· Translation: KJV

1 Chronicles 18:5When the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck of the Syrians twenty-two thousand men.

The setting

Near Damascus, Syria, ~1000 BC. David's army faces Syrian reinforcements sent to help King Hadadezer...

The emotion here: methodically recording God's faithfulness through military victories

The original word

nākāh (נכה) — to strike down decisively, not just wound but defeat completely

Why it matters

This battle secured David's northern border and made Israel a regional superpower

Read with care

What most readers miss in 1 Chronicles 18:5

The Syrians came as backup - David was already winning when they arrived

Common misconceptionPeople think this glorifies violence, but it's actually about God establishing Israel's borders so they could fulfill their mission to the nations.

Bible Genome reading

1 Chronicles 18:5 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerNarrator
EraUnited Kingdom
Primary emotiondeciding
Literary typenarrative

Emotional genome

Comfort power20%
Quotability20%
Memorability30%
Crisis relevance40%
Standalone30%
Themes:alliance warfarevictoryconquest

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open 1 Chronicles 18

1 Chronicles 18:5 comes from the book of 1 Chronicles, written during the United Kingdom period. The setting is the battlefield. These words are attributed to Narrator. The dominant emotion in this verse is deciding, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include alliance warfare, victory, conquest. Notable phrases: Syrians of Damascus; twenty-two thousand men.

Your reflection

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