1 Chronicles 20:3 kjv
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.
1 Chronicles 20:3 nkjv
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.
1 Chronicles 20:3 niv
and brought out the people who were there, consigning them to labor with saws and with iron picks and axes. David did this to all the Ammonite towns. Then David and his entire army returned to Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles 20:3 esv
And he brought out the people who were in it and set them to labor with saws and iron picks and axes. And thus David did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles 20:3 nlt
He also made slaves of the people of Rabbah and forced them to labor with saws, iron picks, and iron axes. That is how David dealt with the people of all the Ammonite towns. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles 20 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:31 | "And he brought out the people who were in it and put them under saws and under iron picks and under axes..." | Parallel account, crucial for interpretation. |
| Deut 20:10-14 | Law regarding treatment of cities far off: offer peace; if refused, kill males, take women/children/cattle as plunder. | Laws for warfare, offering choices. |
| Josh 10:28 | Account of Joshua's conquering Makkedah, utterly destroying every soul in it, without leaving any survivors. | Utter destruction (ḥērem) of enemies. |
| Judg 1:7 | Adoni-bezek confesses to seventy kings with severed thumbs and big toes picking up scraps under his table. | Examples of ancient Near East war brutality. |
| 1 Sam 15:3 | God's command to Saul concerning Amalek: "Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have..." | Divine command for ḥērem warfare. |
| Isa 28:27 | "For the dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin..." | Mentions threshing tools, like harrows. |
| Amos 1:3 | "For three transgressions of Damascus and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have threshed Gilead..." | Nations using brutal implements on others. |
| Num 21:2-3 | Israel vows to utterly destroy the Canaanites if given victory, and God enables it. | Vow for destruction of enemies. |
| 2 Sam 8:2 | David's actions against Moab, measuring them with a line: two parts for death, one for life. | David's stern military judgments. |
| 2 Sam 8:14 | "And he put garrisons in Edom... and all Edom became David's servants." | Establishing dominion/servitude over conquered lands. |
| 1 Chr 19:1-5 | The initial insult by Hanun, King of Ammon, to David's ambassadors. | Preceding cause of war. |
| 1 Chr 19:6 | The Ammonites hiring mercenaries, indicating their readiness for war. | Ammonite hostility and military readiness. |
| Ps 60:6-8 | God speaks of extending His dominion over Shechem, Gilead, Manasseh, Ephraim, Judah, Moab, Edom, and Philistia. | Prophetic/Poetic expression of dominion over lands. |
| Ps 18:43 | "You delivered me from the squabbles of the people; you made me the head of the nations; people whom I had not known serve me." | David's divine elevation and dominion. |
| 2 Chr 20:29 | "And the dread of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel." | Fear of Israel's God influencing nations. |
| Deut 25:17-19 | Command to remember and blot out the remembrance of Amalek, indicating total destruction. | God's commanded blotting out of certain peoples. |
| 1 Chr 20:4-8 | Descriptions of other giants slain by David's men, showcasing their military prowess and total victory. | Further victories during David's reign. |
| Gen 9:5-6 | Principle of blood for blood, justifying capital punishment. | Underlying principle of justice in a harsh era. |
| Josh 8:22 | Ai's people were destroyed in the field, so that none survived or escaped. | Total destruction in conquest. |
| Num 31:7 | "And they warred against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses, and they killed every male." | Carrying out God's command for vengeance/warfare. |
| Ps 2:9 | "You shall break them with a rod of iron; you shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." | Figurative language of dominion and destruction. |
1 Chronicles 20 verses
1 Chronicles 20 3 Meaning
1 Chronicles 20:3 describes David's actions after conquering the Ammonite capital, Rabbah. It states that he brought out the people of the city and subjected them to instruments typically used for work or harsh punishment: saws, iron picks (or harrows), and axes. This same action was replicated across all the cities of the Ammonites, signifying their complete subjugation and the cessation of conflict as David and his army returned to Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles 20 3 Context
1 Chronicles 20:3 is set during David's reign, specifically after the war with Ammon (1 Chronicles 19). This conflict arose when Hanun, the king of Ammon, deeply insulted David's ambassadors, perceiving them as spies. This act of aggression led to a significant military campaign by Israel, which ultimately resulted in the defeat of the Ammonites and the capture of their capital, Rabbah. Chapter 20 of 1 Chronicles itself serves to highlight the successful military exploits of David and his mighty men, recounting victories over various adversaries, including the Philistine giants, affirming David's strength and God's hand in his reign. This specific verse, following the description of the siege's completion, portrays the fate of the conquered Ammonite people, solidifying David's complete dominance. The Chronicler’s narrative generally aims to portray David and his lineage positively, often emphasizing obedience to God and military success as signs of divine favor.
1 Chronicles 20 3 Word analysis
- And he brought out (וַיּוֹצֵא - vayyôṣēʾ): Signifies David's direct command and active role in orchestrating the subsequent events. It emphasizes his authority and the full exercise of his victory.
