Bible Strands
1 Chronicles 19:6
When the Ammonites realized that they had become a stench to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Aram-naharaim, Aram-maacah, and Zobah.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator records the Ammonite leadership's reaction after their envoys are humiliated by David. Hanun and the Ammonites respond by mobilizing foreign mercenaries to counter the king of Israel.
The words — הִתְבָּאֲשׁוּ (hit.ba.'a.Shu) literally means "they had made themselves odious," describing the Ammonites' fear of David's judgment after the insult to his messengers. וַ/יִּשְלַח (va/i.yish.Lach) translates as "and he sent," marking the immediate financial and military countermeasure.
The thread — This motif of becoming a "stench" or "odious" presence appears in Genesis 34:30 and 2 Samuel 10:6, while the hiring of Aramean forces echoes the military context of 1 Chronicles 18:5.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition of how political fear drives desperate alliances rather than repentance. It requires the reader to trace the direct line from insult to armed escalation without softening the narrative's stark causality.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And when the children of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the children of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire them chariots and horsemen out of Mesopotamia, and out of Syria–maachah, and out of Zobah.
Cross-references
- Genesis 34:30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble upon me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people of this land. We are few in number; if they unite against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”
- 2 Samuel 10:6 When the Ammonites realized that they had become a stench to David, they hired twenty thousand Aramean foot soldiers from Beth-rehob and Zoba, as well as a thousand men from the king of Maacah and twelve thousand men from Tob.
- 1 Chronicles 18:5 When the Arameans of Damascus came to help King Hadadezer of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of their men.
- 1 Chronicles 18:9 When King Tou of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer king of Zobah,
- Exodus 5:21 “May the LORD look upon you and judge you,” the foremen said, “for you have made us a stench before Pharaoh and his officials; you have placed in their hand a sword to kill us!”
- 1 Samuel 13:4 And all Israel heard the news: “Saul has attacked an outpost of the Philistines, and now Israel has become a stench to the Philistines!” Then the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
- 1 Samuel 14:47 After Saul had assumed the kingship over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side—the Moabites, the Ammonites, the Edomites, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he routed them.
- 1 Samuel 27:12 So Achish trusted David, thinking, “Since he has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel, he will be my servant forever.”
- 2 Samuel 8:3 David also defeated Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, who had marched out to restore his dominion along the Euphrates River.
- 1 Kings 11:23 And God raised up against Solomon another adversary, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah,