Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(2 Samuel 8:1) And after this, it came to pass that David struck the Philistines and subdued them, and David took Metheg Ammah out of the hand of the Philistines.
David had had a conversation with the prophet Nathan about building the house of God, but the Lord told him through Nathan not to build, that his descendant would build it, and that He would establish his kingdom forever. It seems David's rest from his enemies was a short one, and he was soon back to war. David took Metheg Ammah out of the hand of the Philistines. Comparing the same incident in 1 Chronicles 18, we learn David actually took Gath and her towns. Metheg Ammah doesn't appear to be the name of a city but rather means something to the effect of "bridle of the metropolis." It was probably an epithet of Gath. The Latin Vulgate, a 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible, expounded to write that David removed the bondage of the tribute which the Israelites paid to the Philistines. This map borrowed from BibleStudy.org shows the location of Gath in relation to Jerusalem:
(2) And he struck Moab and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even with two lines measured he put to death, and with one full line to keep alive. And the Moabites became David's servants and brought gifts.
David then struck Moab. There seems to be no consensus on the exact meaning of this verse, but it appears that David killed two-thirds of the Moabites and kept one third of them as servants who brought David gifts, probably meaning they were obliged to pay tribute. Jewish writers have asserted that the reason for the severe treatment of these people was their having massacred David’s parents whom he had, during his exile, committed to the king of Moab (1 Samuel 22:3). Although the Bible does not record this, David's parents were never mentioned again after he left them in the king's care. This map borrowed from The Jordan Valley shows Moab and actually all the areas where David expanded his kingdom:
(3) David struck also Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his border at the river Euphrates.
Whether it was when Hadadezer went to recover part of his dominion that had fallen to someone else, or perhaps what is meant is that David was the one who went to recover his border as God had promised Abraham land to the river Euphrates (Genesis 15:18), either way, that is when David struck Hadadezer.
(4) And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen; and David houghed all the chariots but reserved of them a hundred chariots.
David took from Hadadezer a thousand chariots, seven hundred horsemen (or rather perhaps seven hundred companies of horsemen as the same account in 1 Chronicles 18 says 7000 horsemen), and 20,000 footmen. He disjointed all the chariots except for a hundred of them.
(5) And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed of the Syrians twenty-two thousand men.
The Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, but David and his army killed 22,000 of them.
(6) Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus, and the Syrians became servants to David and brought gifts. And the Lord preserved David wherever he went.
David put garrisons in that part of Syria where Damascus was, and the Syrians became servants to David and brought gifts, which again I believe means they were subject to Israel and paid tribute. The Lord preserved and protected David wherever he went.
(7) And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. (8) And from Betah, and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, king David took exceeding much brass.
David took the gold shields that were on Hadadezer's servants, most likely soldiers, and brought them back to Jerusalem. He also took a great deal of brass from the cities of Hadadezer.
(9) When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had struck all the host of Hadadezer, (10) Then Toi sent Joram his son to King David to salute him and to bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and struck him, for Hadadezer had wars with Toi. And Joram brought with him vessels of silver and vessels of gold and vessels of brass,
When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had struck down Hadadezer's army, he was apparently glad because Hadadezer had had wars with Toi. He sent his son Joram to greet and offer blessings to King David and to bring him gifts of gold, silver, and brass.
(11) Which also King David did dedicate to the Lord, with the silver and gold that he had dedicated of all nations which he subdued, (12) Of Syria, and of Moab, and of the children of Ammon, and of the Philistines, and of Amalek, and of the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
David took those gifts of gold, silver, and brass, and dedicated them to the Lord, along with all the spoil he had taken from all the nations he had subdued, from Syria, Moab, Ammon, Philistia, Amalek, and Hadadezer of Zobah.
(13) And David got a name when he returned from striking of the Syrians in the valley of salt, eighteen thousand.
David had made a name for himself when he returned from striking the Syrians in the valley of salt. Verse 5 said that David had killed 22,000 Syrians of Damascus. However, according to the map above, the Valley of Salt is in the southwestern corner in the lands of Amalek and Edom. The Syrians may have been confederates of the Edomites, and David struck 18,000 more of them in the Valley of Salt.
(14) And he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and all they of Edom became David's servants. And the Lord preserved David wherever he went.
David also put garrisons throughout Edom, and the people of Edom also became subjects of Israel. Once again, we are told that the Lord protected and preserved David wherever he went.
(1 Chronicles 18:1) Now after this, it came to pass that David struck the Philistines and subdued them and took Gath and her towns out of the hand of the Philistines.
The account of David's battles to expand his kingdom are also told in 1 Chronicles 18. David took Gath and her towns from the Philistines.
(2) And he struck Moab, and the Moabites became David's servants and brought gifts. (3) And David struck Hadarezer king of Zobah to Hamath, as he went to establish his dominion by the river Euphrates.
David struck the Moabites and made them tributaries. He also struck the king of Zobah called Hadarezer here instead of Hadadezer.
(4) And David took from him a thousand chariots and seven thousand horsemen and twenty thousand footmen. David also houghed all the chariots but reserved of them a hundred chariots. (5) And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadarezer king of Zobah, David killed of the Syrians twenty-two thousand men. (6) Then David put garrisons in Syria Damascus, and the Syrians became David's servants and brought gifts. Thus the Lord preserved David wherever he went.
The account continues pretty much word for word as the account in 2 Samuel 8.
(7) And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadarezer and brought them to Jerusalem. (8) Likewise from Tibhath and from Chun, cities of Hadarezer, brought David very much brass, with which Solomon made the bronze sea and the pillars and the vessels of brass.
David brought the gold shields of the servants of Hadarezer to Jerusalem, along with a lot of brass he got from some of his cities, two different ones named than the ones in the account in 2 Samuel 8. This account added that King Solomon later used the brass to make articles for the temple.
(9) Now when Tou king of Hamath heard how David had struck all the host of Hadarezer king of Zobah, (10) He sent Hadoram his son to King David to enquire of his welfare and to congratulate him because he had fought against Hadarezer and defeated him (for Hadarezer had war with Tou) and all manner of vessels of gold and silver and brass.
In this account the king of Hamath was called Tou rather than Toi, and his son was called Hadoram rather than Joram, but other than that, the account is pretty much the same.
(11) Them also King David dedicated to the Lord, with the silver and the gold that he brought from all nations, from Edom, and from Moab, and from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek.
David dedicated all the silver and gold he had gotten from all the nations he had subdued, to the Lord.
(12) Moreover Abishai the son of Zeruiah killed of the Edomites in the valley of salt eighteen thousand. (13) And he put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became David's servants. Thus the Lord preserved David wherever he went.
This account states it was actually Abishai, the son of David's sister Zeruiah, who led the army who killed the 18,000 men in the Valley of Salt. Then David put garrisons in all of Edom, and the Edomites became tributaries. Again, the Lord preserved David wherever he went.
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