The First Book of the Chronicles
1 Chronicles 12
Chapter XII · Vol. II, pp. 822–825
1 The companies that came to David at Ziklag. 23 The armies that came to him at Hebron.
1 Now1 thesea are they that came to David to Ziklag, while he yet kept himself 2close bbecause of Saul the son of Kish: and they were among the mighty men, helpers of the war.
B.C. cir. 1056.
1 The writer here goes back to the times which preceded the death of Saul, and records some particulars not mentioned in the books of Samuel respecting David's advancement to the throne. Several considerable persons resorted to him at Ziklag; and either joined his small troop or assured him of assistance when it became necessary. Some of these were Benjamites, and related to Saul, who were either induced through a firm belief of the word of God by Samuel respecting him, or by indignation at the base treatment which David met with from Saul to the disgrace of their family and tribe, or because they perceived that the Lord was departed from Saul, and was with David of a truth. The hand of God was, however, very conspicuous in raising him up friends from this tribe, whence he might have expected the most determined opposition.—I.
a 2 Sa.27.2,6.
2 Heb. being yet shut up.—[The expression shut up, so often applied to the extermination of eastern royal families, De. 32.36. 1 Ki.14. 10; 21.21. 2 Ki. 9. 8, 14, 26, strictly speaking refers to the case when some of them had secured themselves in an impregnable fortress, or in places of great secresy, from the usurper. But the term is used in a more extensive sense for those who had fled to foreign countries to escape being slain; thus it is here applied to David. Ziklag is described as a town in the country, and was probably an unwalled town; and it is certain he did not confine himself to it, but was continually making excursions from thence.—I.]
b 1 Sa.xviii.-xxvii.
2 They were armed with bows, and could use both the cright hand and the left in hurling stones,3 and shooting arrows out of a bow, even of Saul's brethren of Benjamin.
c Ju.20.16. 1 Sa.17.49.
3 Most probably in slinging stones. See Ju.20.16.—C.
3 The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah4 the dGibeathite; and Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; and Berachah, and Jehu the eAntothite,
4 And Ismaiah the fGibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty; and Jeremiah, and Jahaziel, and Johanan, and Jozabad the gGederathite,
6 Elkanah, and Jesiah, and Azareel, and Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korhites,
7 And Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of iGedor.
i Jos.15.36,58. ch.4.4,18,39.
8 And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David,5 into kthe hold to the wilderness, men of might, and men of war6 fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler,7 whose lfaces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes8 upon the mountains;9
A.M. 2948. B.C. 1056.
5 About 1058.
k 1 Sa.23.14,29; 24.22.
6 Heb. of host.
7 Various countries and tribes use different weapons, and the minute and graphic description of this variety furnishes an internal proof that the history was written at the period described. Alas! that the sinfulness of man should prompt his ingenuity to discover such various modes of destruction! Hasten, Lord, the promised reign of the glorious 'Prince of peace.'—C.
l Pr.28.1, 2 Sa.17.10; 23.20; 1.23; 2.18.
8 Heb. as the roes upon the mountains to make haste.
9 The Gadites were a warlike race. Their own semi-nomad habits, the position and physical characteristics of their allotted territory, had great influence in moulding the character of the people, and training them to war. Gilead was mountainous—it was a land of roving shepherds, moving camps, and wild adventure. The Gadites were devotedly attached to both Saul and David. Some of their warriors followed the fortunes of the latter in the darkest epochs of his eventful history.—P.
9 Ezer the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third,
10 Mishmanna the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,
11 Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
12 Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,
13 Jeremiah the tenth, Machbanai the eleventh.
14 These were of the sons of Gad, captains of the host: mone of the least was over an hundred, and the greatest over a thousand.1
m Or, one that was least could resist a hundred, and the greatest a thousand, Le.26.8.
1 It is not improbable that, though fewer at first, the Gadite auxiliaries of David should soon increase to 1000, which would constitute the following of these eleven chiefs.—C.
15 These are they that went over Jordan in the first month, when it nhad overflown2 all his banks; and they put to flight all them of the valleys, both toward the east, and toward the west.
16 And there came of the children of Benjamin and Judah oto the hold unto David.3
o ch.11.16; ver.8. 1 Sa.23.14,29; 24.22.
3 There are several places called the hold, as Adullam, 1 Sa. 22. 4, the caves of Engedi, 24. 22—that in the text is Ziklag, as appears from ver. 1.—Note, Those natural fortresses into which David so often fled, and in which he found protection, should remind us of the sure defence, and of 'fleeing to the stronghold as prisoners of hope.'—C.
