1 Chronicles 20:3-8

20:3 He removed the city’s residents and made them do hard labor with saws, iron picks, and axes. ¹  This was his policy ²  with all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem.

Battles with the Philistines

20:4 Later there was a battle ³  with the Philistines in Gezer. ⁴  At that time Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Sippai, ⁵  one of the descendants of the Rephaim, and the Philistines ⁶  were subdued.

20:5 There was another battle with the Philistines in which Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, ⁷  whose spear had a shaft as big as the crossbeam of a weaver’s loom. ⁸ 

20:6 In a battle in Gath ⁹  there was a large man who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot – twenty-four in all! He too was a descendant of Rapha. 20:7 When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, ¹⁰  David’s brother, killed him.

20:8 These were the descendants of Rapha who lived in Gath; they were killed ¹¹  by the hand of David and his soldiers. ¹² 

[20:3]  ¹ tc The Hebrew text reads “saws,” but since saws were just mentioned, it is preferable to emend מְגֵרוֹת (mÿgerot, “saws”) to מַגְזְרוֹת (magzÿrot, “axes”).

[20:3]  ² tn Heb “and so he would do.”

[20:4]  ³ tn Heb “battle stood.”

[20:4]  ⁴ tn The parallel text in 2 Sam 21:18 identifies this site as “Gob.”

[20:4]  ⁵ tn The parallel text in 2 Sam 21:18 has the variant spelling “Saph.”

[20:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Philistines) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:5]  ⁷ tc The Hebrew text reads, “Elchanan son of Jair killed Lachmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite.” But it is likely that the accusative marker in front of לַחְמִי (lakhmiy, “Lachmi”) is a corruption of בֵּית (bet), and that אֶת־לַחְמִי (’et-lakhmiy) should be emended to בֵּית הַלַּחְמִי (bet hallakhmiy, “the Bethlehemite”). See 2 Sam 21:19.

[20:5]  ⁸ tc See tc note on the parallel passage in 2 Sam 21:19.

[20:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “and there was another battle, in Gath.”

[20:7]  ¹⁰ tn The parallel text in 2 Sam 21:21 has the variant spelling “Shimeah.”

[20:8]  ¹¹ tn Heb “they fell.”

[20:8]  ¹² tn Heb “his servants.”