2 Samuel 10

2 Samuel 10: The Shaved Beards and a Costly Mistrust

Sunday, January 18, 2026

by Chinwenmeri Ikechi

David's messengers, sent to comfort King Hanun, are humiliated by having their beards shaved off.

2 Samuel 10 teaches us about kindness, misunderstanding, and how pride can lead to trouble. This chapter shows what happened when a good intention was wrongly judged and turned into a war.

The chapter begins with the death of the king of the Ammonites. His son, Hanun, became the new king. David remembered how kind Hanun’s father had been to him in the past. Because of this, David decided to show kindness to Hanun by sending messengers to comfort him after his father’s death.

Humiliated messengers with half-shaved beards and cut clothes stand ashamed before King Hanun.

However, the Ammonite leaders did not trust David’s kindness. They told King Hanun that David’s men were not there to help, but to spy on the land and prepare for attack. Hanun believed them and made a very bad decision.

Hanun treated David’s messengers with great disrespect. He shaved off half of their beards and cut their clothes, leaving them ashamed. This was a serious insult in those days. When David heard what happened, he told his men to stay in another town until their beards grew back, so they would not feel embarrassed.

Joab leads Israel's army against the Syrians and Ammonites in a tense biblical battle scene.

The Ammonites realized they had made David angry. They became afraid and hired soldiers from other nations, including the Syrians, to help them fight against Israel. Joab, the commander of David’s army, led Israel’s soldiers into battle.

Joab saw that the enemy was coming from two directions. He made a wise plan and trusted God to help them. He encouraged the soldiers to be brave and to fight for their people and for God. With God’s help, the Israelites defeated the Syrians and the Ammonites.

Defeated Ammonite soldiers lie on a battlefield, symbolizing the consequences of disobedience and the victory of faith.

In the end, the Ammonites were defeated, and peace was restored. This chapter teaches us that wrong choices, pride, and disrespect can lead to serious problems, but trusting God brings victory.

Discussion Questions

1 Who became king of the Ammonites?

Hanun, the son of the previous king, became the new king of the Ammonites.

2 Why did David send messengers to Hanun?

David sent messengers to Hanun to comfort him after his father's death, remembering the kindness Hanun's father had shown him.

3 What did the Ammonite leaders think about David’s messengers?

The Ammonite leaders thought David's messengers were spies, sent to scout the land and prepare for an attack.

4 How were David’s messengers treated?

David's messengers were treated with great disrespect. Hanun shaved off half of their beards and cut their clothes, leaving them ashamed.

5 What did David tell his men to do afterward?

David told his men to stay in another town until their beards grew back, so they would not feel embarrassed.

6 Who did the Ammonites hire to help them fight?

The Ammonites hired soldiers from other nations, including the Syrians, to help them fight against Israel.

7 Who led Israel’s army in the battle?

Joab, the commander of David's army, led Israel's soldiers in the battle.

8 What plan did Joab make?

Joab saw that the enemy was coming from two directions, so he divided his army and attacked from both sides, trusting God to help them.

9 Who helped Israel win the battle?

God helped Israel win the battle.

10 What lesson does 2 Samuel 10 teach us?

2 Samuel 10 teaches us that wrong choices, pride, and disrespect can lead to serious problems, but trusting God brings victory.