Hanun
“Favored or gracious”
Summary
Hanun was the Ammonite king who grossly insulted David's ambassadors by shaving half their beards and cutting their garments, provoking a war that resulted in the destruction of Ammon's power.
☩The Insult to David's Ambassadors
When Hanun succeeded his father Nahash as king of Ammon, David sent ambassadors to express condolences and congratulations, remembering Nahash's kindness during David's difficult years. Hanun's advisors convinced him the embassy was really a spy mission, and the young king responded with calculated insults: he shaved off half each ambassador's beard and cut their garments at the buttocks, dismissing them in shameful condition. The beard was so revered among Orientals that this was an inexpiable affront.
☩War and Consequences
David understood the gravity of the insult and sent word for the humiliated ambassadors to remain at Jericho until their beards grew back. Hanun, expecting war, hired Syrian mercenaries from Hadadezer and other princes. But Joab defeated the combined armies, and in a second campaign David broke Syrian power entirely. The Ammonites were then conquered and subjected to severe punishment, ending their political significance. This ancient incident shows how the sanctity of ambassadors was recognized even in that era.
Related Verses11 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Hanun," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IV (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.George Morrish, "Hanun," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 3.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Hanun," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Hanun," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).