1 Chronicles 27:16

_FURTHERMORE OVER THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL: THE RULER OF THE REUBENITES WAS ELIEZER THE SON OF ZICHRI: OF THE SIMEONITES, SHEPHATIAH THE SON OF MAACHAH:_ Over the tribes of Israel: the ruler. This is a list of the hereditary chiefs or rulers of tribes at the time of David's numbering the people. Gad and Asher are not included, for what reason is unknown. The tribe of Levi had a prince (1 Chronicles 27:17), as well as the other tribes; and although it was ecclesiastically subject to the high priest, yet, in all civil matters, it had a chief or head, possessed of the same authority and power as in the other tribes, only his jurisdiction did not extend to the priests....

16-34 The officers of the court, or the rulers of the king's substance, had the oversight and charge of the king's tillage, his vineyards, his herds, his flocks, which formed the wealth of eastern kings. Much of the wisdom of princes is seen in the choice of their ministry, and common persons show it in the choice of their advisers. David, though he had all these about him, preferred the word of God before them all. Thy testimonies are my delight and my counsellors....

Verse 1 Chronicles 27:16. _OVER THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL_] In this enumeration there is no mention of the tribes of Asher and Gad. Probably the account of these has been lost from this register. These rulers appear to have been all honorary men, without pay, like the lords lieutenants of our counties....

Gad and Asher are omitted from this list of the tribes. Similarly, Dan and Zebulon are omitted from the genealogical survey of the tribes 1 Chr. 4–8. We can only suppose that the lists, as they came down to the writer of Chronicles, were incomplete. The “rulers” or “princes” of the tribes appear to have been the oldest lineal descendants of the patriarchs according to the law of primogeniture....

EXPOSITION This chapter, continuing the general subject of David's arrangements of all the leading departments, sacred and civil, of the kingdom, which he was so soon to yield into the hands of his son Solomon, proceeds in the first fifteen verses to the enumeration of the military courses of his people, month by month. These were twelve in number, each containing twenty,four thousand men; and the _captain_,_ _or _chief_, or _chief father_,_ of _each is specially mentioned. 1 CHRONICLES 27:1 It is impossible to feel fully satisfied with any translation which the words of this verse offer. Yet there can scarcely he any doubt of the meaning of the verse, viz. that the writer would speak of the children of Israel, including the chief fathers and captains of thousands and hundreds, as regards their c

Ver. 16-22. FURTHERMORE, OVER THE CITIES OF ISRAEL,.... Were the following rulers or princes; the captains over the militia before named were of David's appointment; but these ruled over their respective tribes in their own right, or by the choice of their tribes: the ruler of the tribe of Reuben was Eliezer, the son of Zichri: of the tribe of Simeon, Shephatiah the son of Maachah; whether this was his father's or mother's name is not certain, it being the name both of a man and woman: of the tribe of Levi, Hashabiah the son of Kemuel: of the Aaronites, who were of the same tribe, but, being priests, are thus distinguished from the Levites, Zadok, who was made high priest in the times of Solomon: of the tribe of Judah, Elihu, a brother of David's, the same with Eliab, 1 Samuel 16:6, of the tribe of Issachar, Omri the son of Michael: of the tribe of Zebulun, Ishmaiah the son of Obadiah: o...

6. THE CAPTAINS, PRINCES, AND VARIOUS OFFICIALS CHAPTER 27 _ 1. The twelve captains (1 Chronicles 27:1)_ 2. The princes of the twelve tribes (1 Chron. 27-16-22) 3. The unfinished numbering (1 Chronicles 27:23) 4. Various officers (1 Chronicles 27:25) We have here the military organization of David's kingdom. The army comprised all males over twenty years of age. The host had twelve divisions each of 24,000. It is remarkable how the number twenty-four occurs again and again. Twelve is the governmental number and twice twelve, that is, twenty-four, would indicate a perfect and complete government such as will be established when Heaven's Ki

ORGANISATION OF DAVID'S ARMY: ENUMERATION OF HIS OFFICIALS (_cf._ 1 Chronicles 11:10 ff.) 1 Chronicles 27:1. According to this verse the army comprised 288,000 soldiers; this is an exaggeration. 1 Chronicles 27:32. David's uncle: better kinsman; the Hebrew word _dô d_ is used in this general sense. 1 Chronicles 27:33. _Cf._ 2 Samuel 15:12; 2 Samuel 15:37. the ki

THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL. Each tribe had. ruler, called (1 Chronicles 27:22) "the princes of the tribes": 1. The first four sons of Leah, in order of their birth. 2. Issachar and Zebulun, fifth and sixth (Genesis 30:18; Genesis 30:20). Thus the first six are Leah's sons. Her maid Zilpah's (Gad and Asher) not mentioned. Then Naphtali (Bilhah, Rachel's maid). Then Ephraim and Manasseh (Rachel's, through Joseph). Then Benjamin (Rachel's other son). Dan comes last! See note on Genesis 49:17....

The Princes of the Tribes of Israel Cp. Numbers 1:2-15 where Moses is enjoined to have with him a representative of each tribe at the numbering of the people; cp. 1 Chronicles 27:23-24 below. In the present list the tribes of Gad and Asher are omitted, probably accidentally. 17. _Of the Levites_ R.V. OF LEVI. _Hashabiah_ Perhaps the person mentioned in 1 Chronicles 26:30. The name is common among Levites. _of the Aaronites, Zadok_ R.V. OF AARON, ZADOK. Cp. 1 Chronicles 12:27-28, whence we may conclude that Zadok succeeded Jehoia