4. On the East of Jordan he had hitherto maintained the most amicable relations with the king of _Moab_[289] (1 Sam. xxii. 3, 4), but now from some unexplained cause, he not only attacked and defeated, but well-nigh extirpated the nation. Two-thirds of the people were put to death, the rest were reduced to bondage, and paid regular tribute, while the spoils were treasured up in Jerusalem (2 Sam. viii. 2; 1 Chr. xi. 22). This campaign, in which the valiant Benaiah greatly distinguished himself (2 Sam. xxiii. 20), fulfilled the prophecy of Balaam; _a Sceptre had risen out of Israel, and smitten through the princes of Moab_, and destroyed the city of _Ar_, that is, Rabbath-Moab, the capital of the children of Lot (Num. xxiv. 17)[290].
5. It was, however, from the kindred people of _Ammon_ that the royal conquests experienced the greatest resistance. During the period of his wanderings David had received much kindness from Nahash the king of Ammon, and on his death he sent a royal embassy to offer his condolences to the new king Hanun. But Hanun’s courtiers persuaded him that this embassy was really dictated by a wish to spy out his land, and probably add it to the many others that David had conquered. Accordingly on the arrival of the ambassadors, Hanun treated them with the utmost indignity. He shaved off the one half of their beards, cut off their garments in the middle, and so sent them away (2 Sam. x. 1–3; 1 Chr. xix. 1–4).
As soon as David was informed of this aggravated insult, he bade his ambassadors remain at Jericho till the traces of the indignities they had suffered were removed, and then made preparations for sending Joab with the “Mighty Men” and the host to take summary vengeance on the Ammonites. Truly divining the consequences of their folly, the latter prepared for the impending war by raising a mercenary force of 32,000 men from the Syrians of Beth-rehob and Zoba, from those owning fealty to the king of Maacah, a region in the valley of the Jordan south of Zoba, and from the land of Tob[291]. Aided by these allies the Syrians awaited the onset of the Hebrews.
On his arrival Joab, perceiving that he was confronted by two very considerable armies, divided his forces, and assigned to his brother Abishai the task of assaulting the Ammonites, while he himself with a picked body of troops attacked the Syrians, situated a little to the south of Heshbon. At Medeba the latter were quickly routed, and the Ammonites, in alarm at their speedy defeat, fled to their capital, Rabbah[292], now called _Ammân_, situated on a very advantageous position, and well supplied with water.
