1 Chronicles 19:10-19--Ammonites and Syrians Defeated

1 Chronicles 19:10-19
English Standard Version

Ammonites and Syrians Defeated
10 When Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Syrians. 11 The rest of his men he put in the charge of Abishai his brother, and they were arrayed against the Ammonites. 12 And he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will help you. 13 Be strong, and let us use our strength for our people and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what seems good to him.” 14 So Joab and the people who were with him drew near before the Syrians for battle, and they fled before him. 15 And when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians fled, they likewise fled before Abishai, Joab's brother, and entered the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.

16 But when the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers and brought out the Syrians who were beyond the Euphrates, with Shophach the commander of the army of Hadadezer at their head. 17 And when it was told to David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan and came to them and drew up his forces against them. And when David set the battle in array against the Syrians, they fought with him. 18 And the Syrians fled before Israel, and David killed of the Syrians the men of 7,000 chariots and 40,000 foot soldiers, and put to death also Shophach the commander of their army. 19 And when the servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became subject to him. So the Syrians were not willing to save the Ammonites anymore.

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Joab had a great army, but armies never like being surrounded, and Joab and his army had the enemy on both sides.  He divided the men and sent the best men against the Syrian army (they had joined forces with the Ammonites as mercenaries--if they saw that they were losing and that there was no profit to be gained, they would probably cut and run, as this wasn't their fight).  The other troops, he sent against the Ammonites, under the command of his brother Abishai.  Abishai was a strong warrior on his own and was a capable commander.  Both men made a pact that if either group was too strong for them alone that all they needed to do was call for help and the other group would come to their rescue.  Just as expected, the Syrians fled when the battle got fierce--this was more than they signed up for, and a dead mercenary earns no profit.  Then the Ammonites saw that their Syrian mercenaries had fled, and they no longer had the advantage in numbers, so they likewise fled.

Syria tried to call up its reserves to save face, but David mustered all of the reserves of Israel and the whole army of Israel was given the victory by the LORD to defeat the Syrians--whose army included 7,000 chariots and 40,000 foot soldiers--no small army.  They also put to death the commander of the Syrian army named Shophach.

When the king of Syria heard of this from his servants, he decided to make peace, not war.  He and all of Syria with him became subjects of King David (and later of King Solomon), and the Syrians no longer allied with the Ammonites in battle against Israel.