2 Kings 11:10 - Exposition

And to the captains over hundreds did the priest give King David's spears and shields, that were in the temple of the Lord. We hear of David carrying with him to Jerusalem the "shields of gold," i.e. shields ornamented with gold, which he took from the servants of Hadadezer ( 2 Samuel 8:7 ); but otherwise we are not told of his establishing an armory. Solomon made six hundred shields of solid gold, and laid them up in the house of the forest of Lebanon ( 1 Kings 10:17 ); but these were carried off by Sheshonk, when he invaded Judaea in the reign of Rehoboam ( 1 Kings 14:26 ). Rehoboam, in their place, made three hundred brazen shields ( 1 Kings 14:27 ), which, however, were deposited in the guard-chamber of the royal palace. Of spears collected by David, and laid up in the temple, we know nothing beyond the present passage. There can be little doubt that the weapons were brought forth from their receptacle with the view (as Ewald says) of "consecrating the work of the restoration of the Davidic house with the sacred arms of the great founder himself"—not, however, with arms that he had worn, but with some which he had collected and laid up.