Bible Strands
2 Samuel 8:13
And David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator records David’s return after a military campaign against Edom in the Valley of Salt. No speaker addresses an audience; the passage functions as a historical summary of David’s consolidated victories.
The words — The Hebrew phrase וַיַּעַשׂ שֵׁם (va.ya‘as shem) literally means “he made a name.” It appears in the context of David returning from defeating enemies, indicating the establishment of his reputation through military action.
The thread — The Valley of Salt as a site of massive casualties against Edom reappears in 2 Kings 14:7 and 1 Chronicles 18:12. The motif of God establishing a name for David through victory echoes the promise in 2 Samuel 7:9.
Why it lands — The text reports that David’s reputation grew directly from his successful campaigns against specific regional enemies. It requires the reader to note that the historical record attributes his standing to concrete military outcomes rather than abstract claims.
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 David gat him a name when he returned from smiting of the Syrians in the valley of salt, being eighteen thousand men.
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 14:7 Amaziah struck down 10,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. He took Sela in battle and called it Joktheel, which is its name to this very day.
- 2 Samuel 7:9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make for you a name like that of the greatest in the land.
- 1 Chronicles 18:12 Moreover, Abishai son of Zeruiah struck down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
- 2 Chronicles 25:11 Amaziah, however, summoned his strength and led his troops to the Valley of Salt, where he struck down 10,000 men of Seir,
- Psalms 60:1 For 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!