📖WEB · 1 Chronicles 19:9
What does 1 Chronicles 19:9 mean?
"The children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the gate of the city; and the kings who had come were by themselves in the field."
— 1 Chronicles 19:9 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
When the children of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the children of Ammon sent one thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and horsemen out of Mesopotamia, out of Aram-maacah, and out of Zobah.
So they hired for themselves thirty-two thousand chariots, and the king of Maacah with his people, who came and encamped near Medeba. The children of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities, and came to battle.
When David heard of it, he sent Joab with all the army of the mighty men.
The children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the gate of the city; and the kings who had come were by themselves in the field.
Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose some of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians.
The rest of the people he committed into the hand of Abishai his brother; and they put themselves in array against the children of Ammon.
He said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you are to help me; but if the children of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will help you.
Explanation
This verse comes at a pivotal moment in a story of insult, pride, and war. In 1 Chronicles 19, King David had sent messengers to comfort Hanun, the new king of Ammon, after the death of his father Nahash, who had shown David kindness. Hanun's advisors, however, convinced him that David's men were actually spies sent to scout out the land before conquering it. Acting on this bad counsel, Hanun humiliated David's ambassadors by shaving off half their beards and cutting their gar
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