And he 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. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
David brought out the people who were in the city and put them to forced labor with saws, iron picks, and axes. David did the same thing to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all his army returned to Jerusalem.
This verse describes David forcing captured enemies into hard labor with tools, then returning home to Jerusalem after conquering the Ammonite cities.
📚 Historical Context
This occurred during David's war against the Ammonites around 1000 BC, after they had dishonored David's ambassadors and allied with Syria against Israel. Ancient warfare often included putting conquered populations to forced labor as both punishment and a source of workers for building projects. The parallel passage in 2 Samuel suggests these people were put to work rather than executed.
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