1 Chronicles 11:10-41

(2 Samuel 23:8-39). David's Mighty Men and their Deeds

(The names of twelve of these heroes reappear in chap. 27 as the commanders of David's twelve "courses.")

This section seems to consist of elements drawn from different sources and brought together (probably by the author of Samuel) in order to give as complete a list as possible of the heroes who at different times in David's career did good service to Israel.

1 Chronicles 11:11 (2 Samuel 23:8-12) deal with two (in Sam. three) heroes otherwise unknown.

1 Chronicles 11:15 (2 Samuel 23:13-17) are independent of the foregoing and narrate an exploit of three unnamed heroes.

1 Chronicles 11:20 (2 Samuel 23:18-23) seem in turn to be independent of 15 19, and 1 Chronicles 11:21; 1 Chronicles 11:25 in particular seem to be quoted from some lost poem. These verses contain the eulogy of Abishai and Benaiah.

1 Chronicles 11:26 a (2 Samuel 23:24-39) contain thirty names of heroes whose exploits are not recorded. It is to be noted that Chron., 1 Chronicles 11:41; 1 Chronicles 11:41, adds some sixteen names at the end which are not given in Samuel.

Joab is not included in the formal list because he has been already mentioned (1 Chronicles 11:6).

Lists of names are favourite features in Oriental Histories. Thus ibn Hishâm in his life of Mohammed gives a list of the 83 Moslems who took refuge in Abyssinia from the persecution of the Koreish, of the 75 inhabitants of Medina who swore allegiance to the Prophet before the Hegira, and even of the 314 Moslems who were present at the battle of Bedr.