Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary

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Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708)

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F I R S T   C H R O N I C L E S

CHAP. XX.

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Here is a repetition of the story of David’s wars,

I. With the Ammonites, and the taking of Rabbah,

ver. 1-3.

II. With the giants of the Philistines,

ver. 4-8.

The Defeat of the Ammonites.	B. C. 1306.

     

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.

     

How the army of the Ammonites and their allies was routed in the field

we read in the foregoing chapters. Here we have the destruction of

Rabbah, the metropolis of their kingdom

(v. 1),

the putting of their king’s crown upon David’s head

(v. 2),

and the great severity that was used towards the people,

v. 3.

Of this we had a more full account in

2 Sam. xi., xii.,

and cannot but remember it by this sad token, that while Joab was

besieging Rabbah David fell into that great sin in the matter of Uriah.

But it is observable that, though the rest of the story is repeated,

that is not: a hint only is given of it, in those words which lie here

in a parenthesis–But David tarried at Jerusalem. If he had been

abroad with his army, he would have been out of the way of that

temptation; but, indulging his ease, he fell into uncleanness. Now, as

the relating of the sin David fell into is an instance of the

impartiality and fidelity of the sacred writers, so the avoiding of the

repetition of it here, when there was a fair occasion given to speak of

it again, is designed to teach us that, though there may be a just

occasion to speak of the faults and miscarriages of others, yet we

should not take delight in the repetition of them. That should always

be looked upon as an unpleasing subject which, though sometimes one

cannot help falling upon, yet one would not choose to dwell upon, any

more than we should love to rake in a dunghill. The persons, or

actions, we can say no good of, we had best say nothing of.

     

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.

     

The Philistines were nearly subdued

(ch. xviii. 1);

but, as in the destruction of the Canaanites by Joshua the sons of Anak

were last subdued

(Josh. xi. 21),

so here in the conquest of the Philistines the giants of Gath were last

brought down. In the conflicts between grace and corruption there are

some sins which, like these giants, keep their ground a great while and

are not mastered without much difficulty and a long struggle: but

judgment will be brought forth unto victory at last. Observe,

1. We never read of giants among the Israelites as we do of the giants

among the Philistines-giants of Gath, but not giants of Jerusalem. The

growth of God’s plants is in usefulness, not in bulk. Those who covet

to have cubits added to their stature do not consider that it

will but make then more unwieldy. In the balance of the sanctuary David

far outweighs Goliath.

2. The servants of David, though men of ordinary stature, were too hard

for the giants of Gath in every encounter, because they had God on

their side, who takes pleasure in abasing lofty looks, and mortifying

the giants that are in the earth, as he did of old by the deluge,

though they were men of renown. Never let the church’s friends be

disheartened by the power and pride of the church’s enemies. We need

not fear great men against us while we have the great God for us. What

will a finger more on each hand do, or a toe more on each foot, in

contest with Omnipotence?

3. These giants defied Israel

(v. 7)

and were thus made to pay for their insolence. None are more visibly

marked for ruin that those who reproach God and his Israel. God will do

great things rather than suffer the enemy to behave themselves

proudly,
Deut. xxxii. 27.

The victories of the Son of David, like those of David himself, are

gradual. We see not yet all things put under him; but it will be

seen shortly: and death itself, the last enemy, like these giants, will

be triumphed over.

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Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708)

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