Bible Strands
1 Kings 11:24
and had gathered men to himself. When David killed the Zobaites, Rezon captained a band of raiders and went to Damascus, where they settled and gained control.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator addresses the reader during Solomon’s reign, documenting the political aftermath of David’s campaigns against Zobah. It records Rezon’s flight and subsequent rise as a rival ruler in Damascus.
The words — The Hebrew phrase שַׂר־גְּדוּד (sar-gedud) literally translates to “leader of a marauding band,” describing Rezon’s military role. The verb וַיִּקְבֹּץ (va-yikbotz) means “and he gathered,” indicating his deliberate recruitment of followers.
The thread — This narrative echoes David’s earlier victories over the Arameans of Zobah in 2 Samuel 10:18 and Abram’s pursuit of captors to Damascus in Genesis 14:15. The text frames Rezon’s rise as a direct continuation of the regional conflicts David previously subdued.
Why it lands — It demands recognition that political adversaries often emerge from the fractures of prior military successes. The text records the factual establishment of a hostile regime without moral commentary, leaving the theological evaluation to the broader narrative of Solomon’s reign.
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 he gathered men unto him, and became captain over a band, when David slew them of Zobah: and they went to Damascus, and dwelt therein, and reigned in Damascus.
Cross-references
- 2 Samuel 10:8 The Ammonites marched out and arrayed themselves for battle at the entrance of the city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country.
- 2 Samuel 10:18 But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed seven hundred charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers. He also struck down Shobach the commander of their army, who died there.
- Genesis 14:15 During the night, Abram divided his forces and routed Chedorlaomer’s army, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.
- 1 Kings 19:15 Then the LORD said to him, “Go back by the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you arrive, you are to anoint Hazael as king over Aram.
- 1 Kings 20:34 Ben-hadad said to him, “I will restore the cities my father took from your father; you may set up your own marketplaces in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.” “By this treaty I release you,” Ahab replied. So he made a treaty with him and sent him away.
- Acts 9:2 and requested letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.