Chapter XX

=1‒3= (= 2 Samuel xi. 1, xii. 26‒31).
THE SUBJUGATION OF AMMON.

The account of the siege of Rabbah is given more shortly in Chronicles than in 2 Samuel From the latter we learn that the Ark was in the besiegers’ camp (xi. 11), that the city was defended with spirit (xi. 17), and finally taken piecemeal (xii. 26‒29).

¹And it came to pass, at the time of the return of the year,
at the time when kings go out _to battle_, that Joab led forth
the power of the army, and wasted the country of the children
of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at
Jerusalem. And Joab smote Rabbah, and overthrew it.

=1.= _at the time of the return of the year_] i.e. in the spring, 2 Samuel xi. 1; 1 Kings xx. 22.

_the power of the army_] The Hebrew phrase is quite general in meaning: _the host of war, the military forces_.

_Rabbah_] the capital of the Ammonites; Jeremiah xlix. 2; Ezekiel xxi. 20 (25, Hebrew). Its site, now called _‘Ammān_, is covered with important ruins of the Roman and Byzantine periods. The town lies in a fertile basin, its citadel on a hill on the north side.

_David tarried at Jerusalem_] In 2 Samuel these words introduce the story of David’s adultery with Bath-sheba, which is omitted from Chronicles.

_Joab smote Rabbah_] In 2 Samuel xii. 27 Joab reports to David the capture of _the city of waters_ (i.e. the lower city), and invites him to come and complete the conquest (presumably by capturing the citadel) in person. Probably the citadel was dependent for water on the river which flows through the town.

²And David took the crown of their king¹ from off his head, and
found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious
stones in it; and it was set upon David’s head: and he brought
forth the spoil of the city, exceeding much.

¹ Or, _Malcam_ See Zephaniah i. 5.

=2.= _of their king_] So also Authorized Version, perhaps rightly, but many scholars prefer to treat the word as a proper name, rendering, as margin, _of Malcam_ (compare Zephaniah i. 5), i.e. Milcom, the national god of the Ammonites (1 Kings xi. 5). LXX. has a double translation of the one Hebrew word: _Molchol_ (_Molchom_) _their king_. The name of the god, whether the right form be _Molech_ (1 Kings xi. 7) or more probably _Milcom_ or _Malcam_, means either “king” or, less probably, “counsellor.” In the former case his image would in all probability wear a crown.

_it was set upon David’s head_] A symbolic action implying that David completely annexed the Ammonite territory; other conquered nations retained a partial independence on condition of the payment of tribute.

_he brought forth the spoil of the city, exceeding much_] doubtless a triumphal procession of captives and spoil, such as an Assyrian relief in the British Museum represents passing before Sennacherib at the capture of Lachish.

³And he brought forth the people that were therein, and cut
_them_ with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. And
thus did David unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. And
David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

=3.= _and cut_ them _with saws_] Read probably (compare 2 Samuel xii. 31, Revised Version margin) =and put them with saws=, i.e. put them to work with saws, etc. Compare 2 Chronicles ii. 17, 18; Joshua ix. 21‒23. The implements mentioned here and in the parallel passage of 2 Samuel suggest task-work, not massacre. The Ammonites were reduced to bondage like that of Israel in Egypt. The exceptionally harsh treatment of the Ammonites was doubtless due to the exceptional insults which David’s ambassadors had received from them. A very different spirit towards Ammon is shown in Deuteronomy ii. 19.

=4‒8= (= 2 Samuel xxi. 18‒22).
PHILISTINE CHAMPIONS SLAIN.

This section is the last in which the Chronicler notices David’s wars. It is taken from 2 Samuel xxi., where, however, it is preceded by an account (verses 15‒17) of David’s narrow escape in an encounter with a Philistine.

Between the two sections of this chapter the Chronicler omits the account of the rebellions of Absalom and of Sheba, and the story of the Gibeonite vengeance on the house of Saul (2 Samuel xiii. i‒xxi. 14).

⁴And it came to pass after this, that there arose war at Gezer¹
with the Philistines: then Sibbecai the Hushathite slew Sippai,
of the sons of the giant²: and they were subdued.

¹ In 2 Samuel xxi. 18, _Gob_.

² Hebrew _Rapha_. According to another reading, _giants_;
Hebrew _Rephaim_.

=4.= _at Gezer_] See vi. 67, note. In 2 Samuel _at Gob_, but no place called Gob is known. In 2 Samuel v. 25 it is said that David smote the Philistines “from Geba until thou come to Gezer.”

_Sippai_] In 2 Samuel “Saph.”

_giant_] Hebrew “Rapha”; the same Hebrew word in the plural “Rephaim” is translated “giants” in Deuteronomy ii. 11, Authorized Version These “Rephaim” dwelt east of Jordan.

⁵And there was again war with the Philistines; and Elhanan the
son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the
staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.

=5.= _Elhanan ... slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath_] In 2 Samuel xxi. 19, _Elhanan ... the Beth-lehemite slew Goliath_ (Revised Version). The difference between the two sentences in Hebrew is very small, and is due, no doubt, to the Chronicler, or a copyist, who felt that he was making a certain emendation in substituting the brother of Goliath for Goliath himself, since, according to 1 Samuel xvii., Goliath was slain by David before he became king.

_slew Lahmi_] read =the Beth-lehemite slew=, etc.

⁶And there was again war at Gath, where was a man of great
stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six _on
each hand_, and six _on each foot_; and he also was born unto
the giant¹.

¹ Hebrew _Rapha_.

=6.= _a man of great stature_] In 2 Samuel xxi. 20 (Hebrew) _a man of contention_, i.e. a challenger or champion.

⁷And when he defied⁴ Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David’s
brother slew him.

⁴ Or, _reproached_.

=7.= _Shimea_] See iii. 5, note.

⁸These were born unto the giant¹ in Gath; and they fell by the
hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

¹ Hebrew _Rapha_.

=8.= _These were born unto the giant in Gath_] Again “giant” is the Hebrew “Rapha” as in verses 4, 6. The meaning is that these belonged to a branch of the Rephaim which was settled in Gath.