Discovery Box1 Chronicles 11:19-47
Context11:19 and said, “God forbid that I should do this! 1 Should I drink the blood of these men who risked their lives?” 2 Because they risked their lives to bring it to him, he refused to drink it. Such were the exploits of the three elite warriors. 3
11:20 Abishai the brother of Joab was head of the three 4 elite warriors. He killed three hundred men with his spear 5 and gained fame along with the three elite warriors. 6 11:21 From 7 the three he was given double honor and he became their officer, even though he was not one of them. 8
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; 9 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 10 tall. The Egyptian had a spear as big as the crossbeam of a weaver’s loom; Benaiah attacked 11 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 12 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, 13
11:27 Shammoth the Harorite, 14
Helez the Pelonite, 15
11:28 Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,
Abiezer the Anathothite,
11:29 Sibbekai 16 the Hushathite,
Ilai 17 the Ahohite,
11:30 Maharai the Netophathite,
Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite,
11:31 Ithai 18 son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjaminite territory,
Benaiah the Pirathonite,
11:32 Hurai 19 from the valleys of Gaash,
Abiel 20 the Arbathite,
11:33 Azmaveth the Baharumite, 21
Eliahba the Shaalbonite,
11:34 the sons of Hashem 22 the Gizonite,
Jonathan son of Shageh 23 the Hararite,
11:35 Ahiam son of Sakar 24 the Hararite,
Eliphal son of Ur, 25
11:36 Hepher the Mekerathite,
Ahijah the Pelonite,
Naarai son of Ezbai,
11:38 Joel the brother of Nathan, 27
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.
[11:19] 1 tn Heb “Far be it to me from my God from doing this.”
[11:19] 2 tn Heb “with their lives.” The same expression occurs later in this verse.
[11:19] 3 tn Heb “These things the three warriors did.”
[11:20] 4 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] 5 tn Heb “he was wielding his spear against three hundred, [who were] slain.”
[11:20] 6 tn Heb “and to him [reading with the Qere] there was a name among the three.”
[11:21] 8 tn Heb “of the three.”
[11:22] 9 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] 10 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] 11 tn Heb “went down to.”
[11:26] 13 map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[11:27] 14 tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:25 has the variant spelling of “Shammah.”
[11:27] 15 tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:26 has the variant spelling of “Paltite.”
[11:29] 16 tn In 2 Sam 23:27 this individual’s name is given as “Mebunnai.”
[11:29] 17 tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:28 has the variant “Zalmon.”
[11:31] 18 tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:29 has the variant spelling “Ittai.”
[11:32] 19 tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:28 has the variant spelling “Hiddai.”
[11:32] 20 tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:31 has the variant spelling “Abi-Albon.”
[11:33] 21 tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:31 has the variant spelling “Barhumite.”
[11:34] 22 tn In 2 Sam 23:32 this individual’s name is given as “Jashen.”
[11:34] 23 tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:33 has the variant spelling “Shammah.”
[11:35] 24 tn In 2 Sam 23:33 this individual’s name is given as “Sharar.”
[11:35] 25 tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:34 has the variant “Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maacathite.”
[11:37] 26 tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:35 has the variant spelling “Hezrai.”
[11:38] 27 tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:36 has the variant “Igal son of Nathan from Zobah.”
