2 Samuel 8:5

“And when the Syrians of Damascus came to succour Hadadezer king of Zobah, etc.] These seem to have had no king at this time, or, if they had, Hadadezer was their king, which is not improbable; and Nicholas of Damascus f139; an Heathen writer, is clear for it, whom he calls Adad, who, he says, reigned over Damascus, and the other Syria without Phoenicia, who made war with David king of Judea, and was routed by him at Euphrates: and he seems to be the first king of Damascus, which he joined to the kingdom of Zobah, and all the kings of Damascus afterwards were called by the same name; though Josephus f140, who also speaks of Adad being king of Damascus and of the Syrians, yet makes him…”

“Syrians of Damascus - The Syrians (Aram), whose capital was Damascus, were the best known and most powerful. Damascus (written Darmesek in marginal references, according to the late Aramean orthography) is first mentioned in Genesis 15:2. According to Nicolaus of Damascus, cited by Josephus, the Syrian king’s name was Hadad. return to 'Top of Page'”

“Of Damascus - That is, who were subject to Damascus, the chief city of Syria. 2 Kings (2 Samuel) 8:7”

“8:5 Hadadezer’s neighbors, Arameans from Damascus, were of no help to him in repelling David. They would later be more successful against Solomon (1 Kgs 11:23-25) but less successful in their attack of Samaria during the days of King Ahab of Israel (1 Kgs 20).”

“And when: Kg1 11:23-25; Ch1 18:5, Ch1 18:6; Isa 7:8 came: Job 9:13; Psa 83:4-8; Isa 8:9, Isa 8:10, Isa 31:3 Zobah: From Ch2 8:3, we learn that Zobah was the district in which Tadmor or Palymyra was situated; and consequently lay between the land of Israel and the Euphrates. The capital was probably the same as the Sabe mentioned by Ptolemy as a city of Arabia Deserta. 2 Kings (2 Samuel) 8:6”

“After destroying the main force of Hadadezer, David turned against his ally, against Aram-Damascus, i.e., the Aramaeans, whose capital was Damascus. Dammesek (for which we have Darmesek in the Chronicles according to its Aramaean form), Damascus, a very ancient and still a very important city of Syria, standing upon the Chrysorrhoas (Pharpar), which flows through the centre of it. It is situated in the midst of paradisaical scenery, on the eastern side of the Antilibanus, on the road which unites Western Asia with the interior. David smote 22,000 Syrians of Damascus, placed garrisons in the kingdom, and made it subject and tributary. נציבים are not governors of officers, but military posts,…”