David brought out the people who were there and put them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes, and he made them work at the brick kilns. He did the same to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all his troops returned to Jerusalem. David brought out the people who were thereThis phrase indicates David's actions following his conquest of the Ammonite city of Rabbah. The Hebrew root for "brought out" (יָצָא, yatsa) often implies a forceful removal or leading out, suggesting David's authority and control over the conquered people. Historically, this reflects the common practice of subjugating defeated populations in the ancient Near East, where victors would often relocate or repurpose the conquered for labor. and put them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes
The tools mentioned—saws, iron picks, and axes—highlight the nature of the labor imposed on the Ammonites. The Hebrew words for these tools suggest heavy, manual labor, indicative of servitude. This reflects the harsh realities of ancient warfare, where conquered peoples were often subjected to forced labor. The use of iron tools also underscores the technological advancements of the time, as iron was a valuable resource in the Iron Age. and he made them labor at the brick kilns
Brick kilns were essential for building infrastructure in ancient cities. The Hebrew term for "brick kilns" (מַלְבֵּן, malben) suggests a place where bricks were made and fired, a labor-intensive process. This phrase indicates that the Ammonites were put to work in construction, possibly rebuilding or expanding Israelite cities. This reflects a common practice of utilizing conquered peoples to enhance the victor's kingdom, aligning with the historical context of David's reign, which was marked by expansion and consolidation. He did this to all the Ammonite cities
This phrase emphasizes the comprehensive nature of David's actions. The Hebrew word for "all" (כֹּל, kol) signifies totality, indicating that David's policy of forced labor was not isolated to one city but was a widespread practice across the Ammonite territory. This reflects the thoroughness of David's military campaigns and his strategic approach to securing his kingdom's borders and resources. Then David and all the troops returned to Jerusalem
The return to Jerusalem signifies the completion of the military campaign. Jerusalem, as the political and spiritual center of Israel, represents the heart of David's kingdom. The Hebrew word for "returned" (שׁוּב, shuv) often implies a restoration or return to a previous state, suggesting a return to normalcy and governance after the campaign. This phrase highlights the cyclical nature of ancient warfare, where kings would lead campaigns and then return to their capitals to rule and administer justice. Persons / Places / Events 1. DavidThe King of Israel, known for his military conquests and his heart for God, yet also for his moral failings. 2. AmmonitesA neighboring nation often in conflict with Israel, descendants of Lot. 3. JerusalemThe capital city of Israel, the political and spiritual center during David's reign. 4. Brick KilnsFacilities used for making bricks, indicating forced labor imposed on the conquered Ammonites. 5. TroopsThe military forces of Israel under David's command, involved in the conquest and subjugation of the Ammonites. Teaching Points Understanding Justice and MercyDavid's actions reflect the harsh realities of ancient warfare. While justice was served, it challenges us to consider how mercy and justice are balanced in our lives. Consequences of SinDavid's earlier sins with Bathsheba and Uriah had far-reaching consequences, affecting his leadership and decisions. Our actions have ripple effects that can impact others. Leadership and ResponsibilityAs leaders, we are accountable for how we treat those under our authority, including adversaries. David's leadership is a reminder of the weight of responsibility. Transformation through RepentanceDespite his failures, David's life is marked by repentance and a desire to align with God's will. This encourages us to seek transformation through repentance. The Role of Scripture in Guiding ActionsDavid's life illustrates the importance of aligning our actions with God's Word, prompting us to seek biblical guidance in our decisions. Bible Study Questions 1. How does David's treatment of the Ammonites reflect the cultural and historical context of his time, and what can we learn from it about justice and mercy? 2. In what ways do the consequences of David's earlier sins manifest in his leadership decisions, and how can we apply this understanding to our own lives? 3. How does the New Testament teaching on loving enemies challenge or complement David's actions in this passage? 4. What lessons can we draw from David's leadership style, particularly in terms of responsibility and accountability? 