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Christianity

1 Chronicles 20Rabbah Taken, Giants Fall

Summary

1 Chronicles 20 reports Joab besieging and destroying Rabbah, the Ammonite capital, and David taking the king's heavy crown. It then lists three battles in which David's men kill descendants of the giants of Gath, including Lahmi, brother of Goliath. The chapter is notable for what it leaves out: although it begins with David staying in Jerusalem while the army went to war, it says nothing of Bathsheba, Uriah or Nathan's rebuke.

Key verse

“And it came to pass, that after the year was expired, at the time that kings go out to battle, Joab led forth the power of the army, and wasted the country of the children of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem. And Joab smote Rabbah, and destroyed it.”

1 Chronicles 20:1

Themes

  • Victory
  • Selective History
  • Giants of Gath
  • Royal Image

Text

1

And it came to pass, that after the year was expired, at the time that kings go out to battle, Joab led forth the power of the army, and wasted the country of the children of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem. And Joab smote Rabbah, and destroyed it.

2

And David 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 upon David’s head: and he brought also exceeding much spoil out of the city.

3

And he brought out the people that were in it, and cut them with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. Even so dealt David with all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

4

And it came to pass after this, that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines; at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Sippai, that was of the children of the giant: and they were subdued.

5

And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver’s beam.

6

And yet again there was war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot and he also was the son of the giant.

7

But when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David’s brother slew him.

8

These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

Text: King James Version (1611/1769), public domain.

Across traditions

  • Christianity

    2 Samuel 11: David and Bathsheba

    2 Samuel 11 and 12 place the Bathsheba affair and its consequences between the start and end of the Rabbah siege; Chronicles moves straight from one to the other.

  • Christianity

    2 Samuel 21: The Sons of the Giant

    The giant-killing episodes come from 2 Samuel 21:18 to 22. Samuel credits Elhanan with killing Goliath, while Chronicles says he killed Goliath's brother.

Questions about 1 Chronicles 20

Why does Chronicles leave out David and Bathsheba?

The Chronicler focuses on David as founder of temple worship and largely omits his personal failures, though chapter 21 does record his sinful census. Readers were presumably expected to know Samuel's account.

Who killed Goliath's brother?

1 Chronicles 20:5 says Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath. Many interpreters see this as clarifying 2 Samuel 21:19, which appears to say Elhanan killed Goliath himself.