1 Chronicles 12:1-40
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, helpers of the war.
2 They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows out of a bow, even of Saul's brethren of Benjamin.
3 The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaaha the Gibeathite; and Jeziel, and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; and Berachah, and Jehu the Antothite,
4 And Ismaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty; and Jeremiah, and Jahaziel, and Johanan, and Josabad the Gederathite,
5 Eluzai, and Jerimoth, and Bealiah, and Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite,
6 Elkanah, and Jesiah, and Azareel, and Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korhites,
7 And Joelah, and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.
8 And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David into the hold to the wilderness men of might, and men of warb fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains;
9 Ezer the first, 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, Machbanai the eleventh.
14 These were of the sons of Gad, captains of the host: onec of the least was over an hundred, and the greatest over a thousand.
15 These are they that went over Jordan in the first month, when it had overflownd 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 to the hold unto David.
17 And David went out to meete them, and answered and said unto them, If ye be come peaceably unto me to help me, mine heart shall be knit unto you: but if ye be come to betray me to mine enemies, seeing there is no wrong in mine hands, the God of our fathers look thereon, and rebuke it.
18 Then the spirit camef upon Amasai, 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 the lords of the Philistines upon advisement sent him away, saying, He will fall 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 Zilthai, captains of the thousands that were of Manasseh.
21 And they helped David against the band of the rovers: for they were all mighty men of valour, and were captains in the host.
22 For at that time day by day there came to David to help him, until it was a great host, like the host of God.
23 And these are the numbers of the bandsg that were ready armed to the war, and came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the LORD.
24 The children of Judah that bare shield and spear were six thousand and eight hundred, ready armedh to the war.
25 Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valour 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 Aaronites, and with him were three thousand and seven hundred;
28 And Zadok, a young man mighty of valour, and of his father's house twenty and two captains.
29 And of the children of Benjamin, the kindredi of Saul, three thousand: for hitherto the greatest part of them had kept the ward of the house of Saul.
30 And of the children of Ephraim twenty thousand and eight hundred, mighty men of valour, famousj throughout the house of their fathers.
31 And of the half tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, which were expressed by name, to come and make David king.
32 And of the children of Issachar, which were 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 went forth to battle, expertk in war, with all instruments of war, fifty thousand, which could keep rank: they 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 expert in war twenty and eight thousand and six hundred.
36 And of Asher, such as went forth to battle, expertl in war, forty thousand.
37 And on 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.
38 All 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.
39 And there they were with David three days, eating and drinking: for their brethren had prepared for them.
40 Moreover they that were nigh them, even unto Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, and meat,m meal, cakes of figs, and bunches of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep abundantly: for there was joy in Israel.
1 Chronicles 12:14. Over a thousand. David at Ziklag had but six hundred men; the query is, whether these had already been captains over a thousand, or whether David after his coronation promoted them to that rank?
1 Chronicles 12:17. If to betray me: for these were Saul's brethren! God moved their hearts to fulfil his pleasure, for they saw that David would rise to the throne.
1 Chronicles 12:22. Like the host of God, who is the Lord of hosts, whose army is greater than that of all princes. This figure of speech shows how men ran to David after the noble action of taking away Saul's spear, and sparing his life.
1 Chronicles 12:32. The children of Issachar that had understanding of the times, by the study of astronomy and gentile literature.
1 Chronicles 12:33. Expert in war. In Saul's time the young men of Israel, almost without exception, learned the arts of war.
REFLECTIONS.
We have here a farther account of David's rise to the throne. It could not but be whispered about that he was to succeed his father-in-law in the kingdom, and that Saul had acknowledged it in his last interview with David. Thus the son of Jesse rose in the estimation of his country, while Saul became more and more insupportable by his melancholy and violent temper. Thus those Benjamites, all valiant men, by an act of faith came to Ziklag, and risked their fortune with the hero of Israel's hope. David, apprized of their approach, went out to meet them, but with caution, for this tribe had aided Saul when pursuing him in the wilderness. Thus it is that Christ's kingdom shall rise, while the kingdom of darkness is troubled and falls into decay. Happy are the men who, seeing the evil approach, shall risk their all to pay an early homage to the Lord. They shall be considered as the king's best friends, and shall feast in his presence with exceeding joy.
After a lapse of six years and a half, in which David had reigned over Judah, we have next a most glorious view of the armies of all Israel coming to Hebron to make him king. The civil authorities, the twelve armies, besides the four thousand six hundred armed levites; and with Zadok, twenty two captains of Aaron's house, attended the coronation, to add the utmost lustre to the august occasion. Of the civil authorities, not less than two hundred attended from the tribe of Issachar; and it is proper to notice this, for the kings elected merely by the cheers of the army have never been considered as having legal claims to the crown. Viewing therefore all the circumstances of this coronation, the cordial congratulations of the whole nation, and the grand military fête which followed, we do not recollect any ancient monarch who received his crown with so great a lustre. All this is but a faint figure of the coronation of our great captain, when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. He, like David, shall receive the crown on the fairest grounds of equity. It was because he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, that the Father hath highly exalted him, and given him a name above every name.