And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.
The children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand. These captives included a great number of women, boys, and girls-a circumstance which creates a presumption that the Hebrews, like other Orientals, were accompanied in the war by multitudes of non-combatants (see the note at Judges 6:8). The report of these "brethren" being brought as captives to Samaria excited general indignation among the better disposed inhabitants; and Oded, a prophet, accompanied by the princes (2 Chronicles 28:12, compared with 2 Chronicles 28:14), went out, as the escort was approaching, to prevent the disgraceful outrage of introducing such prisoners into the city.
The officers of the squadron were, of course, not to blame; they were simply doing their military duty in conducting those prisoners of war to their destination. But Oded clearly showed that the Israelite army had gained the victory, not by the superiority of their arms, but in consequence of the divine judgment against Judah; he forcibly exposed the enormity of the offence of keeping "their brethren" as slaves obtained in war; he protested earnestly against adding this great offence of unnatural and sinful cruelty (Leviticus 25:43-44; Micah 2:8-9) to the already overwhelming amount of their own national sins; and such was the effect of his spirited remonstrance, and the opposing tide of popular feeling, that "the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the congregation."