2 Samuel 18:1
ESV
Then David mustered the men who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.
NIV
David mustered the men who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.
NASB
Then David took a count of the people who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.
CSB
David reviewed his troops and appointed commanders of thousands and of hundreds over them.
NLT
David now mustered the men who were with him and appointed generals and captains to lead them.
KJV
And David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them.
NKJV
And David numbered the people who were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them.
What does 2 Samuel 18:1 mean?
When David learned his son Absalom had betrayed him, he gathered his servants, fled Jerusalem, and raced to the Jordan River (2 Samuel 15:13–14; 16:14). David's foresight in building a network of spies proved wise (2 Samuel 15:27–29, 34–37). They sent word that Absalom was building an army, and David led his people across the river and farther east (2 Samuel 17:15–17, 21–22). In Mahanaim, three nobles met them with encouragement, beds, and food (2 Samuel 17:27–29).As David's people regrouped, Absalom built a large army from all the tribes of Israel (2 Samuel 17:11). They've encamped somewhere between Mahanaim and the Jordan. Amasa, David's nephew and cousin to Absalom, Joab, and Abishai is the army commander (2 Samuel 17:24–26).
Absalom's army is large, and probably outnumbers his father's forces. But David's men are experienced. Besides his faithful soldiers, he has two units of Philistine bodyguards and one group of Philistine mercenaries (2 Samuel 15:18). He divides his army between his generals Joab and Abishai and the leader of the mercenary group, Ittai (2 Samuel 18:2). The text doesn't technically say how many fighting men David has. The Hebrew term 'eleph can refer to "thousands," or "divisions." Similarly, the word for "hundreds" can be generic in some contexts. Here, David is assigning some men to command large groups and some to smaller groups under those generals.
However many there are, it's enough. God's providence, the rough terrain, and David's army easily defeat Absalom's force, which is almost certainly much larger (2 Samuel 18:6–8).
