With great rejoicing the victors took up their homeward march. Upon reaching their companions who had remained behind, the more selfish and unruly of the four hundred urged that those who had had no part in the battle should not share the spoils; that it was enough for them to recover each his wife and children. But David would permit no such arrangement. "Ye shall not do so, my brethren," he said, "with that which the Lord hath given us. . . . As his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff; they shall part alike." Thus the matter was settled, and it afterward became a statute in Israel that all who were honorably connected with a military campaign should share the spoils equally with those who engaged in actual combat.

Sejrherrerne drog hjem under stor jubel. Da de kom hen til deres kammerater, som ikke var draget med hele vejen, sagde de mest egenkærlige af de 400 mand, at de, der ikke havde taget del i kampen, heller ikke skulle have noget af byttet. De måtte være tilfredse med at få deres hustruer og børn igen. Men dette ville David ikke gå med til. "Således må I ikke gøre," sagde han, "nu da Herren har været gavmild imod os ..... Nej, den, der drog i kampen, og den, der blev ved trosset, skal have lige del, de skal dele med hinanden!" Sådan blev det, og siden gjaldt den lov i Israel, at alle de, der deltog i et felttog med ære, skulle dele byttet med dem, der deltog i selve slaget.