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War with Philistine Giants

20 (A)Now it happened [a]in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that Joab led out the force of the military and brought the land of the sons of Ammon to ruin, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. And (B)Joab struck Rabbah and [b]tore it down. (C)Then David took the crown of [c]their king from his head; and he found it to weigh a [d]talent of gold, and in it was a precious stone; and it was placed on David’s head. And he brought out the spoil of the city in a very great amount. He also brought out the people who were in it (D)and [e]made them work with saws and with sharp iron instruments and with axes. And thus David used to do to all the cities of the sons of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

(E)Now it happened afterwards, that war [f]broke out at [g]Gezer with the Philistines; then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Sippai, one among those born of the [h]giants, and they were subdued. And there was war with the Philistines again, and Elhanan the son of (F)Jair struck down Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the (G)shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. Then there was war at Gath again, and there was a man of great stature who had twenty-four fingers and toes, six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot; and he also had been born to the giants. And he [i]reproached Israel, so Jonathan the son of Shimea, David’s brother, struck him down. These were born to the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 20:1 Lit at the time of the return of the year
  2. 1 Chronicles 20:1 Lit pulled
  3. 1 Chronicles 20:2 In Zeph 1:5, Malcam
  4. 1 Chronicles 20:2 A talent was approx. 75 lb. or 34 kg
  5. 1 Chronicles 20:3 Or made them cut with saws, cut them with saws; Heb vowels can indicate causative or simple active
  6. 1 Chronicles 20:4 Lit stood up
  7. 1 Chronicles 20:4 In 2 Sam 21:18, Gob
  8. 1 Chronicles 20:4 Heb Raphah, so in vv 6, 8
  9. 1 Chronicles 20:7 Or defied

The Capture of Rabbah(A)

20 Later the next spring, at the time that kings go out to fight, Joab led out the army, ravaged the territory of the Ammonites, and then went out and attacked Rabbah, while David remained behind in Jerusalem. Joab besieged Rabbah and conquered it. David confiscated the crown of their king[a] from his head, and found that its weight was a talent[b] in gold. A precious stone had been set in it, and it was placed on David’s head. He also confiscated a great amount of war booty that had been plundered from the city, brought back the people who had lived in it, and put them to conscripted labor with saws, iron picks, and axes. David did this to every Ammonite city, and then David and his entire army[c] returned to Jerusalem.

Fighting Philistine Giants(B)

Afterwards, war broke out against the Philistines at Gezer, where Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, one of the descendants of the Rephaim,[d] defeating the Philistines. There was also another battle against the Philistines, when Jair’s son Elhanan killed Lahmi the Gittite, Goliath’s brother, whose spear was as big as[e] a weaver’s beam. There was also a battle at Gath, where there was a very tall man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—for a total of 24 digits—who was a descendant of the Rephaim.[f] When he challenged Israel, Shimei’s son Jonathan, David’s nephew,[g] killed him. These descendants from the giants in Gath died at the hands of David and his servants.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 20:2 Lit. of Malcam; LXX reads king Molchol. Cf. 1King 11:5, 33; Zeph 1:5
  2. 1 Chronicles 20:2 I.e. about 75 pounds; a talent weighed about 75 pounds
  3. 1 Chronicles 20:3 Lit. people
  4. 1 Chronicles 20:4 Or the giants
  5. 1 Chronicles 20:5 Lit. was like
  6. 1 Chronicles 20:6 Or the giants
  7. 1 Chronicles 20:7 Lit. brother