Discovery Box1 Chronicles 11:10--12:40
Context11:10 These were the leaders of David’s warriors who helped establish and stabilize his rule over all Israel, in accordance with the Lord’s word. 1 11:11 This is the list of David’s warriors: 2
Jashobeam, a Hacmonite, was head of the officers. 3 He killed three hundred men with his spear in a single battle. 4
11:12 Next in command 5 was Eleazar son of Dodo the Ahohite. He was one of the three elite warriors. 11:13 He was with David in Pas Dammim 6 when the Philistines assembled there for battle. In an area of the field that was full of barley, the army retreated before the Philistines, 11:14 but then they made a stand in the middle of that area. They defended it 7 and defeated the Philistines; the Lord gave them a great victory. 8
11:15 Three of the thirty leaders went down to David at the rocky cliff at the cave of Adullam, while a Philistine force was camped in the Valley of Rephaim. 11:16 David was in the stronghold at the time, while a Philistine garrison was in Bethlehem. 9 11:17 David was thirsty and said, “How I wish someone would give me some water to drink 10 from the cistern in Bethlehem near the city gate!” 11:18 So the three elite warriors 11 broke through the Philistine forces and drew some water from the cistern in Bethlehem near the city gate. They carried it back to David, but David refused to drink it. He poured it out as a drink offering to the Lord 11:19 and said, “God forbid that I should do this! 12 Should I drink the blood of these men who risked their lives?” 13 Because they risked their lives to bring it to him, he refused to drink it. Such were the exploits of the three elite warriors. 14
11:20 Abishai the brother of Joab was head of the three 15 elite warriors. He killed three hundred men with his spear 16 and gained fame along with the three elite warriors. 17 11:21 From 18 the three he was given double honor and he became their officer, even though he was not one of them. 19
11:22 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a brave warrior from Kabzeel who performed great exploits. He struck down the two sons of Ariel of Moab; 20 he also went down and killed a lion inside a cistern on a snowy day. 11:23 He even killed an Egyptian who was seven and a half feet 21 tall. The Egyptian had a spear as big as the crossbeam of a weaver’s loom; Benaiah attacked 22 him with a club. He grabbed the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 11:24 Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who gained fame along with the three elite warriors. 11:25 He received honor from 23 the thirty warriors, though he was not one of the three elite warriors. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.
11:26 The mighty warriors were:
Asahel the brother of Joab,
Elhanan son of Dodo, from Bethlehem, 24
11:27 Shammoth the Harorite, 25
Helez the Pelonite, 26
11:28 Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,
Abiezer the Anathothite,
11:29 Sibbekai 27 the Hushathite,
Ilai 28 the Ahohite,
11:30 Maharai the Netophathite,
Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite,
11:31 Ithai 29 son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjaminite territory,
Benaiah the Pirathonite,
11:32 Hurai 30 from the valleys of Gaash,
Abiel 31 the Arbathite,
11:33 Azmaveth the Baharumite, 32
Eliahba the Shaalbonite,
11:34 the sons of Hashem 33 the Gizonite,
Jonathan son of Shageh 34 the Hararite,
11:35 Ahiam son of Sakar 35 the Hararite,
Eliphal son of Ur, 36
11:36 Hepher the Mekerathite,
Ahijah the Pelonite,
Naarai son of Ezbai,
11:38 Joel the brother of Nathan, 38
Mibhar son of Hagri,
11:39 Zelek the Ammonite,
Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,
11:40 Ira the Ithrite,
Gareb the Ithrite,
11:41 Uriah the Hittite,
Zabad son of Achli,
11:42 Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, leader of the Reubenites and the thirty warriors with him,
11:43 Hanan son of Maacah,
Joshaphat the Mithnite,
11:44 Uzzia the Ashterathite,
Shama and Jeiel, the sons of Hotham the Aroerite,
11:45 Jediael son of Shimri,
and Joha his brother, the Tizite,
11:46 Eliel the Mahavite,
and Jeribai and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam,
and Ithmah the Moabite,
11:47 Eliel,
and Obed,
and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.
12:1 These were the men who joined David in Ziklag, when he was banished 39 from the presence of Saul son of Kish. (They were among the warriors who assisted him in battle. 12:2 They were armed with bows and could shoot arrows or sling stones right or left-handed. They were fellow tribesmen of Saul from Benjamin. 40 ) These were: 41
12:3 Ahiezer, the leader, and Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth;
Berachah,
Jehu the Anathothite,
12:4 Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, one of the thirty warriors and their leader,
(12:5)42 Jeremiah,
Jahaziel,
Johanan,
Jozabad the Gederathite,
12:5 (12:6) Eluzai,
Jerimoth,
Bealiah,
Shemariah,
Shephatiah the Haruphite,
12:6 Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, who were Korahites,
12:7 and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham from Gedor.
