Chapter commentary
1 Chronicles Chapter 20
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繁體中文
English original
Here is a repetition of the story of David's wars, I. With the Ammonites, and the taking of Rabbah, 1Ch 20:1-3. II. With the giants of the Philistines, 1Ch 20:4-8.
1-8
The Defeat of the Ammonites (1306 BC)
繁體中文
亞捫人被擊敗（主前 1306 年〔註：原文如此〕）
¹ 過了一年，到列王出戰的時候，約押率領軍兵，毀壞亞捫人的地，圍攻拉巴。大衛仍住在耶路撒冷。約押攻打拉巴，將城傾覆。 ² 大衛奪了他們王的冠冕，戴在自己頭上，其上寶石和金子可值一他連得；又從城中搬了許多掠物來。 ³ 將城裏的人拉出來，放在鋸下、或鐵耙下、或斧下。大衛待亞捫人各城的人都是如此。於是大衛和眾百姓都回耶路撒冷去了。
關於亞捫人及其盟軍在曠野被擊潰的事，我們在前幾章已經讀過。此處記載的是他們國家京城拉巴的毀滅（代上二十1），他們王的冠冕被戴在大衛頭上（代上二十2），以及對百姓所施的嚴酷手段（代上二十3）。這事我們在撒下十一1-十二31已讀過更詳盡的記載，並且不能不因這個悲哀的記號而記起：正當約押圍攻拉巴之時，大衛卻在烏利亞的事上犯了那大罪。但可留意的是，雖然其餘的故事在此被重述，那件事卻沒有重述；只用括弧中「大衛仍住在耶路撒冷」這一句，作了暗示。他若隨軍出征，便不會落在那試探之中；但他放縱安逸，便陷入了不潔。如今，記述大衛所犯之罪，是聖經作者正直忠實的明證；而在此明明有良機可以再次提及之時，卻有意避免重述，正是要教導我們：雖然有時確有必要談論別人的過失和失誤，卻不可因重述而感到快樂。有些題目雖然有時不得不觸及，卻總當視為令人不快的主題，不願在其中逗留──正如我們不喜歡在糞堆中翻找一般。對於那些我們說不出好話的人和事，最好甚麼也不說。
⁴ 後來，在迦薩與非利士人又起了爭戰；那時戶沙人西比該殺了細派，他是巨人的一個兒子；非利士人就被治服了。 ⁵ 又與非利士人爭戰；睚珥的兒子伊勒哈難殺了迦特人歌利亞的兄弟拉哈米，他的槍桿如同織布的機軸。 ⁶ 又在迦特爭戰，那裏有一個身量高大的人，手腳都是二十四指，每隻手六指，每隻腳六趾；他也是巨人的兒子。 ⁷ 這人向以色列人罵陣的時候，大衛的哥哥示米亞的兒子約拿單就殺了他。 ⁸ 這三個人是迦特巨人家里生的；他們都死在大衛和他僕人的手下。
非利士人幾乎已被治服（代上十八1）；但是，正如約書亞毀滅迦南人之時，亞衲族人是最後被治服的一樣（書十一21），此處征服非利士人時，迦特的巨人也是最後被除滅的。在恩典與肉體的爭戰中，有些罪如同這些巨人一般，能長久守住陣地，不經極大的艱難和長久的掙扎便不能克服；但審判至終必導致得勝。請注意，1. 我們從未讀到以色列人中有巨人，如同我們讀到非利士人中有巨人──有迦特的巨人，卻沒有耶路撒冷的巨人。神所栽種之物的成長在於有用，不在於體型。那些貪求「身量增加一肘」的人沒有想到，那只會使他們更加笨重。在聖所的天平裏，大衛遠遠超過歌利亞。2. 大衛的僕人雖是中等身材的人，卻在每次交鋒中都勝過迦特的巨人，因為神與他們同在；他喜悅降低驕傲的眼目，使地上的巨人蒙羞──正如他在古時藉洪水所行的，雖然那些人都是古時有名的人。教會的朋友斷不可因教會仇敵的權勢和驕傲而灰心。我們既有偉大的神為我們，便不必懼怕任何反對我們的偉人。在與全能者的爭戰中，每隻手多一指、每隻腳多一趾又有何用？3. 這些巨人「向以色列人罵陣」（代上二十7），便因此為自己的狂妄付上了代價。沒有人比那些辱罵神和他以色列的人更明顯地被標記為毀滅。神寧可行大事，也不容仇敵「自誇自大」（申三十二27）。大衛兒子的勝利，正如大衛自己的勝利一樣，是漸進的。「我們還不見萬物都服他」；但不久必將看見：而死亡這最後的仇敵，也必如這些巨人一樣被制伏。
English original
The Defeat of the Ammonites (1306 BC)
¹ And it came to pass, that after the year was expired, at the time that kings go out to battle, Joab led forth the power of the army, and wasted the country of the children of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem. And Joab smote Rabbah, and destroyed it.
