2 Samuel 8:2

He struck Moab, and measured them with the line, making them to lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death, and one full line to keep alive. The Moabites became servants to David, and brought tribute.

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Other translations

WEBBE

He defeated Moab, and measured them with the line, making them to lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death, and one full line to keep alive. The Moabites became servants to David, and brought tribute.

BSB

David also defeated the Moabites, made them lie down on the ground, and measured them off with a cord. He measured off with two lengths those to be put to death, and with one length those to be spared. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought him tribute.

KJV

And he smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive. And so the Moabites became David’s servants, and brought gifts.

ASV

And he smote Moab, and measured them with the line, making them to lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death, and one full line to keep alive. And the Moabites became servants to David, and brought tribute.

BBE

And he overcame the Moabites, and he had them measured with a line when they were stretched out on the earth; marking out two lines for death and one full line for life. So the Moabites became servants to David and gave him offerings.

Original Hebrew

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וַיַּךְ vai·yakh and he defeated H5221 אֶת־ 'et- (marks the object) H853 מוֹאָב mo·'av Moab H4124 וַיְמַדְּדֵם vay·ma·de·dem and he measured off them H4058 בַּחֶבֶל ba·che·vel with (the) measuring-line H2256 הַשְׁכֵּב hash·kev he made lie down H7901 אוֹתָם 'o·tam (marks the object) them H853 אַרְצָה 'ar·tzah [the] ground towards H776 וַיְמַדֵּד vay·ma·ded and he measured off H4058 שְׁנֵי־ she·nei- two H8147 חֲבָלִים cha·va·lim measuring-lines H2256 לְהָמִית le·ha·mit to put to death H4191 וּמְלֹא u·me·lo' and [the] fullness of H4393 הַחֶבֶל ha·che·vel (the) measuring-line H2256 לְהַחֲיוֹת le·ha·cha·yot to let live H2421 וַתְּהִי va·te·hi and it became H1961 מוֹאָב mo·'av Moab H4124 לְדָוִד le·da·vid of David H1732 לַעֲבָדִים la·'a·va·dim (into) servants H5650 נֹשְׂאֵי no·se·'ei bearing H5375 מִנְחָה min·chah (of) tribute H4503

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 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 keep alive, though it was but one, is ordered to be a full line. Let the line of mercy be stretched to the utmost. He smote the Syrians. In all these wars David was protected, for this in his psalms he often gives glory to God.

Read Matthew Henry on 2 Samuel 8 →

Parallel passages

1

The same words or events elsewhere.

1 Chronicles 18:2

Cross-references

19

People & places

DavidMoab Moab

Topics

KingCaptiveMoabitesCord

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.