12:31 harrows. A set of sharp disks on a horse-drawn frame, used to break up ground.

12:31 pass through. “Pass through” should be read as “cross over to.” This verse is not describing a cruel genocide of the Ammonites, for they continued as a distinct and relatively strong nation for at least several centuries after David. However, he did place them under forced hard labor, wielding saws and axes, working the kilns, etc. The parallel passage in I Chronicles 20:3 should also be understood in this way, with the verb “cut” understood as “vanquished.”