1 Chronicles 20

1Ch 20:1-3.

RABBAH

BESIEGED BY

JOAB,

SPOILED BY

DAVID, AND THE

PEOPLE

TORTURED.

1. at the time when kings go out to battle--in spring, the usual

season in ancient times for entering on a campaign; that is, a year

subsequent to the Syrian war.

Joab led forth the power of the army, and wasted the country . . . of

Ammon--The former campaign had been disastrous, owing chiefly to the

hired auxiliaries of the Ammonites; and as it was necessary, as well as

just, that they should be severely chastised for their wanton outrage on

the Hebrew ambassadors, Joab ravaged their country and invested their

capital, Rabbah. After a protracted siege, Joab took one part of it, the

lower town or "city of waters," insulated by the winding course of the

Jabbok. Knowing that the fort called "the royal city" would soon fall,

he invited the king to come in person, and have the honor of storming

it. The knowledge of this fact (mentioned in

2Sa 12:26)

enables us to reconcile the two statements--"David tarried at

Jerusalem"

(1Ch 20:1),

and "David and all the people returned to Jerusalem"

(1Ch 20:3).

2. David took the crown of their king . . ., and found it

to weigh a talent of gold--equal to one hundred twenty-five pounds.

Some think that Malcom, rendered in our version "their king,"

should be taken as a proper name, Milcom or Molech, the Ammonite idol,

which, of course, might bear a heavy weight. But, like many other

state crowns of Eastern kings, the crown got at Rabbah was not worn on

the head, but suspended by chains of gold above the throne.

precious stones--Hebrew, a "stone," or cluster of precious stones,

which was set on David's head.

3. cut them with saws, &c.--The Hebrew word, "cut them," is, with

the difference of the final letter, the same as that rendered "put

them," in the parallel passage of Samuel

[2Sa 12:31];

and many consider that putting them to saws, axes, and so forth, means

nothing more than that David condemned the inhabitants of Rabbah to

hard and penal servitude.

1Ch 20:4-8.

THREE

OVERTHROWS OF THE

PHILISTINES AND

THREE

GIANTS

SLAIN.

4. war at Gezer--or Gob (see

2Sa 21:18-22).