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Chapter 20

1 Chronicles 20

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¹It came about in the springtime, at the time when kings normally go to war, that Joab led the army into battle and devastated the land of the Ammonites. He went and besieged Rabbah. David remained in Jerusalem. Joab attacked Rabbah and defeated it.

²David took the crown of their king from off his head, and he found that it weighed a talent of gold, and in it were precious stones. The crown was set on David's head, and he brought out the plunder of the city in large quantities.

³He brought out the people who were in the city and forced them to work with saws and iron picks and axes. David required all the cities of the people of Ammon to do this labor. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem.

⁴It came about after this that there was a battle at Gezer with the Philistines. Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Sippai, one of the descendants of the Rephaim, and the Philistines were subdued.

⁵It came about again in a battle with the Philistines at Gob, that Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed Lahmi brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

⁶It came about in another battle at Gath that there was a man of great height who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. He also was descended from the Rephaim.

⁷When he mocked the army of Israel, Jehonadab son of Shimea, David's brother, killed him.

⁸These were descendants of the Rephaim of Gath, and they were killed by the hand of David and by the hand of his soldiers.

Adam Clarke
Matthew Henry
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill
Keil-Delitzsch
Tyndale

Introduction

Joab smites the city of Rabbah; and David puts the crown of its king upon his own head, and treats the people of the city with great rigour, Ch1 20:1-3. First battle with the Philistines, Ch1 20:4. Second battle with the Philistines, Ch1 20:5. Third battle with the Philistines, Ch1 20:6, Ch1 20:7. In these battles three giants are slain, Ch1 20:8.

Verse 1

After the year was expired, at the time that kings go out to battle - About the spring of the year; see the note on Sa2 11:1. After this verse the parallel place in Samuel relates the whole story of David and Bath-sheba, and the murder of Uriah, which the compiler of these books passes over as he designedly does almost every thing prejudicial to the character of David. All he states is, but David tarried at Jerusalem; and, while he thus tarried, and Joab conducted the war against the Ammonites, the awful transactions above referred to took place.

Verse 2

David took the crown of their king - off his head - See Sa2 12:30. Precious stones in it - The Targum says, "And there was set in it a precious stone, worth a talent of gold; this was that magnetic stone that supported the woven gold in the air." What does he mean?

Verse 3

He brought out the people - See this transaction particularly explained in the notes on the parallel places, Sa2 12:30-31 (note).

Verse 5

Elhanan the son of Jair - See the note on Sa2 21:19. The Targum says, "David, the son of Jesse, a pious man, who rose at midnight to sing praises to God, slew Lachmi, the brother of Goliath, the same day on which he slew Goliath the Gittite, whose spear-staff was like a weaver's beam."

Verse 6

Fingers and toes were four and twenty - See the note on Sa2 21:20.

Verse 8

These were born unto the giant in Gath - "These were born להרפא leharapha, to that Rapha in Gath, or to Arapha." So the Vulgate, Septuagint, and Chaldee. The compiler of these books passes by also the incest of Amnon with his sister Tamar, and the rebellion of Absalom, and the awful consequences of all these. These should have preceded the fourth verse. These facts could not be unknown to him, for they were notorious to all; but he saw that they were already amply detailed in books which were accredited among the people, and the relations were such as no friend to piety and humanity could delight to repeat. On these grounds the reader will give him credit for the omission. See on Ch1 20:1 (note).

Introduction

Here is a repetition of the story of David's wars, I. With the Ammonites, and the taking of Rabbah (Ch1 20:1-3). II. With the giants of the Philistines (Ch1 20:4-8).

Verse 1

How the army of the Ammonites and their allies was routed in the field we read in the foregoing chapters. Here we have the destruction of Rabbah, the metropolis of their kingdom (Ch1 20:1), the putting of their king's crown upon David's head (Ch1 20:2), and the great severity that was used towards the people, Ch1 20:3. Of this we had a more full account in 2 Sa. 11, 12, and cannot but remember it by this sad token, that while Joab was besieging Rabbah David fell into that great sin in the matter of Uriah. But it is observable that, though the rest of the story is repeated, that is not: a hint only is given of it, in those words which lie here in a parenthesis - But David tarried at Jerusalem. If he had been abroad with his army, he would have been out of the way of that temptation; but, indulging his ease, he fell into uncleanness. Now, as the relating of the sin David fell into is an instance of the impartiality and fidelity of the sacred writers, so the avoiding of the repetition of it here, when there was a fair occasion given to speak of it again, is designed to teach us that, though there may be a just occasion to speak of the faults and miscarriages of others, yet we should not take delight in the repetition of them. That should always be looked upon as an unpleasing subject which, though sometimes one cannot help falling upon, yet one would not choose to dwell upon, any more than we should love to rake in a dunghill. The persons, or actions, we can say no good of, we had best say nothing of.