12:8 Some of the Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the desert. They were warriors who were trained for battle; they carried shields and spears. They were as fierce as lions and could run as quickly as gazelles across the hills. 43 12:9 Ezer was the leader, Obadiah the second in command, Eliab the third, 12:10 Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, 12:11 Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, 12:12 Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, 12:13 Jeremiah the tenth, and Machbannai the eleventh. 12:14 These Gadites were military leaders; the least led a hundred men, the greatest a thousand. 44 12:15 They crossed the Jordan River 45 in the first month, 46 when it was overflowing its banks, and routed those living in all the valleys to the east and west. 47
12:16 Some from Benjamin and Judah also came to David’s stronghold. 12:17 David went out to meet them and said, 48 “If you come to me in peace and want to help me, then I will make an alliance with you. 49 But if you come to betray me to my enemies when I have not harmed you, 50 may the God of our ancestors 51 take notice and judge!” 12:18 But a spirit 52 empowered 53 Amasai, the leader of the thirty warriors, and he said: 54
“We are yours, O David!
We support 55 you, O son of Jesse!
May you greatly prosper! 56
May those who help you prosper! 57
Indeed 58 your God helps you!”
So David accepted them and made them leaders of raiding bands.
12:19 Some men from Manasseh joined 59 David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. (But in the end they did not help the Philistines because, after taking counsel, the Philistine lords sent David away, saying: “It would be disastrous for us if he deserts to his master Saul.”) 60 12:20 When David 61 went to Ziklag, the men of Manasseh who joined him were Adnach, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, leaders of a thousand soldiers each in the tribe of Manasseh. 12:21 They helped David fight against raiding bands, for all of them were warriors and leaders in the army. 12:22 Each day men came to help David until his army became very large. 62
12:23 The following is a record of the armed warriors who came with their leaders and joined David in Hebron in order to make David king in Saul’s place, in accordance with the Lord’s decree: 63
12:24 From Judah came 6,800 trained warriors carrying shields and spears. 64
12:25 From Simeon there were 7,100 warriors.
12:26 From Levi there were 4,600. 12:27 Jehoiada, the leader of Aaron’s descendants, brought 3,700 men with him, 12:28 along with Zadok, a young warrior, and twenty-two leaders from his family.
12:29 From Benjamin, Saul’s tribe, 65 there were 3,000, most of whom, up to that time, had been loyal to Saul. 66
12:30 From Ephraim there were 20,800 warriors, who had brought fame to their families. 67
12:31 From the half tribe of Manasseh there were 18,000 who had been designated by name to come and make David king.
12:32 From Issachar there were 200 leaders and all their relatives at their command – they understood the times and knew what Israel should do. 68
12:33 From Zebulun there were 50,000 warriors who were prepared for battle, equipped with all kinds of weapons, and ready to give their undivided loyalty. 69
12:34 From Naphtali there were 1,000 officers, along with 37,000 men carrying shields and spears.
12:35 From Dan there were 28,600 men prepared for battle.
12:36 From Asher there were 40,000 warriors prepared for battle.
12:37 From the other side of the Jordan, from Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, there were 120,000 men armed with all kinds of weapons.
12:38 All these men were warriors who were ready to march. 70 They came to Hebron to make David king over all Israel by acclamation; 71 all the rest of the Israelites also were in agreement that David should become king. 72 12:39 They spent three days feasting 73 there with David, for their relatives had given them provisions. 12:40 Also their neighbors, from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, were bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen. There were large supplies of flour, fig cakes, raisins, wine, olive oil, beef, and lamb, 74 for Israel was celebrating. 75
[11:10] 1 tn Heb “and these were the heads of the warriors who were David’s, who held strongly with him in his kingdom and with all Israel to make him king, according to the word of the
[11:11] 2 tn Heb “and these are the number of the warriors who were David’s.”
[11:11] 3 tc The marginal reading (Qere) has “officers;” the consonantal text (Kethib) has “the Thirty” (see v. 15).
[11:11] 4 tn Heb “he was wielding his spear against 300, [who were] slain at one time.”
[11:13] 6 tc Some read here “Ephes Dammim.” See 1 Sam 17:1.
[11:14] 7 tn Heb “delivered it.”
[11:14] 8 tn Heb “and the
[11:16] 9 map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[11:17] 10 tn Heb “Who will give me water to drink?” On the rhetorical use of מִי (mi) here, see BDB 566 s.v. f.
[11:18] 11 tn Heb “the three,” referring to the three elite warriors mentioned in v. 12.
[11:19] 12 tn Heb “Far be it to me from my God from doing this.”
[11:19] 13 tn Heb “with their lives.” The same expression occurs later in this verse.
[11:19] 14 tn Heb “These things the three warriors did.”
[11:20] 15 tc The Syriac reads “thirty” here and at the beginning of v. 21; this reading is followed by some English translations (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT).
[11:20] 16 tn Heb “he was wielding his spear against three hundred, [who were] slain.”
[11:20] 17 tn Heb “and to him [reading with the Qere] there was a name among the three.”
[11:21] 19 tn Heb “of the three.”
[11:22] 20 tc Heb “the two of Ariel, Moab.” The precise meaning of אֲרִיאֵל (’ari’el) is uncertain; some read “warrior.” The present translation assumes that the word is a proper name and that בְּנֵי (bÿney, “sons of”) has accidentally dropped from the text by homoioarcton (note the preceding שְׁנֵי, shÿney).
