1 Chronicles
Chapter 20
At the turn of the year, when kings went to war, Joab set out with the army to invade the Ammonites’ land and lay siege to Rabbah. David, however, remained in Jerusalem. Joab attacked Rabbah and destroyed it.
David took the gold crown from the head of the Ammonite idol Milcom. They found that it weighed about seventy-five pounds. A precious stone was set that made an ornament for David’s head. He carried off a significant quantity of loot from the town.
He brought away its population and set them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes. David treated all the Ammonite cities in the same way. Then David and the whole army returned to Jerusalem.
War with the Philistines broke out again, and Elhanan, son of Jair, killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath of Gath, the shaft of whose spear was as thick as a weaver’s beam.
There was another battle at Gath, where there was a giant with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in all. He, too, was a descendant of Raphaim.
He defied Israel, and Jonathan, son of David’s brother Shimea, killed him.
These men were descended from Raphaim of Gath, and David and his guards killed them.
Commentaries
David’s Campaigns.
These three chapters bring together all the material related to David’s wars in one place. The Chronicler summarizes 2 Samuel 8-21, omitting details that could tarnish the image of an ideal David—the murder of Amnon and Absalom’s revolt—and including information that highlights David as a military leader. This way, it explains why David did not build the Temple (22:8; 28:3).
War Against the Ammonites.
David’s victories over the Ammonites and the Syrians. The Chronicler follows 2 Samuel 10:1-19.
War Against the Philistines.
In 20:1, the chapter begins with “The following year.” This allows the author to skip over David’s murder and adultery, Nathan’s denunciation, penance, and punishment. Regarding the three Philistine wars, the Chronicler follows 2 Samuel 21:18-22.