⁸And from Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadarezer, David took very much brass, wherewith Solomon made the brasen sea, and the pillars, and the vessels of brass. =8.= _Tibhath_] compare _Tebah_, the name of an Aramean family, Genesis xxii. 24. Nothing is known certainly of the position of the city. In 2 Samuel viii. 8 _Betah_ (= _Tebah_). _Cun_] 2 Samuel viii. 8, “Berothai.” Nothing is certainly known of a city of either name; but “Berothai” may be the same as “Berothah” (Ezekiel xlvii. 16). _very much brass_] Compare xxi. 14, xxix. 2. _brass_] Not the metal generally so called. Revised Version (margin note to Genesis iv. 22) gives _copper_ as an alternative rendering. The “brass” of the ancients (χαλκός, LXX.) corresponds rather to _bronze_. _the brasen sea_, etc.] Compare 2 Chronicles iv. 11‒18. ⁹And when Tou king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadarezer king of Zobah, =9.= _Tou_] In 2 Samuel viii. 9 “Toi” (so Hebrew, but LXX. “Tou”). _Hamath_] see above verse 3. Hamath is sometimes referred to as the northern boundary of Israel, compare 1 Kings viii. 65; 2 Kings xiv. 25, 28. ¹⁰he sent Hadoram his son to king David, to salute him, and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadarezer and smitten him; for Hadarezer had wars with Tou; and _he had with him_ all manner of vessels of gold and silver and brass. =10.= _Hadoram_] In 2 Samuel viii. 10, “Joram.” Both these forms are probably Hebrew adaptations of the real name. he had with him _all manner of vessels_] Such informal tribute was an acknowledgment of David’s suzerainty made in order to claim David’s protection in war. Compare the action of Asa (1 Kings xv. 18, 19) and of Ahaz (2 Kings xvi. 7, 8). In all three cases the policy was the same, i.e. to acknowledge a distant suzerain and so gain the benefit of a valuable alliance while losing the minimum of independence. ¹¹These also did king David dedicate unto the LORD, with the silver and the gold that he carried away from all the nations; from Edom, and from Moab, and from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek. =11.= _from Amalek_] So 2 Samuel viii. 12, but we have no record of any war of David with Amalek except the account in 1 Samuel xxx. ¹²Moreover Abishai¹ the son of Zeruiah smote of the Edomites in the Valley of Salt eighteen thousand. ¹³And he put garrisons in Edom; and all the Edomites became servants to David. And the LORD gave victory² to David whithersoever he went. ¹ Hebrew _Abshai_. ² Or, _saved David_.