[11:23] 21 tn Heb “five cubits.” Assuming a length of 18 inches for the standard cubit, this individual would be 7.5 feet (2.3 m) tall.
[11:23] 22 tn Heb “went down to.”
[11:26] 24 map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[11:27] 25 tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:25 has the variant spelling of “Shammah.”
[11:27] 26 tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:26 has the variant spelling of “Paltite.”
[11:29] 27 tn In 2 Sam 23:27 this individual’s name is given as “Mebunnai.”
[11:29] 28 tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:28 has the variant “Zalmon.”
[11:31] 29 tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:29 has the variant spelling “Ittai.”
[11:32] 30 tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:28 has the variant spelling “Hiddai.”
[11:32] 31 tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:31 has the variant spelling “Abi-Albon.”
[11:33] 32 tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:31 has the variant spelling “Barhumite.”
[11:34] 33 tn In 2 Sam 23:32 this individual’s name is given as “Jashen.”
[11:34] 34 tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:33 has the variant spelling “Shammah.”
[11:35] 35 tn In 2 Sam 23:33 this individual’s name is given as “Sharar.”
[11:35] 36 tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:34 has the variant “Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maacathite.”
[11:37] 37 tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:35 has the variant spelling “Hezrai.”
[11:38] 38 tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:36 has the variant “Igal son of Nathan from Zobah.”
[12:2] 40 tn Heb “ones armed with bow[s], using the right hand and the left hand with stones and with arrows with the bow, from the brothers of Saul from Benjamin.”
[12:2] 41 tn The words “These were” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons, because of the length of the intervening material since the beginning of the verse.
[12:4] 42 sn In the Hebrew text (BHS) a verse division occurs at this point, and for the remainder of the chapter the verse numbers of the Hebrew Bible differ by one from the English Bible. Thus 1 Chr 12:4b ET = 12:5 HT, and 12:5-40 ET = 12:6-41 HT. Beginning with 13:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
[12:8] 43 tn Heb “warriors, men of battle for war, prepared with shield and spear, and [like] the face of a lion were their faces, and like gazelles on the hills to hurry.”
[12:14] 44 tn Heb “one for a hundred the small, and the great for a thousand.” Another option is to translate the preposition -לְ (lamed) as “against” and to understand this as a hyperbolic reference to their prowess: “the least could stand against a hundred, the greatest against a thousand.”
[12:15] 45 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied for clarity.
[12:15] 46 sn That is, March-April.
[12:15] 47 tn Heb “and they chased all the valleys to the east and to the west.”
[12:17] 48 tn Heb “and David went out before them and answered and said to them.”
[12:17] 49 tn Heb “there will be to me concerning you a heart for unity.”
[12:17] 50 tn Heb “with no violence in my hands.”
[12:18] 52 tn Perhaps “the Spirit,” but the text has simply רוּחַ (ruakh) with no article (suggesting an indefinite reference).
[12:18] 54 tn The words “and he said” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[12:18] 56 tn Heb “Peace, peace to you.” The Hebrew term שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) is repeated to emphasize degree.
[12:18] 57 tn Heb “and peace to the one who helps you.”
[12:19] 59 tn Heb “fell upon,” here in a good sense.
[12:19] 60 tn Heb “and they did not help them for by counsel they sent him away, the lords of the Philistines, saying, ‘With our heads he will fall to his master Saul.’”
[12:20] 61 tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:22] 62 tn Heb “for at the time of day in a day they were coming to David to help him until [there was] a great camp like the camp of God.” The term אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “God”) is probably used idiomatically here to indicate the superlative.
[12:23] 63 tn Heb “these are the numbers of the heads of the forces armed for battle [who] came to David in Hebron to turn over the kingdom of Saul to him according to the mouth of the
[12:24] 64 tn Heb “the sons of Judah, carrying shield and spear, [were] 6,800 armed for battle.”
[12:29] 65 tn Heb “from the sons of Benjamin, the brothers of Saul.”
[12:29] 66 tn Heb “and until then, the majority of them were keeping the charge of the house of Saul.”
[12:30] 67 tn Heb “men of names for the house of their fathers.”
[12:32] 68 tn Heb “from the sons of Issachar, knowers of understanding for times to know what Israel should do, their heads [were] 200, and all their brothers according to their mouth.”
[12:33] 69 tn Heb “from Zebulun, those going out for battle, prepared for war with all weapons of war, 50,000, and to help without a heart and a heart.”
[12:38] 70 tc Heb “all these [were] men of war, helpers of the battle line.” The present translation assumes an emendation of עֹדְרֵי (’odÿrey, “helpers of”) to עֹרְכֵי, (’orÿkhey, “prepared for”).
[12:38] 71 tn Heb “with a complete heart they came to Hebron to make David king over all Israel.”
[12:38] 72 tn Heb “and also all the rest of Israel [was of] one mind to make David king.”
[12:39] 73 tn Heb “eating and drinking.”
