2 Samuel 10:4
New International Version
So Hanun seized David’s envoys, shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their garments at the buttocks, and sent them away.

New Living Translation
So Hanun seized David’s ambassadors and shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their robes at the buttocks, and sent them back to David in shame.

English Standard Version
So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half the beard of each and cut off their garments in the middle, at their hips, and sent them away.

Berean Standard Bible
So Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their garments at the hips, and sent them away.

King James Bible
Wherefore Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.

New King James Version
Therefore Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half of their beards, cut off their garments in the middle, at their buttocks, and sent them away.

New American Standard Bible
So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half of their beards, and cut off their robes in the middle as far as their buttocks, and sent them away.

NASB 1995
So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle as far as their hips, and sent them away.

NASB 1977
So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle as far as their hips, and sent them away.

Legacy Standard Bible
So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle as far as their hips, and sent them away.

Amplified Bible
So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half their beards, and cut off their robes in the middle as far as their hips, and sent them away.

Christian Standard Bible
So Hanun took David’s emissaries, shaved off half their beards, cut their clothes in half at the hips, and sent them away.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So Hanun took David’s emissaries, shaved off half their beards, cut their clothes in half at the hips, and sent them away.

American Standard Version
So Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And Khanun the Servants of David seized them and shaved half of their beards and he bound their tunics in folds unto their buttocks and he sent them away

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Annon took the servants of David, and shaved their beards, and cut off their garments in the midst as far as their haunches, and sent them away.

Contemporary English Version
Hanun arrested David's officials and had their beards shaved off on one side of their faces. He had their robes cut off just below the waist, and then he sent them away.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Wherefore Hanon took the servants of David, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut away half of their garments even to the buttocks, and sent them away.

English Revised Version
So Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
So Hanun took David's men, shaved off half of each man's beard, cut off their clothes from the waist down, and sent them away.

Good News Translation
Hanun seized David's messengers, shaved off one side of their beards, cut off their clothes at the hips, and sent them away.

International Standard Version
So Hanun arrested David's delegation, shaved off half of their beards, cut off their clothes at the waist line, and sent them away in disgrace.

JPS Tanakh 1917
So Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.

Literal Standard Version
And Hanun takes the servants of David, and shaves off the half of their beard, and cuts off their long robes in the midst—to their buttocks, and sends them away;

Majority Standard Bible
So Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their garments at the hips, and sent them away.

New American Bible
So Hanun seized David’s servants, shaved off half their beards, cut away the lower halves of their garments at the buttocks, and sent them away.

NET Bible
So Hanun seized David's servants and shaved off half of each one's beard. He cut the lower part of their robes off so that their buttocks were exposed, and then sent them away.

New Revised Standard Version
So Hanun seized David’s envoys, shaved off half the beard of each, cut off their garments in the middle at their hips, and sent them away.

New Heart English Bible
So Hanun took David's servants and shaved off their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.

Webster's Bible Translation
Wherefore Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.

World English Bible
So Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.

Young's Literal Translation
And Hanun taketh the servants of David, and shaveth off the half of their beard, and cutteth off their long robes in the midst -- unto their buttocks, and sendeth them away;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
David's Messengers Disgraced
3the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Just because David has sent you comforters, do you really believe he is showing respect for your father? Has not David instead sent his servants to explore the city, spy it out, and overthrow it?” 4So Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their garments at the hips, and sent them away. 5When this was reported to David, he sent messengers to meet the men, since they had been thoroughly humiliated. The king told them, “Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown back, and then return.”…

Cross References
2 Samuel 10:5
When this was reported to David, he sent messengers to meet the men, since they had been thoroughly humiliated. The king told them, "Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown back, and then return."

Isaiah 15:2
Dibon goes up to its temple to weep at its high places. Moab wails over Nebo, as well as over Medeba. Every head is shaved, every beard is cut off.

Isaiah 20:4
so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old alike, naked and barefoot, with bared buttocks--to Egypt's shame.

Jeremiah 41:5
eighty men who had shaved off their beards, torn their garments, and cut themselves came from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria, carrying grain offerings and frankincense for the house of the LORD.


Treasury of Scripture

Why Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.

Leviticus 19:27
Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.

1 Chronicles 19:3,4
But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? are not his servants come unto thee for to search, and to overthrow, and to spy out the land? …

Psalm 109:4,5
For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer…

cut off

Isaiah 20:4
So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

Isaiah 47:2,3
Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers…

Jeremiah 41:5
That there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the LORD.

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Beard Beards Buttocks Chins Cut Cutteth Cutting David David's Far Garments Hair Half Hanun Hips Middle Raiment Robes Seized Servants Shaved Skirts Wherefore
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Beard Beards Buttocks Chins Cut Cutteth Cutting David David's Far Garments Hair Half Hanun Hips Middle Raiment Robes Seized Servants Shaved Skirts Wherefore
2 Samuel 10
1. David's messengers, sent to comfort Hanun are villainously treated
6. The Ammonites, strengthened by the Syrians, overcome by Joab and Abishai
15. Shobuch, making a new supply of the Syrains at Helam, is slain by David














(4) Shaved off the one half of their beards.--According to Oriental ideas, the extremest insult which could have been inflicted. "Cutting off a person's beard is regarded by the Arabs as an indignity quite equal to flogging and branding among ourselves. Many would rather die than have their beard shaved off (Arvieux, quoted by Keil). It is remarkable that in none of David's wars does he appear as the aggressor.

Verse 4. - Hanun... shaved off the one half of their beards. To an Oriental the beard was the mark of his being a free man, and to cut it off on one side was not merely an insult to David's ambassadors, but the treating them like slaves. Moreover, as only the priests wore underclothing, and as the ordinary dress of men consisted of a tunic and a loose flowing robe thrown over it, the cutting of this robe short up to the hip was a vile and abominable affront. Of course, Hanun intended this as a challenge to war, whereas David had meant peace and friendship.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So Hanun
חָנ֜וּן (ḥā·nūn)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 2586: Hanun -- 'favored', two contemporaries of Nehemiah, also an Ammonite king

took
וַיִּקַּ֨ח (way·yiq·qaḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

David’s
דָוִ֗ד (ḏā·wiḏ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1732: David -- perhaps 'beloved one', a son of Jesse

servants,
עַבְדֵ֣י (‘aḇ·ḏê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 5650: Slave, servant

shaved off
וַיְגַלַּח֙ (way·ḡal·laḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1548: To be bald, to shave, to lay waste

half
חֲצִ֣י (ḥă·ṣî)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2677: The half, middle

of each man's beard,
זְקָנָ֔ם (zə·qā·nām)
Noun - common singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 2206: Beard, chin

cut
וַיִּכְרֹ֧ת (way·yiḵ·rōṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3772: To cut, to destroy, consume, to covenant

their garments
מַדְוֵיהֶ֛ם (maḏ·wê·hem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 4063: Extent, measure, a dress

in half
בַּחֵ֖צִי (ba·ḥê·ṣî)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2677: The half, middle

at
עַ֣ד (‘aḏ)
Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

the hips,
שְׁתֽוֹתֵיהֶ֑ם (šə·ṯō·w·ṯê·hem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 8357: The seat

and sent them away.
וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵֽם׃ (way·šal·lə·ḥêm)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine plural
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out


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OT History: 2 Samuel 10:4 So Hanun took David's servants and shaved (2Sa iiSam 2 Sam ii sam)
2 Samuel 10:3
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