1 Chronicles 20
Big idea: The chapter covers the siege of Rabbah, the campaign during which 2 Samuel places the affair with Bathsheba and the killing of Uriah — and does not mention either. The omission is the single most discussed editorial decision in Chronicles.
Chronicles is written for readers who have Samuel, so what is left out is visible to them; the reign is being told as the temple's foundation, not as a biography.
20:1–8 — At the time when kings go out to battle
The opening clause is the same one 2 Samuel 11 uses, and there the sentence continues: David sent Joab, but David stayed at Jerusalem. Here it goes straight to the siege, the capture, the crown weighing a talent of gold taken and set on David's head, and the spoil brought out. The chapters that Samuel devotes to Bathsheba, Uriah, Nathan's parable, the child's death, Amnon, Tamar and Absalom are all absent from this book.
1 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. 2 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. It was set on David’s head, and he brought very much plunder out of the city. 3 He 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. 4 After this, war arose at Gezer with the Philistines. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, of the sons of the giant; and they were subdued. 5 Again 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. 6 There 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. 7 When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him. 8 These were born to the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).
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