5. How can we ensure that our actions and decisions are guided by Scripture, and what steps can we take to align more closely with biblical principles? Connections to Other Scriptures 1 Chronicles 20:3This passage parallels 2 Samuel 12:31, providing additional context to David's actions against the Ammonites. Deuteronomy 20:10-14Offers insight into the laws of warfare given to Israel, including the treatment of conquered peoples. Psalm 51David's psalm of repentance, written after his sin with Bathsheba, which provides a backdrop to his actions and mindset during this period. Matthew 5:44Jesus' teaching on loving enemies, offering a New Testament perspective on how to treat adversaries. People Ammonites, Bathsheba, David, Jedidiah, Joab, Milcom, Nathan, Saul, Solomon, Uriah, UrijahPlaces Jerusalem, RabbahTopics Ammon, Ammonite, Ammonites, Army, Axes, Bene-ammon, Brick, Brickkiln, Brick-kiln, Brickkilns, Brickmaking, Brick-making, Caused, Cities, Cutting, David, Entire, Forth, Grain-crushers, Harrows, Instruments, Iron, Jerusalem, Kiln, Labor, Pass, Picks, Returned, Saws, Setteth, Sharp, Sons, Therein, Thus, Toil, Town, Towns, Turneth, Wood-cuttingDictionary of Bible Themes 2 Samuel 12:31 4336 iron
5583 tools 2 Samuel 12:29-31 7240 Jerusalem, history 2 Samuel 12:30-31 5239 bricks Library David and Nathan
'And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin.'--2 SAMUEL xii. 13. We ought to be very thankful that Scripture never conceals the faults of its noblest men. High among the highest of them stands the poet- king. Whoever, for nearly three thousand years, has wished to express the emotions of trust in God, longing after purity, aspiration, and rapture of devotion, has found that his words have been before him. And this man …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureThou Art the Man
'And David said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die; because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man.'--2 SAMUEL xii. 5-7. Nathan's apologue, so tenderly beautiful, takes the poet-king on the most susceptible side of his character. All his history shows him as a man of wonderfully sweet, chivalrous, generous, swiftly compassionate nature. And so, when he hears the story of a mean, heartless selfishness, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Letter vi. In My Last Two Letters I have Given the State of the Argument as It...
My dear friend, In my last two Letters I have given the state of the argument as it would stand between a Christian, thinking as I do, and a serious well-disposed Deist. I will now endeavour to state the argument, as between the former and the advocates for the popular belief,--such of them, I mean, as are competent to deliver a dispassionate judgment in the cause. And again, more particularly, I mean the learned and reflecting part of them, who are influenced to the retention of the prevailing …
Samuel Taylor Coleridge—Confessions of an Inquiring Spirit etc The Blessings of Noah Upon Shem and Japheth. (Gen. Ix. 18-27. )
Ver. 20. "And Noah began and became an husbandman, and planted vineyards."--This does not imply that Noah was the first who began to till the ground, and, more especially, to cultivate the vine; for Cain, too, was a tiller of the ground, Gen. iv. 2. The sense rather is, that Noah, after the flood, again took up this calling. Moreover, the remark has not an independent import; it serves only to prepare the way for the communication of the subsequent account of Noah's drunkenness. By this remark, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Cleansing.
As there are conditions requiring to be complied with in order to the obtaining of salvation, before one can be justified, e. g., conviction of sin, repentance, faith; so there are conditions for full salvation, for being "filled with the Holy Ghost." Conviction of our need is one, conviction of the existence of the blessing is another; but these have been already dealt with. "Cleansing" is another; before one can be filled with the Holy Ghost, one's heart must be "cleansed." "Giving them the Holy …
John MacNeil—The Spirit-Filled Life That the Ruler Should not Set his Heart on Pleasing Men, and yet Should Give Heed to what Ought to Please Them.
Meanwhile it is also necessary for the ruler to keep wary watch, lest the lust of pleasing men assail him; lest, when he studiously penetrates the things that are within, and providently supplies the things that are without, he seek to be beloved of those that are under him more than truth; lest, while, supported by his good deeds, he seems not to belong to the world, self-love estrange him from his Maker. For he is the Redeemer's enemy who through the good works which he does covets being loved …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great The Unchangeableness of God
The next attribute is God's unchangeableness. I am Jehovah, I change not.' Mal 3:3. I. God is unchangeable in his nature. II. In his decree. I. Unchangeable in his nature. 1. There is no eclipse of his brightness. 2. No period put to his being. [1] No eclipse of his brightness. His essence shines with a fixed lustre. With whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.' James 1:17. Thou art the same.' Psa 102:27. All created things are full of vicissitudes. Princes and emperors are subject to …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity How the Poor and the Rich Should be Admonished.
