The First Book of the Chronicles
1 Chronicles 11
Chapter XI · Vol. II, pp. 821–822
1 David by a general consent is made king over Israel at Hebron. 4 He winneth the castle of Zion from the Jebusites by Joab's valour. 10 A catalogue of David's mighty men.
1 Then alla Israel1 gathered themselves to David unto Hebron, saying, Behold, we are bthy bone and thy flesh.
2 And moreover, in time past, ceven when Saul was king, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel; and the LORD thy God said unto thee, Thou shalt feed2 my people Israel, and thou shalt be ruler over my people Israel.
2 Or, rule.
3 Therefore came all the elders of Israel to the king to Hebron; and David dmade a covenant with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel, eaccording to the word of the LORD by2 Samuel.
A.M. 2956. B.C. 1048.
d 2 Ki.11.17; 14.21; 23.30. Ju.11.11.
e 1 Sa.13.14; 15.28; 16.13. 2 Sa.2.4. Ps.2.6; 89.19,20.
2 Heb. by the hand of.
4 And David and all Israel fwent to Jerusalem, which is Jebus; where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land.3
f 2 Sa.5.6-10. Jos.15.63. Ju.1.21; 19.11,12.
3 B.C. 1047.
5 And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, gThou shalt not come hither. Nevertheless David took the castle of Zion, which is the city of David.
6 And David said, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be hchief and captain. So Joab the son of Zeruiah went first up, and was chief.
8 And he built the city round about, even from iMillo5 round about: and Joab 6repaired the rest of the city.7
5 This seems to have been some public place, all round which David erected such buildings as were requisite for a seat of government. He selected Jerusalem as his metropolis, because a more central situation would have placed him in the hands of the turbulent and ambitious Ephraimites, upon whom little dependence could then be placed.—I.
6 Heb. revived.
7 Over which he must have obtained some superiority of title; a circumstance that will serve to account for much of Joab's future influence over the counsels of David.—C.
9 So David waxed greater and 8greater: kfor the LORD of hosts was with him.
8 Heb. went in going and increasing.
10 Thesel also are the chief of the mighty men whom David had, who strengthened themselves with him9 in his kingdom, and with all Israel, to make him king, maccording to the word of the LORD concerning Israel.
l 2 Sa.23.8-39. Ps. xvii. cxliv. cxlviii.
9 Or, held strongly with him.
m 1 Sa.13.14; 15.28; 16.1,13,14.
11 And this is the number of the mighty men1 whom David had; nJashobeam, an Hachmonite, the chief of the captains: he lifted up his spear oagainst three hundred slain by him at one time.
12 And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the pAhohite, who was one of the three mighties.
p 2 Sa.23.9,10. ch.8.4; 27.4.
13 He was with David at qPas-dammim, and there the Philistines were gathered together to battle, where was a parcel of ground full of barley;2 and the people rfled from before the Philistines.
q Or, Ephesdammim, 1 Sa.17.1.
2 In 2 Sa.23.11 the ground is said to have been full of lentils; but there is no contradiction, as it is common still for two species of vegetables to be sown together, as grass and clover.—C.
r As 1 Sa.17.24; 31.1. Le.26.17.
14 And they set themselves3 in the midst of that parcel, and delivered it, and slew the Philistines; and the LORD ssaved them by a great deliverance.4
15 Now tthree of the thirty captains5 went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the host of the Philistines encamped in the valley of uRephaim.6
t 2 Sa.23.12.
5 Or, three captains over the thirty.
u Or, giants, Jos.15.8. Is.17.5. 2 Sa.5.18,22. ch.14.9,13.
6 Rephaim, or Giants' Valley, so called from its gigantic aboriginal inhabitants, was situated on the confines of Judah and Benjamin, and appears anciently to have been distinguished for its abundant harvests; but, like all the country about Jerusalem, it is now stony, and scantily furnished with patches of light red soil.—I.
17 And David longed,7 and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the zwater of the well of Beth-lehem, that is at the gate!
7 Longing for the water of a particular well is by no means an uncommon occurrence with persons recovering from fever. The character of David, which was most remote from the childish anxiety that the text might intimate, renders it probable he was at this time recovering from some such sickness.—C.
A.M. 2957. B.C. 1047.
z With Ca.4.15. Jn.4.10,14. Is.12.3.
18 And the three brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but David would not drink of it, abut poured it out to the LORD,
a 2 Sa.23.10,17. As a thank-offering for his preservation of the men.
19 And said, My God forbid it me, that I should do this thing: shall I drink the blood of these men bthat have put their lives in jeopardy? for cwith the jeopardy of their lives they brought it: therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mightiest.
20 And dAbishai the brother of Joab, he was chief of the three: for lifting up his spear against three hundred, he slew them,8 and had a name among the three.
d 2 Sa.23.18,19; 2.18; 10.10; 18.2. ch.2.16. 1 Sa.26.6.
