1 Chronicles 20

The chapter tells how Joab finished the war against Ammon and took Rabbah, then records the defeat of several Philistine giants. The Chronicler leaves out David’s sin with Bathsheba, which 2 Samuel places in this same war, and keeps the focus on God giving Israel victory over her enemies.

1 Chronicles 20:1

Spring was the usual season for campaigns. Joab, David’s general, ravaged Ammon and besieged its capital, Rabbah, while David stayed in Jerusalem. The king who should have been leading the army was at home. Joab then broke the city’s strength.

BSA: besieged (“confined, surrounded”): Joab shut Rabbah in on every side so that no one could go out or come in. remained (“stayed, dwelt”): David’s staying behind is mentioned quietly, and elsewhere Scripture shows how dangerous that idle season became for him.

Hebrew: וַיָּצַר (vayyatsar, H6696) — “and he hemmed in, besieged.” The word carries the sense of squeezing into a tight space. The city was being pressed in from all sides.

See also: 2 Samuel 11:1.

1 Chronicles 20:2

David took the crown of the Ammonite king, a talent of gold set with jewels, and wore it. He also carried off a large amount of plunder. The victory brought great wealth and honor to Israel’s throne.

BSA: plunder (“spoils of war, booty”): These were the goods taken from a defeated city, which in this period went to the victor.

1 Chronicles 20:3

David put the surviving people to labor with saws, picks and axes, and did the same in the other Ammonite towns. Forced work was a common result of defeat in the ancient world. Then David and his army went home to Jerusalem.

BSA: returned (“turned back, came again”): The campaign was finished and the army came home, ending the war with Ammon.

1 Chronicles 20:4

A fresh war with the Philistines began at Gezer. Sibbecai killed Sippai, one of the Rephaim, a tribe of tall, powerful men. After this the Philistines were brought low. The Lord used one of David’s own warriors to win the day.

BSA: subdued (“humbled, forced to submit”): The Philistines were not just beaten in battle but brought low for a time.

Hebrew: רְפָאִים (rephaʼim, H7497) — “Rephaim, a race of tall and fearsome men.” Israel knew these people from the days of the conquest of Canaan. The name made them seem almost beyond defeat, yet they fell to ordinary Israelites.

See also: Deuteronomy 3:11.

1 Chronicles 20:5

In another battle Elhanan killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath of Gath. His spear shaft was as thick as a weaver’s beam. David’s famous victory over Goliath was not a one-time event. God kept giving Israel’s warriors the same kind of triumph.

BSA: beam (“a heavy, sturdy rod”): It describes a huge, solid spear shaft, which shows how fearsome the giant looked.

See also: 1 Samuel 17:4-7; 2 Samuel 21:19.

1 Chronicles 20:6

At Gath another giant appeared, with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in all. He too came from the line of Rapha. His strange build made him all the more frightening, but he did not escape defeat.

BSA: stature (“height, size”): His great size was what made the Israelites afraid of him.

1 Chronicles 20:7

This giant mocked Israel openly, and Jonathan, David’s nephew, killed him. To taunt Israel was to taunt Israel’s God, as it had been with Goliath. The champion who answered the insult was a family member of the king, not a stranger.

BSA: taunted (“defied, reproached, or taunted”): The giant hurled open insults at God’s people, and the insult carried its own judgment.

Hebrew: וַיְחָרֵף (vaychareph, H2778) — “and he reproached, mocked, defied.” The word means to hurl scorn or contempt. It is the same kind of defiance Goliath had shouted at Israel’s armies.

See also: 1 Samuel 17:10.

1 Chronicles 20:8

The Chronicler sums up the matter. These Philistine giants of Gath fell by the hand of David and his servants. The great strength of Israel’s enemies was no match for what God did through his king and his men.

BSA: servants (“slaves, attendants, those who served him”): The victories belonged to David’s whole company, who served the king and shared in the triumph.

See also: 1 Samuel 17:45-47.