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Person Old Testament

Shobach

Also known as Shobach =ESV, KJV; Shobak =NIV, Shophach =ESV, KJV; Shophak =NIV

Shobach (or Shophach) was the commander of Hadadezer's army, who was killed by David's men during a battle. Mentioned in 4 verses across 2 books, first at 2 Samuel 10:16.

Why it matters. Commander of Hadadezer's army, killed by David's men.

Last reviewed
2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team

About Shobach

Shobach (or Shophach) is mentioned in 2Sa.10.16,18 and 1Ch.19.16,18 as the commander of the army of Hadadezer, king of Zobah. When the Ammonites hired Syrian mercenaries to fight against David, Hadadezer sent his army, led by Shobach, to support them. In the ensuing battle, David's forces defeated the Syrians and the Ammonites. Shobach was killed during the battle by David's men, along with many of his soldiers. The defeat of Shobach and the Syrian army was a significant victory for David, establishing his dominance over the region and solidifying his kingdom's power.

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.

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Appears in Scripture

Named in 4 verses across 2 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.

Record type: Person. FaithGraph explanations on this page are editorial and are not Scripture.