וַיְהִי לְעֵת תְּשׁוּבַת הַשָּׁנָה לְעֵת צֵאת הַמְּלָכִים וַיִּנְהַג יוֹאָב אֶת־חֵיל הַצָּבָא וַיַּשְׁחֵת אֶת־אֶרֶץ בְּנֵי־עַמּוֹן וַיָּבֹא וַיָּצַר אֶת־רַבָּה וְדָוִיד יֹשֵׁב בִּירוּשָׁלִָם וַיַּךְ יוֹאָב אֶת־רַבָּה וַיֶּהֶרְסֶהָ

It was at the turn of the year, at the time when the kings go on military campaign, in the spring or summer, that Yoav led the army forces and ravaged the land of the children of Amon, a small land that could no longer rely on the assistance of the Arameans. The army of Israel was larger and undoubtedly better trained than that of the Amonites. He approached and besieged Raba, the capital of Amon. And David stayed in Jerusalem, as his participation was unnecessary. Yoav smote Raba and destroyed it. Elsewhere it is stated that Yoav gave David the honor of entering the city as its official conqueror.

וַיִּקַּח דָּוִיד אֶת־עֲטֶרֶת מַלְכָּם מֵעַל רֹאשׁוֹ וַיִּמְצָאָהּ מִשְׁקַל כִּכַּר־זָהָב וּבָהּ אֶבֶן יְקָרָה וַתְּהִי עַל־רֹאשׁ דָּוִיד וּשְׁלַל הָעִיר הוֹצִיא הַרְבֵּה מְאֹד

David took the crown of their king [malkam],possibly a reference to the chief god of Amon, called Molekh or Milkom, from upon his head, and found its weight a talent of gold, and in it a precious stone, and it was on David’s head; he took out a great deal of spoils from the city.

וְאֶת־הָעָם אֲשֶׁר־בָּהּ הוֹצִיא וַיָּשַׂר בַּמְּגֵרָה וּבַחֲרִיצֵי הַבַּרְזֶל וּבַמְּגֵרוֹת וְכֵן יַעֲשֶׂה דָוִיד לְכֹל עָרֵי בְנֵי־עַמּוֹן וַיָּשָׁב דָּוִיד וְכָל־הָעָם יְרוּשָׁלִָם

He, David, took out the people who were in it, who resisted him, and cut them with saws, with iron picks, and with axes. He punished some of the people severely; it is possible that many of them were killed by torture. So David would do, not only to the residents of Rabat Amon but to the residents of all the cities of the children of Amon. He passed through Amon, and killed many of its inhabitants. In II Samuel 17:27 it is related that an important personage from Rabat Amon supported David when he fled from Avshalom. Apparently, David left a measure of autonomous government in Amon. David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי־כֵן וַתַּעֲמֹד מִלְחָמָה בְּגֶזֶר עִם־פְּלִשְׁתִּים אָז הִכָּה סִבְּכַי הַחֻשָׁתִי אֶת־סִפַּי מִילִידֵי הָרְפָאִים וַיִּכָּנֵעוּ

It was after this that a war arose in Gezer, on the western border of Israel, with the Philistines. Apparently, the land of the Philistines was never conquered by David, and the Philistines would periodically attack Israel. For better or worse, the Philistine governors were like minor, semi-autonomous kings in their own cities, and every so often one of them would decide to stage an attack to achieve some objective, or to amuse himself. Then Sibekhai the Hushatite, one of David’s mighty warriors, smote Sipai, from the offspring of the giants [refaim], and they surrendered. This was an enormous man, who helped the Philistines in battle or merely stood among the Philistine warriors in order to frighten the enemy. Therefore, killing this giant was a bold act. The Refaim were men of great size who belonged to an ancient race that had dwindled over time; a few isolated individuals remained alive even in later generations. The Philistines might have employed these men in combat.

וַתְּהִי־עוֹד מִלְחָמָה אֶת פְּלִשְׁתִּים וַיַּךְ אֶלְחָנָן בֶּן־יָעִיר אֶת־לַחְמִי אֲחִי גָּלְיָת הַגִּתִּי וְעֵץ חֲנִיתוֹ כִּמְנוֹר אֹרְגִים

There was another war with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Ya’ir smote Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gitite, who had earlier been killed by David. Elhanan killed Goliath’s brother, Lahmi, despite his enormous size: The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, the long, heavy wooden beam to which the threads of the warp are attached. Only a very tall and powerful man could wield a spear that large.

וַתְּהִי־עוֹד מִלְחָמָה בְּגַת וַיְהִי אִישׁ מִדָּה וְאֶצְבְּעֹתָיו שֵׁשׁ־וָשֵׁשׁ עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבַּע וְגַם־הוּא נוֹלַד לְהָרָפָא

There was another war in Gat. There was a man of stature, of great dimension, or literally, a man of measure. Ordinary men are not typically measured, but since giants are so extraordinarily tall, people tend to estimate their great height. And his fingers and toes were six on each, a total of twenty-four. Genetic mutations of this kind occur even in the modern world. Although there is no reason to assume that the additional fingers and toes gave him any advantage in combat over others, they intensified the effect of his frightening image. And he too was born to the giant [rafa], a surviving member of the ancient Refaim. Apparently, several sons born to the same Rafa waged war alongside the Philistines. Every so often, descendants of ancient races, who were larger than typical people today, are discovered in various lands. Apparently, individuals of this type remained in Israel and assisted the Philistines.

וַיְחָרֵף אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּכֵּהוּ יְהוֹנָתָן בֶּן־שִׁמְעָא אֲחִי דָוִיד

He taunted Israel, with both his might and actual taunting, and Yehonatan, son of Shima brother of David, smote him.

אֵל נוּלְּדוּ לְהָרָפָא בְּגַת וַיִּפְּלוּ בְיַד־דָּוִיד וּבְיַד־עֲבָדָיו

These enormous brothers were born to the giant in Gat, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants. David killed Goliath, who was the first of these giants to fall at the hands of Israel. The others were killed by David’s men. The last battles of David and his warriors were waged on the borders of the kingdom, as time and again he was forced to confront enemies on the periphery of his kingdom. Israel never fully conquered the land of the Philistines, who retained control of the coastal strip until the Greek conquest. Nevertheless, at the time of his death, David was the most significant king in the entire region west of the Euphrates. Not all the countries in this area were under his complete control, but they all accepted his authority. This was the political situation that David left for the kings who succeeded him.