Verse 17
Cherethites and the Pelethites - See the note on [2Sam 8:18].
The Targum says, "Benaiah was over the great Sanhedrin and the small Sanhedrin, and consulted Urim and Thummim. And at his command the archers and slingers went to battle."
The sons of David - These were the highest in authority.
Introduction
David sends a congratulatory message to Hanun, king of Ammon, [1Chr 19:1], [1Chr 19:2]. He treats the messengers with great incivility, [1Chr 19:3], [1Chr 19:4]. David is exasperated, but condoles with the degraded messengers, [1Chr 19:5]. The Ammonites prepare for war, and hire thirty-two thousand chariots, and besiege Medeba, [1Chr 19:6], [1Chr 19:7]. David sends Joab to attack them; he defeats the Syrians and Ammonites, [1Chr 19:8-15]. The discomfited Syrians recruit their army, and invade David's territories beyond Jordan; he attacks them, kills Shophach their general, seven thousand charioteers, and forty thousand of their infantry, [1Chr 19:16-18]. The Syrians abandon the Ammonites and make a separate peace with David, [1Chr 19:19].
Verse 1
Now it came to pass - See the same history, [2Sam 10:1] (note), etc., and the notes there.
Verse 4
And cut off their garments in the midst - Usque ad eorum, pudenda. So the Targum, Jarchi, and others; leaving exposed what nature and decency require to be concealed. See on [2Sam 10:4] (note).
Verse 6
Chariots and horsemen out of Mesopotamia - These are not mentioned in the parallel place in Samuel; probably they did not arrive till the Ammonites and their other allies were defeated by the Israelites in the first battle.
Verse 7
Thirty and two thousand - The whole number mentioned in Samuel is, Syrians, of Beth-rehob, and of Zoba, twenty thousand; of King Maacah, one thousand; of Ish-tob, twelve thousand; in all thirty-three thousand. Of chariots or cavalry there is no mention. These could not have been the whole army.
Verse 13
Be of good courage - See the note on [2Sam 10:12].
Verse 18
Forty thousand footmen - See this number accounted for in the note on [2Sam 10:18] (note).
Verse 19
They made peace with David, and became his servants - See on [2Sam 10:19] (note), and the concluding note in that place; and see for omissions in Chronicles, the preface to these books.
Introduction
Joab smites the city of Rabbah; and David puts the crown of its king upon his own head, and treats the people of the city with great rigour, [1Chr 20:1-3]. First battle with the Philistines, [1Chr 20:4]. Second battle with the Philistines, [1Chr 20:5]. Third battle with the Philistines, [1Chr 20:6], [1Chr 20:7]. In these battles three giants are slain, [1Chr 20:8].
Verse 1
After the year was expired, at the time that kings go out to battle - About the spring of the year; see the note on [2Sam 11:1].
After this verse the parallel place in Samuel relates the whole story of David and Bath-sheba, and the murder of Uriah, which the compiler of these books passes over as he designedly does almost every thing prejudicial to the character of David. All he states is, but David tarried at Jerusalem; and, while he thus tarried, and Joab conducted the war against the Ammonites, the awful transactions above referred to took place.
Verse 2
David took the crown of their king - off his head - See [2Sam 12:30].
Precious stones in it - The Targum says, "And there was set in it a precious stone, worth a talent of gold; this was that magnetic stone that supported the woven gold in the air." What does he mean?
Verse 3
He brought out the people - See this transaction particularly explained in the notes on the parallel places, [2Sam 12:30-31] (note).
Verse 5
Elhanan the son of Jair - See the note on [2Sam 21:19]. The Targum says, "David, the son of Jesse, a pious man, who rose at midnight to sing praises to God, slew Lachmi, the brother of Goliath, the same day on which he slew Goliath the Gittite, whose spear-staff was like a weaver's beam."
Verse 6
Fingers and toes were four and twenty - See the note on [2Sam 21:20].
Verse 8
These were born unto the giant in Gath - "These were born להרפא leharapha, to that Rapha in Gath, or to Arapha." So the Vulgate, Septuagint, and Chaldee.
The compiler of these books passes by also the incest of Amnon with his sister Tamar, and the rebellion of Absalom, and the awful consequences of all these. These should have preceded the fourth verse. These facts could not be unknown to him, for they were notorious to all; but he saw that they were already amply detailed in books which were accredited among the people, and the relations were such as no friend to piety and humanity could delight to repeat. On these grounds the reader will give him credit for the omission. See on [1Chr 20:1] (note).
Introduction
David is tempted by Satan to take the numbers of the people of Israel and Judah, [1Chr 21:1], [1Chr 21:2]. Joab remonstrates, but the king is determined, and Joab pleads in vain, [1Chr 21:3], [1Chr 21:4]. He returns, and delivers in the number to the king, but reckons not Levi and Benjamin, [1Chr 21:5]. The Lord is displeased, and sends Gad to offer David his choice of three great national calamities; famine, war, or pestilence, [1Chr 21:6-12]. David submits himself to God, and a pestilence is sent, which destroys seventy thousand, [1Chr 21:13], [1Chr 21:14]. At David's intercession the destroying angel is restrained at the threshing-floor of Ornan, [1Chr 21:15-17]. He buys the piece of ground, builds an altar to the Lord and offers sacrifices, and the plague is stayed, [1Chr 21:18-30].
Verse 1
And Satan stood up against Israel - See the notes on the parallel place, [2Sam 24:1] (note), etc.
Verse 5
All they of Israel were a thousand thousand - Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand - In the parallel place, [2Sam 24:9] (note), the men of Israel are reckoned eight hundred thousand, and the men of Judah five hundred thousand.
Verse 6
Levi and Benjamin counted he not - The rabbins give the following reason for this: Joab, seeing that this would bring down destruction upon the people, purposed to save two tribes. Should David ask, Why have you not numbered the Levites? Joab purposed to say, Because the Levites are not reckoned among the children of Israel. Should he ask, Why have you not numbered Benjamin? he would answer, Benjamin has been already sufficiently punished, on account of the treatment of the woman at Gibeah: if, therefore, this tribe were to be again punished, who would remain?