1 Chronicles 20:6-8 Meaning: The Giant's Family Line
6There was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had twenty-four fingers and toes, six on each hand and six on each foot; and he also was born to the giant.
7When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him.
8These were born to the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
6And yet again there was war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot: and he also was the son of the giant.
7But when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David’s brother slew him.
8These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.
6And there was again war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot; and he also was born unto the giant.
7And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David’s brother slew him.
8These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.
6And there is again war in Gath, and there is a man of measure, and his fingers and his toes are six and six, twenty and four, and also, he hath been born to the giant.
7And he reproacheth Israel, and smite him doth Jonathan son of Shimea, brother of David.
8These were born to the giant in Gath, and they fall by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.
6And there was again a battle, at Gath; and there was a man [there] of great stature, whose fingers [and toes] were four and twenty, six [on each hand], and six [on each foot]; and he also was born to Rapha.
7And he defied Israel; but Jonathan the son of Shimea David's brother smote him.
8These were born to Rapha in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.
Meaning in one sentence
Why record a giant with 24 fingers? Understand the repeated phrase 'born to the giant' in 1 Chronicles 20:6-8 and God's deliverance.
Context
The Chronicler wrote for a people rebuilding after exile. He looked back at David's reign and chose what to include carefully. In this part of chapter 20, the Philistine wars are nearly over. But one more battle waits at Gath, the home city of Goliath. A giant appears with twenty-four fingers and toes, a sign that he belongs to the Rephaim, the ancient clan of giants. He does what Goliath did: he defies Israel. This time the hero is not David himself but Jonathan, the son of David's brother Shimea. The chapter ends by summing up: all these descendants of Rapha in Gath fell by David's hand and the hands of his servants. The message is clear: the threat keeps coming, but God keeps giving victory.
Key Words
The key phrase born to the giant comes from the Hebrew text: leharapha, literally, 'to Rapha.' This is not just one large man; it is a family line. Rapha was a name for the ancient Rephaim, a people known for their size and strength. The Chronicler is saying these giants are part of a persistent clan that opposed Israel for generations.
The verb defied (vayecharef) carries the same weight as when Goliath taunted Israel (1 Samuel 17:10). It means to reproach or scorn, to speak against God's people as if God could not save them. The giant's words are the real threat, not his extra fingers.
Finally, fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants uses the Hebrew naphal beyad, a military idiom for defeat. The hand represents power and agency. David's hand stands for his authority, but the text also mentions his servants' hands. Ordinary people, like Jonathan, a nephew, are the ones God uses to bring down these overwhelming enemies.
How Christians Read This Verse
Matthew Henry, writing from a Reformed perspective, saw these giants as lingering enemies of grace that must be subdued one by one. The Wesleyan tradition echoes that: great men against us are nothing when we have the great God for us. Anglican commentators like the Cambridge Bible note that the Chronicler includes this episode to show that David's victories were complete and God's faithfulness lasted beyond Goliath. Some modern readers focus on how the Chronicler omits David's moral failures to highlight God's deliverance through David's family. Across traditions, the passage is read as a testament to God's ongoing power over every challenge, no matter how large or how often it returns.
A common misunderstanding
Some read the detail about twenty-four fingers and toes as a mere oddity, a strange physical feature meant to astonish. In fact, the Chronicler includes it to identify this giant as a member of the Rephaim bloodline, showing that the threat was not a one-time freak but a recurring family of enemies. The physical difference is not a mockery, it is a marker of his lineage and a reminder that God's people faced a formidable, ongoing opposition.
Living This Out
You may have a struggle that keeps showing up, a temptation, a fear, a difficult person. It does not disappear after one victory. This passage invites you to see that God does not get tired of fighting the same kind of battle. He uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Who is the 'Jonathan' in your life, someone willing to stand with you? Or maybe you are called to be that person for someone else. The giant's size does not matter as much as the hand that holds the victory. This week, name one recurring struggle and ask God to send you a companion for the fight, or to make you one for someone else.
Main takeaway: God uses ordinary hands to defeat giants who taunt His people, again and again, until every enemy falls.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
This man had 24 fingers and toes! He was very big and strong. But God helped David's nephew Jonathan beat him.
For ages 9, 12
This story shows that God's people kept facing big enemies from Gath, the same city where Goliath came from. The giant's extra fingers and toes prove he belonged to the same family of fighters. But God used ordinary men, not just David but his servants and his nephew, to defeat them. Sometimes our problems feel like giants that come back again. This passage says that God gives victory again and again, even through people we might not expect.
Questions People Ask
Why does the Bible mention that the giant had six fingers and six toes?
The detail identifies him as a descendant of the Rephaim, an ancient clan of giants. It shows he belonged to the same family line as Goliath and others, emphasizing that the Philistine threat was an ongoing, familiar enemy God repeatedly defeated.
Who is Rapha in 1 Chronicles 20?
Rapha is another name for the Rephaim, a race of giants mentioned in the Old Testament. The phrase 'born to the giant' means this warrior descended from that clan. The Chronicler uses the term to show these enemies came from a group that had opposed Israel since the time of Joshua.
How does this passage connect to David and Goliath?
It continues the same story: giants from Gath taunt Israel. Goliath was the first; later his brother Lahmi appears (1 Chronicles 20:5), and here another giant with extra digits. The point is that God's deliverance did not stop with one victory. David's servants also took part in defeating these ongoing enemies.
Why does the Chronicler include this when the story is also in 2 Samuel?
The Chronicler omitted the account of David's sin with Bathsheba to focus on God's faithfulness in giving victories. By recording these giant battles in detail, he shows that God's power remained with David and his men, and that the defeat of the Philistine giants was thorough and memorable for future generations.
For pastors & researchers
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