(2) The crown of their king.--Or, "of Milcom" or "Moloch," their god. The Heb. malkam, "their Melech" (i.e., king), occurs in this sense (Zephaniah 1:5. Comp. Amos 5:26.) The same title is applied by the prophets to Jehovah (Isaiah 6:5; Isaiah 44:6, "Jahweh, the king [melech] of Israel." Comp. Zephaniah 3:15, and John 1:49; John 12:15; 2Samuel 12:12; Psalm 5:2; Psalm 89:18; Isaiah 8:21; and Jeremiah 10:10). The LXX. here has "Molchom, their king"; Vulg., "Melchom"; Arabic, "Malcha, their god;" all confirming our rendering.

A talent of gold.--The Arabic Version says one hundred pounds. Modern scholars consider the "talent of gold" as about one hundred and thirty-one pounds troy. If the weight was anything like this, the crown was obviously more suited for the head of a big idol than of a man.

And there were precious stones in it.--Samuel includes their weight in the talent.

And it was set (Heb., became) upon David's head.--Vulg., "he made himself a crown out of it." This may be the meaning; or else the weighty mass of gold and jewels may have been held over the king's head by his attendants on the occasion of its capture.

Exceeding much spoil.--Comp. the continual boast of the Assyrian conquerors: "spoils without number I carried off" (sallata la mani aslula).

Verse 2. - Found it to weigh a talent of gold. Two difficulties present themselves in this verse, viz. the reported weight of this crown, and the uncertainty as to what head it was from which David took it. Whatever was its weight, if David's head was able to sustain it for a minute or two, the head of the King of the Ammonites might also occasionally have borne it. Yet it would scarcely be likely that the King of the Ammonites would have so ponderous a crown (calculated at a weight of a hundred and fourteen pounds Troy, or a little more or less than one hundredweight) as one of ordinary wear, or that he would have one of extraordinary wear on his head precisely at such a juncture. Both of these difficulties will remove if we suppose that the Hebrew מַלְכָּם, instead of meaning their king, is the name of the Ammonitish and Moabitish idol (i.q. Moloch), and which we find (Authorized Version) in Zephaniah 1:5, and probably (though not Authorized Version) in Jeremiah 49:1, 3, and Amos 1:15. The Septuagint treats the word thus. The point, however, cannot be considered settled.

20:1-8 David's wars. - Though the Lord will severely correct the sins of his believing people, he will not leave them in the hands of their enemies. His assistance will overcome all advantages of number and strength of those that defy his Israel. All that trust in Christ, shall be made more than conquerors through him that loveth them.See Gill on 1 Chronicles 20:1, 2 Samuel 11:1, 1 Chronicles 20:2, 2 Samuel 12:30, 2 Samuel 21:15, and 1 Chronicles 21:1.