Who was Hanun in the Bible?

What does the Bible say about Hanun?

Hanun was the king of the Ammonites during the reign of King David of Israel. He is mentioned in 2Samuel 10 and 1Chronicles 19. After the death of Hanun's father, Nahash, who had shown kindness to David, David sent envoys to express his sympathy to Hanun (2Sa.10.1-2; 1Ch.19.1-2). However, Hanun's advisors convinced him that David's envoys were spies, so Hanun humiliated them by shaving off half of their beards and cutting their garments short (2Sa.10.3-4; 1Ch.19.3-4). This act was a grave insult and a violation of diplomatic protocol. When David heard about this, he was outraged and prepared for war against the Ammonites (2Sa.10.5-7; 1Ch.19.6-7). Hanun, realizing his mistake, hired Syrian mercenaries to help him fight against Israel (2Sa.10.6; 1Ch.19.6-7). However, the Israelite army, led by Joab and Abishai, defeated the Ammonites and their Syrian allies (2Sa.10.8-14; 1Ch.19.8-15). The conflict continued, and David himself later joined the battle, capturing the Ammonite capital, Rabbah (2Sa.12.26-31; 1Ch.20.1-3). Hanun's mistreatment of David's envoys and the resulting war highlight the importance of diplomatic relations and the consequences of disrespecting allies in the ancient Near East.

Where does Hanun appear in the Bible?

Hanun is referenced in 8 verses across 2 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.

• 1 Chronicles 19:2
• 1 Chronicles 19:3
• 1 Chronicles 19:4
• 1 Chronicles 19:6
• 2 Samuel 10:1
• 2 Samuel 10:2
• 2 Samuel 10:3
• 2 Samuel 10:4

What else appears in these passages?

These turn up in the same passages as Hanun.