Conquest of Rabbah, and Punishment of the Ammonites (comp. 1 Chronicles 20:1-3). - "Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and took the king's city." המּלוּכה עיר, the capital of the kingdom, is the city with the exception of the acropolis, as 2 Samuel 12:27 clearly shows, where the captured city is called "the water-city." Rabbah was situated, as the ruins of Ammn show, on both banks of the river (Moiet) Ammn (the upper Jabbok), in a valley which is shut in upon the north and south by two bare ranges of hills of moderate height, and is not more than 200 paces in breadth. "The northern height is crowned by the castle, the ancient acropolis, which stands on the north-western side of the city, and commands the whole city" (see Burckhardt, Syria ii. pp. 612ff., and Ritter, Erdkunde xv. pp. 1145ff.). After taking the water-city, Joab sent messengers to David, to inform him of the result of the siege, and say to him, "Gather the rest of the people together, and besiege the city (i.e., the acropolis, which may have been peculiarly strong), and take it, that I may not take the city (also), and my name be named upon it," i.e., the glory of the conquest be ascribed to me. Luther adopts this explanation in his free rendering, "and I have a name from it."

2 Samuel 13:1 Parallel Commentaries

A.M.

2972 B.C.

1032 A. Ex. Is.

459
Absalom

2 Samuel 3:2,3 And to David were sons born in Hebron: and his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess...

1 Chronicles 3:2 The third, Absalom the son of Maachah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur: the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith:

a fair sister

2 Samuel 11:2 And it came to pass in an evening, that David arose from off his bed, and walked on the roof of the king's house...

Genesis 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

Genesis 39:6,7 And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat...

Proverbs 6:25 Lust not after her beauty in your heart; neither let her take you with her eyelids.

Proverbs 31:30 Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that fears the LORD, she shall be praised.

Tamar

2 Samuel 14:27 And to Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.

1 Chronicles 3:9 These were all the sons of David, beside the sons of the concubines, and Tamar their sister.

loved her

2 Samuel 13:15 Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her...

Genesis 29:18,20 And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter...

Genesis 34:3 And his soul joined to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spoke kindly to the damsel.

1 Kings 11:1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians...