1 Chronicles 12:6-16

6 Elkanah, Yishiyahu, 'Azar'el, Yo'ezer, Yashov'am the Korchi,

7 and Yo'elah and Z'vadyah the sons of Yerocham from G'dor.

8 From the Gadi a number of strong, brave, trained fighting men defected to David at the fortress in the desert. They could handle shield and spear, they were as fierce as lions, and they were as fast as deer on the hills:

9 'Ezer was the leader, 'Ovadyah was second, Eli'av third,

10 Mishmanah fourth, Yirmeyah fifth,

11 'Atai sixth, Eli'el seventh,

12 Yochanan eighth, Elzavad ninth,

13 Yirmeyah tenth, and Makhbanai eleventh.

14 These descendants of Gad were army commanders; the least of them was worth a hundred, and the greatest worth a thousand.

15 These are the men who crossed the Yarden during the first month, when it had overflowed all its banks, and drove out all those who lived in the valleys, both to the east and to the west.

16 From the descendants of Binyamin and Y'hudah a number came to David at the fortress.

1 Chronicles 12:6-16 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.