Verse 4

The Philistines were nearly subdued (Ch1 18:1); but, as in the destruction of the Canaanites by Joshua the sons of Anak were last subdued (Jos 11:21), so here in the conquest of the Philistines the giants of Gath were last brought down. In the conflicts between grace and corruption there are some sins which, like these giants, keep their ground a great while and are not mastered without much difficulty and a long struggle: but judgment will be brought forth unto victory at last. Observe, 1. We never read of giants among the Israelites as we do of the giants among the Philistines - giants of Gath, but not giants of Jerusalem. The growth of God's plants is in usefulness, not in bulk. Those who covet to have cubits added to their stature do not consider that it will but make then more unwieldy. In the balance of the sanctuary David far outweighs Goliath. 2. The servants of David, though men of ordinary stature, were too hard for the giants of Gath in every encounter, because they had God on their side, who takes pleasure in abasing lofty looks, and mortifying the giants that are in the earth, as he did of old by the deluge, though they were men of renown. Never let the church's friends be disheartened by the power and pride of the church's enemies. We need not fear great men against us while we have the great God for us. What will a finger more on each hand do, or a toe more on each foot, in contest with Omnipotence? 3. These giants defied Israel (Ch1 20:7) and were thus made to pay for their insolence. None are more visibly marked for ruin that those who reproach God and his Israel. God will do great things rather than suffer the enemy to behave themselves proudly, Deu 32:27. The victories of the Son of David, like those of David himself, are gradual. We see not yet all things put under him; but it will be seen shortly: and death itself, the last enemy, like these giants, will be triumphed over.

Introduction

RABBAH BESIEGED BY JOAB, SPOILED BY DAVID, AND THE PEOPLE TORTURED. (Ch1 20:1-3) at the time when kings go out to battle--in spring, the usual season in ancient times for entering on a campaign; that is, a year subsequent to the Syrian war. Joab led forth the power of the army, and wasted the country . . . of Ammon--The former campaign had been disastrous, owing chiefly to the hired auxiliaries of the Ammonites; and as it was necessary, as well as just, that they should be severely chastised for their wanton outrage on the Hebrew ambassadors, Joab ravaged their country and invested their capital, Rabbah. After a protracted siege, Joab took one part of it, the lower town or "city of waters," insulated by the winding course of the Jabbok. Knowing that the fort called "the royal city" would soon fall, he invited the king to come in person, and have the honor of storming it. The knowledge of this fact (mentioned in Sa2 12:26) enables us to reconcile the two statements--"David tarried at Jerusalem" (Ch1 20:1), and "David and all the people returned to Jerusalem" (Ch1 20:3).

Verse 2

David took the crown of their king . . ., and found it to weigh a talent of gold--equal to one hundred twenty-five pounds. Some think that Malcom, rendered in our version "their king," should be taken as a proper name, Milcom or Molech, the Ammonite idol, which, of course, might bear a heavy weight. But, like many other state crowns of Eastern kings, the crown got at Rabbah was not worn on the head, but suspended by chains of gold above the throne. precious stones--Hebrew, a "stone," or cluster of precious stones, which was set on David's head.

Verse 3

cut them with saws, &c.--The Hebrew word, "cut them," is, with the difference of the final letter, the same as that rendered "put them," in the parallel passage of Samuel [Sa2 12:31]; and many consider that putting them to saws, axes, and so forth, means nothing more than that David condemned the inhabitants of Rabbah to hard and penal servitude.

Verse 4

THREE OVERTHROWS OF THE PHILISTINES AND THREE GIANTS SLAIN. (Ch1 20:4-8) war at Gezer--or Gob (see Sa2 21:18-22). Next: 1 Chronicles Chapter 21

Reading Between the Lines

For Our People and for the Cities of God

Introduction

Verse 1

Verse 2

Verse 3

Verse 5

Verse 6

Verse 8

Introduction

Verse 1

Verse 4

Introduction

Verse 2

Verse 3

Verse 4

Introduction

Verse 1

Introduction

Verse 1

Verse 1