1 Chronicles 12:13-23

13 Jeremiah the tenth, Machbannai the eleventh *.

14 These of the sons of Gad were captains of the army; ¹he who was least was equal to a hundred and the greatest to a thousand.

15 ²These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing * all its banks and they put to flight all those in the valleys, both to the east and to the west.

16 Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David.

17 David went out to meet them, and said to them, "If you come peacefully to me to help me, my heart shall be united with you; but if to betray me to my adversaries, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look on it and decide."

18 Then ³the Spirit came upon ⁴Amasai, who was the 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 him who helps you; Indeed, your God helps you!" Then David received them and made them captains of the band.

19 ⁶From Manasseh also some defected to David when he was about to go to battle with the Philistines against Saul. But they did not help them, for the lords of the Philistines after consultation sent him away, saying, "At the cost of our heads he may defect to his master Saul."

20 As he went to Ziklag there defected to him from Manasseh: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu and Zillethai, captains of thousands who belonged to Manasseh.

21 They helped David against ⁷the band of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor, and were captains in the army.

22 For day by day men came to David to help him, until there was a great army ⁸like the army of God.

Supporters Gathered at Hebron

23 Now these are the numbers of the divisions equipped for war, ⁹who came to David at Hebron, ¹⁰to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, ¹¹according to the word of the LORD.

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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.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 11

1. Deuteronomy 32:30
2. Joshua 3:15; Joshua 4:18
3. Judges 3:10; Judges 6:34
4. 1 Chronicles 2:17
5. 1 Samuel 25:5, 6
6. 1 Samuel 29:2-9
7. 1 Samuel 30:1
8. Genesis 32:2; Joshua 5:13-15
9. 2 Samuel 2:3, 4
10. 1 Chronicles 10:14
11. 1 Chronicles 11:10

Footnotes 7

[a]. Or "chiefs"
[b]. Lit "violence"
[c]. Lit "clothed"
[d]. Or "chiefs"
[e]. Or "chiefs"
[f]. Lit "heads"
[g]. Lit "mouth"