Who is Hadadezer in the Bible?

Hadadezer is a king mentioned in the Old Testament, specifically in the books of 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, and 1 Chronicles. He is labeled as “the king of Zobah,” with Zobah being an Aramean city-state located northeast of Israel in modern-day Syria. The name Hadadezer means “Hadad is help” or “Hadad helps.” Hadad was a storm and rain god worshiped by the ancient Canaanites and Mesopotamians and the main deity of the Arameans.

Hadadezer is mentioned in the Bible at the time David is king over all Israel. In 2 Samuel 7, God establishes a covenant with David and promises that his house will rule over Israel forever. Immediately after this, in 2 Samuel 8, David’s military victories are listed off in rapid succession. This is where Hadadezer is mentioned as an enemy seeking to destroy David and his growing kingdom (2 Samuel 8:3–8).

Second Samuel 8:5–8 relates David’s victory over Hadadezer: “When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of them. He put garrisons in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to him and brought tribute. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went. David took the gold shields that belonged to the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. From Tebah and Berothai, towns that belonged to Hadadezer, King David took a great quantity of bronze.”

So, although Hadadezer formed alliances with other Aramean kings in an effort to destroy David and the kingdom of Israel, he was ultimately unsuccessful. David and his armies defeated Hadadezer, established garrisons in their territories, and brought back to Jerusalem the spoils of their war efforts, including chariots, gold, and large quantities of bronze. David’s son Solomon would later use this bronze to furnish the temple built during his reign (1 Chronicles 18:8).

Hadadezer is mentioned again in 2 Samuel 10:16–19, where he again attempts to defeat David and Israel by allying with other Arameans and Ammonites in the land. David and the Israelites once again defeat Hadadezer and his men, who make peace with Israel and become their subjects.

There are a few other references to Hadadezer in the Old Testament. Two significant passages are 1 Chronicles 18:3–10 and 1 Chronicles 19:16–19, which relay the same historical events of 2 Samuel 8:3–8 and 2 Samuel 19:16–19. The other reference to Hadadezer is 1 Kings 11:23–24, which details the life of Rezon, an adversary of both David and Solomon. Rezon once served Hadadezer but fled from him and gathered men to himself initially as a raiding party against David. Rezon eventually became king in Damascus and was an enemy to Israel throughout Solomon’s reign.

In the Bible, Hadadezer is portrayed as a significant enemy of God’s people, but he is ultimately defeated as God expands the borders of Israel and solidifies David’s rule as king.