Chapter Twenty

1–3. Capture of Rabbah of the Ammonites. 4–8. Two wars with the Philistines.

1 Chronicles 20:1. After a year, at the time when kings go forth to war, Joab led out the army and ravaged the land of the Ammonites, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. And Joab defeated Rabbah and destroyed it. 1 Chronicles 20:2. And David took the crown of their king from his head, and in it was found a talent of gold, and precious stones were on it; and it was placed upon David’s head. And he brought out a great amount of spoil from the city. 1 Chronicles 20:3. And the people who were in it he brought out and set them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes. Thus David dealt with all the cities of the Ammonites; and David and all the people returned to Jerusalem. The account of the capture of Rabbah presents a variation of the narrative in the book (2 Sam 11) concerning the same subject. The first verse down to the words “And Joab defeated Rabbah and destroyed it” reproduces (2 Sam 11:1). But this statement is in direct contradiction with the testimony (2 Sam 12:29) that Rabbah was taken by David himself, not by Joab. Apart from the contradiction with the book of Kings, the book of Chronicles exhibits an internal contradiction. According to the first verse, David remained in Jerusalem during the siege and capture of Rabbah, yet according to verse 3 he participated in this deed. “Thus David dealt with all the cities of the Ammonites and returned to Jerusalem.” Finally, the author omits the story of David and Bathsheba (2 Sam 11:2) that occurred during the Ammonite war, as it casts a shadow upon his character.

1 Chronicles 20:4. After this war broke out with the Philistines at Gezer. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Safa, one of the descendants of the Rephaim. And they were subdued. 1 Chronicles 20:5. And again war broke out with the Philistines. Then Elhanan son of Jair struck down Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear shaft was like a weaver’s beam. 1 Chronicles 20:6. And there was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature who had six fingers on each hand, that is, twenty-four in all. And he also was descended from the Rephaim. 1 Chronicles 20:7. He taunted Israel, but Jonathan, the son of Shimea, David’s brother, struck him down. 1 Chronicles 20:8. These were descended from the Rephaim at Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants. According to the book of Chronicles, the wars with the Philistines described in these verses occurred after the capture of Rabbah (“after this” — verse 4); meanwhile according to 2 Kings they took place much later — after the Gibeonites gave up the descendants of Saul (2 Sam 21:18 and following).

1 Chronicles 20:4. After this war broke out with the Philistines at Gezer. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Safa, one of the descendants of the Rephaim. And they were subdued. Sibbecai the Hushathite — see (1 Chr 11:29).

1 Chronicles 20:5. And again war broke out with the Philistines. Then Elhanan son of Jair struck down Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear shaft was like a weaver’s beam. Compare (2 Sam 21:19).