And he brought out the people that were in it, and put them under the saw, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkilns. And so did he to all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 12:29 And David gathered all the people, and went to Rabbah, and fought against it and took it.
2 Samuel 12:30 And he took the crown of their king from off his head, the weight of which 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 out the people that were in it, and put them under the saw, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkilns. And so did he to all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
The verse centers on "brought", "people", "under", "harrows", "iron", and "axes". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "brought" and "people", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The prior verse says "And he took the crown of their...", giving immediate footing for "brought" and "people". 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 "people" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.