Which also king David did dedicate unto the LORD, with the silver and gold that he had dedicated of all nations which he subdued;

2 SAMUEL 8:11KJV
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2 Samuel 8:11 (KJV)

What does 2 Samuel 8:11 mean?

2 Samuel 8:11 describes King David setting valuable goods apart for the LORD rather than treating them simply as his own wealth. The gifts mentioned just before this verse joined silver and gold that David had already set apart from nations he had defeated.

The opening word “Which” points back to the articles of silver, gold, and bronze sent by King Toi in verse 10. The narrator connects those gifts with wealth gained in battle, even though the gifts came from a friendly king.

The Hebrew behind 2 Samuel 8:11

  • “dedicate” — קָדַשׁ (qadash): This word carries the sense of setting something apart as holy. Here it describes David assigning the goods to the LORD rather than to ordinary use.
  • “subdued” — כָּבַשׁ (kabash): This word can mean bringing someone under control by force. The word helps explain how the silver and gold from those nations came into David’s hands.

Why 2 Samuel 8:11 matters

  • David’s dedicated wealth came from more than one source. “Which also” connects Toi’s gifts with the silver and gold from defeated nations.
  • The verse places a friendly king’s gifts alongside goods gained through conquest. Toi sent the articles because David had fought Toi’s enemy, Hadadezer (verses 9–10).
  • The verse describes a collection assembled across several victories. Verse 12 names peoples connected with that wealth, giving details behind the phrase “all nations which he subdued.”

Where else these words appear

“subdued” Hebrew H3533 · used in 13 verses

  • Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
  • 1 Chronicles 22:18 Is not the LORD your God with you? and hath he not given you rest on every side? for he hath given the inhabitants of the land into mine hand; and the land is subdued before the LORD, and before his people.
  • Jeremiah 34:11 But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids.