2 Samuel 8 · Verse 4

2 Samuel 8:4

And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David houghed all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for an hundred chariots.
2 Samuel 8:4, King James Version

2 Samuel 8:4 in other translations

BSBDavid captured from him a thousand chariots, seven thousand charioteers, and twenty thousand foot soldiers, and he hamstrung all the horses except a hundred he kept for the chariots.
WEBDavid took from him one thousand seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand footmen. David hamstrung the chariot horses, but reserved enough of them for one hundred chariots.
ASVAnd David took from him a thousand and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David hocked all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for a hundred chariots.
YLTand David captureth from him a thousand and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen, and David destroyeth utterly the whole of the charioteers, only he leaveth of them a hundred charioteers.
DARBYAnd David took from him one thousand seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen; and David houghed all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for a hundred chariots.
BBEAnd David took from him one thousand, seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand footmen: and David had the leg-muscles of the horses cut, only keeping enough of them for a hundred war-carriages.
WebsterAnd David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David houghed all the chariot-horses, but reserved of them for a hundred chariots.

What does 2 Samuel 8:4 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 4 A thousand chariots - It is strange that there were a thousand chariots, and only seven hundred horsemen taken, and twenty thousand foot. But as the discomfiture appears complete, we may suppose that the chariots, being less manageable, might be more easily taken, while the horsemen might, in general, make their escape. The infantry also seem to have been surrounded, when twenty thousand of them were taken prisoners. David houghed all the chariot horses - If he did so, it was both unreasonable and inhuman; for, as he had so complete a victory, there was no danger of these horses falling into the enemy's hands; and if he did not choose to keep them, which indeed the law would not permit, he should have killed them outright; and then the poor innocent creatures would have been put out of pain. But does the text speak of houghing horses at all? It does not. Let us hear; ויעקר דוד את כל הרכב vayeakker David eth col harecheb, And David disjointed all the chariots, except a hundred chariots which he reserved for himself. Now, this destruction of the chariots, was a matter of sound policy, and strict piety. God had censured those who trusted in chariots; piety therefore forbade David the use of them: and lest they should fall into the enemy's hands, and be again used against him, policy induced him to destroy them. The Septuagint render the words nearly as I have done, και παρελυσε Δαυιδ παντα τα ἁρματα. He kept however one hundred; probably as a sort of baggage or forage wagons.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Samuel 8:1-8

David subdued the Philistines. They had long been troublesome to Israel. And after the long and frequent struggles the saints have with the powers of darkness, like Israel with the Philistines, the Son of David shall tread them all under foot, and make the saints more than conquerors. He smote the Moabites, and made them tributaries to Israel. Two parts he destroyed, the third part he spared. The line that was to…

Read the full comment on 2 Samuel 8:1-8 →

2 Samuel 8:4 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיִּלְכֹּ֨דvai.yil.Kodand he capturedH3920
דָּוִ֜דda.VidDavidH1732
מִמֶּ֗נּוּmi.Me.nufrom himH4480
אֶ֤לֶף'E.lefone thousandH505
וּשְׁבַע\־u.she.va'-and sevenH7651
מֵאוֹת֙me.'Othundred<s>H3967
פָּרָשִׁ֔יםpa.ra.ShimhorsemenH6571
וְעֶשְׂרִ֥יםve.'es.Rimand twentyH6242
אֶ֖לֶף'E.lefthousandH505
אִ֣ישׁ'ishmanH376
רַגְלִ֑יrag.Lion footH7273
וַיְעַקֵּ֤רvay.'a.Kerand he hamstrungH6131
דָּוִד֙da.VidDavidH1732
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
כָּל\־kol-allH3605
הָרֶ֔כֶבha.Re.khevthe chariotryH7393
וַיּוֹתֵ֥רvai.yo.Terand he leftH3498
מִמֶּ֖נּוּmi.Me.nuof itH4480
מֵ֥אָהMe.'ahone hundredH3967
רָֽכֶב\׃Ra.khevchariot[s]H7393

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Samuel 8:4

  • Joshua 11:6

    And the Lord said unto Joshua, Be not afraid because of them: for to morrow about this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel: thou shalt hough their horses, and burn their chariots with fire.

  • Joshua 11:9

    And Joshua did unto them as the Lord bade him: he houghed their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire.

  • Psalms 33:16-17

    There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.

  • Deuteronomy 17:16

    But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the Lord hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.

  • 1 Chronicles 18:4

    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.

  • Psalms 20:7

    Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

  • 1 Kings 10:26

    And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
from him. or, of his. chariots.As 1 Ch 18:4 seven hundred. In the parallel place in Chronicles it is "seven thousand horsemen, a far more probable number. The letter [Zayin,] {zayin,} with a dot upon it stands for seven thousand, and the final letter Nûwn,] {noon,} for seven hundred: the great similarity of these letters might easily cause the one to be mistaken for the other, and so produce an error in this place.
David houghed.
De 17:16; Jos 11:6,9; Ps 20:7; 33:16,17
reserved.
1Ki 10:26

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 2 Samuel 8:3

    David smote also Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his border at the river Euphrates.

  • 2 Samuel 8:4

    And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David houghed all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for an hundred chariots.

  • 2 Samuel 8:5

    And when the Syrians of Damascus came to succour Hadadezer king of Zobah, David slew of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men.

Read all of 2 Samuel 8

2 Samuel 8:4 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y tomó David de ellos mil y setecientos de á caballo, y veinte mil hombres de á pie; y desjarretó David los caballos de todos los carros, excepto cien carros de ellos que dejó.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et David lui prit 1 700 cavaliers et 20 000 hommes de pied; et David coupa les jarrets aux chevaux de tous les chars, mais il réserva 100 attelages.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und David fing von ihm 1700 Reiter und 20000 Mann Fußvolk; nahm von ihm 1700 Reiter und 20000 Mann Fußvolk gefangen; und David lähmte alle Gespanne und ließ 100 Gespanne von ihm übrig.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et captis David ex parte ejus mille septingentis equitibus, et viginti millibus peditum, subnervavit omnes jugales curruum: dereliquit autem ex eis centum currus.