English · ASV

1 Chronicles 12

Listen to this chapter
0:00 0:00

Men Join David at Ziklag 1–7

1
Now these are they that came to David to Ziklag, while he yet kept himself close because of Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men, his helpers in war. ​
2
They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in slinging stones and in shooting arrows from the bow: they were of Saul’s brethren of Benjamin. ​
3
The chief was Ahiezer; then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite, and Jeziel, and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth, and Beracah, and Jehu the Anathothite,
4
and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty, and Jeremiah, and Jahaziel, and Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite,
5
Eluzai, and Jerimoth, and Bealiah, and Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite,
6
Elkanah, and Isshiah, and Azarel, and Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites,
7
and Joelah, and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

The Mighty Gadite Warriors 8–15

8
And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David to the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, that could handle shield and spear; whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the roes upon the mountains: ​
9
Ezer the chief, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third,
10
Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,
11
Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
12
Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,
13
Jeremiah the tenth, Machbannai the eleventh.
14
These of the sons of Gad were captains of the host: he that was least was equal to a hundred, and the greatest to a thousand. ​
15
These are they that went over the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its banks; and they put to flight all them of the valleys, both toward the east and toward the west. ​

David Receives Allies and Amasai's Prophecy 16–22

16
And there came of the children of Benjamin and Judah to the stronghold unto David.
17
And David went out to meet them, and answered and said unto them, If ye be come peaceably unto me to help me, my heart shall be knit unto you; but if ye be come to betray me to mine adversaries, seeing there is no wrong in my hands, the God of our fathers look thereon, and rebuke it. ​
18
Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, who was chief of the thirty, and he said, Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse: peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thy helpers; for thy God helpeth thee. Then David received them, and made them captains of the band. ​
19
Of Manasseh also there fell away some to David, when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battle: but they helped them not; for the lords of the Philistines upon advisement sent him away, saying, He will fall away to his master Saul to the jeopardy of our heads. ​
20
As he went to Ziklag, there fell to him of Manasseh, Adnah, and Jozabad, and Jediael, and Michael, and Jozabad, and Elihu, and Zillethai, captains of thousands that were of Manasseh.
21
And they helped David against the band of rovers: for they were all mighty men of valor, and were captains in the host.
22
For from day to day men came to David to help him, until there was a great host, like the host of God. ​

The Great Assembly at Hebron to Crown David 23–40

23
And these are the numbers of the heads of them that were armed for war, who came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of Jehovah. ​
24
The children of Judah that bare shield and spear were six thousand and eight hundred, armed for war.
25
Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valor for the war, seven thousand and one hundred.
26
Of the children of Levi four thousand and six hundred.
27
And Jehoiada was the leader of the house of Aaron; and with him were three thousand and seven hundred, ​
28
and Zadok, a young man mighty of valor, and of his father’s house twenty and two captains. ​
29
And of the children of Benjamin, the brethren of Saul, three thousand: for hitherto the greatest part of them had kept their allegiance to the house of Saul. ​
30
And of the children of Ephraim twenty thousand and eight hundred, mighty men of valor, famous men in their fathers’ houses.
31
And of the half-tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, who were mentioned by name, to come and make David king.
32
And of the children of Issachar, men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment. ​
33
Of Zebulun, such as were able to go out in the host, that could set the battle in array, with all manner of instruments of war, fifty thousand, and that could order the battle array, and were not of double heart. ​
34
And of Naphtali a thousand captains, and with them with shield and spear thirty and seven thousand.
35
And of the Danites that could set the battle in array, twenty and eight thousand and six hundred.
36
And of Asher, such as were able to go out in the host, that could set the battle in array, forty thousand.
37
And on the other side of the Jordan, of the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and of the half-tribe of Manasseh, with all manner of instruments of war for the battle, a hundred and twenty thousand. ​
38
All these, being men of war, that could order the battle array, 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. ​
39
And they were there with David three days, eating and drinking; for their brethren had made preparation for them.
40
Moreover they that were nigh unto them, even as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, victuals of meal, cakes of figs, and clusters of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep in abundance: for there was joy in Israel. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for 1 Chronicles 12

Verse 1

helpers of the war — Azar, to help, is the word that runs through the chapter: the men come to help David (vv.17, 21, 22), and 'thy God helpeth thee' (v.18). Ziklag was the town Achish gave him (1 Sam 27:6). There he 'kept himself close' (atsar, held back, shut in) from Saul the son of Kish, whom he refused to strike (1 Sam 24:12).

Verse 2

use both the right hand and the left — Benjamin was known for skilled hands: seven hundred of its men were left-handed slingers who 'could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss' (Judg 20:16), and Ehud the deliverer was 'a Benjamite, a man lefthanded' (Judg 3:15). These came from 'Saul's brethren', his own tribe, to join the man Saul hunted.

Verse 8

faces were like the faces of lions — The Gadites 'separated themselves' (badal) to David in the hold in the wilderness. 'Shield' is tsinnah, the large shield, and 'buckler' stands for romach, a spear. David himself used the likeness of lions and speed: 'swifter than eagles… stronger than lions' (2 Sam 1:23); the roe is said of Asahel: 'as light of foot as a wild roe' (2 Sam 2:18).

