1 Chronicles 19-20

1 Chronicles 19-20

Scripture Thought (What I Learned):

Chapter 19: Ammonites plan War Against Israel

                Nahash the king of the children of Ammon died and his son reigned in his stead. David seeing this sent messengers to comfort Hanun the son of Nahash because his father showed mercy unto him. But servants that worked with Hanun asked Hanun to rethink what David was doing; "...Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? are not his servants come unto thee for to search, and to overthrow, and to spy out the land?" (1 Chronicles 19:3)

                Hanun then took David's servants and shaved off their beards and stripped them naked and send them back to David. When David saw this, he was upset, but told them men to go to Jericho and wait for their beards to grow back and when they did grow back they were to return to Hanun again. When the servants of Hanun found out that David was upset, they went to surrounding cities and they hired 32,000 chariots and men . David finding out about this army, takes all of his mighty men and gathers them against the gate of the city and David defeats the Ammonites and the Syrians. Killing 7,000 men on chariots and 40,000 foot men.

Chapter 20: Ammonites are Overcome

                At the end of the year, Joab led an army out of the country to waste the children of Ammon, and they besieged Rabbah, and destroyed it. David took the crown of their king, which weighed one talent of God and had precious stones in it and he placed that crown upon his head. Then it reads that David...

"...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..." (1 Chronicles 20:3)

                Now that may sound gruesome, but here is where translation and error come in... in the Spanish Bible (La Reina Valera) it reads; "Sacó también al pueblo que estaba en ella, y lo puso a trabajar con sierra, con trillos de hierro y con hachas..." In Spanish, with my translation it reads; "He brought out the people that were in it, and put them to work with saws, harrows of iron, and with axes..."

                Very big difference, right? I would say so. I believe that the Spanish is probably more accurate. Based on another scripture in 2 Samuel 12:31 that alludes to them being put to work and not killed. But this goes to show that the Bible was not translated correctly, whether this was done on purpose or just human error, we see that the Bible is not perfect. That is why it was so important to have another testament of Jesus Christ, and that we know of today as the Book of Mormon; Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Does that mean that the Bible is not worthy of being read, and that it does not contain the word of God? No. But just like the Old Testament does not lose value in our eyes when we are presented with the New Testament, the New Testament and Old Testament do not lose value in our eyes when presented with the Book of Mormon. They all build on each other and help us to ground our faith in Jesus Christ.

                Anyways, back to the story in chapter 20... a war breaks out with the Philistines at Gezer and there, Sibbechai murders Sippai and Elhanan the son of Jair murders Lahmi the brother of Goliath. Another war at Gath breaks out and there was another giant, of very large stature with 6 toes on each foot and 6 fingers on each hand, but when he defied Israel, Jonathan killed him.