Commentary - 1 Chronicles 20:4-8

Bird's-eye view

This brief section in Chronicles serves as a clean-up operation, both historically and theologically. After the major conquest of Rabbah, the Chronicler records a series of subsequent skirmishes with the Philistines. These are not random loose ends; they are a deliberate record of the final mopping up of the giants, the seed of the serpent that had plagued Israel since they first spied out the land. David’s initial victory over Goliath was the decisive blow, the cutting off of the head, but the body of the Philistine threat still had to be dealt with. These accounts demonstrate that the giant-killing spirit of David had successfully been imparted to his men. The kingdom is being secured, and the promises of God are being realized, not just through the singular heroics of the king, but through the faithful service of his loyal warriors. Each victory is a testament to the fact that God’s anointed king, and those who serve him, will ultimately crush all opposition. This is a picture in miniature of the Church’s task under the great Son of David, who has already won the decisive victory and now calls His servants to the long work of subduing His remaining enemies.

The Chronicler’s purpose here is to show the consolidation of David’s kingdom and to highlight the valor of his men. The parallel account in 2 Samuel 21 places these stories in a chiastic structure, emphasizing their theological importance. Here in Chronicles, they function as a concluding testament to the military success of David’s reign, paving the way for the peace that Solomon would inherit. It is a record of promises kept, of enemies subdued, and of the strength of God flowing from the anointed king to his people.

Outline

Context In 1 Chronicles

This passage comes at the end of a long section detailing David’s military victories and the establishment of his kingdom (1 Chronicles 11-20). Chapter 20 begins with the final conquest of the Ammonite capital, Rabbah, a victory secured by Joab while David remained in Jerusalem. This is the context for David's sin with Bathsheba, a detail the Chronicler famously omits, choosing instead to focus on the positive establishment of the kingdom and its worship. After the victory over the Ammonites, this section (vv. 4-8) turns to the Philistines, Israel’s perennial foe to the west. By showing the defeat of the last of the giants from Gath, the Chronicler is closing the book on an old threat. This sets the stage for the next major section of the book, which deals with David’s preparations for the temple, the organization of the priests and Levites, and the peaceful transition of power to Solomon. These giant-killings are the final battles that secure the peace necessary for temple construction to begin.

Key Issues

Finishing the Fight

When David faced Goliath, it was a foundational moment for Israel. The shepherd boy, armed with faith and a sling, did what the entire army of Israel under Saul could not. He struck the head of the serpent, so to speak (Gen 3:15). That victory was decisive and symbolic, but it was not exhaustive. The snake was deadly wounded, but there were still other snakes in the pit. The giants of Gath were a recurring problem, a lingering echo of the Anakim who terrified the faithless spies in Numbers 13. God’s promise to give Israel the land included the promise to drive out these enemies, and that task required more than one battle.

What we see in this passage is the outworking of David’s initial victory. A good leader doesn't just win battles; he trains up other men to win battles. David’s courage was contagious. His faith became the faith of his mighty men. This is why the passage concludes by saying the giants "fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants." David may not have thrown every stone or swung every sword in these particular fights, but the victories were his nonetheless. They were won under his authority, in the context of his kingdom, and by men who had been shaped by his leadership. This is a profound picture of Christ and His church. Christ won the decisive victory at Calvary. He crushed the head of the serpent. But He has left to us, His servants, the task of mopping up, of taking the gospel into every corner of the world and subduing His remaining enemies. Our victories are all derivative; they flow from His great victory, and they are all credited to His account.

Verse by Verse Commentary

4 Now it happened afterwards, that war broke out at Gezer with the Philistines; then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Sippai, one among those born of the giants, and they were subdued.

The phrase it happened afterwards places this in the latter part of David's reign. The wars never completely stopped. As long as we are in this world, there will be conflict with the seed of the serpent. The location is Gezer, a strategic city on the coastal plain. The hero here is Sibbecai the Hushathite, one of David's mighty men. His assigned opponent is a fellow named Sippai, who is identified as one of the Rephaim, the giants. The names are recorded because history is about specifics. God saves and judges real people in real places. Sibbecai did his duty and struck down the enemy champion. The result was that the Philistines were subdued. This is a common pattern in ancient warfare. The battle often turned on the outcome of a contest between champions. When their big man went down, their morale broke. This is a faint echo of what happened when David felled Goliath. The victory of the one secured the victory of the many.