Verse 14

one of the least was over an hundred, and the greatest over a thousand — These Gadites are 'captains of the host'. The scale of hundreds and thousands is Israel's own order of command, set up in the wilderness when Moses chose men as 'rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens' (Ex 18:25).

Verse 15

went over Jordan in the first month, when it had overflown all his banks — The first month falls in spring, the season when 'Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest' (Josh 3:15), the flood Israel met entering the land. The Gadites lived on the east side (v.37). 'Put to flight' is barach; the valley dwellers flee to east and west.

Verse 17

mine heart shall be knit unto you — Yachad, 'together': his heart will be one with theirs. The test is whether they come in peace. 'No wrong in mine hands' is literally no violence (chamas); he had spared Saul, saying 'there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand' (1 Sam 24:11). The God of the fathers is called to judge, as in 1 Sam 24:12, 'The LORD judge between me and thee'.

Verse 18

the spirit came upon Amasai — Labash, to put on as a garment: the Spirit clothes him, the verb used of Gideon (Judg 6:34) and Zechariah (2 Chr 24:20). His words are a pledge: 'Thine are we, David, and on thy side', with 'peace' three times (shalom), and 'thy God helpeth thee' (azar) answers David's 'to help me' (v.17). David 'received them' and made them captains.

Verse 19

the lords of the Philistines upon advisement sent him away — The scene is 1 Sam 29, where the Philistine princes refused him: 'should it not be with the heads of these men?' (1 Sam 29:4), the 'jeopardy of our heads' here. The refusal kept David from the battle against Israel, and as he went to Ziklag men of Manasseh 'fell' (naphal, deserted) to him (v.20).

Verse 22

like the host of God — Machaneh, camp or host. The phrase recalls Jacob at Mahanaim: 'This is God's host' (Gen 32:2). 'Day by day' they came 'to help' him (azar), until the camp was great. Mahanaim means 'two hosts', and the name Jacob gave there is the one Abner later made Ish-bosheth's seat (2 Sam 2:8).

Verse 23

according to the word of the LORD — Literally 'according to the mouth of the LORD' (peh). 1 Chr 10:14 had said that the LORD 'turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse', the same verb sabab as 'to turn' here. Hebron is where the tribes later came to anoint him (2 Sam 5:1–3). What follows is the roll of the contingents, tribe by tribe.

Verse 27

the leader of the Aaronites — Nagid, leader, the title the LORD gave David himself: 'ruler over Israel' (1 Sam 25:30). Priests come in arms: 3,700 from the house of Aaron, with the Levites, 'four thousand and six hundred' (v.26), and Zadok's house in v.28. The tribe that served at the altar stands among those who turn the kingdom to David.

Verse 28

Zadok, a young man mighty of valour — Here Zadok is a soldier, gibbor chayil, with 'twenty and two captains' of his father's house. He is the priest who was not with Adonijah (1 Kgs 1:8) and took Abiathar's place under Solomon (1 Kgs 2:35). Ezekiel's vision gives the priestly service of the new house to 'the sons of Zadok' (Ezek 44:15).

Verse 29

had kept the ward of the house of Saul — Mishmereth, a post or watch. Benjamin had held Saul's: after his death Abner made Ish-bosheth king over 'Benjamin, and over all Israel', while 'the house of Judah followed David' (2 Sam 2:9–10). That 3,000 of Saul's tribe now come to Hebron shows the kingdom turning (v.23).

Verse 32

understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do — Issachar's gift is knowledge that leads to action: binah, understanding, of the ittim, the times. Ahasuerus's wise men were those 'which knew the times' (Esth 1:13), and Christ asks, 'can ye not discern the signs of the times?' (Matt 16:3). Only two hundred are heads, yet all their brethren are 'at their commandment'.

Verse 33

not of double heart — Literally 'without heart and heart' (lev valev), the reverse of the speech in Ps 12:2, 'with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak'. Zebulun's fifty thousand are 'expert in war' (arak, set in array) and 'could keep rank', and are undivided in purpose. Their number is the largest of the tribes west of Jordan.

Verse 37

on the other side of Jordan — Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh had their land east of the river from Moses (Num 32:33), on the word that their mighty men 'shall pass before your brethren armed… and help them' (Josh 1:14). They come to Hebron with 'all manner of instruments of war', and at 120,000 are the largest company in the chapter.

Verse 38

with a perfect heart — Shalem, whole, complete; David later charges Solomon to 'serve him with a perfect heart' (1 Chr 28:9), and the people give 'with perfect heart' for the temple (1 Chr 29:9). The rest of Israel is 'of one heart' (lev echad). The purpose is named twice, to 'make David king over all Israel', the coronation told in 2 Sam 5:1–3.

Verse 40

for there was joy in Israel — Simchah, gladness. The tribes nearest bring provisions: bread, meal, 'cakes of figs, and bunches of raisins', wine, oil, oxen and sheep. The men at Hebron are 'eating and drinking' with David for three days (v.39). Solomon's anointing is marked the same way: 'did eat and drink before the LORD on that day with great gladness' (1 Chr 29:22).