Daily Tanach Thursday Shmuel 2 Chapter 10 Part 2: War with Aram and Amon

1.      The Jewish people are surrounded:

• Yoav prepares to battle Aram: Yoav saw that he was surrounded by the enemy soldiers both in front and in back and he therefore chose the best of the soldiers of Israel and went out to confront the enemy Aram.
• Avishaiy prepares to battle Amon: The remainder of the soldiers he placed under the authority of his brother Avishaiy, and they went out to wage war against the nation of Amon.
• The pact: Yoav said to his brother that if the nation of Aram will overcome him then he, Avishaiy, should come to help him, and if the nation of Amon will overcome Avishaiy, he will go to help save him. “Let us strengthen ourselves and be strong on behalf of our nation and on behalf of the cities of G-d, and G-d will do what is good in His eyes.”

2.      The first battle:

• Yoav and the nation that was with him gathered to wage war against Aram, and Aram fled from before him. The nation of Amon saw that Aram had fled and they too fled from Avishaiy, and they arrived to their city. Yoav had returned from battling the nation of Aram and he arrived in Jerusalem.

3.      The second battle:

• Aram saw that they had fled from before the Jewish people and they therefore gathered a large army together for a second battle. They sent for [the strongest ruler of the area] Hadadezer, who subsequently joined Aram in the battle from across the Jordan and they arrived to the city of Cheilom.
• The general of the enemy: Shovach was the general [of Hadadezer] and he led them in battle.
• Dovid prepares for the second battle: Dovid was informed of the upcoming battle and gathered all the Jewish people from across the Jordan and they arrived to Cheilama.
• The battle: Aram positioned their armies opposite Dovid, and they battled with Dovid there. Aram fled from the Jewish people and Dovid decimated the army of Aram, destroying 700 war chariots and killing 40,000 horsemen. Shovach, the general of the enemy, was killed there.

4.      The aftermath – The gentile kings are subdued:

• All the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had fled in front of the Jewish people, and they therefore made peace with the Jewish people and agreed to be subdued to them, to serve them.
• The nation of Aram now feared helping the nation of Amon anymore to help save them.