1 Chronicles 12:1-22

4. DAVID'S MEN IN SAUL'S DAY (1 Chronicles 12:1-22)

TEXT

1 Chronicles 12:1. 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.

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.
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 there-on, 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.

PARAPHRASE

1 Chronicles 12:1. These are the names of the famous warriors who joined David at Ziklag while he was hiding from King Saul. 2. All of them were expert archers and slingers, and they could use their left hands as readily as their right! Like King Saul, they were all of the tribe of Benjamin. 3-7. Their chief was Ahi-ezer, son of Shemaah from Gibe-ah. The others were: His brother Joash; Jezi-el and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu from Anathoth; Ishmaiah from Gibeon (a brave warrior rated as high or higher than The Thirty); Jeremiah; Jahaziel; Johanan; Jozabad from Gederah; Eluzai; Jerimoth; Bealiah; Shemariah; Shephatiah from Haruph; Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Jo-ezer, Jashobe-amall Korahites; Jo-elah and Zebadiah (sons of Jeroham from Gedor).

8-13. Great and brave warriors from the tribes of Gad also went to David in the wilderness. They were experts with both shield and spear and were lion-faced men, swift as deer upon the mountains. Ezer was the chief; Obadiah was second in command; Eliab was third in command; Mishmannah was fourth in command; Jeremiah was fifth in command; Attai was sixth in command; Eliel was seventh in command; Johanan was eighth in command; Elzabad was ninth in command; Jeremiah was tenth in command; Machbannai was eleventh in command. 14. These men were army officers; the weakest was worth a hundred normal troops, and the greatest was worth a thousand! 15. They crossed the Jordan River during its seasonal flooding and conquered the lowlands on both the east and west banks.
16. Others came to David from Benjamin and Judah, 17. David went out to meet them and said, If you have come to help me, we are friends; but if you have come to betray me to my enemies when I am innocent, then may the God of our fathers see and judge you. 18. Then the Holy Spirit came upon them, and Amasai, a leader of The Thirty, replied, We are yours, David; We are on your side, son of Jesse, Peace, peace be unto you, And peace to all who aid you; For your God is with you. So David let them join him, and he made them captains of his army.
19. Some men from Manasseh deserted the Israeli army and joined David just as he was going into battle with the Philistines against King Saul. But as it turned out, the Philistine generals refused to let David and his men go with them. After much discussion they sent them back, for they were afraid that David and his men would imperil them by deserting to King Saul. 20. Here is a list of the men from Manasseh who deserted to David as he was en route to Ziklag; Adnah, Jozabad, Jedia-el, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, Zillethai. Each was a high-ranking officer of Manasseh's troops. 21. They were brave and able warriors, and they assisted David when he fought against the Amalek raiders at Ziklag. 22. More men joined David almost every day until he had a tremendous armythe army of God.

COMMENTARY

The record in this chapter has to do with those friends who joined themselves to David and who were associated with him when he occupied the village of Ziklag in Saul's day. There is also a review of those leaders and tribes pledging their faithfulness to David at the time when he was anointed king of all Israel. When David went to the Philistines rather late in his experiences with Saul he was given the village of Ziklag where he and his soldiers and their families could make their encampment (1 Samuel 27:2-6). He remained in this territory for a year and four months (1 Samuel 27:7). Although the exact site of Ziklag has not been determined in our day, it was known to be in the south of Judah on the border of the Philistine country. At Ziklag David experienced one of the most serious crises through which he was ever to pass as a leader in Israel. Presuming that the Philistines would let him and his men go to war with them against Saul and Israel (1 Samuel 29), he had left his wives and the wives and families of his soldiers back at Ziklag unprotected. When the Philistine officers superior to Achish demanded that David and his men be dismissed from their army, David returned to Ziklag. Upon his arrival in the village he was shocked to learn that in his absence a band of Amalekites had raided the encampment and had escaped with wives, children, cattle and anything else they could carry. It was at this time (1 Samuel 30:1-6) that David's soldiers were just about ready to turn on their leader and stone him. All of them were deeply grieved over the loss of wives and families. David strengthened himself in Jehovah his God and weathered this storm. He was then able to lead his men in speedy pursuit of the Amalekite raiders and miraculously they were able to re-possess every person and everything which had been stolen. So David was reinstated in his office as a leader in Israel.

This account in chapter 12 is particularly valuable because this information is not repeated.[27] A matter of primary concern in 1 Chronicles 12:1-7 is the listing of David's warriors from the tribe of Benjamin. That there should be such able soldiers in David's camp from Benjamin is all the more remarkable because king Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin. Saul's own people lost faith in him some considerable time before he died on Mount Gilboa. The kind of weapons used by soldiers at this time in history is a matter of interest. The bow and arrow was an ancient hunting and military device. The bow was made of elastic wood or of bronze. No doubt, bows were of different sizes, depending on the strength of the men who carried them. The bowstring was usually made from the intestines of oxen or camels. The arrows were constructed from reeds or light weight wood. Arrow heads were made of stone, bronze and iron. The quiver would usually be carried on the back or at the soldier's left side. The sling was used by the soldier, the shepherd, and the hunter. It was a leather thong, or it might be woven from rushes, hair, or the sinews of animals. The middle of the throng was wider than the ends. In this hollow place the stone was set. With the ammunition in position, the slinger would hold both ends of the weapon in his hand. He would swing it around his head until it attained the desired velocity. The stone was sent on its way as one end of the thong was released just at the right instant. The Benjamites were especially skilled in the use of the sling. They were said to be able to sling a stone at a hair-breadth and not miss (Judges 20:16). They could do this with the left hand. One of the remarkable details in this account (1 Chronicles 12:2) is that David's soldiers from Benjamin could with equal expertness employ bow or sling with the right or the left hand. Several villages in Benjamin were represented by these warriors such as Gilbeah (Saul's home town), Anathoth, Gibeon. These men were with David in Ziklag.

