“In addition, he expelled the people who were in it and set them to work with saws, iron harrows and iron axes, or had them cross over to work in the brick factory. This is what he did to all the cities of the people of ‘Amon. Then David and all the people returned to Yerushalayim.”-2 Samuel 12:31
Just as this chapter began in controversy, so it ends.
I’m referring to the last verse, which says that after defeating the Ammonites, David “expelled the people who were in it and set them to work with saws, iron harrows and iron axes, or had them cross over to work in the brick factory.”
That’s according to the Complete Jewish Bible and other modern translations.
But older English translations have a different take.
For example, the 1599 Geneva Bible says the following:
“And he carried away the people that was therein, and put them under saws, and under iron harrows, and under axes of iron, and cast them into the tile-kiln: even thus did he with all the cities of the children of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.”
Likewise, the Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition says:
“And bringing forth the people thereof he sawed them, and drove over them chariots armed with iron: and divided them with knives, and made them pass through brickkilns: so did he to all the cities of the children of Ammon: and David returned, with all the army to Jerusalem.”
In other words, there are two trains of thought about what David did after conquering the Ammonites.
One train of thought is that he turned the Ammonites into a productive labor force for Israel…
And the other is overnight, he became some Hitler who ordered that the inhabitants of the captured population be sawed in half or burned alive, etcetera.
So seriously, which interpretation do you think makes more sense?
I mean, use your common sense, homies.
I find it hard to believe that David would do something as cruel as wiping out helpless people for no good reason.
Think about it, folks.
Back then, every king needed workers to build up his nation.
David was no dummy.
He had just acquired an army of able-bodied and skilled workers.
Would he throw all that away?
On top of that, there ain’t no solid proof that such holocaust-like horrific events ever happened in the first place…
Except in some bizarre-as-all-hell English versions of the Bible.
See, here’s the thing.
God never told Israel to wipe out people who lived outside the Promised Land.
The Ammonites lived across the river in the Transjordan, not in Canaan.
Some might argue that David wanted to terrify the neighboring nations so they’d never dare attack his kingdom.
But honestly, that kind of cruelty could have had the opposite effect and roused the nations to gather against Israel.
There’s a big difference between defeating an enemy army…
And killing innocent people who have already surrendered.
Ya feel me?
Well, here’s the bottom line as far as I’m concerned.
David acting like some Hitler goes against every pattern and principle we’ve been exposed to in the Scriptures so far.
The Lord doesn’t condone barbaric torture such as sawing people in half or burning them alive.
That doesn’t reflect the God of Israel’s character at all.
So I don’t doubt that David turned the defeated army into his labor force.
This would also explain how he expanded his kingdom so rapidly later on.
However, the bizarro English translations that say David acted like Hitler do lead us to an interesting takeaway.
What nations or groups are infamous for indiscriminately torturing and murdering innocent civilians?
Does the word Hamas or the date October 7th come to mind?
On that day…
Attackers stormed into multiple Israeli towns and opened fire on families in their homes, killing entire households.
Over 260 young people were slaughtered while trying to flee at the Nova Music Festival.
More than 240 people were abducted and taken into Gaza.
Hostages included babies, children, elderly people, women, and foreign nationals.
Women were raped, bodies were mutilated, and genitals were targeted.
Paramedics and firefighters responding to attacks were also shot and killed.
Videos from Gaza showed militants celebrating around the bodies of Israelis.
Some attackers recorded themselves committing killings and uploaded videos using victims’ phones, sending them to relatives.
Such horrific behavior perfectly reflects what Israel’s enemies are capable of and have been doing since time immemorial.
As Yeshua said, “Ye shall know a tree by its fruit.”
And some fruits reek of evil.
October 7th wasn’t an outlier.
It was history repeating itself.
And will continue to repeat itself until the Messiah returns.
Let those who have ears to hear, SHEMA!
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