5 And there was war with the Philistines again, and Elhanan the son of Jair struck down Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.

The fight continues; there was war again. The enemies of God do not give up after one defeat. Here another of David's men, Elhanan, steps into the fray. He kills Lahmi, who is explicitly identified as the brother of Goliath. This is significant. The original giant had relatives, and the threat was hereditary. The description of his spear, like a weaver’s beam, is the exact same description given to Goliath’s spear in 1 Samuel 17:7. The point is that this was a foe of the same magnitude as the one David faced in his youth. But now, Israel is no longer paralyzed with fear. David’s men have learned that the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Elhanan, whose name means "God is gracious," acts in the strength of God's grace and takes down another fearsome enemy. Some critics have tried to use a parallel passage in 2 Samuel 21:19 to suggest that Elhanan, not David, killed Goliath, but the text here in Chronicles, inspired by the same Spirit, clarifies the matter perfectly. Elhanan killed Goliath's brother.

6 Then there was war at Gath again, and there was a man of great stature who had twenty-four fingers and toes, six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot; and he also had been born to the giants.

The battle moves to Gath itself, the very hometown of the giants. This is taking the fight to the enemy's doorstep. This particular giant is not named, but he is described in detail. His great stature is noted, along with a genetic anomaly: polydactyly, or six fingers and six toes. The Bible is not shy about recording the strange and the monstrous. This is part of its rugged realism. This abnormality would have made him appear even more freakish and intimidating. He was another descendant of the original giants, another manifestation of the cursed line. The enemies of God are often marked by deformity and disorder, a physical reflection of their spiritual rebellion.

7 And he reproached Israel, so Jonathan the son of Shimea, David’s brother, struck him down.

This giant did what giants do. He reproached Israel. Like Goliath before him, he engaged in blasphemous trash talk. He defied the armies of the living God. And when an enemy of God opens his mouth like that, he is marking himself for judgment. The man who steps up to deliver that judgment is Jonathan, the son of David's brother Shimea. This means he was David’s nephew. We see here the principle of godly succession. The spirit of faithful courage is being passed down in David's own family. David took down the first taunting giant, and now his nephew takes down another. The family of the king is leading the charge. Jonathan heard the reproach, took it as a personal and a national insult to the honor of God, and he struck him down. Faith acts. It doesn't just tremble in the tents.

8 These were born to the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

This is the summary statement, the theological conclusion to this series of vignettes. These refers to the whole crew of giants just mentioned. They were all part of that monstrous stock from Gath. And they all fell. Their end was destruction. But who gets the credit? The victory is attributed to two parties: the hand of David and by the hand of his servants. This is a beautiful picture of delegated, covenantal authority. The servants fought the battles, but they fought them as David’s men. Their strength was an extension of his strength; their authority was derived from his authority. David had established a giant-killing kingdom. In the same way, the victories of the church over the forces of darkness are our victories, accomplished through our faithful service, prayer, and witness. But they are fundamentally Christ's victories. We fight by His hand, and all the glory ultimately redounds to Him, our great King, the true son of David.

Application

This passage is a great encouragement for the church. We live in a world that is still populated by giants. These giants may not be physically large, but they are spiritually intimidating. They are the towering strongholds of unbelief, the arrogant philosophies of our age, the massive institutions committed to rebellion against God. They stand in the public square and, like Goliath and his kin, they reproach the people of God. The temptation is to do what Saul's army did: to be dismayed and greatly afraid.

But we serve the Son of David, who has already met the ultimate champion of darkness on the field of battle and defeated him decisively. Because of Christ’s victory, we are called to be a giant-killing people. We are not meant to cower. We are meant to be like Sibbecai, Elhanan, and Jonathan. We must identify the giants in our own day, whether they be cultural sins or personal temptations, and in the strength of our King, we must go out and fight them. This passage also reminds us that victory is often a team effort. Not everyone is a David, but everyone who serves David can be a giant-killer. The health of a church is not measured by the talent of the pastor alone, but by its ability to equip all the saints for the work of ministry, which includes this warrior aspect. We are in a fight, and God has given us everything we need to be victorious, not in our own name, but in the name of the one who has already subdued all His enemies.