[27] Cook, F. C., The Bible Commentary, p. 340.

The Gadites (1 Chronicles 12:8-15) were from beyond the Jordan to the east. Like the men from Benjamin, the Gadite warriors had worthy credentials. They were men of valor, men trained for war. They could handle shield and spear. They had faces like lions. No enemy could frighten them or make them retreat. They were agile and could run like the deer. All of these qualifications required constant training. These men were certainly well conditioned physically and mentally for the work that was theirs to do. One soldier from among the Gadites was the equal of a hundred ordinary men. An outstanding Gadite warrior might be worth more than a thousand ordinary soldiers. There is no further detail with regard to 1 Chronicles 12:15. At some time of real distress the Gadite warriors had opportunity to demonstrate their prowess as soldiers. The enemy had fled before them.

1 Chronicles 12:16-18 tell of an incident when certain warriors out of Benjamin and Judah came to David when he was hiding out in the territory of Judah. When David met them he advised them if they had come to cast their lot with him, they would be graciously received. He warned them, however, that if they intended to deal treacherously with him, as others of his supposed friends had done, the wrath of Jehovah would be unleashed against them. This incident reflects experiences David had known among his own people at Keilah and at Ziph. The chief spokesman here is named Amasai. He may have been the same person named in 1 Chronicles 2:17, Amasa, the son of Abigail, David's sister. David was immediately informed that these brethren had come to assist him. The Spirit of Jehovah took control of Amasai and taught him what to say. So he spoke words of peace and David gladly received these men into his camp. They were given positions of leadership among David's warriors.

Warriors from the tribe of Manasseh cast their lot with David (1 Chronicles 12:19-22). As David turned back from following the Philistines into the final battle against Saul and as he returned to Ziklag, these Manassehite soldiers joined David's men. These helpers were especially valuable at this time because David had to pursue the band of rovers, the Amalekites. These were important days in David's life. Every day more and more soldiers were joining his ranks. His army was about to become like the army of God. This is just another way of saying that the small band of guerillas which he had gathered around him early has now become a well-organized task force.

The historian now calls the roll of the tribes of Israel. Each tribe can answer for itself as soldiers have come from every part of the kingdom to join themselves to David's army accepting him as their commander-in-chief (1 Chronicles 12:23-40). The situation described here has to do with the time when Saul had died and David had come to Hebron where he was anointed king of Israel. The tribes presented warriors according to the following schedule:

Judah

6,800

Benjamin

3,000

Zebulun

50,000

Simeon

7,100

Ephraim

20,800

Naphtali

38,000

Levi

4,600

Manasseh (W)

18,000

Dan

28,600

Aaron

3,700

Issachar

200

Asher

40,000

Reuben-Gad-Manasseh (E) 120,000

This gave David control over an army that numbered about 340,000 men. This compares with 603,550 soldiers in Israel's army at Sinai in Moses-' day (Numbers 1:46), When David took the last census near the close of his life, he numbered 1,300,000 warriors (2 Samuel 24:9). These 340,000 who now accept his generalship stand in sharp contrast to the 400 who first joined him as he fled from Saul. It is of interest to note that all of the tribes of Israel are represented among those who provide warriors for David. Even the tribe of Levi, which was exempt from military service, along with the house of Aaron, sent men for David's army.

The purpose of this assembly at Hebron was to turn the kingdom of Saul over to David according to Jehovah's word (1 Chronicles 12:23). Jehoiada was the father of Benaiah and he presented himself as the leader of the house of Aaron. Zadok was the high priest. He was the son of Ahitub (2 Samuel 8:17). He came as the leader of the Levites. The tribe of Issachar sent two hundred chieftains. No doubt they sent warriors too, but the number of warriors is not indicated. The warriors representing Zebulun were well qualified for any military assignment (1 Chronicles 12:33). They were not of a double heart. They had no second thoughts about what they ought to do when they heard the call to battle. The tribes beyond the Jordan had sent 40,000 men with Joshua in his day to help in the conquest of Canaan (Joshua 4:13). It had been feared that they might refuse to help their brethren take Canaan. Now in this later day they sent 120,000 warriors to serve under David. They were a part of the kingdom and wanted full representation.

The genuine military ability of all these soldiers is carefully emphasized. They could order the battle array (1 Chronicles 12:38). The marvelous unity and happy disposition of the whole assembly promised better days and a new era for Israel. A divided kingdom was united. David had the potential for making a great king. It was a time for feasting. There was joy in Israel (1 Chronicles 12:40).