1 Chronicles 12:13-23

13 Jeremiah tenth, Machbannai eleventh.
14 These Gadites were officers of the army; the least was a 1match for a hundred men and the greatest for a thousand.
15 These are the men who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it was 2overflowing all its banks, and put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.
16 And some of the men of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David.
17 David went out to meet them and said to them, "If you have come to me in friendship to help me, my heart will be joined to you; but if to betray me to my adversaries, although there is no wrong in my hands, then may the God of our fathers see and rebuke you."
18 Then 3the Spirit clothed 4Amasai, chief of the thirty, and he said, "We are yours, O David, and with you, O son of Jesse! 5Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers! For your God helps you."Then David received them and made them officers of his troops.
19 Some of the men of Manasseh deserted to David 6when he came with the Philistines for the battle against Saul. (Yet he did not help them, for the rulers of the Philistines took counsel and sent him away, saying, 7"At peril to our heads he will desert to his master Saul.")
20 As he went to Ziklag, these men of Manasseh deserted to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands in Manasseh.
21 They helped David against 8the band of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor and were commanders in the army.
22 For from day to day men came to David to help him, until there was a great army, like an army of God.
23 These are the numbers of the divisions of the armed troops 9who came to David in Hebron 10to turn the kingdom of Saul over to him, 11according to the word of the LORD.

1 Chronicles 12:13-23 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 CHRONICLES 12

This chapter gives an account of those that came to David at different times, and joined and assisted him both before the death of Saul, and when persecuted by him, and after he was made king of Judah in Hebron, and before he was king of all Israel, in order to it; of the Benjaminites that came to him when at Ziklag, 1Ch 12:1-7 of the Gadites that came to him when in the hold, 1Ch 12:8-15 of some of Judah and Benjamin, who came to him in the same place, 1Ch 12:16-18, and of the Manassites at the time he came with the Philistines against Saul, 1Ch 12:19-22 and the number of the several tribes are given, that came to him at Hebron to make him king over all Israel, 1Ch 12:23-40.

Cross References 11

  • 1. [Leviticus 26:8]
  • 2. See Joshua 3:15
  • 3. See Judges 3:10
  • 4. [2 Samuel 17:25]
  • 5. [1 Samuel 25:6]
  • 6. See 1 Samuel 29:2-9
  • 7. [1 Samuel 29:4]
  • 8. 1 Samuel 30:1
  • 9. 1 Chronicles 11:1; 2 Samuel 2:3, 4; 2 Samuel 5:1
  • 10. 1 Chronicles 10:14
  • 11. 1 Chronicles 11:3, 10; 1 Samuel 16:1, 3
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.