Key Verse Spotlight
1 Chronicles 20:1 - Meaning and Application
Understand how this verse speaks to what you're facing and how to apply it today
Translation: World English Bible — Catholic Edition
" 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. "
1 Chronicles 20:1
Verse in Context
Understanding the surrounding verses prevents misinterpretation:
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.
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The defeat of the Ammonite army and their allies has already been described in the earlier chapters. Here we read about the fall of Rabbah, the main city of their kingdom (1 Chronicles 20:1), the placing of the Ammonite king’s crown on David’s head (1 Chronicles 20:2), and the harsh treatment of the people that followed (1 Chronicles 20:3). A fuller account of this was given in 2 Samuel 11 and 12, and we cannot read it without remembering the sad mark it leaves, that while Joab was besieging Rabbah, David fell into his great sin with Uriah.
It is striking that the rest of the story is repeated here, but that sin is not. Only a brief hint is given in the words in parentheses, “But David stayed at Jerusalem.” If he had gone out with his army, he would have been away from that temptation. Instead, by giving in to ease, he fell into uncleanness. The Bible’s plain account of David’s sin shows the honesty and trustworthiness of the sacred writers.
At the same time, the fact that the sin is not repeated here teaches us something important. Even when there is a proper reason to mention another person’s faults, we should not enjoy repeating them. Talk like that should always feel unpleasant. It may come up when necessary, but it is not something we should choose to linger on, any more than we would want to dig around in filth. If we cannot say anything good about certain people or actions, it is usually best to say nothing at all.
From This Chapter
1 Chronicles 20:2
"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."
1 Chronicles 20:3
"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."
1 Chronicles 20:4
"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."
1 Chronicles 20:5
"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."
1 Chronicles 20:6
"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."
1 Chronicles 20:7
"When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him."
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