1 Chronicles Chapter 20

1 Chronicles 20 — Crowns, Giants, and the Quiet Mercy of God

Reading the Story 1 Chronicles 20 is brief but loaded. It completes the Ammonite war that began with the insult in chapter 19 and then gathers several giant-slaying accounts from the Philistine front. The Chronicler writes with a careful hand: he compresses, he selects, and he aims to teach a post‑exile people how to live again under God’s kingship. If yesterday’s chapter (19) showed kindness misread and courage before uncertainty, today’s chapter shows crowns laid low and giants falling—not only by David, but by those he raised.

Sections for Meditation

“In the spring, when kings go out” The chapter opens with a time marker: “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war” (New International Version). The Hebrew idiom is at the “turning of the year” (teshuvat hashshanah)—after the rains, when roads were passable and supplies could move. It is a cultural detail easy to miss: campaigns followed agricultural rhythms. The penitent sinner and the farmer both must heed the seasons.

The Chronicler notes, almost in passing, that “David remained at Jerusalem.” He does not tell the Bathsheba story (2 Samuel 11), though he leaves the door ajar for those who know it. This is not denial; it is pastoral discretion. The Chronicler chooses one great moral failure to dwell on (the census in ch. 21) for a purpose, while here he moves us straight through to Rabbah’s fall. Sometimes Scripture teaches by what it says; sometimes by what it spares. There is a wisdom in memory: tell the truth, but also show the way forward. The gospel will not let us hide sin, and it will not let our sin have the last word.

Rabbah’s crown and the God of the nations Rabbah of Ammon—today’s Amman in Jordan—falls. Archaeology has traced Amman’s ancient citadel and water systems; its name Rabbah means “the great [city],” a reminder of its strength. David takes a crown “weighing a talent of gold,” about 30–35 kilograms—far too heavy for normal wear. It was likely ceremonial, placed upon David’s head to mark the triumph of Israel’s God over Ammon’s god.

Here a textual note matters. The crown is said to be “of their king” or “of Milkom/Malkam,” the Ammonite deity (the Hebrew spelling allows both readings). Either way, the point sings: the Lord strips the pretensions of the nations and sits his anointed on their false thrones. Earlier (ch. 18), David dedicated his spoils to the Lord; that habit surely shapes how we read this crown. Crowns and plunder are not private trophies. They are resources for worship. When God grants you a “win”—in work, in family peace, in ministry—dedicate it. Let victory fund devotion.

The hard line in verse 3: work gangs or atrocities? Verse 3 is difficult: “He brought out the people who were there and put them to work with saws, iron picks and axes” (New International Version). Some translations read harshly (“sawed them,” “chopped them”; English Standard Version), and the Samuel parallel is also debated. The Hebrew consonants can be vocalized in more than one way, shifting the sense from conscripted labor to brutal punishment. The Chronicler may be preserving a more restrained reading.

Two helps for a mature conscience: - Historical context: Ancient Near Eastern warfare was severe. Deuteronomy 20 allowed forced labor from cities outside Canaan when they surrendered; if they refused peace and were taken by siege, stricter measures followed. The text stands inside that world, not ours. - Christ-centered reading: Whatever David did, the coming King fulfills and corrects all kings. He comes with a different crown and a different conquest—he is crowned with thorns and overcomes by the cross. The church’s warfare is no longer against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). We must refuse any use of this verse to bless cruelty, and let it instead warn us of the cost of hardened conflict. Remember yesterday’s lesson: suspicion widens small conflicts. Bad counsel makes wars cruel.

Giants fall—by many hands The chapter then strings together victories over “descendants of Rapha” (the Rephaim, a term the Old Testament uses for formidable warriors). We meet:

Sippai (also called Saph) of the Philistines, slain by Sibbecai.
Lahmi, the brother of Goliath, slain by Elhanan. (Chronicles clarifies the Samuel text by naming “the brother of Goliath,” and even preserves the craftsman image: the spear shaft “like a weaver’s beam,” echoing the Hebrew oreg, “weaver.”)
A towering man of Gath with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—polydactyly is a real, heritable trait—slain by Jonathan, David’s nephew.

Note the pattern: “They were descendants of the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants” (English Standard Version). Discipleship is in view. David’s victory spreads; his courage reproduces courage. The giant-slayer raises giant-slayers.

