This verse has been understood by some as meaning that David tortured the Ammonites with the tools mentioned in this verse. King James Version, for example, says that David “put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln.” Most interpreters, however, understand this to mean that David forced them to do different kinds of work, using these tools for that work (so Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and nearly all modern translations including New King James Version ).
The people who were in it: in this case people probably refers to the general population of Ammonites who had been living in the city of Rabbah, and not just the soldiers.
Set them to labor with saws: literally “set with saws….” Forced labor of a defeated army was not unusual in Old Testament times (see Deut 20.11; Josh 16.10; Judges 1.28-35). The words with saws have parallels in 1 Chr 20.2 and in the construction of the Temple in 1 Kgs 7.9. Contemporary English Version understands this phrase as meaning “tear down the city walls.” This is supported by Anderson’s commentary and Anchor Bible, though Anchor Bible is not based on the Masoretic Text at this point. But the great majority of sources prefer the idea expressed in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. The instrument involved here was used to cut stone as well as wood. Many languages will have to use a borrowed word for “saw.”
Iron picks: the word for picks occurs only here and in the parallel in 1 Chr 20.3. It comes from a verb meaning “to cut” and refers to a “cutting thing” or “sharp instrument.” The same word is used for “cuts of milk” or “cheeses” in 1 Sam 17.18, but this should not affect the translations here.
Iron axes: the word translated axes is found only here in all the Old Testament, but most scholars are agreed that it refers to a blade or cutting instrument. In some languages the picks and axes may have to be translated by a single term in the receptor language, since there may not be equivalents to distinguish the two terms. However, many languages do have different words for “hoes” and “axes,” and these may be used here.
Made them toil at the brickkilns: these six words in English translate three Hebrew words. Exactly what the correct Hebrew text is and what it may mean have been considerably debated. First, the verb in the Masoretic Text is “caused them to pass through.” The verb made them toil is a proposed correction to the Masoretic Text and requires only a very small change in spelling from the verb “made them pass through.” It must be noted, however, that no Hebrew manuscripts read “made them toil.”
Secondly, the meaning of the noun translated brickkilns must be established. The consonants of this noun as written in the Masoretic Text are mlkn. Some have understood this to be equivalent to the name “Milcom” in verse 30. The margin of the Masoretic Text, however, suggests that the correct Hebrew noun should read mlbn, which has been taken to mean either “brickkiln” or “brick-mold.”
The Masoretic Text may be read “made them pass through Milcom,” that is, made the Ammonite people pass through the fires where they offered their own children as sacrifices to the god Molek, who is here called Milcom.
But if the noun mlbn is read, then the sense seems to be that the people were burned where they cooked the bricks that they made, or that their bodies were chopped up and poured along with the clay into the brick molds. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament suggests that the reading “made them toil in the brickkilns” may well be original, but since no Hebrew manuscript reads “made them toil,” Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament says the text “made them pass through the brickkilns” should be followed (so Fox).
Despite the lack of manuscript evidence, this Handbook recommends the correction of the Masoretic Text found in Revised Standard Version and in most modern translations. The best rendering may be that of Moffatt, “made them labor at brick-making.”
All the cities of the Ammonites: this refers to all the other places where Ammonite people lived. Some of these places were considerably smaller than Rabbah. For this reason Good News Translation says “all the other towns of Ammon.”
All the people: this refers to the Israelite army.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .