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 brick-kiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. So David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 12:29 And David gathered all the people together, and went to Rabbah, and fought against it, and took it.
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 brick-kiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. So David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.
The verse centers on "brought", "forth", "people", "therein", "under", "saws", and "harrows". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "brought" and "forth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The prior verse says "And he took their king s crown...", giving immediate footing for "brought" and "forth". In 2 Samuel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "brought" and "forth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.