20:1 In the spring, at the time when kings normally conduct wars, 3 Joab led the army into battle and devastated the land of the Ammonites. He went and besieged Rabbah, while David stayed in Jerusalem. Joab defeated Rabbah and tore it down.
1 tn Heb “stirred up the spirit of.”
2 tn Heb “and the spirit of Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria.” “Pul” and “Tilgath-pilneser” were names of the same Assyrian ruler, more commonly known as Tiglath-pileser (cf. 2 Kgs 15:29).
3 tn Heb “and it was at the time of the turning of the year, at the time of the going out of kings.”
4 tn Heb “and look, in my affliction [or perhaps, “poverty”] I have supplied for the house of the
5 tn See the note on the word “talents” in 19:6.
6 tn Heb “a thousand thousands.”
7 tn Heb “And the sons of Eleazar were found to be more, with respect to the heads of men, than the sons of Ithamar, and they divided them. To the sons of Eleazar there were sixteen heads, according to the house of the fathers; and to the sons of Ithamar there were eight, according to the house of their fathers.”