² And 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; and it was set upon David's head: and he brought also exceeding much spoil out of the city.
³ And he brought out the people that were in it, and cut them with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. Even so dealt David with all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
How the army of the Ammonites and their allies was routed in the field we read in the foregoing chapters. Here we have the destruction of Rabbah, the metropolis of their kingdom (1Ch 20:1), the putting of their king's crown upon David's head (1Ch 20:2), and the great severity that was used towards the people, 1Ch 20:3. Of this we had a more full account in 2Sa 11:1-12:31, and cannot but remember it by this sad token, that while Joab was besieging Rabbah David fell into that great sin in the matter of Uriah. But it is observable that, though the rest of the story is repeated, that is not: a hint only is given of it, in those words which lie here in a parenthesis—But David tarried at Jerusalem. If he had been abroad with his army, he would have been out of the way of that temptation; but, indulging his ease, he fell into uncleanness. Now, as the relating of the sin David fell into is an instance of the impartiality and fidelity of the sacred writers, so the avoiding of the repetition of it here, when there was a fair occasion given to speak of it again, is designed to teach us that, though there may be a just occasion to speak of the faults and miscarriages of others, yet we should not take delight in the repetition of them. That should always be looked upon as an unpleasing subject which, though sometimes one cannot help falling upon, yet one would not choose to dwell upon, any more than we should love to rake in a dunghill. The persons, or actions, we can say no good of, we had best say nothing of.
⁴ 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.
⁵ 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.
⁶ And yet again there was war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot: and he also was the son of the giant.
⁷ But when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David's brother slew him.
⁸ These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.
The Philistines were nearly subdued (1Ch 18:1); but, as in the destruction of the Canaanites by Joshua the sons of Anak were last subdued (Jos 11:21), so here in the conquest of the Philistines the giants of Gath were last brought down. In the conflicts between grace and corruption there are some sins which, like these giants, keep their ground a great while and are not mastered without much difficulty and a long struggle: but judgment will be brought forth unto victory at last. Observe, 1. We never read of giants among the Israelites as we do of the giants among the Philistines-giants of Gath, but not giants of Jerusalem. The growth of God's plants is in usefulness, not in bulk. Those who covet to have cubits added to their stature do not consider that it will but make then more unwieldy. In the balance of the sanctuary David far outweighs Goliath. 2. The servants of David, though men of ordinary stature, were too hard for the giants of Gath in every encounter, because they had God on their side, who takes pleasure in abasing lofty looks, and mortifying the giants that are in the earth, as he did of old by the deluge, though they were men of renown. Never let the church's friends be disheartened by the power and pride of the church's enemies. We need not fear great men against us while we have the great God for us. What will a finger more on each hand do, or a toe more on each foot, in contest with Omnipotence? 3. These giants defied Israel (1Ch 20:7) and were thus made to pay for their insolence. None are more visibly marked for ruin that those who reproach God and his Israel. God will do great things rather than suffer the enemy to behave themselves proudly, De 32:27. The victories of the Son of David, like those of David himself, are gradual. We see not yet all things put under him; but it will be seen shortly: and death itself, the last enemy, like these giants, will be triumphed over.
此處重述了大衛的戰爭：一、與亞捫人的戰爭，以及拉巴的攻取（代上二十1–3）。二、與非利士人之巨人的戰爭（代上二十4–8）。