Quoting%20commentary for Sanhedrin 2:4

וּמוֹצִיא לְמִלְחֶמֶת הָרְשׁוּת עַל פִּי בֵית דִּין שֶׁל שִׁבְעִים וְאֶחָד. וּפוֹרֵץ לַעֲשׂוֹת לוֹ דֶרֶךְ, וְאֵין מְמַחִין בְּיָדוֹ. דֶּרֶךְ הַמֶּלֶךְ אֵין לוֹ שִׁעוּר. וְכָל הָעָם בּוֹזְזִין וְנוֹתְנִין לְפָנָיו, וְהוּא נוֹטֵל חֵלֶק בָּרֹאשׁ. לֹא יַרְבֶּה לּוֹ נָשִׁים (דברים יז), אֶלָּא שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, מַרְבֶּה הוּא לוֹ, וּבִלְבַד שֶׁלֹּא יְהוּ מְסִירוֹת אֶת לִבּוֹ. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, אֲפִלּוּ אַחַת וּמְסִירָה אֶת לִבּוֹ, הֲרֵי זֶה לֹא יִשָּׂאֶנָּה. אִם כֵּן לָמָּה נֶאֱמַר (דברים יז) וְלֹא יַרְבֶּה לּוֹ נָשִׁים, אֲפִלּוּ כַאֲבִיגָיִל. לֹא יַרְבֶּה לּוֹ סוּסִים (שם), אֶלָּא כְדֵי מֶרְכַּבְתּוֹ. וְכֶסֶף וְזָהָב לֹא יַרְבֶּה לּוֹ מְאֹד (שם), אֶלָּא כְדֵי לִתֵּן אַפְסַנְיָא. וְכוֹתֵב לוֹ סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה לִשְׁמוֹ. יוֹצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה, מוֹצִיאָהּ עִמּוֹ. נִכְנָס, מַכְנִיסָהּ עִמּוֹ. יוֹשֵׁב בַּדִּין, הִיא עִמּוֹ. מֵסֵב, הִיא כְנֶגְדּוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם) וְהָיְתָה עִמּוֹ וְקָרָא בוֹ כָּל יְמֵי חַיָּיו:

And he takes out (the army) to a "permitted war" [a war with peoples other than Amalek, and with (nations other than) the seven nations], by authorization of a beth-din of seventy-one. And he breaches [the fence of others] to make way for himself [to go to his vineyard or his field], and he may not be held back (from doing so). The path of the king has no limits. All of the people take of the spoil and place it before him, and he takes the prime portion. [He chooses first and takes half of all the spoil.] He may not take more than eighteen wives. [For David had six wives, and the prophet (Nathan) said to him (II Samuel 12:8): "And if these (six wives) were too few for you, I could have added to you as these and as these": "as these" — six; "and as these" — six, making a total of eighteen.] R. Yehudah says: He may take more [than eighteen], so long as they do not turn his heart astray. R. Shimon says: He may not marry even one who turns his heart astray.] If so, why is it written (Deuteronomy 17"7): "And he shall not multiply for himself wives"? Even such as Avigayil. [There are three different views on the matter: The first tanna holds that he may marry eighteen, even if they are immodest, and not more than eighteen, even if they are modest, this being the Scriptural decree. R. Yehudah holds that he may marry eighteen, even if they are immodest, but not more than eighteen of such; and he may marry as many modest, virtuous ones as he likes. He differs with the fist tanna on one count. R. Shimon holds that he may not marry even one immodest one, and not more than eighteen modest, virtuous ones. He differs from the first tanna on one count, and from R. Yehudah on both counts. The halachah is in accordance with the first tanna.] (Ibid. 16): "He shall not multiply for himself horses," but (may take) only as many as he needs for his chariot. [It is only "idle" horses (that he may not multiply), to vaunt and aggrandize himself with an abundance of horses; but for his chariot and for his horsemen to war against his foes, it is permitted.] (Ibid. 17): "And silver and gold he shall not multiply for himself overmuch," but only as much as is required for aspania [the wages of those troops who go in and out with him the entire year.] And he writes a Torah scroll for himself, [aside from the Torah scroll that every Jewish man must have, and which he keeps in his treasury. The Torah scroll that he writes for himself when he is king goes in and out with him constantly.] When he goes out to war, he takes it with him. When he comes back, it comes back with him. When he sits in judgment, it is with him. When he sits down (to eat), it is beside him, viz. (Ibid. 19): "And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life."

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