Bible Strands
2 Samuel 12:31
David brought out the people who were there and put them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes, and he made them work at the brick kilns. He did the same to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all his troops returned to Jerusalem.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records David’s post-victory actions immediately after he removes the Ammonite king’s crown and claims the city’s plunder. The account occurs at the conclusion of the campaign against the Ammonite capital.
The words — The Hebrew הוֹצִיא (ho.Tzi') translates literally as "he brought out," and מְגֵרָה (me.ge.rah) means "saws." These terms specify the extraction of captives and the implements used to compel their labor.
The thread — The forced labor of conquered populations appears again in 1 Chronicles 20:3, which records the identical campaign. The pattern of subjugating defeated cities aligns with the measured judgment described in 2 Samuel 8:2 and Amos 1:3.
Why it lands — The text documents the historical reality of ancient warfare, where defeated populations were systematically converted into forced labor. It requires the reader to acknowledge the concrete mechanisms of imperial control without minimizing the severity of the conquest.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And he brought forth the people that were therein, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. So David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.
Cross-references
- 1 Chronicles 20:3 David brought out the people who were there and put them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes. And he did the same to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all his troops returned to Jerusalem.
- 2 Samuel 8:2 David also defeated the Moabites, made them lie down on the ground, and measured them off with a cord. He measured off with two lengths those to be put to death, and with one length those to be spared. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought him tribute.
- Amos 1:3 This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Damascus, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they threshed Gilead with sledges of iron.
- Psalms 21:8 Your hand will apprehend all Your enemies; Your right hand will seize those who hate You.