Bible Study 1 Chronicles 20
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1 Chronicles 20 · WEB

Capture of Rabbah and Wars with Philistine Giants

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At the time of the return of the year, at the time when kings go out, Joab led out the army, and wasted the country of the children of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. Joab struck Rabbah and overthrew it.
2David took the crown of their king from off his head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious stones in it; and it was set on David's head. He also brought out the plunder of the city, exceeding much.
3He brought out the people who were in it, and cut them with saws, and with iron picks, and with axes. David did so to all the cities of the children of Ammon. David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
4After this there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, who was of the sons of the giant; and they were subdued.
5There was again war with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver's beam.
6There was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were twenty-four, six on each hand and six on each foot; and he was born to the giant.
7When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David's brother, killed him.
8These were born to the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
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Summary

The Ammonite war concludes with Joab capturing Rabbah (the Ammonite capital) while David remains in Jerusalem. David takes the Ammonite king's heavy gold crown and puts it on his own head, claiming sovereignty. The chapter ends with three brief accounts of wars against Philistine giants at Gezer and Gath, in which David's warriors kill the formidable sons of the giants. The Chronicler's version conspicuously omits the Bathsheba affair (2 Samuel 11-12) that occurred during this same Ammonite campaign.

Themes

  • God giving Israel victory over its most formidable enemies
  • The importance of being where you're supposed to be
  • David's servants as extensions of his power and purpose

Key verses

  • 1 Chr 20:1 — “At the time when kings go out... David stayed at Jerusalem.”
  • 1 Chr 20:2 — “David took the crown of their king from off his head... and it was set on David's head.”
  • 1 Chr 20:8 — “These were born to the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.”

Context & background

Rabbah of Ammon (modern Amman, Jordan) was the capital of the Ammonite kingdom. Its capture completes the war begun in chapter 19. The Chronicler's omission of David's adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah (2 Samuel 11-12) — which occurred precisely during this campaign — is intentional: the Chronicler focuses on David as the ideal king and worship organizer rather than rehearsing his moral failures, which were already recorded in Samuel. Gezer (modern Tel Gezer, central Israel) and Gath (modern Tell es-Safi, southwestern Israel) were Philistine territory. The "sons of the giant" (Rephaim) were a legendary warrior class of unusual physical stature in Canaan.

Cross-references

  • 1 Samuel 17 — David kills Goliath of Gath; here his servants kill Goliath's brother and other giants
  • 2 Samuel 11-12 — What the Chronicler omits: David's sin with Bathsheba during this campaign
  • 2 Samuel 12:26-31 — Parallel account of Rabbah's capture
  • Deuteronomy 3:11 — Og of Bashan's giant iron bed; the tradition of giant warriors in Transjordan/Canaan
  • Joshua 11:22 — After the conquest, giants (Anakim) remained only in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod

Check your reading

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  1. Observe

    Where was David while Joab captured Rabbah, and what did David do with the Ammonite king's crown?

  2. Observe

    Which Philistine giants are killed in this chapter and by whom?

  3. Interpret

    Why might the Chronicler keep the detail "David stayed at Jerusalem" while omitting the Bathsheba account that follows in 2 Samuel?

  4. Interpret

    What is the theological force of saying the giants "fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants" (v. 8)?

  5. Apply

    The phrase "the time when kings go out" warns about being absent from one's calling. How can believers guard against this danger?

  6. Apply

    David's servants extended his mission by fighting battles he could not fight personally. How should believers invest in those who extend their influence?

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