The Amalekites burnt Ziklag, and How is this transaction recorded drove off the women as captives. by the chronicler? When David Three days afterwards David and reached Ziklag, eight captains “his men” came to the place and “of thousands” came to him, and saw the calamity which had helped him against the Amalekite befallen it. David consulted the raiders, and so many men flocked ephod, and was told to pursue the to his standard to help him, that “rovers,” for he should not only his army was “a great host, like overtake them, but should recover the host of God.” all that they had taken captive. “So David went, he and the _six Certainly it seems very hundred men_ that were with him, improbable that 400 men should be and came to the brook Besor.” able to extirpate the whole army Here David left behind 200 of the of the Amalekites which must have men, and with the remaining 400 been pretty numerous, seeing 400 overtook the spoilers, and men mounted on camels managed to extirpated them, for “he smote escape; but these 400 are spoken them from the twilight even unto of as mere ciphers, for David and the evening of the next day, and his men slew all the whole army, there escaped not a man of them, except these [few] young men who save 400 who fled on camels.” were on camels. 2 Sam., ii., 10. 2 Sam., ii., 11. Ishbosheth, the rival king of In the very next verse we are David, is said to have reigned informed that David reigned _two years_; and during these two _seven years and a half_ over years, David reigned over Judah Judah only, during all which time only. Ishbosheth reigned over the rest of the tribes. 2 Sam., viii., 4, 5. 1 Chron., xviii., 4. David, says the writer of this In the corresponding passage book, took from Hadadezer, (?) recorded in the book of King of Zobah, 1,000 chariots, Chronicles, we are told that the and _seven hundred_ horsemen, and number of horsemen was not 700, 22,000 footmen. but _seven thousand_. The name of the king is here called Hadarezer. 2 Sam., x., 6, 18. 1 Chron., xix., 18. Hadarezer hired 33,000 Syrians to In the book of Chronicles David oppose David; but David came is said to have slain _seven against the allied army and “slew thousand_ men, which fought in _seven hundred chariots_ of the chariots, and forty thousand Syrians, and forty thousand _footmen_. _horsemen_.” 2 Sam., xxiv., 9. 1 Chron., xxi., 5.