 10:1–8
Read 2 Samuel 10

Translations

Modern
So Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their garments at the hips, and sent them away.
Traditional
Wherefore Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.
Literal
And Hanun took the servants of David and shaved off half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle at their buttocks, and sent them away.
Latin
Tulit itaque Hanon servos David, rasitque dimidiam partem barbæ eorum et præscidit vestes eorum medias usque ad nates, et dimisit eos.

Original

Hebrew
English
So Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their garments at the hips, and sent them away.

Notes

2 Samuel 10:4

  • This act was meant to cause extreme shame and public ridicule. In that culture, a man’s beard was a sign of honor and dignity. Cutting off only half made the humiliation visible and impossible to hide.

  • cut off their garments: This action exposed the men’s bodies and brought further shame. Public exposure of the body was linked with military defeat and exile in the ancient world (Isaiah 20). The prophet Isaiah describes similar acts of humiliation connected with conquest and captivity.

2 Samuel 10:1–5

The king of Ammon insulted David’s ambassadors, which led to two battles between Israel and Ammon (2 Samuel 10:6–12:31).

2 Samuel 10:1–19

After the break in 2 Samuel 9, the story goes back to David's military successes. The Ammonites were likely the dominant political power in Transjordan (the area east of the Jordan) during Saul’s reign and the early years of David’s reign.

Theme notes and profiles

Abishai David Joab

Events

Parallels

1 Chronicles 19:1–9

People

David: Anointed king of Israel, ancestor of Jesus Christ Hanun: An Ammonite king who mistreated David's envoys

Glossary

Beard David Gilead (Place) Hadadezer Hanun Kindness Kings, Books of First and Second Samuel, Books of First and Second

Topics

Beard: Beards of David's Ambassadors Half Shaven by the King of the Amorites Mortification: David's Ambassadors, Sent to Hanun Rulers: Wicked: Hanun, Maltreating David's Servants The Ammonites: Ill-Treated David's Ambassadors The Beard: Shaving of, a Great Offense