Page:The Books of Chronicles (1916).djvu/180

116 let thy name be established and magnified for ever, saying, The of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel: and the house of David thy servant is established before thee. For thou, O my God, hast revealed to thy servant that thou wilt build him an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray before thee. And now, O, thou art God, and hast promised this good thing unto thy servant: and now it hath pleased thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O, hast blessed, and it is blessed for ever.

24. And let thy name magnified] Better, as mg., Yea, let it be established, and let thy name be magnified.

even a God to Israel] delete as a dittography.

25. hath found  to pray] i.e. hath found words and courage to pray.

27. hast blessed, and it is blessed for ever] 2 Sam. vii. 29, thou, O Lord, hast spoken it; and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.

1—17 (= 2 Sam. viii. 1—18).&emsp;

This chapter like the last is taken from 2 Sam. with a few omissions and variations. The Chronicler paraphrases (vv. 1, 17), omits (ver. 2), has a different reading (vv. 4, 8, 10, 12). In some cases the better reading is in Chron.

The campaigns (except perhaps that against Moab) seem to be narrated in chronological order. David first makes sure of his most pressing enemy the Philistines (ver. 1); then feeling safe towards the S.W. he turns towards the N.E. to secure on the Euphrates (but see note ver. 3) a station (valuable for trade) held by the Syrians of Zobah (ver. 3); the Syrians of Damascus fearing to be excluded from the River by David's success come to the help of their kinsmen (ver. 5); lastly the Edomites, urged perhaps by the Syrians to make a diversion in their favour and thinking it safe to attack Judah during the absence of David, join in the war, but are signally defeated by a detachment under Joab and Abishai (ver. 12).

The war with Moab (ver. 2) is surprising, if it took place at an early date in David's reign, for he seems to have been on specially friendly terms with the king of Moab during his exile; cp. 1 Sam. xxii. 3, 4 and Kirkpatrick on 2 Sam. viii. 2.