Troublesome Topic: CHIVALRY IN ANCIENT COMBAT – OTHER EXAMPLES

ONE V. ONE TIMES TWELVE        II Samuel chapter 2

King Saul had recently been killed in battle, his son, Ish-Bosheth, had been made king over the most of Israel, and David had been made king over Judah. The country was divided and many people lived in fear of the civil war hung in the air like a dark storm cloud. The army of Ish-Boshet, led by Abner, met the army of David, led by Joab. However, the troops seemed reluctant to fight against their own country men, and neither group could claim that the other had wronged them in some way, so the leaders of each army sat down on opposite sides of a large pool called the pool of Gibeon. We don’t know how long they sat there in a nonaggressive many before Abner suggested that they have some of the young men get up and “laugh at, make sport of, and mock” one another. Sometimes the word is rendered “play.” This referred to a one-on-one contest between individuals from each side. It probably started with each one trash talking his opponent. Joab agreed, so they each chose twelve men.

Some people think the purpose of this contest was to decide the fate of these two nations without a major battle involving full armies. I disagree. I think the purpose of this competition was to get their respective armies in the mood to fight. I also think both generals knew this contest would likely start a civil but they each wanted it so that their king could establish himself without any competition.

It appears that Abner had a very specific type of contest in mind and that Joab knew exactly what he meant. Usually one-on-one combat started with the weapon of choice in the fighters’ hands as they approached each other from a number of feet away, name-calling and taunting as they came. This one-on-one contest was different in that they started out with each one grasping the other’s beard so he could not get away, but no weapon could be in their hand at that point. As each one held the other man’s beard and looked him in the eye with noses and foreheads touching, we can be sure they were taunting and mocking each other, just as the Hebrew word Abner had used indicates. Then, at the giving of a signal, each would pull out his weapon and stab the other – hoping to be fast enough to not be stabbed.

Therefore, this was more a contest of speed than a contest of strength.

This type of contest usually ended with no survivors, and that was the outcome on this particular day.

But the name-calling and seeing some of their friends get killed got all the soldiers in the mood to fight, so they went at it. By the way, David’s men won that battle, and he kept his rule of Judah until several years later when he became king over all of Israel.

The reason I relate this cringe-worthy story is to show that there were rules that had to be followed in order for this to be played out the way it is described. If one-on-one combat were always a free-for-all with no rules, no one would let an opponent get close enough to grab hold of his beard. There would be bloodshed before the beard was even touched. In this case everyone knew the rules and followed the plan as designed. My guess is that if anyone grabbed his weapon before the signal was given, his punishment was certain death, so everyone knew such cheating was not worth trying. I repeat, everyone knew the rules and followed them, even though this situation was different than most other hand-to-hand combat.

JOSHEB          II Samuel 23:8    and I Chronicles chapter 11

This is not a story, just the simple fact that Josheb killed 800 men with a spear in one battle. In cases like this, the spear was not thrown but was used to jab the enemy and then pulled out again. Josheb was an Israelite armed with nothing but a spear, which offered an advantage in one way and a disadvantage in another way. The spear could reach his opponent before they could reach him with their sword, but he must not thrust the spear too deeply or he wouldn’t be able to pull it out quickly and while he struggled to pull it out, another opponent could approach him with his sword while he was basically unarmed. The little bit of information we are given tells us that Josheb was really, really good with a spear. He had mastered the ability of using the spear’s advantage and minimizing its disadvantage.

If this were a free-for-all, spinning and swinging his spear would not have proved enough, and the first person he stabbed with it would create a pause allowing others who were already close to stab or cut him.

I think this incident favors the one-challenger-at-a-time method.

ELEAZAR      II Samuel 23:9-10  and I Chronicles chapter 11

Eleazar stood his ground and did not retreat even though all the other Israelites ran away. He struck down all the Philistines that came to him. This gave courage to his fellow Israelites, who stopped fleeing and came back to him, but when they got to him the only thing left to do was strip the dead of any weapons or other valuables because by now it was the Philistines who had run away. However, for some reason it was not practicable to pursue them – maybe because it was almost dark and they did not fight at night because it was hard to see which side someone belonged to.

SHAMMAN      I Samuel 23:11-12

Shammah fought and defeated an entire band of Philistines in a field of lentils. He held his ground and did not retreat. In reality, it was not the field of lentils that was so important as to need defending at risk of one’s life; he was defending his people and their way of life. The point is that he had to fight in the place where he found himself at that moment. We say, “Grow where you are planted,” They would say, “Fight wherever you are when the battle comes to you.”

SHAMGAR  Judges 3:31

We don’t know much about Shamgar, only that he was one of the judges that lead Israel and that on one occasion he killed six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad – a long stick with a point on one end. While plowing with oxen, he may have been surprised by the appearance of the Philistines and did not have time to get his weapons, so he fought with what he had in his hand -an oxgoad, or what we call a poker. That was not considered a suitable weapon, and I imagine one Philistine after another saying, “Surely I can beat this guy; he’s not even properly armed.” But Shamgar used it well, and with God’s help, he defeated 600 challengers in succession.

MOSES

When Moses saw an Egyptian official mistreating a Hebrew, did not take the matter to someone who had more authority, or even challenge the Egyptian to a fair fight; he simply attacked him in a surprise manner. It was murder.

BENAIAH     I Samuel chapter 23 and I Chronicles chapter 11

 Benaiah killed two Moabite champions, a lion in a cistern, and an Egyptian who was a giant.

Other mighty men of David eliminated other giants and champion warriors. All these were examples of one-on-one combat.

DAVID      I Samuel 18:25-27

David and his men killed 200 Philistines for the price required for David to marry Michal, the daughter of king Saul. Actually, Saul told David the price was proof of the killing of 100 Philistines (the body part used for proof is best left unexplained) but David brought twice that many, 200.  

It is my assumption that David was intent on meeting this challenge by himself, but some of his men insisted on going with him. Only 100 “trophies” from the Philistines were required and I think David got 100 of them by himself. But his companions also faced some challenges and therefore, together, they brought back 200 “trophies”.

I think it went down something like this. Simply by entering Philistine territory, David and his men were likely stopped and asked what they were doing. The Philistines distrusted them and accused them of all kinds of wrongdoing and a conflict ensued. Or better yet, David purposefully did something that was offensive or threatening to them and they responded by challenging him to one-on-one combat, which is what David wanted. David won all his encounters, and it appears that his men did also.

Saul thought that if David faced off against 100 Philistines, one of them would surely be able to beat him. In that way, Saul would not have to kill David, he could let the Philistines do it. But Saul seems to have forgotten about that incident with a guy named Goliath.