1 Chronicles — Chapter 20

Loading ESV text...

1And 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.

2And 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.

3And 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.

4And 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.

5And 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.

6And 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.

7But when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David’s brother slew him.

8These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

1And it came to pass, at the time of the return of the year, at the time when kings go out [to battle], that Joab led forth 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 overthrew it.

2And 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 forth the spoil of the city, exceeding much.

3And he brought forth the people that were therein, and cut [them] with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. And thus did David unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

4And it came to pass after this, that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines: then Sibbecai the Hushathite slew Sippai, of the sons of the giant; and they were subdued.

5And there was again war with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver`s beam.

6And there was again 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 born unto the giant.

7And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David`s brother slew him.

8These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

1In the spring, at the time when kings normally conduct wars, Joab led the army into battle and devastated the land of the Ammonites. He went and besieged Rabbah, while David stayed in Jerusalem. Joab defeated Rabbah and tore it down.

2David took the crown from the head of their king and wore it (its weight was a talent of gold, and it was set with precious stones). He took a large amount of plunder from the city.

3He removed the city’s residents and made them labor with saws, iron picks, and axes. This was his policy with all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem.

4Later there was a battle with the Philistines in Gezer. At that time Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Sippai, one of the descendants of the Rephaim, and the Philistines were subdued.

5There was another battle with the Philistines in which Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear had a shaft as big as the crossbeam of a weaver’s loom.

6In a battle in Gath there was a large man who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all! He too was a descendant of Rapha.

7When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him.

8These were the descendants of Rapha who lived in Gath; they were killed by the hand of David and his soldiers.

1At 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. It was set on David’s head, and he brought very much plunder out of the city.

3He brought out the people who were in it, and had them cut with saws, with iron picks, and with axes. David did so to all the cities of the children of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

4After this, war arose at Gezer with the Philistines. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, of the sons of the giant; and they were subdued.

5Again there was war with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.

6There was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had twenty-four fingers and toes, six on each hand, and six on each foot; and he also 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.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

Joab besieges and captures Rabbah, the Ammonite capital, and David takes the king's crown. Additional Philistine wars are recorded, including the slaying of giants by David's warriors, echoing David's own victory over Goliath.

Authorship & Background

Author: Traditionally attributed to Ezra the scribe. Originally one book with 2 Chronicles. Written post-exile (approximately 450-400 BC) for the returned remnant. The Chronicler retells Israel's history from a priestly/worship perspective, emphasizing the Davidic covenant, Temple worship, and God's faithfulness. Key themes: genealogical continuity (God preserved His people), proper worship (the Temple and its services), the Davidic line (pointing to Messiah), and hope for restoration.
Historical Context: Chapter 20 is one of the most theologically significant chapters in Chronicles for what it omits rather than what it includes. This brief chapter of only eight verses covers the capture of Rabbah (the Ammonite capital) and three encounters with Philistine giants. It parallels 2 Samuel 11:1, 12:26-31, and 21:18- 22 — but the Chronicler deliberately removes the entire Bathsheba- Uriah narrative that fills 2 Samuel 11-12. The chapter moves directly from "David tarried at Jerusalem" (the very words that in Samuel introduce the adultery) to the capture of Rabbah, skipping over two full chapters of sin, murder, prophetic confrontation, and repentance. This is not ignorance or carelessness — the Chronicler clearly knew the full story — but a deliberate editorial choice.
The Chronicler's purpose is not biography but theology. His audience is the post-exilic community that needs to understand David as the covenant king through whom God's promises flow. The sin with Bathsheba was dealt with in Samuel; the Chronicler's focus is the Davidic covenant, the Temple, and worship. He presents David's reign through the lens of its significance for the restoration community: David's military victories secured the kingdom, his wealth funded the Temple, and his dynasty carries God's eternal promises. This selective presentation does not whitewash David — the original readers knew Samuel well — but refocuses the narrative on God's faithfulness to His covenant despite David's failures.
The giant-killing narratives (vv.4-8) serve a specific purpose: they demonstrate that the threat of the Philistine giants — which terrorized Israel since Goliath — was systematically eliminated under David's reign. Three descendants of the giants (Rephaim) fall to David's warriors: Sippai to Sibbechai, Lahmi (Goliath's brother) to Elhanan, and an unnamed giant with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot to Jonathan son of Shimea. The phrase "these were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants" (v.8) summarizes the theme: David's kingdom overcomes every oversized enemy. For the vulnerable post- exilic community surrounded by hostile neighbors, this was a message of hope — God's anointed king and his servants can overcome any giant.

