What happened to Rabba’s people after Joab destroyed the city?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

David brought them out and made harrows, sleds and iron chariots pass over them so that they were cut and bruised to pieces; the account says he dealt this way with all the Ammonite cities before returning to Jerusalem.

Chapter breakdown

Rabba is taken, followed by other victories over the Philistines.

After the course of a year, at the time when kings go out to battle, Joab gathered an army and the strength of the troops, laid waste the land of the children of Ammon and besieged Rabba. David stayed at Jerusalem while Joab struck and destroyed Rabba. David took Melchom’s crown from his head and found in it a talent weight of gold and most precious stones. He made himself a diadem from it and took very great spoils from the city. He brought out its people and made harrows, sleds and iron chariots pass over them, so that they were cut and bruised to pieces. David dealt this way with all the cities of the children of Ammon, then returned to Jerusalem with all his people.

After this, war arose at Gazer against the Philistines. Sabachai the Husathite killed Saphai, of the race of Raphaim, and humbled them.

In another battle against the Philistines, Adeodatus, son of Saltus, a Bethlehemite, killed the brother of Goliath the Gethite. The staff of that man’s spear was like a weaver’s beam.

In another battle at Geth there was a man of great stature, born of the stock of Rapha. He had 24 fingers and toes in all, six on each hand and foot. He reviled Israel, but Jonathan, son of Samaa, David’s brother, killed him. The chapter closes by saying that these sons of Rapha in Geth fell by the hand of David and his servants.

The story inside

The chapter begins with Joab gathering the army at the time kings go to battle. He lays waste Ammonite land and besieges and destroys Rabba while David stays in Jerusalem. David then takes Melchom’s gold-and-stone crown, makes a diadem and takes the city’s great spoils. The account describes the people being cut and bruised to pieces under implements and iron chariots, extends that treatment to all Ammonite cities and records the return to Jerusalem. Three further Philistine battles follow. At Gazer Sabachai kills Saphai of Raphaim. In another battle Adeodatus kills Goliath’s brother, whose spear staff is like a weaver’s beam. At Geth a man of Rapha’s stock with six fingers or toes on each hand and foot reviles Israel and is killed by Jonathan, son of David’s brother Samaa. The ending groups the sons of Rapha as falling by David and his servants.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Joab’s action and David’s location are explicit. Joab gathers the troops, lays waste the land and destroys Rabba, while David stays in Jerusalem. David’s taking of the crown and spoils follows in the account, but no arrival, surrender ceremony or spring date is described. Keeping the sequence avoids filling in a scene the chapter does not give.
2
The treatment of the people must retain its stated consequence. The source says implements and iron chariots pass over them and they are cut and bruised to pieces; it also says David deals this way with all the Ammonite cities. Calling this only hard labour removes the account’s material result.
3
The three Philistine encounters keep separate names and details. Sabachai kills Saphai at Gazer; Adeodatus kills Goliath’s brother with the spear staff like a weaver’s beam; Jonathan kills the man at Geth who has 24 fingers and toes and reviles Israel. The final statement concerns these sons of Rapha, without claiming every such lineage was erased or all borders became peaceful.

Test your recall

At the time kings go to battle → Joab gathers troops, lays waste Ammonite land and destroys Rabba while David stays in Jerusalem. David takes the crown and spoils → the people suffer the stated treatment, repeated in all Ammonite cities → David returns with his people. War at Gazer → Sabachai kills Saphai. Another Philistine battle → Adeodatus kills Goliath’s brother. The man at Geth reviles Israel → Jonathan kills him → the account closes with these sons of Rapha falling by David and his servants.

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 43376–43379
1 Paralipomenon Chapter 20 Rabba is taken. Other victories over the Philistines.
Lines 43380–43395
20:1. And it came to pass after the course of a year, at the time that kings go out to battle, Joab gathered together an army and the strength of the troops, and wasted the land of the children of Ammon: and went and besieged Rabba. But David stayed at Jerusalem, when Joab smote Rabba, and destroyed it. 20:2. And David took the crown of Melchom from his head, and found in it a talent weight of gold, and most precious stones, and he made himself a diadem of it: he took also the spoils of the city which were very great. 20:3. And the people that were therein he brought out: and made harrows, and sleds, and chariots of iron to go over them, so that they were cut and bruised to pieces: in this manner David dealt with all the cities of the children of Ammon: and he returned with all his people to Jerusalem.
Lines 43397–43399
20:4. After this there arose a war at Gazer against the Philistines: in which Sabachai the Husathite slew Saphai of the race of Raphaim, and humbled them.
Lines 43401–43403
20:5. Another battle also was fought against the Philistines, in which Adeodatus the son of Saltus a Bethlehemite slew the brother of Goliath the Gethite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
Lines 43405–43413
20:6. There was another battle also in Geth, in which there was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand and foot: who also was born of the stock of Rapha. 20:7. He reviled Israel: but Jonathan the son of Samaa the brother of David slew him. These were the sons of Rapha in Geth, who fell by the hand of David and his servants.