Earlier, when David was in Edom, Joab the commander of the army had gone to bury the dead and had struck down every male in Edom.
Parallel translations
- WEB For when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the army had gone up to bury the slain, and had struck every male in Edom
- KJV For it came to pass, when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the host was gone up to bury the slain, after he had smitten every male in Edom;
- NKJV For it happened, when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury the slain, after he had killed every male in Edom
- NASB For it came about, when David was in Edom and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury those killed in battle, and had struck and killed every male in Edom
- NLT Years before, David had defeated Edom. Joab, his army commander, had stayed to bury some of the Israelite soldiers who had died in battle. While there, they killed every male in Edom.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Years earlier, David's forces under Joab had struck down the males of Edom. It supplies the background to Hadad's enmity.
Overview
This flashback recalls David's harsh subjugation of Edom, when Joab's army devastated the Edomite men. The history explains why Hadad, a royal survivor, bore lasting hostility toward Israel. The narrative shows how past conflicts could resurface as instruments of God's discipline, weaving Israel's history together as the LORD providentially raises adversaries in His appointed time.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 2 Sam 8:14He placed garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites were subject to David. So the LORD made David victorious wherever he went.
- 1 Chr 18:12–13Moreover, Abishai son of Zeruiah struck down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
- Deut 20:13When the LORD your God has delivered it into your hand, you must put every male to the sword.
- Gen 27:40You shall live by the sword and serve your brother. But when you rebel, you will tear his yoke from your neck.”
- Num 24:18–19Edom will become a possession, as will Seir, his enemy; but Israel will perform with valor.
- Gen 25:23and He declared to her: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”
- Ps 60:1For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lily of the Covenant.” A Miktam of David for instruction. When he fought Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned and struck down 12,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. You have rejected us, O God; You have broken us; You have been angry; restore us!
- Num 31:17So now, kill all the boys, as well as every woman who has had relations with a man,
- Ps 108:10Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?
- Mal 1:2–3“I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you ask, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet Jacob I have loved,
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Christ at the center
Solomon's glory, wisdom, and temple where God's presence dwells are a shadow of the greater Son of David — 'one greater than Solomon is here' — and of the true Temple, Christ himself.
How 1 Kings 11:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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