II Samuel 8:7

Of the booty taken in these wars, David carried the golden shields which he took from the servants, i.e., the governors and vassal princes, of Hadadezer, to Jerusalem. (Note: The lxx has this additional clause: "And Shishak the king of Egypt took them away, when he went up against Jerusalem in the days of Rehoboam the son of Solomon," which is neither to be found in the Chronicles nor in any other ancient version, and is merely an inference drawn by the Greek translator, or by some copyists of the lxx, from Kg1 14:25-28, taken in connection with the fact that the application of the brass is given in Ch1 18:8. But, in the first place, the author of this gloss has overlooked the fact that the golden shields of Rehoboam which Shishak carried away, were not those captured by David, but those which Solomon had had made, according to Kg1 10:16, for the retainers of his palace; and in the second place, he has not observed that, according to Sa2 8:11 of this chapter, and also of the Chronicles, David dedicated to the Lord all the gold and silver that he had taken, i.e., put it in the treasury of the sanctuary to be reserved for the future temple, and that at the end of his reign he handed over to his son and successor Solomon all the gold, silver, iron, and brass that he had collected for the purpose, to be applied to the building of the temple (Ch1 22:14., Ch1 29:2.). Consequently the clause in question, which Thenius would adopt from the lxx into our own text, is nothing more than the production of a presumptuous Alexandrian, whose error lies upon the very surface, so that the question of its genuineness cannot for a moment be entertained.) Shelet signifies "a shield," according to the Targums and Rabbins, and this meaning is applicable to all the passages in which the word o…

David having sought first the kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof, settling the ark as soon as he was himself well settled, we are here told how all other things were added to him. Here is an account, I. Of his conquests. He triumphed, 1. Over the Philistines (Sa2 8:1). 2. Over the Moabites (Sa2 8:2). 3. Over the king of Zobah (Sa2 8:3, Sa2 8:4). 4. Over the Syrians (Sa2 8:5-8, Sa2 8:13). 5. Over the Edomites (Sa2 8:14). II. Of the presents that were brought him and the wealth he got from the nations he subdued, which he dedicated to God (Sa2 8:9-12). III. Of his court, the administration of his government (Sa2 8:15), and his chief officers (Sa2 8:16-18). This gives us a general idea of the prosperity of David's reign.

8:7 gold shields: See also 2 Kgs 11:10. • brought . . . to Jerusalem: In conformity with God’s stipulations for a good king (Deut 17:17), David dedicated these valuable items to God (see 2 Sam 8:11) rather than hoarding them for his own wealth and splendor.