David took from him one thousand chariots, seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen; and David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but reserved of them enough for one hundred chariots.
Parallel Translations
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David took from him one thousand chariots, seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen; and David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but reserved of them enough for one hundred chariots.
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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.
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And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen; and David houghed all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for a hundred chariots.
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Contradictions (1)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (8)
Passages linked to 1 Chronicles 18:4 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 2 Samuel 8:4 David took from him one thousand seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand footmen. David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for one hundred chariots.
- Psalms 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we trust in the name of Yahweh our God.
- Psalms 33:16-17 There is no king saved by the multitude of an army. A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain thing for safety, neither does he deliver any by his great power.
- Deuteronomy 17:16 Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he may multiply horses; because Yahweh has said to you, “You shall not go back that way again.”
- Joshua 11:6 Yahweh said to Joshua, “Don’t be afraid because of them; for tomorrow at this time, I will deliver them up all slain before Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.”
- Joshua 11:9 Joshua did to them as Yahweh told him. He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.
- 1 Kings 4:2 These were the princes whom he had: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest;
- 1 Kings 10:26 Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had one thousand four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, that he kept in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
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Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Footmen. Hebrew may well signify, "1000 chariot-horses and 7000…
Footmen. Hebrew may well signify, "1000 chariot-horses and 7000 men who mounted the chariots and the horses." We only find 1700 horsemen, 2 Kings viii. 4. But soon after it is added, David houghed all the chariot-horses. (Calmet) --- They were thus rendered useless. The king was forbidden to keep many horses. (Du Hamel)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain And David took from him a thousand chariots--(See on…
And David took from him a thousand chariots--(See on Sa2 8:3-14). In Sa2 8:4 David is said to have taken seven hundred horsemen, whereas here it is said that he took seven thousand. This great discrepancy in the text of the two narratives seems to have originated with a transcriber in confounding the two Hebrew letters which indicate the numbers, and in neglecting to mark or obscure the points over one of them. We have no means of ascertaining whether seven hundred or seven thousand be the more correct. Probably the former should be adopted [DAVIDSON'S HERMENUTICS].
but reserved of them an hundred chariots--probably to grace a triumphal procession on his return to Jerusalem, and after using them in that way, destroy them like the rest.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 4. a thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen] Sam.…
4. a thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen] Sam. a thousand and seven hundred horsemen (so Heb. but LXX. of Sam. agrees with Chron.). Houghed = “hamstrung.”
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (4) A thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen.—Hebrew text…
(4) A thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen.—Hebrew text of Samuel, “a thousand and seven hundred horsemen.” The territory of Zobah lay somewhere in the great plain of Aram. Hadadezer would, therefore, be strong in chariots and horses, and our reading is probably correct. (Comp. 1Ch_19:18.)
Houghed.—Hamstrung—i.e., cut the sinews of the hind legs, so as to disable them.
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Chariot horses.—The same Hebrew term has just been rendered chariots. It means also chariot soldiers.
David reserved a hundred chariots, with their horses, probably for his own use. Horses were always a luxury in Israel. (Comp. Isa_2:7.) Solomon recruited his stud from Egypt. (Comp. the prohibition, Deu_17:16.)
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain The parallel place (2Sa_8:4) omits, probably by error merely,…
The parallel place (2Sa_8:4) omits, probably by error merely, the word "chariots," and reads for our seven thousand, "seven hundred." As the form of expression in the last two clauses of our present verse is the same in both cases, it is more natural to render, David houghed all the chariot horses, but reserved a hundred, i.e. a hundred horses unhoughed; he houghed all but a hundred. Our Authorized Version, in the parallel, gets over the difficulty by inserting "for," i.e. enough for, "a hundred chariots.
Vers. 4, 9-11.
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David, Hadarezer, and Tou.
The Spirit of God is a faithful Biographer. If he records the good features of character in God"s children, he is no less faithful in describing the dark side of their character. In this the Word of God is a striking contrast to all human biography. David"s cruel conduct in "houghing the chariot-horses" is in keeping with the imperfect light of that dispensation, and is not recorded for our imitation any more than the records of crime in our daily press. It teaches us that there is only One perfect. There is a blot on every escutcheon except that of the Lord Jesus; and they are recorded by the Spirit of God in order that the eye of the soul should be ever turning from the best of earth"s heroes to him who is the "chief of ten thousand, and the altogether lovely." Let us be warned by the cruelties of David"s time and mark his graces, and follow him so far as he followed Christ. Hadarezer"s spoils and every other are consecrated to God. Not a trophy falls into David"s hands but is laid there. Hadarezer"s spoils and Tou"s gifts are all alike the Lord"s. May we follow him here, and cast every crown at the feet of Jesus! W.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.