Map & Geography

  • Largely parallels 1-2 Samuel geographically. Jerusalem (Zion/City of David) is the theological and political center.
  • Key sites: Hebron (David's first capital, 7 years), the threshing floor of Ornan/Araunah (future Temple site, ch.21).
  • Chapters 1-9 (genealogies) contain tribal allotments but minimal narrative geography.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik highlights the Chronicler's deliberate omission of the Bathsheba-Uriah narrative as a key interpretive feature. He notes that this is not dishonesty but a different purpose: Chronicles presents David as the covenant king whose reign establishes the pattern for Temple worship. Guzik also observes that the giant- killing passages show David raising up a generation of warriors who could do what only he had done before.
  • Charles Spurgeon: "David's mighty men slew giants because David had shown them how. When the shepherd boy walked into the Valley of Elah with a sling and five smooth stones, he was not only winning a battle — he was training a generation. Sibbechai, Elhanan, Jonathan — these men learned giant-killing from their king. So it is with Christ and His church: our Lord has conquered every principality and power, and now His servants go forth in His name to slay the giants that remain. You face Goliaths of fear, of temptation, of despair? Remember that your King has already shown the way. Take up His weapons — faith, prayer, the Word — and strike. The giant will fall, for he falls 'by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.'"

Reflection

  • 1. God's editorial silence teaches as powerfully as His speech (v.1). The Chronicler's deliberate omission of Bathsheba-Uriah reminds us that God is not obligated to rehearse our forgiven sins perpetually. When God forgives, He removes transgressions "as far as the east is from the west" (Psalm 103:12). While Samuel records the sin for instructive purposes, Chronicles shows that God's purposes for David continued unbroken despite the failure. Your worst chapter does not define your entire story in God's economy. Grace covers, restores, and moves forward.
  • 2. Leaders multiply their victories through those they train (v.8). "They fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants." David's greatest legacy was not the giants he killed personally but the giant-killers he raised up. True leadership is not measured by personal accomplishments but by the accomplishments of those you equip. Are you raising up others who can fight battles you will not always be present to fight? Invest in people, train them in faith, show them how to face giants — and your influence will outlast your own strength.
  • 3. Giants come in families (vv.4-7). Three separate giants from the same lineage appear — defeating one did not eliminate the others. Temptation works similarly: related sins cluster together. Defeat one form of pride, and another manifestation appears. Overcome one expression of lust, and a cousin temptation emerges. Do not be discouraged when new giants appear after old victories. Stay vigilant, stay armed, and recognize that the same faith that conquered the first will conquer the others.
  • 4. Every giant has a weakness (vv.4-7). Despite their terrifying size, every giant fell to a normal-sized warrior empowered by God. No enemy is invincible. The six-fingered giant, Goliath's brother, Sippai — each was formidable, each was mortal. Whatever oversized problem towers over your life, it has a point of vulnerability. Faith does not deny the giant's size; faith affirms God's greater power. "Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4).
  • 5. Faithful service continues even when leadership fails (v.1). Joab led the army, besieged Rabbah, and completed the campaign while David remained in Jerusalem during his greatest moral failure. The work of God does not stop when leaders stumble. If you are serving under imperfect leadership (and all earthly leadership is imperfect), your faithfulness is to God's mission, not to human perfection. Continue your work, do your duty, serve the kingdom — God's purposes advance through faithful servants regardless of what the leader is doing privately.