1 Chronicles 20
1 Chronicles Chapter 20, Explained
Joab captures the Ammonite capital Rabbah while David remains in Jerusalem, and David takes the enemy king's heavy gold crown and great spoil. The chapter then records a series of battles against Philistine giants, descendants of the giant in Gath, including one with six fingers and six toes on each hand and foot. Each giant who defied Israel falls by the hand of David and his servants.
Key verses from 1 Chronicles 20
“And it came to pass after this, that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines; at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Sippai, that was of the children of the giant: and they were subdued.”
1 Chronicles 20:4
“And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver’s beam.”
1 Chronicles 20:5
What happens in 1 Chronicles 20
When spring returns, the season kings go to war, Joab leads the army, ravages Ammon, and besieges and destroys Rabbah while David stays in Jerusalem. David comes to take the enemy king's crown, weighing a talent of gold and set with precious stones, and places it on his own head, carrying off much spoil. He puts the city's people to forced labor with saws, iron implements, and axes, and does the same to other Ammonite cities before returning to Jerusalem. Afterward war breaks out with the Philistines at Gezer, where Sibbecai kills Sippai, a descendant of the giant, and the Philistines are subdued.
In another battle Elhanan kills Lahmi, brother of Goliath, whose spear shaft was like a weaver's beam. At Gath a man of great stature with twenty-four fingers and toes defies Israel and is killed by Jonathan, David's nephew. These giants, born to the giant in Gath, all fall by David and his servants.
Where 1 Chronicles 20 sits
The Chronicler notably omits the story of David and Bathsheba that fills this same period in 2 Samuel, keeping his focus on David's public role in securing the kingdom rather than his private sin. His interest is in the fall of Israel's ancient enemies, especially the Philistine giants who had long terrorized the nation. For readers who remembered Goliath, these victories signaled that the giants who once seemed invincible could be conquered by God's people.
Themes in 1 Chronicles 20
Giants brought down. The descendants of the fearsome giant of Gath, once symbols of terror, fall one after another (1 Chronicles 20:8). What seemed unbeatable in an earlier generation is overcome, teaching that no enemy is too large when God fights for his people.
Victory shared with servants. David does not defeat every giant himself; Sibbecai, Elhanan, and Jonathan each strike one down. The king's triumph is extended through his followers, showing that God's cause advances through a whole people, not a single hero.
War in its harsh reality. The chapter reports conquest, forced labor, and killing without romanticizing them. Scripture records the brutal realities of ancient warfare honestly, neither glorifying violence nor hiding it, inviting sober reflection rather than triumphalism, and honesty about a fallen world.
How 1 Chronicles 20 points to Jesus
The giants who defied Israel and terrified God's people fall by the hand of David and those who serve him. In this we see a picture of Christ, the true King who confronts the powers that hold humanity in fear, sin, death, and the devil, and defeats them decisively. Just as David's servants shared in bringing down the giants, so Christ's followers share in his victory, treading down the enemy in his strength rather than their own. The gospel proclaims that the strong man is bound and the last enemy, death, is destroyed by the risen Christ. This is a typological connection: David and his men overcoming the giants foreshadows Christ and his church overcoming the powers that no one could conquer alone.
A thought to carry
The giants that once made a whole army tremble fell one by one when God's people faced them in his strength. What looms in your life as an unbeatable giant, fear, an addiction, a long-standing enemy? Remember that in Christ the strong man is already bound, and step forward not in your own power but in his.
A prayer. Lord, the giants I face feel too large for me, yet nothing is too large for you. Thank you that in Christ the powers that terrify me are defeated. Give me courage to face them in your strength and share the victory you have won.
Want to sit with this chapter for yourself? Read all of 1 Chronicles 20 in the King James Version, then open The Living Bread to ask any question about it and pray with others, free.
Questions people ask about 1 Chronicles 20
Why might the Chronicler skip the account of Bathsheba found in 2 Samuel during this same war?
The Chronicler writes to a restored community and centers David's public role in establishing the kingdom and preparing for the temple, rather than cataloguing his private failures. This is selection, not denial; 2 Samuel tells that story plainly. Chronicles emphasizes God's faithfulness to the throne, shaping hope for readers who needed to see the enduring promise more than the king's disgrace.
What is the significance of the giants falling to David's servants and not only to David?
It shows that the victory over Israel's most fearsome enemies belongs to the whole community under their king, not to one champion. God works through many hands. This anticipates how Christ's people, under their King, share in overcoming powers far beyond their own strength, participating in a triumph that is finally his and given to them.
Every chapter in 1 Chronicles
← 1 Chronicles 19 · The book of 1 Chronicles · The gospel · 1 Chronicles 21 →