1 Chronicles · Chapter 20
And it came to pass, that after the year was expired, at the time that kings go out to battle, 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 destroyed it.
And David took the crown of their king 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 also exceeding much spoil out of the city.
John Wesley
V. 2. To weigh a talent-Or, to be worth a talent, that is, five thousand four hundred and seventy five pounds.
Adam Clarke
Verse 2. David took the crown of their king-off his head] See 2 Samuel 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?
And he brought out the people that were in it, and cut them with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. Even so dealt David with all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
Adam Clarke
Verse 3. He brought out the people] See this transaction particularly explained in the notes on the parallel places, 2 Samuel 12:30, 31.
And it came to pass after this, that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines; at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Sippai, that was of the children of the giant: and they were subdued.
And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver’s beam.
Adam Clarke
Verse 5. Elhanan the son of Jair] See Clarke’s note on “2 Samuel 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.”
And yet again there was 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 the son of the giant.
Adam Clarke
Verse 6. Fingers and toes were four and twenty] See Clarke’s note on “2 Samuel 21:20”.
But when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David’s brother slew him.
Joseph Benson
Verse 7. When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea slew him — None are more visibly marked for ruin than those that reproach God and his Israel. God will do great things rather than suffer the enemy to behave themselves proudly, Deuteronomy 32:27.
Joseph Sutcliffe
Ver. 7. When he defied Israel, as unable to find a man to fight him in single combat.
These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.
John Wesley
V. 8. They fell, &c-We need not fear great men against us, while we have the great God for us.
Adam Clarke
Verse 8. These were born unto the giant in Gath] “These were born aprhl 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 1 Chronicles 20:1.
I CHRONICLES
Joseph Benson
Verse 8. They fell by the hand of David, and of his servants — The servants of David were quite too hard for the giants of Gath in every encounter, because they had God on their side, who takes pleasure in abasing the lofty looks, and humbling the pride and haughtiness of the giants of the earth. 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. But let it be observed that, as David’s victories, so those of the Son of David, are gradual. We do not yet see all things put under him; but we shall see this shortly, and death itself, the last enemy, like these giants, shall be subdued and triumphed over.
Adam Clarke
Verse 1. After the year was expired, at the time that kings go out to battle] About the spring of the year; see Clarke’s note on “2 Samuel 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.
Joseph Benson
Verse 1. Joab led forth the army, and wasted, &c. — For this verse, see note on 2 Samuel 11:1; for verses 2, 3, on 2 Samuel 12:30, 31; and for the rest of the chapter, on 2 Samuel 21:15, &c. And came and besieged Rabbah — It was at this time, while Joab was besieging Rabbah, that David fell into that great sin in the matter of Uriah. And it is observable, that though the rest of the story be repeated here, that is not. The sacred writer, however, seems to have intended to give a hint of it, when he says, But David tarried at Jerusalem — This gave occasion to his sin. 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 sin, and involved himself in many and great calamities, brought upon him and his house by a just and holy God. Now as the recording of his fall, and the circumstances of it in the former history, is an instance of the impartiality and fidelity of the sacred writers; so the avoiding the repetition of it here, when there was a fair occasion 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. Of those persons or actions of which we can say no good, we had best say nothing.
Joseph Sutcliffe
Verse 1. Joab besieged Rabbah. This is related more at large in 2 Samuel
12. David humanely left Shobi on the throne, after putting the rebel chiefs to death.