Who is "Malkam"?
Rashi (Shmuel II, 12:30): The idolatry of Amon is called Malkam. It is the same as "Molech Shikutz Bnei Amon" (Melachim I, 11:7).
Radak (Shmuel II, 12:30): It is the king of Amon.
Rashi (Shmuel II, 12:30) writes that Amon's idolatry was called Malkam. How could David take the crown? One may not benefit from idolatry!
Rashi (Shmuel II, 12:30, citing Avodah Zarah 44a): Itai ha'Giti (a Nochri 1 friend of David) nullified it.
How could David's head bear the crown, which weighed a Kikar (about 25 kilos)?
'Rashi', Radak citing Avodah Zarah 44a #1: The precious stone in it was a magnet; it suspended it in the air.
'Rashi', Radak #1: It hung suspended above his head when he sat on his throne. 'Rashi' - I heard that this is the custom in Eretz Yishmael. It looks like it is on his head.
Radak citing Avodah Zarah 44a #2: (It did not weigh a Kikar.) It contained a gem worth a Kikar of gold.
Radak #2: It was on David's head occasionally. He could bear the weight for a short time.
Avodah Zarah 44a #3: The verse means, it was proper to be on David's head.
Kli Yakar (Shmuel II, 12:30) #1: It was made from a Kikar of gold after the Kikar was refined, which diminishes it. 1
Kli Yakar (Shmuel II, 12:30) #2: The crown weighed a Kikar. Only the gem from it was on David's head.
Yerushalmi (Shekalim 6:3): "Mechalos Zahav" (Divrei ha'Yamim II, 4:21) - Shlomo put 1000 Kikarei Zahav into the furnace, and one Kikar of super-refined gold came out.
Rashi (Shmuel II, 12:30 citing Avodah Zarah 44a) writes that Itai ha'Giti, a Nochri, nullified the idolatry. What is the source that he was a Nochri?
Radak (Shmuel II, 12:30): His name is not a source. Oved Edom ha'Giti was a Levi. He is called Giti because he lived in Gas. Many Jews lived there. When David fled Avshalom, 600 Gitim came to help him (ibid., 15:18). Can we say that they were all Pelishtim 1 ?! It mentions also their children (ibid., 15:22)! Surely they were Jews. They lived in Gas before David took it from Pelishtim, or afterwards. David said "you are a Nochri" (15:19), i.e. from another land, for he lived in Gas. Why would he tell him "return with the king (Avshalom, who seized power)" because you are a Nochri 2 ?! We find that Nochri can refer to Jews from elsewhere, e.g. Rus said "v'Anochi Nochriyah" even though she had already converted - "Amech Ami vEilokayich Elokai" (Rus 2:10, 1:16)! Why would David need specifically Itai to be Mevatel the idolatry? He had many Jews ruling over Nochrim. One of them could force a Nochri to be Mevatel it! 3 And how could Itai be with David so many years and not convert 4 ? This is astounding.
He cut off 200 Orlos of Pelishtim; women used to sing that he kills myriads (Shmuel I, 29:5), and he struck Pelishtim after he became king (Shmuel II, 5:20)! Otzar ha'Midrash Eisenstein, Yisbarach p.251 says that the 600 were Nochrim, and they clung to Yisrael (converted. Only after David rose to power, we did not accept converts ? refer to 20:2:4:1**** - PF.)
Rashi (15:19): We are fleeing without provisions. You are a Nochri, so people will not have mercy on you!
This is like Chasam Sofer (Chulin 8a), who infers from Avodah Zarah 53b that one may take idolatry with intent to get a Nochri to be Mevatel it afterwards. (PF)
Yevamos 24b: We did not accept converts in the days of David or Shlomo (lest they are insincere, and merely seek Shulchan Melachim. If so, Itai could not convert! - PF) Refer to Shmuel II, 5:21:1:2*.