(Admonition 3.) Differently to be admonished are the poor and the rich: for to the former we ought to offer the solace of comfort against tribulation, but in the latter to induce fear as against elation. For to the poor one it is said by the Lord through the prophet, Fear not, for thou shalt not be confounded (Isai. liv. 4). And not long after, soothing her, He says, O thou poor little one, tossed with tempest (Ibid. 11). And again He comforts her, saying, I have chosen thee in the furnace of …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great Of Antichrist, and his Ruin: and of the Slaying the Witnesses.
BY JOHN BUNYAN PREFATORY REMARKS BY THE EDITOR This important treatise was prepared for the press, and left by the author, at his decease, to the care of his surviving friend for publication. It first appeared in a collection of his works in folio, 1692; and although a subject of universal interest; most admirably elucidated; no edition has been published in a separate form. Antichrist has agitated the Christian world from the earliest ages; and his craft has been to mislead the thoughtless, by …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Thirdly, for Thy Actions.
1. Do no evil, though thou mightest; for God will not suffer the least sin, without bitter repentance, to escape unpunished. Leave not undone any good that thou canst. But do nothing without a calling, nor anything in thy calling, till thou hast first taken counsel at God's word (1 Sam. xxx. 8) of its lawfulness, and pray for his blessings upon thy endeavour; and then do it in the name of God, with cheerfulness of heart, committing the success to him, in whose power it is to bless with his grace …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety The Preparatory Service; Sometimes Called the Confessional Service.
In our examination of the nature and meaning of the Lord's Supper, we have found that it is indeed a most important and holy Sacrament. It is in fact the most sacred of all the ordinances of the Church on earth. There is nothing beyond it--nothing so heavenly, on this side heaven, as this Feast. Nowhere else does the believer approach so near to heaven as when he stands or kneels, as a communicant at this altar, the Holy of Holies in the Church of Christ. What a solemn act! To approach this altar, …
G. H. Gerberding—The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church The Right Understanding of the Law
Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.' Exod 20: 3. Before I come to the commandments, I shall answer questions, and lay down rules respecting the moral law. What is the difference between the moral laud and the gospel? (1) The law requires that we worship God as our Creator; the gospel, that we worship him in and through Christ. God in Christ is propitious; out of him we may see God's power, justice, and holiness: in him we see his mercy displayed. (2) The moral law requires obedience, but gives …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments The Sixth Commandment
Thou shalt not kill.' Exod 20: 13. In this commandment is a sin forbidden, which is murder, Thou shalt not kill,' and a duty implied, which is, to preserve our own life, and the life of others. The sin forbidden is murder: Thou shalt not kill.' Here two things are to be understood, the not injuring another, nor ourselves. I. The not injuring another. [1] We must not injure another in his name. A good name is a precious balsam.' It is a great cruelty to murder a man in his name. We injure others in …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments The Eighth Commandment
Thou shalt not steal.' Exod 20: 15. AS the holiness of God sets him against uncleanness, in the command Thou shalt not commit adultery;' so the justice of God sets him against rapine and robbery, in the command, Thou shalt not steal.' The thing forbidden in this commandment, is meddling with another man's property. The civil lawyers define furtum, stealth or theft to be the laying hands unjustly on that which is another's;' the invading another's right. I. The causes of theft. [1] The internal causes …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments Samuel
Alike from the literary and the historical point of view, the book[1] of Samuel stands midway between the book of Judges and the book of Kings. As we have already seen, the Deuteronomic book of Judges in all probability ran into Samuel and ended in ch. xii.; while the story of David, begun in Samuel, embraces the first two chapters of the first book of Kings. The book of Samuel is not very happily named, as much of it is devoted to Saul and the greater part to David; yet it is not altogether inappropriate, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links 2 Samuel 12:31 NIV2 Samuel 12:31 NLT2 Samuel 12:31 ESV2 Samuel 12:31 NASB2 Samuel 12:31 KJV
2 Samuel 12:31 Commentaries
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