Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

David took the crown of their king . . ., and found it to weigh a talent of gold--equal to one hundred twenty-five pounds. Some think that Malcom, rendered in our version "their king," should be taken as a proper name, Milcom or Molech, the Ammonite idol, which, of course, might bear a heavy weight. But, like many other state crowns of Eastern kings, the crown got at Rabbah was not worn on the head, but suspended by chains of gold above the throne. precious stones--Hebrew, a "stone," or cluster of precious stones, which was set on David's head.

cut them with saws, &c.--The Hebrew word, "cut them," is, with the difference of the final letter, the same as that rendered "put them," in the parallel passage of Samuel [Sa2 12:31]; and many consider that putting them to saws, axes, and so forth, means nothing more than that David condemned the inhabitants of Rabbah to hard and penal servitude.

THREE OVERTHROWS OF THE PHILISTINES AND THREE GIANTS SLAIN. (Ch1 20:4-8) war at Gezer--or Gob (see Sa2 21:18-22). Next: 1 Chronicles Chapter 21