1 Chronicles: A Commentary

12 1/ 9 (8)/ 17 (16)/ 20 (19)/ Translation These are those who came to David at Ziklag , while he was kept back by Saul the son of Kish. These were among the warriors, who helped him in war. 2/ They were people armed with a bow, who could sling stones or shoot arrows with the bow, with right or left hand; they were kinsmen of Saul, from Benjamin. 3/ The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, [both] sons1of Shemaah2 the Gibeathite ; also Jeziel and Pelet sons of Azmaveth; Beracah,3Jehu of Anathoth, 4/ lshmaiah the Gibeonite, a warrior among the Thirty and a leader over the Thirty; 4 5 (4b)/ Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite, 6 (5)/ Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite;57 (6)/ Elkanah, lsshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites; 8 (7)/ and Jaelah6 and Zebadiah, sons of Jeroham from Gedor.7 From the Gadites there separated themselves to David at the stronghold8in the wilderness powerful and experienced warriors ,9 skilled with shield and lance,10whose faces were like the faces of lions, and who were swift as gazelles on the mountains: 10 (9)/ Ezer the chief, Obadiah second, Eliab third, 11 (10)/ Mishmannah fourth, Jeremiah fifth, 12 (11)/ Attai sixth, ElieP1seventh, 13 (12)/ Johanan eighth, Elzabad ninth, 14 (13)/ Jeremiah tenth, Machbannai eleventh. 15 (14)/ These Gadites were officers of the army; the least was equal to a hundred and the greatest to a thousand. 16 (15)/ These are the men who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it was flooding its banks, and it made impassable12 all the valleys, to the east and to the west. Some Benjaminites and Judahites came to David at the stronghold. 18 (17)/ David went out before them13and said to them, "If you have come to me in peace to help me, then my heart will be eager for an alliance with you. But if you have come to betray me to my enemies, even though my hands are without violence, may the God of our fathers see and give judgment. 19 (18)/ The spirit14 clothed itself around Amasai the chief of the Thirty,15 " We are yours,16 David, and we are with you,17 son of Jesse. Peace, peace to you, and peace to those who help you, for your God has helped you." Then David received them, and made them heads of his troops. Some of the Manassites defected18to David when he came with the Philistines for the battle against Saul. But he did not help them,19 because the rulers of the Philistines took counsel and sent him away, saying, 12:1-41 Soldiers Rally to David; Events at Hebron 1 'lJ; a few Hebrew MSS, LXX: p "son." 2 :-JJ!f.ltzi. BHS suggests emending to J!f.ltzi:-1' 'Jehoshamah." 3 :1JIJ1; LXX, Syr: :1'JIJ1 "Berechiah." 4 English versions do not begin a new verse at this point, with the result that all the rest of the verse numbers in English are one less than in Hebrew. 5 -~nn;, Q; K -~·ln:-1 "Hariphite." 6 i1'?J?:~ with Hebrew MSS (cf. Rudolph, 104); MT :-J'?tl:.!.li' 'Joelah." 7 111l:1 jf.l. Rudolph, 104 (also BHS), suggests that this is probably a dittography of'1l:1 jf.l1, which begins the next verse. This conjecture is based in part on his opinion that Gedor, as a town ofJudah, is inappropriate in a list of Benjaminite warriors. See the commentary. LXX 111l:1 'lJ "sons of the Gedor"; some Hebrew MSS 111l:1 jf.l "from Gedud" or "from the band." 8 1~m?; lacking in LXX. 9 :-Jf.ln?f.l? tl:J:!o: 'tziltl: ?•n;, '1Jl; lit. "mighty warriors, men of service/ host for battle." Cf. 1 Chr 7:11 :-Jf.ln?r:l? tl:J:!o: 'tl::!o:' ... o•?•n '11Jl "mighty warriors . .. ready for service in war/ battle." 10 nf.ll1; one Hebrew MS and many editions: jlf.l1 "and shield." 11 '?tl:''?tl:; a few Hebrew MSS, LXX: J tl:''?tl: "Eliab." 12 Rudolph, 105, emends 1n'IJ'1 ("they put to flight"} to the sg. n·p:J and translates the verb as denominative from n'IJ ("bar").JPS: "they put to flight all the lowlanders to the east and west." 13 D:1'J~?; MT, but not LXX, adds jl!'1 "and he answered." Rudolph, 105, proposed that this verb was originally a gloss to v. 19 after the introductory formula from...