1 Chronicles Chapter 20
Ammon is Defeated at Rabbah
A. The defeat of Ammon
1. (1 Chronicles 20:1) Joab goes back out the next year to get Rabbah of Ammon.
“It happened in the spring of the year, at the time kings go out to battle, that Joab led out the armed forces and ravaged the country of the people of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. And Joab defeated Rabbah and overthrew it.”
In the ancient Near Eastern world kings typically waged war in the spring, after winter rains subsided and the terrain hardened. Scripture notes that Joab led Israel’s army out as expected, while David remained in Jerusalem. This was the opposite of how things were supposed to work. David was Israel’s king and champion, the one whom God raised up to lead the nation. He personally secured the decisive victories recorded in the previous chapter. God’s pattern for David’s life had been clear, yet David ignored that call and stayed behind. The writer of Chronicles does not recount the Bathsheba incident because his audience already knew it. The mention that “David stayed at Jerusalem” is enough to signal the entire sequence of sin, adultery, deception, and the arranged death of Uriah. A simple sentence carries the weight of a dark chapter in David’s life and shows how quickly idleness and ease open the door to temptation. David’s absence from the battlefield was the incubator for disaster. Joab, however, remained faithful to his station and led the army against Rabbah, securing the victory that David should have led. The text reminds believers today that complacency in times where one should be watchful often leads to collapse, and that spiritual inactivity is fertile soil for the enemy’s influence.
Even so, God did not abandon David. After David’s repentance, he returned to battle, as recorded in 2 Samuel 12:29, which says, “So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah, fought against it, and took it.” This was part of God restoring David to the role he was meant to fill. David’s chastening was real, but it was not the end of him. As Augustine said, David’s fall warns the strong and encourages the weak, showing that sin is deadly but never final for the repentant.
2. (1 Chronicles 20:2-3) David wears the crown of Ammon.
“Then David took their king’s crown from his head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious stones in it. And it was set on David’s head. Also he brought out the spoil of the city in great abundance. And he brought out the people who were in it, and put them to work with saws, with iron picks, and with axes. So David did to all the cities of the people of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.”
David’s sin did not remove the crown from his head, because he responded to God with repentance instead of rebellion. The crown of the Ammonite king, an extravagant object weighing roughly seventy five pounds of gold and set with precious stones, was placed on David’s head as a symbol that God’s covenant with David still stood. The conquest of Rabbah and the abundance of spoils strengthened Israel and expanded her security on the eastern frontier. These victories were part of the larger divine plan that established peace around Israel so that David’s son Solomon could build the temple. David subdued Ammon thoroughly, placing its cities under forced labor and bringing their wealth back to Jerusalem for Israel’s future. This section shows that God restores repentant sinners to usefulness, and though discipline may follow sin, grace brings restoration, victory, and renewed purpose.
B. Other Israeli Victories over Philistine Giants
1. (1 Chronicles 20:4-7) Three victories over three giants
“Now it happened afterward that war broke out at Gezer with the Philistines, at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Sippai, who was one of the sons of the giant. And they were subdued. Again there was war with the Philistines, and Elhanan the son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. Yet again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, with twenty-four fingers and toes, six on each hand and six on each foot, and he also was born to the giant. So when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him.”
This record highlights that Israel was fully capable of defeating giants even when David himself was no longer the one doing the fighting. Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Sippai, one of the sons of the giant. Elhanan killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath, whose spear shaft was so thick and heavy that it was compared to a weaver’s beam. Another giant from Gath, a man of unusual physical traits who possessed twenty four fingers and toes, defied Israel and was killed by Jonathan, the son of Shimea, David’s brother. Each victory shows that the spiritual and military legacy of David continued through his men. David had trained and influenced warriors who knew how to stand in faith and fight in the strength of the Lord. God raised up new leaders and new giant slayers, proving that His deliverance does not depend on one man alone. The faithfulness of David’s generation equipped the next to handle enemies of equal stature and danger.
These victories also serve as a quiet commentary on the Chronicler’s selective approach. He does not recount Amnon’s sin, Absalom’s rebellion, or other dark events between these verses because his purpose is to focus on the establishment of David’s line, God’s faithfulness, and the preparation for the temple. The sins and tragedies were well known in Israel, but the Chronicler desired to highlight God’s covenantal plan rather than Israel’s failures. At the same time, the physical descriptions of these giants demonstrate that Scripture is not dealing in myth. The unusual anatomy of the giant from Gath is a known natural phenomenon, recorded historically in multiple cultures. Likewise, the spear shaft like a weaver’s beam reflects a real type of Aegean javelin used for long range and stability, confirming the historical accuracy of the description.
2. (1 Chronicles 20:8) Summary of the victories over the Philistine giants
“These were born to the giant in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.”
These warriors were descendants of the giant from Gath, making them relatives of Goliath, who was also from Gath according to 1 Samuel 17:4, which says, “And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.” These men were part of a remnant of Rephaim, the ancient giant clans that inhabited Canaan before Israel arrived. They were known for immense size and strength. All four were killed by David’s men, yet the text deliberately credits both David and his servants. David’s influence shaped these victories. His example, leadership, and spiritual strength produced a generation capable of finishing the work he began.
This also aligns with the broader theme of Chronicles, showing that David conquered Israel’s enemies so his son Solomon could reign in peace. Victories in one generation create stability for the next. David’s men did not merely inherit David’s reputation, they inherited his spiritual courage. When aging warriors lose physical strength, the light of their testimony still strengthens God’s people, allowing the younger generation to carry forward the same mission. The chapter ends with a picture of a nation confident in God, able to confront its giants because the faith of its leaders has shaped its men.
