¹And it came to pass, at the time of the return of the year, at the time when kings go out _to battle_, that Joab led forth the power of the army, and wasted the country of the children of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem. And Joab smote Rabbah, and overthrew it. =1.= _at the time of the return of the year_] i.e. in the spring, 2 Samuel xi. 1; 1 Kings xx. 22. _the power of the army_] The Hebrew phrase is quite general in meaning: _the host of war, the military forces_. _Rabbah_] the capital of the Ammonites; Jeremiah xlix. 2; Ezekiel xxi. 20 (25, Hebrew). Its site, now called _‘Ammān_, is covered with important ruins of the Roman and Byzantine periods. The town lies in a fertile basin, its citadel on a hill on the north side. _David tarried at Jerusalem_] In 2 Samuel these words introduce the story of David’s adultery with Bath-sheba, which is omitted from Chronicles. _Joab smote Rabbah_] In 2 Samuel xii. 27 Joab reports to David the capture of _the city of waters_ (i.e. the lower city), and invites him to come and complete the conquest (presumably by capturing the citadel) in person. Probably the citadel was dependent for water on the river which flows through the town. ²And David took the crown of their king¹ from off his head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious stones in it; and it was set upon David’s head: and he brought forth the spoil of the city, exceeding much. ¹ Or, _Malcam_ See Zephaniah i. 5. =2.= _of their king_] So also Authorized Version, perhaps rightly, but many scholars prefer to treat the word as a proper name, rendering, as margin, _of Malcam_ (compare Zephaniah i. 5), i.e. Milcom, the national god of the Ammonites (1 Kings xi. 5). LXX. has a double translation of the one Hebrew word: _Molchol_ (_Molchom_) _their king_. The name of the god, whether the right form be _Molech_ (1 Kings xi. 7) or more probably _Milcom_ or _Malcam_, means either “king” or, less probably, “counsellor.” In the former case his image would in all probability wear a crown. _it was set upon David’s head_] A symbolic action implying that David completely annexed the Ammonite territory; other conquered nations retained a partial independence on condition of the payment of tribute. _he brought forth the spoil of the city, exceeding much_] doubtless a triumphal procession of captives and spoil, such as an Assyrian relief in the British Museum represents passing before Sennacherib at the capture of Lachish. ³And he brought forth the people that were therein, and cut _them_ with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. And thus did David unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.