Favor · the best way to learn the Bible
1 Chronicles 20 Bible study: By the hand of his servants
The verb of the LORD's promise, "I will subdue all your enemies" (17:10), comes back at Gezer, "and they were subdued" (20:4), words 2 Samuel's telling doesn't have; and the giants of Gath "fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants" (20:8), though each one the chapter tells of was killed by another man: Sibbecai, Elhanan and Jonathan the son of Shimea.
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the words behind the words, what most readers miss, and how it all leads to Jesus.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
“These were born to the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“1 Chronicles 20 says David stayed at Jerusalem while Joab besieged Rabbah.”
Is that in 1 Chronicles 20, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
Chronicles goes straight on
The chapter opens as 2 Samuel 11 does: "At the time of the return of the year, at the time when kings go out, Joab led out the army and wasted the country of the children of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem" (20:1) (tap return and stayed). 2 Samuel has, "At the return of the year, at the time when kings go out, David sent Joab" (2 Samuel 11:1), and ends the verse the same way: "But David stayed at Jerusalem" (2 Samuel 11:1). From there 2 Samuel tells of Bathsheba and Uriah (2 Samuel 11:2-12:25) before it comes back to Rabbah (2 Samuel 12:26). 1 Chronicles doesn't tell that account here. The same verse goes straight on: "Joab struck Rabbah, and overthrew it" (20:1). The book has already named "Uriah the Hittite" among David's mighty men (11:41). It doesn't say why it tells the war this way, and these notes don't either.
Where it leads to Jesus
A crown on the king's head
1 Chronicles 20:2leads toMatthew 27:29
"David took the crown of their king from off his head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious stones in it. It was set on David’s head" (20:2). Of Jesus, Matthew writes that the governor's soldiers "braided a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and a reed in his right hand; and they kneeled down before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”" (Matthew 27:29). No New Testament passage cites 1 Chronicles 20 or 2 Samuel 12:30, and the New Testament doesn't set these two crowns side by side, so this is a reading. Some see a contrast in it: a crown of gold and precious stones, taken in war, set on David's head, and a crown of thorns set on the head of Jesus by soldiers mocking him as king. Others read each in its own setting: 20:2 tells what was taken at Rabbah, and Matthew tells how the soldiers mocked Jesus before they "led him away to crucify him" (Matthew 27:31), and they draw no line between them. 1 Chronicles is written in Hebrew and Matthew in Greek, and no link between the two chapters' words is claimed.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about 1 Chronicles 20
That was a taste
The rest of 1 Chronicles 20 is waiting in Favor
- The crown set on David's head
- "I will subdue all your enemies"
- By the hand of his servants
- The same battles, in other words
- Defied, as Goliath did
- 7 questions as you read
- 9 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach 1 Chronicles 20 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
כָּנַעkana'say ka-NA
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "be humble"; in the form used here, "be humbled, subdued"; and in the form of 17:10 and 18:1, "subdue enemies". Strong's: "properly, to bend the knee; hence, to humiliate, vanquish". "And they were subdued" (20:4). 1 Chronicles uses the verb three times: the LORD's promise, "I will subdue all your enemies" (17:10); "David defeated the Philistines and subdued them" (18:1); and here. 2 Samuel's telling of this battle doesn't have it (2 Samuel 21:18).
For your group
1 Chronicles 20 Bible study questions
- 1The giants fell "by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants" (20:8), and the men the chapter names are Sibbecai, Elhanan and Jonathan. Whose quiet part in something good do you think gets missed, and how could you honor it this week?
- 2The man at Gath "defied Israel" (20:7), as Goliath had (1 Samuel 17:10). What feels like it is defying you or your faith right now, and who stands with you against it?
- 3The LORD said, "I will subdue all your enemies" (17:10), and the word comes back twice: "subdued them" (18:1), "they were subdued" (20:4). Where are you still waiting on something God has said, and what helps you keep going while you wait?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads 1 Chronicles 20 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
Start a Bible studyThe best way to learn the Bible
Favor opens up every chapter as you read.
Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.
Every chapter explains itself
As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.
The Hebrew and Greek behind it
Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.
Every page leads to Jesus
Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.
Better together
Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.
- 1
Start your free week
Sign up in a minute with your email.
- 2
Read a few minutes a day
Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.
- 3
Bring your people, if you like
Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read 1 Chronicles 20 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach 1 Chronicles 20 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
Start with 1 Chronicles 20
The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.
There's a seat for you at the table.
Start your free weekFirst week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home