- the people who were in it (אֶת־הָעָם אֲשֶׁר־בָּהּ - ʾeṯ-hāʿām ʾăšer-bāh): Refers specifically to the civilian population and remaining military personnel of Rabbah, not just an elite group.
- and cut them (וַיַּשַּׂר - vayyassar): This is a highly debated term. The root here appears to be נָשַׂר (nāśar), meaning "to saw," thus leading to the common translation "cut them with saws." This reading suggests a gruesome form of execution or dismemberment. However, the parallel passage in 2 Samuel 12:31 uses וַיָּשֶׂם (vayyāśem), from the root שׂוּם (śûm), meaning "to place, to set, to put." Many scholars argue that the reading in 2 Samuel is original and the Chronicler adapted it or interpreted it in a specific way. If vayyāśem is preferred, it would imply "he put them to (forced) labor with" these tools, rather than executing them by the tools. This interpretation suggests that David put the people into servitude, compelling them to perform heavy labor, symbolizing their total subjugation rather than their physical destruction. The context in Chronicles might retain a more explicit interpretation of the cutting, or be read with the underlying ambiguity.
- with saws (בַּמְּגֵרוֹת - bam-məgêrôṯ): Wooden or metal saws used for cutting. In some interpretations of the phrase vayyassar bə- ("he cut with"), it suggests execution. In the "forced labor" interpretation, it implies being put to work using saws, for example, in quarrying or logging.
- and with iron picks (וּבַחַרְצֵי הַבַּרְזֶל - ūḇaḥarṣê hab-barzel): Could refer to threshing sledges (which had sharp iron teeth for harrowing the ground and separating grain from stalks), harrows for agricultural work, or sharpened iron cutting instruments like axes. If interpreted as threshing sledges or harrows, it powerfully depicts forced agricultural labor under harsh conditions.
- and with axes (וּבַמַּגְזֵרֽוֹת - ūḇammagzērôṯ): Large axes or similar sharp instruments, typically used for felling trees or hewing stones. This again aligns with either brutal execution or hard labor in forestry or masonry.
- And thus David did to all the cities of the sons of Ammon: This phrase indicates that the described treatment of Rabbah's inhabitants was not an isolated incident but a standardized practice applied to all Ammonite settlements. It speaks to the severity and consistency of David's conquest.
- So David and all the people returned to Jerusalem: This signifies the completion of the military campaign and the return to normalcy. It marks the successful subjugation of Ammon and the conclusion of this chapter of conflict in David's reign.
1 Chronicles 20 3 Bonus section
The debate between "sawed them" and "put them to forced labor" is central to understanding the Chronicler's intent. While 1 Chronicles 20:3, in the Masoretic Text, uses a form that strongly implies "sawed," the textual variant in 2 Samuel 12:31's Masoretic Text (vayyasem) points to "put them to." Some textual critics believe the form in Chronicles may be a scribal attempt to "clarify" or "harmonize" based on a reading of vayyasem that implied "sawed," or that both roots were associated with the tools of heavy labor/punishment. Regardless of the precise interpretation, the verse portrays a decisive and harsh subjugation of a defiant enemy. This incident contrasts with David's general mercy shown to his own people and allies, highlighting the boundaries of his kingdom's enemies who refused to yield. The divine allowance, if not direct command, of such conquests reinforces the idea of God working through Israel's military might to establish the promised land.
1 Chronicles 20 3 Commentary
1 Chronicles 20:3 provides a concise summary of David's subjugation of the Ammonites, immediately following the lengthy and challenging siege of Rabbah. The most critical aspect of this verse lies in the specific phrase describing the treatment of the inhabitants: "and cut them with saws, and with iron picks, and with axes." As highlighted in the word analysis, the Hebrew term used here, vayyassar, and its relation to the parallel text in 2 Samuel 12:31, vayyasem, introduces significant interpretive challenges.
Traditional interpretations, especially of the Chronicles text, often take the verse literally as describing a horrific act of capital punishment and torture, indicative of the harsh realities of ancient Near Eastern warfare and a vengeful response to the Ammonites' prior insult. This interpretation views the tools as instruments of execution. Such brutal actions, though shocking to modern sensibilities, were not entirely uncommon in the ancient world for defeated enemies, especially those who committed gross insults against royalty or covenants.
However, many contemporary scholars argue for a less brutal interpretation, largely influenced by the 2 Samuel parallel. They suggest that David "put them to forced labor with" these tools. Under this view, the saws, iron picks (or harrows), and axes would represent instruments of heavy, coerced labor (e.g., lumbering, quarrying, or breaking up land for agriculture with harrows) to which the captured Ammonites were subjected. This punishment would serve as a powerful sign of subjugation and tribute rather than outright slaughter. The Chronicler, in his overall positive portrayal of David, might be read as aiming to soften or clarify the incident, showing David imposing servitude rather than mass execution. Even if softened, such forced labor was a harsh fate. The verse, therefore, captures the totality of David's victory and the severity of the Ammonites' defeat, ensuring they could no longer pose a threat to Israel.