1 Chronicles

CHAPTER 20

1At the turn of the year,^* the time when kings go to war, Joab led the army out in force, laid waste the land of the Ammonites, and went on to besiege Rabbah; David himself remained in Jerusalem. When Joab had attacked Rabbah and destroyed it, 2David took the crown of Milcom from the idol’s head. It was found to weigh a talent of gold, with precious stones on it; this crown David wore on his own head. He also brought out a great amount of spoil from the city. 3He deported the people of the city and set them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes. David dealt thus with all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and his whole army returned to Jerusalem.^a

Victories over the Philistines. 4^b Afterward there was another battle with the Philistines, at Gezer. At that time, Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Sippai, one of the descendants of the Rephaim, and the Philistines were subdued.^c

5There was another battle with the Philistines, and Elhanan, the son of Jair, slew Lahmi, the brother of Goliath^* of Gath, whose spear shaft was like a weaver’s beam.^d

6There was another battle, at Gath, and there was a giant, who had six fingers to each hand and six toes to each foot; twenty-four in all. He too was descended from the Rephaim. 7He defied Israel, and Jonathan, the son of Shimea, David’s brother, slew him. 8These were the descendants of the Rephaim of Gath who died at the hands of David and his servants.

* [20:1] At the turn of the year: thus in 2 Sm 11 begins the story of David’s adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband Uriah, but the Chronicler omits it.

* [20:5] Elhanan…slew Lahmi, the brother of Goliath: with this notice the Chronicler solves the difficulty of the apparent contradiction between 1 Sm 17:49, 51 (David killed Goliath) and 2 Sm 21:19 (Elhanan killed Goliath).

a. [20:2–3] 2 Sm 12:30–31.

b. [20:4–8] 2 Sm 21:18–22.

c. [20:4] 1 Chr 11:29; 27:11.

d. [20:5] 1 Chr 11:26; 1 Sm 17:4, 23.