SEV Biblia, Chapter 11:1
¶ Y aconteció a la vuelta de un año, en el tiempo que salen los reyes a la guerra , que David envió a Joab, y a sus siervos con él, y a todo Israel; y destruyeron a los amonitas, y pusieron cerco a Rabá; mas David se quedó en Jerusalén.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 11:1
Verse 1. When kings go forth] This was about a year after the war with the Syrians spoken of before, and about the spring of the year, as the most proper season for military operations. Calmet thinks they made two campaigns, one in autumn and the other in spring; the winter being in many respects inconvenient, and the summer too hot.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 1. And it came to pass, that after the year was expired , etc.] Or at the end of the year, as the Targum, which concluded with the month Adar or February, the spring of the year: at the time when kings go forth [to battle] ; in the month Nisan, as the Targum on ( 1 Chronicles 20:1); adds, the same with Abib, which was the first month of the year, ( Exodus 12:2 13:4), a fit time to go out to war; when, as the Jewish commentators observe, the rains were over, and there were grass in the fields, and fruit on the trees, and corn ripe, and so food for horse and men. This month was called Nisan, as some think f173 , from µysn , the military banners then erected; so by the Romans it is called Martius, and by us March, from Mars, the god of war; though some f174 take this to be the month Tisri, answering to part of September, and part of October, when all the fruits of the earth were gathered in, and supposed to be a fit time for war, when the heat of the year was declining: that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel ; his whole army under Joab as general; in ( 1 Chronicles 20:1); it is “the power of the army”; the whole body of it: and they destroyed the children of Ammon; burnt their cities, and slew the inhabitants of them, and laid their land waste wherever they came: and besieged Rabbah ; their chief city, called Rabathamana by Polybius f175 , that is, Rabbah of Ammon, and afterwards. Philadelphia, from Philadelphus, king of Egypt, as it was in the times of Jerom f176 : but David tarried still at Jerusalem ; which is observed for the sake of the following history; it would have been well for him if he had gone forth with the army himself, then the sin he fell into would have been prevented.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-5 - Observe the occasions of David's sin; what led to it. 1. Neglect of his business. He tarried at Jerusalem. When we are out of the way of ou duty, we are in temptation. 2. Love of ease: idleness gives grea advantage to the tempter. 3. A wandering eye. He had not, like Job made a covenant with his eyes, or, at this time, he had forgotten it And observe the steps of the sin. See how the way of sin is down-hill when men begin to do evil, they cannot soon stop. Observe the aggravations of the sin. How could David rebuke or punish that is others, of which he was conscious that he himself was guilty?
Original Hebrew
ויהי 1961 לתשׁובת 8666 השׁנה 8141 לעת 6256 צאת 3318 המלאכים 4428 וישׁלח 7971 דוד 1732 את 853 יואב 3097 ואת 853 עבדיו 5650 עמו 5973 ואת 853 כל 3605 ישׂראל 3478 וישׁחתו 7843 את 853 בני 1121 עמון 5983 ויצרו 6696 על 5921 רבה 7237 ודוד 1732 יושׁב 3427 בירושׁלם׃ 3389
