2 Samuel 12 · Verse 31

2 Samuel 12:31

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.

2 Samuel 12:31, King James Version

2 Samuel 12:31 in other translations

BSB	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.
WEB	He brought out the people who were in it, and put them to work under saws, under iron picks, under axes of iron, and made them go to the brick kiln; and he did so to all the cities of the children of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
ASV	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. And David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.
YLT	and the people who are in it he hath brought out, and setteth to the saw, and to cutting instruments of iron, and to axes of iron, and hath caused them to pass over into the brick-kiln; and so he doth to all the cities of the Bene-Ammon; and David turneth back, and all the people, to Jerusalem.
DARBY	And he brought out the people that were in it, and put them under the saw, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkilns. And so did he to all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
BBE	And he took the people out of the town and put them to work with wood-cutting instruments, and iron grain-crushers, and iron axes, and at brick-making: this he did to all the towns of the children of Ammon. Then David and all the people went back to Jerusalem.
Webster	And he brought forth the people that were in it, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brick-kiln: and thus he did to all the cities of the children of Ammon. So David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

What does 2 Samuel 12:31 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

31. he brought forth the people ... and put them under saws, &c.--This excessive severity and employment of tortures, which the Hebrews on no other occasion are recorded to have practised, was an act of retributive justice on a people who were infamous for their cruelties (1Sa 11:2; Am 1:13).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 31 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, 1Chr 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 1Chr 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.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Samuel 12:26-31

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.

Read the full comment on 2 Samuel 12:26-31 →

2 Samuel 12:31 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְאֶת\־ve.'Etand <obj.>H853

הָעָ֨םha.'Amthe peopleH5971

אֲשֶׁר\־'a.Sher-whichH834

בָּ֜הּbah[was] in <the> it

הוֹצִ֗יאho.Tzi'he brought outH3318

וַיָּ֣שֶׂםvai.Ya.semand he set [them]H7760

בַּ֠מְּגֵרָהBa.me.ge.rahat the sawsH4050

וּבַחֲרִצֵ֨יu.va.cha.ri.Tzeiand at [the] picks ofH2757

הַבַּרְזֶ֜לha.bar.Zel<the> ironH1270

וּֽבְמַגְזְרֹ֣תu.ve.mag.ze.Rotand at [the] axes ofH4037

הַבַּרְזֶ֗לha.bar.Zel<the> ironH1270

וְהֶעֱבִ֤ירve.he.'e.Virand he caused to passH5674

אוֹתָם֙'o.Tam<obj.> themH853

בַּמַּלְבֵּ֔ןba.mal.kenin the brick mold[s]H4404

וְכֵ֣ןve.Khenand thusH3651

יַעֲשֶׂ֔הya.'a.Sehhe didH6213

לְכֹ֖לle.Kholto allH3605

עָרֵ֣י'a.Rei[the] cities ofH5892

בְנֵֽי\־ve.nei-[the] people ofH1121

עַמּ֑וֹןa.MonAmmonH5983

וַיָּ֧שָׁבvai.Ya.shovand he returnedH7725

דָּוִ֛דda.VidDavidH1732

וְכָל\־ve.kholand allH3605

הָעָ֖םha.'Amthe peopleH5971

יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם\׃\ \פye.ru.sha.LimJerusalemH3389

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Samuel 12:31

1 Chronicles 20:3
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.
Amos 1:3
Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron:
2 Samuel 8:2
And he smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive. And so the Moabites became David’s servants, and brought gifts.
Psalms 21:8-9
Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

and put them.Rather, as the particle [b] frequently signifies, "And he put them to saws, and to harrows, and to axes," etc., as we say, to put a person to the plough, to the anvil, to the last, etc.
1Ch 20:3
Also.
8:2; Ps 21:8,9; Am 1:3

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

2 Samuel 12:30
And he took their king’s crown from off his head, the weight whereof was a talent of gold with the precious stones: and it was set on David’s head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city in great abundance.
2 Samuel 12:31
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.

Read all of 2 Samuel 12

2 Samuel 12:31 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Sacó además el pueblo que estaba en ella, y púsolo debajo de sierras, y de trillos de hierro, y de hachas de hierro; é hízolos pasar por hornos de ladrillos: y lo mismo hizo á todas las ciudades de los hijos de Ammón. Volvióse luego David con todo el pueblo á Jerusalem.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et il fit sortir le peuple qui s’y trouvait, et les mit sous la scie, et sous des herses de fer, et sous des haches de fer, et les fit passer par un four à briques: il fit ainsi à toutes les villes des fils d’Ammon. Et David et tout le peuple s’en retournèrent à Jérusalem.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und das Volk, das darin war, führte er hinaus und legte es unter die Säge und unter eiserne Dreschwagen und unter eiserne Beile, und ließ sie durch einen Ziegelofen gehen. Und also tat er allen Städten der Kinder Ammon. Und David und das ganze Volk kehrten nach Jerusalem zurück.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	populum quoque ejus adducens serravit, et circumegit super eos ferrata carpenta: divisitque cultris, et traduxit in typo laterum: sic fecit universis civitatibus filiorum Ammon. Et reversus est David et omnis exercitus in Jerusalem.