8 The might here ascribed to Abishai and Jashobeam, ver. 11, seems so much beyond the ordinary power of man, that while infidels have found them occasion for question, expositors have sought, by various means, to bring them within the limits of historical probability. The difficulty, however, seems most easily removed by observing, that in ver. 11, the words by him, and in ver. 20, the word them, is supplied; and that the acts ascribed to these worthies is not the actual destruction of the hundreds by their own hands, but their personal boldness in 'lifting up the spear against them,' and boldly, it may be, defending some pass against them, till assistance arrived.—C.
21 Of the three, he was more honourable than the two, for he was their captain; howbeit he attained not to the first three.
22 Benaiahe the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many acts;9 he slew two lion-like men of Moab: also he went down and slew a lion in a pit in a snowy day.1
e 2 Sa.23.20-23; 20.23. 1 Ki.1.8,38; 2.35.
9 Heb. great of deeds.
1 Having followed his track in the snow.—C.
23 And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature,2 five cubits[≈ 2.3 m · 7 ft 6 in] high; and in the Egyptian's hand was a spear flike a weaver's beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him gwith his own spear.3
2 Heb. a man of measure.
f ch.20.5. 1 Sa.17.7.
g 1 Sa.17.51. 2 Sa.23.21.
3 A proof at once of great courage and dexterity of fence; yet not so wonderful as the others; for the moment he had warded off the thrust of his antagonist, and got nearer to him than his spear's point, the Egyptian was completely in his power.—C.
24 These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had a name among the three mighties.
25 Behold, he was honourable among the thirty,4 but attained not to the first three: and David set him over his guard.5
4 The word shalishim, which is translated thirty, properly signifies an office or particular description of men. Of these shalishim we have in 2 Sa. xxiii. thirty-seven, and it can scarcely be said with propriety that we have thirty-seven out of thirty; and besides, here in Chronicles there are sixteen added. The captains over Pharaoh's chariots are termed shalishim, Ex.14.7.—I.
5 Or, council.
26 Alsoh the valiant men of the armies were, Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Beth-lehem.
27 Shammoth the iHarorite,6 Helez the kPelonite,
i Or, Shammah the Harodite, 2 Sa.23.25.
6 Several variations will be found between the names as recorded here and elsewhere; but this implies no contradiction, but merely that there were several modes of writing and pronouncing the same name, or that the same persons had different names, either at one time or at different periods of their lives, e.g. Abram, Abraham; Sarai, Sarah.—C.
k Or, Paltite, 2 Sa.23.26.
28 Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abi-ezer the Antothite,
30 Maharai the Netophathite, lHeled the son of Baanah the Netophathite,
l Or, Heleb, 2 Sa.23.29.
31 Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah, that pertained to the children of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite,
32 Huraim of the brooks of Gaash, nAbiel the Arbathite,
m Or, Hiddai, 2 Sa.23.30.
n Or, Abialbon.
33 Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite,
34 The sons of oHashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shage the Hararite,
A.M. 2957. B.C. 1047.
o Or, Jashem, 2 Sa.23.32.
35 Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal9 the son of pUr,
9 Or, Eliphelet.
p Or, Ahasbai, 2 Sa.23.34.
36 Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite,
37 Hezro the Carmelite, qNaarai the son of Ezbai,
q Or, Paarai, 2 Sa.23.35.
38 Joelr the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Haggeri,1
r Or, Igal, 2 Sa.23.36.
1 Or, the Haggerite.
39 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, the armour-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah,
40 Ira the sIthrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
s Jos.15.48. ch.2.50,53. 2 Sa.23.38.
42 Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a captain of the Reubenites, and thirty with him,
43 Hanan the son of Maachah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite,
44 Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jehiel the sons of Hothan the Aroerite,
46 Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite,4
4 Either a Moabitish proselyte, or an Israelite called a Moabite, from victories gained over Moabites, or from having originally dwelt in their country. See Ru. 1. 1.—C.
47 Eliel, and Obed, and Jasiel the Mesobaite.
Notes
Reflections.—Here let me observe, that God's counsels will be fulfilled whatever difficulties lie in the way; that pride goeth before destruction; and that men, after long wearying themselves in vain, are sometimes made to understand the things which belong to their peace and return to their own mercy. There is a real contract between kings and their subjects which both parties ought religiously to observe. Hopes of preferment strongly induce carnal men to their duty; and the strength and prosperity of kings depend, under God, chiefly upon their servants. But the providential or spiritual presence of God with men is the true cause of their strength and fortitude; and the way to be great and famous is to do remarkable services to our God, our king, and our country. Great men ought never to be prodigal of the lives of their subjects; but if their rashness hath brought others into danger, they ought bitterly to repent of it and to study more self-denial; and if we have anything super-excellent, the Lord ought to be honoured with it. But were not these chiefs typical of Jesus Christ's apostles, faithful ministers and followers, who by faith do marvellous exploits, wrestle with principalities and powers, and are more than conquerors through him that loved them!
Measures in square brackets are modern equivalents added for this edition. They are not in the King James text or in Brown’s notes. They use common scholarly estimates: a cubit is about 45.7 cm (18 in), a shekel about 11.4 g (0.4 oz), an ephah about 22 litres. Money values give the worth of the silver or gold at spot prices on 28 October 2026, not what the sum would buy in the ancient world.