17 And David went out to meet them,4 and answered and said unto them, If ye be come peaceably unto me to help me, mine heart shall bep knit unto you: but if ye be come to betray me to mine enemies, seeing there is no qwrong in mine hands, the God of our fathers look thereon, and rrebuke it.
4 Heb. before them.
p Heb. be one, 2 Ki.10.15. Phi.1.27. 2 Co.13.11. 1 Co.1.10.
q Or, violence, 1 Sa.24.11,17; 26.18.
18 Then sthe spirit came upon tAmasai, who was chief of the captains, and he said, Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse: peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thine helpers; for thy God helpeth thee. Then David received them, and made them captains of the band.
19 And there fell some of Manasseh to David, when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battle; but they helped them not: for uthe lords of the Philistines, upon advisement, sent him away, saying, He will fall to his master Saul,5 to the jeopardy of our heads.6
u 1 Sa.29.2-4.
5 'By our heads he will return to his master Saul,' i.e. he will in the midst of the battle turn upon and slay us, and thus our overthrow will be the price of a friendly reception with Saul. This was the opinion formed of David by the Philistine chiefs.—P.
6 Heb. on our heads.
20 As he xwent to Ziklag, there fell to him of Manasseh, Adnah, and Jozabad, and Jediael, and Michael, and Jozabad, and Elihu, and Zilthai, captains of the thousands that were of Manasseh.
x 1 Sa.29.11. De.33.25.
21 And they helped David yagainst the band7 of the rovers:8 for they were all zmighty men of valour, and were captains in the host.
y 1 Sa.30.1-17, i.e. Amalekites.
7 Or, with a band.
8 That is, against the Amalekites who had invaded Ziklag in David's absence, 1 Sa.30.1-3.—C.
z ch.5.24.
22 For at that time, aday by day, there came to David to help him, until it was a great host, like the host of God.9
A.M. 2948. B.C. 1056.
a 2 Sa.2.3,4; 3.1. He.11.34. Job 17.9.
9 Terrible and numerous as the angelic armies which Jacob saw, Ge.32.1,2.—C.
23 And bthese are the numbers of the 1bands2 that were ready armed to the war, and came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, caccording to the word of the LORD.3
b 2 Sa.5.2,3. ch.11.1-3; 10.14.
1 Or captains, or men.
2 Heb. heads.
c 1 Sa.13.14; 5.28; 16.12-14. Ps.2.6; 89.19-35. Ge.49.8-10. ch.11.3,10.
3 B.C. 1048.
24 Thed children of Judah, that bare shield and spear, were six thousand and eight hundred, ready armed4 to the war.
d Ge.46.12. Nu.1.26,27; 2.3,4; 26.22.
4 Or, prepared.
25 Ofe the children of Simeon, mighty men of valour for the war, seven thousand and one hundred.
e Nu. 1. 22, 23; 2. 12, 13; 26. 12-14. ch. 4. 24-43, with Ge.46.10.
27 And Jehoiada was the leader of the Aaronites, and with him were three thousand and seven hundred;
29 Andh of the children of Benjamin, the kindred5 of Saul, three thousand: for hitherto the greatest part6 of them ihad kept the ward of the house of Saul.7
h Ge.46.21. Nu.1.36,37; 2.22,23; 26.38-41. ch.viii.ix.
5 Heb. brethren.
6 Heb. a multitude of them.
i 2 Sa.2.8,9.
7 The meaning of this statement appears to be, that the number sent by the tribe of Benjamin was very small, but was owing to the fact that hitherto the great mass of the tribe had been careful guardians of the house and interest of Saul. Even after the death of Ishbosheth, a large part of the tribe of Benjamin hesitated to acknowledge David as king.—P.
30 Andk of the children of Ephraim, twenty thousand and eight hundred, mighty men of valour, lfamous throughout the house of their fathers.
k Ge. 46. 20; 48. 19. Nu.1.32,33; 2.18,19; 26.35-37. ch.7.20-27.
l Heb. men of names, Ge.6.4.
31 And of the mhalf-tribe of Manasseh, eighteen thousand, which were expressed by name,8 to come and make David king.
m Who dwelt on the west of Jordan, Jos.xvii.
8 Most probably this peculiarity is mentioned because the western half-tribe of Manasseh lay in three separate portions, which rendered a simultaneous movement less easy, and a selection by name more requisite, than in the other tribes.—C.
