When the children of Ammon saw that they had become odious to David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth Rehob and the Syrians of Zobah, twenty thousand footmen, and the king of Maacah with one thousand men, and the men of Tob twelve thousand men.
ExplanationCommentary
Verse 6. Rohob, the capital, between Libanus and Antibanus.—Soba was subject to Adarezer. Calmet. 8:3.—Maacha, at the foot of Hermon.—Istob (Hebrew ish tob) signifies, the man, or prince, or “the master of Tob,” ( Calmet.) where Jephte lived. Judges 11:5. D. Salien.—Josephus thinks that Istob is the name of a fourth king, who, together with the king of Micha, brought 22,000 into the field. The first he styles king “of the Mesopotamians,” (1 Chronicles 19:6) which Salien explains of the country between Abana and Pharphar, the two great rivers of Syria, (4 Kennicott. 5:12,) though, on this occasion, he allows that Adarezer hired forces from the utmost parts beyond the Euphrates. Bible.