This is deep biblical theology. Genesis 3:15 promised a war between the serpent’s seed and the woman’s seed, ending with a crushed head. Israel’s giants embody the old enmity; the Messiah’s people share his triumph. In the New Testament, the “giants” are sin, death, and the powers of darkness. Christ has struck the decisive blow, and now his servants, clothed with his Spirit, finish the rout in a thousand brave, ordinary acts.

Archaeology gives a quiet nod here. Excavations at Tell es‑Safi (ancient Gath) have revealed a massive Iron Age city and even a sherd with names similar to “Goliath.” We do not need archaeology to believe Scripture, but it often sketches the scene and reminds us these were real people in real places. God’s story is rooted in dirt and dates, not myth.

Theological threads

God rules the gods. Whether the crown belonged to Ammon’s “king” or to Milkom’s cult statue, it ends on David’s head. The Lord is not one deity among many; he is God alone. See Psalm 82; 1 Chronicles 16:25–26.
Victory multiplied through the body. David does not fight every battle. His men do. Leadership that hoards the battlefield is not biblical leadership. See Ephesians 4:11–13.
Selective memory as mercy. Chronicles does not rehearse Bathsheba here, not to flatter David, but to keep the exiles’ eyes lifted toward God’s promise—a son who builds the house (ch. 17). The Spirit knows when to confront and when to console.
Sanctified spoils. What we gain in conflict can either fund worship or feed pride. Earlier we saw David dedicate the spoils (1 Chronicles 18:11). Make it a habit.

What Western Readers Often Miss - Campaign season mattered. “When kings go out” sits in the agrarian clock; it’s about roads, rain, and supply lines. God meets people in real calendars. Our obedience also lives in seasons—know yours. - The “giant” tradition is not mere legend. “Rephaim” and “Anakim” reflect a memory of imposing warrior lineages around Philistia and the Shephelah. The Bible uses them both historically and theologically, tying Israel’s faith to concreteness and to cosmic hope. - The deity/king overlap in the ancient world. Calling a crown “Milkom’s” folds politics and worship together. When David wears that crown, it is a liturgy: the nations belong to the Lord.

Hebrew Notes Worth Noticing - teshuvat hashshanah: the year’s turning—campaign season. - kikkar: a “talent,” a standard large weight for gold. - Milkom/Malkam: the Ammonite god’s name sounds like “their king.” The text may intentionally play on both. - Rapha/Rephaim: a term for great warriors; in some texts also “shades” of the dead. Chronicles focuses on the earthly line from Gath. - oreg/’oregim: “weaver(s).” The “weaver’s beam” spear shaft paints the heaviness of Philistine weaponry.

Living This Today - Dedicate your crowns. Any honor, bonus, breakthrough—turn it into worship and service. - Share the battlefield. Train others. Let the next generation swing the sword while you strengthen their grip. - Beware idle seasons. Times when you “stay in Jerusalem” can breed compromise. Fill them with prayer, Scripture, and small obediences. - Fight the right enemies. Our giants are not people but the patterns of sin, fear, and despair. Take up truth, righteousness, faith, and the Word (Ephesians 6). - Remember with mercy. Be honest about past failures, but let the cross set the last note.

Cross-References for Further Study - 2 Samuel 11–12: The fuller account of David, Bathsheba, Uriah, and Rabbah’s fall. - 2 Samuel 21:15–22: Parallel giant-slaying narratives. - Deuteronomy 20: Israel’s rules of warfare in the ancient context. - Genesis 3:15: The first promise of the crushed serpent. - Psalm 18; Psalm 60; Psalm 144: Songs of victory attributed to David. - 1 Chronicles 18:11: Spoils dedicated to the Lord. - Ephesians 4:11–13; 6:10–20: Equipping the saints; the armor of God.

A Line from the Fathers Augustine read the giant-slayings as figures of Christ’s victory over proud powers, and the saints’ share in that victory by humility under grace. What David began, Christ consummates; what Christ wins, his people carry forward in love.

A Hymn to Sing - Lead On, O King Eternal (Ernest W. Shurtleff). It ties the old image—“kings go forth”—to the New Covenant way: “For not with swords loud clashing, nor roll of stirring drums; with deeds of love and mercy the heavenly kingdom comes.”

A Simple Prayer Lord Jesus, true Son of David and King of kings, teach us to wear every crown as a trust from you. Subdue our pride, sanctify our victories, and make us into people who raise others to courage. Give us wisdom in seasons of rest, faith in seasons of battle, and mercy in how we remember the past. May every giant that frightens us fall before your name. Lead on, O King eternal. Amen.

Narrated version of this devotional on 1 Chronicles Chapter 20