2 Samuel 12:31

King James Version (KJV)

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.

Adam Clarke
Bible Commentary

He brought forth the people - And put them under saws. From this representation a great cry has been raised against "David's unparalleled, if not diabolic, cruelty." I believe this interpretation was chiefly taken from the parallel place, 1 Chronicles 20:3, where it is said, he cut them with saws, and with axes, etc. Instead of וישר vaiyasar, he sawed, we have here (in Samuel) וישם vaiyasem, he put them; and these two words differ from each other only in a part of a single letter, ר resh for ם mem . And it is worthy of remark, that instead of וישר vaiyasar, he sawed, in 1 Chronicles 20:3, six or seven MSS. collated by Dr. Kennicott have וישם vaiyasem, he put them; nor is there found any various reading in all the MSS. yet collated for the text in this chapter, that favors the common reading in Chronicles. The meaning therefore is, He made the people slaves, and employed them in sawing, making iron harrows, or mining, (for the word means both), and in hewing of wood, and making of brick. Sawing asunder, hacking, chopping, and hewing human beings, have no place in this text, no more than they had in David's conduct towards the Ammonites.

It is surprising, and a thing to be deplored, that in this and similar cases our translators had not been more careful to sift the sense of the original words by which they would have avoided a profusion of exceptionable meanings with which they have clothed many passages of the sacred writings. Though I believe our translation to be by far the best in any language, ancient or modern, yet I am satisfied it stands much in need of revision. Most of the advantages which our unbelievers have appeared to have over certain passages of Scripture, have arisen from an inaccurate or false translation of the terms in the original; and an appeal to this has generally silenced the gainsayers. But in the time in which our translation was made, Biblical criticism was in its infancy, if indeed it did exist; and we may rather wonder that we find things so well, than be surprised that they are no better.

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Albert Barnes
Notes on the Whole Bible

For the saw as an implement of torture compare Hebrews 11:37.

Harrows of iron - Or rather thrashing-machines (Isaiah 28:27; Isaiah 41:15, etc.).

Axes - The word so rendered occurs only here and in 1 Chronicles 20:3. It evidently means some cutting instrument.

Made them pass through the brick-kiln - The phrase is that always used of the cruel process of making their children pass through the fire to Moloch, and it is likely that David punished this idolatrous practice by inflicting something similar upon the worshippers of Moloch. The cruelty of these executions belongs to the barbarous manners of the age, and was provoked by the conduct of the Ammonites 2 Samuel 10:1-4; 1 Samuel 11:1-2, but is utterly indefensible under the light of the Gospel. If Rabbah was taken before David‘s penitence, he may have been in an unusually harsh and severe frame of mind. The unpleasant recollection of Uriah‘s death would be likely to sour and irritate him to the utmost.

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Matthew Henry
Concise Bible Commentary

To be thus severe in putting the children of Ammon to slavery was a sign that David's heart was not yet made soft by repentance, at the time when this took place. We shall be most compassionate, kind, and forgiving to others, when we most feel our need of the Lord's forgiving love, and taste the sweetness of it in our own souls.

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SDA Bible Commentary (limited)
Volume 1-7

31. Put them under saws. That is, the people were appointed to labor with saws and other implements. By the change of one letter in the verb the parallel passage reads, “he sawed them with saws” (1 Chron. 20:3). Perhaps the same verb as is used in Samuel was intended. This may be a copyist’s error. Some have thought that David tortured the Ammonite prisoners (see on 1 Chron. 20:3). Such cruelties would be in accord with the common customs of the time, but not with David’s character.

1. It came to pass. The series of narratives that follow (chs. 13 to 21) is an account of misfortunes that overtook David after his sin. Chronicles makes no mention of these calamities, as that record also fails to mention David’s sin. After his adultery with Bath-sheba and his murder of Uriah, David was a changed man. He had lost much of his former confidence in himself; nor was he longer complete master of his realm. The people no longer had implicit confidence, and thus were slow to listen to his admonitions concerning the rewards of righteousness or the evils of transgression. When he saw others do the things for which he had set the example, it was difficult to reprove them. His own sons refused to obey him and no longer respected his counsel. Where before he had been strong and courageous, he now became weak and hesitant. A sense of shame constantly hung over him. The following chapters portray the course of events that in part, at least, were consequent upon David’s transgression.

A fair sister. Literally, “a beautiful sister.” Absalom and his sister Tamar were the children of Maacah, who was the daughter of the king of Geshur, and the birth of Absalom took place while David reigned at Hebron (ch. 3:3). Amnon was David’s firstborn, the son of “Ahinoam the Jezreelitess” (ch. 3:2). Since it appears that these sons were now in their young manhood, the events here related must have taken place about the middle of David’s reign of 40 years.

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Cross References

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David in Conquest of Canaan

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2 Samuel 12:31