2 Samuel 8:4

4. Houghed all the chariot horses Cut the tendons of the ham, or the sinews of the hinder hoofs a practice of ancient warfare. See Joshua 11:6; Joshua 11:9. But the word horses is not in the Hebrew, and עקר , to root up, may also mean to destroy. Hence Clarke, Parkhurst, and Furst render:

David destroyed (or disjointed) all the chariots. Josephus also says: “He took a thousand of his chariots and destroyed the greater part of them, and ordered that no more than one hundred should be kept.” He would not have Israel trust in chariots. Compare Psalms 20:7; Isaiah 30:1. Keil translates and explains as follows: “David lamed all the cavalry; that is, he made the war chariots and cavalry perfectly useless by laming the horses.”