FRAMEWORKS:
1 Chronicles 20: Victories over Ammonites & Philistines
[Introductory
Notes: In this short chapter, the recorder continues
with the theme of David's victories, first dealing with his cleaning
up of the Ammonites and then having to deal with various skirmishes
with the Philistines.]
v.1-3
Further defeats of the Ammonites
v.1
In
the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, Joab led out
the armed forces. He laid waste the land of the Ammonites
and went to Rabbah and besieged it, but David remained
in Jerusalem. Joab attacked Rabbah and left it in ruins.
v.2
David
took the crown from the head of their king – its weight was
found to be a talent of gold, and it was set with precious stones –
and it was placed on David's head. He took a great quantity of
plunder from the city
v.3
and
brought out the people who were there, consigning them to labour
with saws and with iron picks and axes. David did this to all
the Ammonite towns. Then David and his entire army returned
to Jerusalem.
v.4-8
Battles with the Philistines
v.4
In
the course of time, war broke out with the Philistines,
at Gezer. At that time Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Sippai,
one of the descendants of the Rephaites, and the Philistines were
subjugated.
v.5
In
another battle with the Philistines, Elhanan son of Jair killed
Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with
a shaft like a weaver's rod.
v.6
In
still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge
man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot –
twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha.
v.7
When
he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, David's brother, killed
him.
v.8
These
were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands
of David and his men.
Continue
to Ch.21