Study Desk

In the spring^[a] when kings march out to war,^(a) Joab led the army and destroyed the Ammonites' land. He came to Rabbah and besieged it, but David remained in Jerusalem.^(b) Joab attacked Rabbah and demolished it.

Then David took the crown from the head of their king,^[b][c](c) and it was placed on David's head. He found that the crown weighed 75 pounds^[d] of gold, and there was a precious stone in it. In addition, David took away a large quantity of plunder from the city.

He brought out the people who were in it and put them to work with saws,^[e] iron picks, and axes.^[f](d) David did the same to all the Ammonite cities. Then he and all his troops returned to Jerusalem.

After this,^(e) a war broke out with the Philistines at Gezer. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, a descendant of the giants,^[g] and the Philistines were subdued.

Once again there was a battle with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam.^(f)

There was still another battle at Gath where there was a man of extraordinary stature with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—24 in all. He, too, was descended from the giant.^[h]

When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of David's brother Shimei killed him.

These were the descendants of the giant^[i] in Gath killed by David and his soldiers.