Nahash

About Nahash

Nahash, the king of the Ammonites, is mentioned in 2Sa.17.27 as one of the individuals who provided support to King David and his followers during their time in Mahanaim. This event took place during Absalom's rebellion against David, when the king was forced to flee from Jerusalem.

As David and his entourage arrived in Mahanaim, a city east of the Jordan River, they were met by several individuals who brought supplies, including beds, basins, pottery, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, honey, curds, sheep, and cheese. Among these supporters was Nahash, the king of the Ammonites.

The assistance provided by Nahash and the others was crucial for David and his followers, who were in need of provisions and support during this challenging time. The fact that Nahash, a foreign king, offered aid to David suggests that there may have been a positive diplomatic relationship between the Ammonites and Israel at this point in David's reign.

It is worth noting that there are other mentions of a king named Nahash of the Ammonites in the biblical text (1Samuel 11; 2Samuel 10), but it is unclear whether the Nahash mentioned in 2Sa.17.27 is the same individual or a different Ammonite king with the same name. The context of this passage focuses solely on Nahash's role in providing support to David during Absalom's rebellion.

Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.