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NASB | 1 Chronicles 20:1 Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that Joab led out the army and ravaged the land of the sons of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. And Joab struck Rabbah and overthrew it. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Chronicles 20:1 Then it happened at the end of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, Joab led out the army and ravaged and devastated the land of the Ammonites, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem [with Bathsheba]. Joab struck Rabbah and overthrew it. [2 Sam 12:24-29] |
Bible Question:
Both here and in 2 Sam 20.31, David is either "cutting them with" or "putting them to" various iron objects. In the former verse these are additionally either roasted or set to work in the brick kilns. Wow! The NASB and KJV have the ugly variation; the NKJV and NIV the gentle one, in which the inhabitants are disenfranchised but efficiently enslaved. A note in the NKJV shows the LXX as the source for the nastier version. This appears to be a fresh topic for this forum. I've tried to find studies on this; they are spare and rare. Pastor Chuck Smith avoids commentary on these verses altogether. God called David "a bloody man", but the bloodier take on these verses doesn't make sense to me: Jeffrey Dahmer, maybe, but King David? Kind of perverse, even for that guy and that time. Any clues on the nature of this discrepancy? |
Bible Answer: First I think it would be good to have some history on the Amalekites they were thoroughly corrupt You have to remember that these people were given plenty of opportunity to change their ways and to avoid all of their troubles with the Israelites. In fact, if you take all of the Canaanites along with the Amalekites they had 400 years to repent. That’s a very long time. Finally after waiting centuries to give them an opportunity to abandon their path toward self-destruction, God’s nature demanded that he deal with their willful evil Now we have to keep in mind that those who had wanted to get out of this situation had already done so; they had ample opportunity through the years. Surely the ones who wanted to be saved from destruction fled and were spared. In Joshua 6, where the bible talks about the destruction of Jericho and the Canaanites you’ve got the same pattern. This was a thoroughly evil culture; so much so that the bible says it nauseated God. They were into brutality, cruelty, incest, bestiality, cultic prostitution, even child sacrifice by fire they were a aggressive culture that wanted to annihilate the Israelites. Now to get to the question at hand about the Amalekites,you are quoting form the King James Version, and it’s open to misinterpretation there. The New International version clarifies the original Hebrew language and says David brought out the people who were there, consigning them to labor with saws and with iron picks and axes and he made them work at brick making. (That’s labor – not torture – and it’s quite humane compared to the cruelties his enemies had unleashed). Plus there are lot of places in the Bible were God records things but does not condone them (and this is another case where the bible records something but doesn’t necessarily condone it This information can be found in Case For Faith – by Lee Strobel Other resources: 1: When Critics Ask – Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe 2: When Skeptics Ask - Norman Geisler and Ronald Brooks 3: Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties – Gleason L. Archer 4: Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics – Norman Geisler 5: Hard Sayings of the Bible – Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Peter H. Davids, F.F. Bruce and Manfred T. Brauch . Published by InterVarsity Press 1996 and if you need more help or there is more information need please write me at budfreshour@hotmail.com |
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Questions and/or Subjects for 1 Chr 20:1 | Author | ||
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flinkywood | ||
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Bud Freshour | ||
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flinkywood |