32 And nof the children of Issachar, which were men that had ounderstanding of the 9times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.
33 Ofp Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war,1 with all instruments of war, fifty thousand, which could keep rank:2 they were qnot of double heart.3
p Ge.46.14. Nu.1.30,31; 2.7,8; 26.26,27.
1 Or rangers of battle, or ranged in battle.
2 Or, set the battle in array.
q Heb. without a heart and a heart. Not Ps. 12. 2, but Jn. 1.47
3 Double is opposed to perfect, ver. 38; they were all sincerely affected towards David, though so numerous. By its being said they could 'keep rank,' it seems implied that the rest could not, and that attention was beginning to be paid to the training of troops to act in organized masses. But the Sept. and Vulg. read the original word so as to make the clause mean that the men of Zebulun came to assist David, not that they could keep rank.—I.
34 And rof Naphtali a thousand captains, and with them, with shield and spear, thirty and seven thousand.
r Ge.46.24. Nu.1.38-43; 2.25-31; 26.42-50.
35 And of the Danites, expert in war, twenty and eight thousand and six hundred.
36 And of Asher, such as went forth to battle, expert in war,4 forty thousand.
4 Or, keeping their rank.
37 And son the other side of Jordan, of the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and of the half-tribe of Manasseh, with all manner of instruments of war for the battle, an hundred and twenty thousand.
s Nu.32.33; 24.25,35; 26.7,18,34. Jos.3.12,13; 13.8-33; xxii.
38 Allt these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king.
A.M. 2948. B.C. 1056.
t Ge.49.8,10. Ps.110.3. Zec.8.21,22. Re.11.15. Is.11.10; liv.lx.
39 And there they were with David three days, ueating and drinking: for their brethren had prepared for them.
40 Moreover, they that were nigh them, even unto Issachar, and Zebulun, and Naphtali, brought bread5 on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen,6 and xmeat, meal, cakes of figs, and bunches of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep abundantly: for there was joyy in Israel.7
5 For bread the Septuagint reads to them. In whichever sense it is understood, the narrative furnishes a happy example of the increasing riches of the kingdom during the brief period of David's administration. The introduction of the 'joy in Israel,' renders probable that these contributions were chiefly, if not altogether freely bestowed. Even so, the early church had 'all things in common,' an emblem and foretaste of that better time, when the Lord shall 'make all things new.'—C.
6 'We see that oxen were used as beasts of burden. The form of back in these animals does not adapt them for this service, but in the East they are still required to perform it, and they do it well, though in their deliberate and quiet way. Greek writers intimate the same use of oxen. At present, in different parts of Asia, they are employed for riding, burden, or draught.'—Kitto.
x Or, victual of meal, Le.2.4,5,7. 1 Sa.25.18. 2 Sa.16.1.
y Pr.29.2; 11.10. Je.23.5,6. Re.11.17; 19.1-8.
7 The allotted possessions of the northern tribes were much richer in agricultural produce than those of the southern. The section of southern Palestine held by the Israelites was mainly a pastoral mountainous region. But the fertile plains of Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali were famous for their crops of grain.—P.
Notes
[Ver. 33. Fifty thousand which could keep rank. A rare accomplishment in eastern warfare, which is rather a succession of duels, in which each man pursues his own plan, than a combined movement in which one spirit wields the energies of the whole mass. The Septuagint and Vulgate, adopting a different reading of the Hebrew, render it to assist, but we can see no good reason to prefer this reading. C.]
Reflections.—The Lord can easily bow the hearts of men, and sometimes he uses the wicked to accomplish his purposes. And when we are in the way to Jesus and our duty, no high-swelled Jordans of difficulty ought to hinder or discourage us. Swiftly ought we to flee from evil, and boldly to maintain the cause of truth. Such as have once been endangered by false friends had need to be cautious. And with great prudence, and the kindest affection, should great men receive and entertain those who come to their help in a time of distress. With prudent earnestness ought we to join those whom the Lord plainly favours, helps, and protects; and much more to join with Jesus Christ, in whom his soul delights, and who exalts all his servants to high and eternal honours. How often God raises up help for his people in the very moments in which they most need it! And hopeful is the state of a kingdom when kings ascend their throne to the universal satisfaction of their subjects, especially the most pious and prudent. Thus may the nations quickly flock to Jesus, when he takes to himself his great power and reigns! May all the ends of the earth remember and turn to the Lord;—and the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ.