20:1 In the spring, at the time when kings normally conduct wars, 1 Joab led the army into battle and devastated the land of the Ammonites. He went and besieged Rabbah, while David stayed in Jerusalem. Joab defeated Rabbah and tore it down.
1 tn Heb “and it was at the time of the turning of the year, at the time of the going out of kings.”
2 tn The MT reads “Tibhath” here, a variant name for Tebah (cf. 2 Sam 8:8). Some English translations substitute the other version of the name here (e.g., NIV, NLT), while others follow the reading of the Hebrew text at this point (e.g., NAB, NASB, NRSV).
3 tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 8:8 has the variant name “Berothai.”
4 tn Heb “the sea of bronze,” or “[the] sea, the bronze one.” See the note at 1 Kgs 7:23.