[¹] Hebrew Aram.
[²] Hebrew Darmesek.
[³] Or, saved David.
6. put garrisons in Syria of Damascus] margin in Aram of Darmesek, i.e. in the Aramean kingdom of which Damascus was the capital. David’s purpose of course was to secure his rear in any future operations towards Hamath or towards the Euphrates.
⁷And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadarezer, and brought them to Jerusalem.
7. shields of gold] “shields” = Hebrew shĕlātim. The meaning of the Hebrew word is doubtful; most probably it does not mean “shield,” for (1) a shield would not be described as “upon” the person to whom it belonged, (2) the early authorities, i.e. the LXX. translators, the Targum, and the Peshitṭa (on 2 Samuel viii. 7; 2 Kings xi. 10; Jeremiah li. 11; Ezekiel xxvii. 11) never give “shield,” but either leave the word untranslated or give various conjectural renderings. A later authority (Targum on 1 Chronicles xviii. 7; 2 Chronicles xxiii. 9) gives “shield,” while LXX. gives “collars” (κλοιούς) here, and “arms” or “shields” (τὰ ὅπλα) in 2 Chronicles.
The most probable rendering of the word is “suits of armour” (see Barnes, Expository Times, x. 43 ff.).
and brought them to Jerusalem] So Hebrew LXX. Targum, but the Peshitṭa (all important MSS.) omits the words, and they may be a gloss introduced from 2 Samuel viii. 7.
⁸And from Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadarezer, David took very much brass, wherewith Solomon made the brasen sea, and the pillars, and the vessels of brass.
8. Tibhath] compare Tebah, the name of an Aramean family, Genesis xxii. 24. Nothing is known certainly of the position of the city. In 2 Samuel viii. 8 Betah (= Tebah).