1 Chronicles 20:3

1 Chronicles 20:3 in other versions

• King James Version (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.
• New International Version (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.
• English Standard Version (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.
• New King James Version (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.

Context of 1 Chronicles 20:3

1In the spring, the time when kings go out to battle, Joab led the army ⌞to war⌟. They destroyed the Ammonites and came to Rabbah to attack it, while David stayed in Jerusalem. Joab defeated Rabbah and tore it down. 2He took the gold crown from the head of Rabbah’s king and put it on David’s head. (The crown was found to weigh 75 pounds, and in it was a precious stone.) David also took a lot of goods from the city. He brought out the troops who were there and put them to work with saws, hoes, and axes. He did the same to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all the troops returned to Jerusalem. 4After this, war broke out with the Philistines at Gezer. Then Sibbecai from Hushah killed Sippai, a descendant of Haraphah, and the Philistines were defeated. 5When more fighting broke out with the Philistines, Elhanan, son of Jair, killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath from Gath. (The shaft of Lahmi’s spear was like a beam used by weavers.)

1 Chronicles 20:3 word by word

וְאֶת־הָעָ֨ם אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֜הּ הוֹצִ֗יא וַיָּ֨שַׂר בַּמְּגֵרָ֜ה וּבַחֲרִיצֵ֤י הַבַּרְזֶל֙ וּבַמְּגֵר֔וֹת וְכֵן֙ יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה דָוִ֔יד לְכֹ֖ל עָרֵ֣י בְנֵי־עַמּ֑וֹן וַיָּ֧שָׁב דָּוִ֛יד וְכָל־הָעָ֖ם יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And he brought outיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: sendH3318
• the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• in it, and cutשׂוּרώûr · to sawH7787
• with sawsמְגֵרָהmegêrâh · sawH4050
• and with harrowsחָרִיץchârîyts chârits · incisionH2757
• of ironבַּרְזֶלbarzel · ironH1270
• Even so dealtעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• Davidדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
• with all the citiesעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• of the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
• of Ammonעַמּוֹן‛ammôn · AmmonH5983
• returnedשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
• to Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389

Cross-references for 1 Chronicles 20:3

• 1 Chronicles 19:2David thought, “I will show kindness to Hanun because his father Nahash showed me kindness.” So David sent messengers to comfort Hanun after his father’s ⌞death⌟. But when David’s servants entered Ammonite territory to comfort Hanun,
• Psalms 21:8Your hand will discover all your enemies. Your powerful hand will find all who hate you.
• Exodus 1:14They made their lives bitter with back-breaking work in mortar and bricks and every kind of work in the fields. All the jobs the Egyptians gave them were brutally hard.
• Joshua 9:23You are under a curse now. You will always be servants. You will be woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”
• Judges 8:6The generals at Succoth replied, “We shouldn’t give your army food. You haven’t captured Zebah and Zalmunna yet.”
• 1 Kings 9:21but they had descendants who were still in the land. Solomon drafted them for slave labor. (They are still ⌞slaves⌟ today.)

Commentaries on 1 Chronicles 20:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3He brought out the people - See this transaction particularly explained in the notes on the parallel places, 2 Samuel 12:30-31; (note).Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-3This war against the Ammonites happened during David's sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:2–12:25), which the Chronicler does not mention.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. cut them with saws, &c.--The Hebrew word, "cut them," is, with the difference of the final letter, the same as that rendered "put them," in the parallel passage of Samuel [2Sa 12:31]; and many consider that putting them to saws, axes, and so forth, means nothing more than that David condemned the inhabitants of Rabbah to hard and penal servitude. 1Ch 20:4-8. Three Overthrows of the Philistines and Three Giants Slain.Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Chronicles 20:3

• Ammonites
• Captive
• Harrow
• Prisoners
• Rabbah

In the dictionaries

• Ammon
• David
• Jerusalem
• Captive
• Harrow
• Samuel, Books of
• Chronicles, Books of
• Genealogy
• Giants
• Harrows

Commentaries on 1 Chronicles 20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary