XXVII. The account of the religious organisation (1 Chronicles 23-26) is naturally followed here by a sort of outline of the military and civil administration, given in the form of a catalogue of officers and ministers of the king. I. THE TWELVE ARMY CORPS AND THEIR COMMANDERS (1 Chronicles 27:1).... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. — This first verse is the heading or superscription of the list which follows. AFTER THEIR NUMBER. — The stress lies on this phrase. It refers to the twelve courses of twenty-four thousand warriors each. CHIEF FATHERS. — _Heads of the clans._ CAPTAINS OF THOUSANDS AND... [ Continue Reading ]
OVER THE FIRST COURSE. — Jashobeam son of Zabdiel was commander of the army corps appointed to be ready for service during the first month of the year. (See 1 Chronicles 11:11.) The names of the twelve generals of division have already occurred in the list of David’s heroes contained in that chapter... [ Continue Reading ]
OF THE CHILDREN OF PEREZ. — The reference is to Jashobeam. He belonged to the branch of Judah called Perez, or Pharez, to which David himself belonged. THE CHIEF OF ALL THE CAPTAINS OF THE HOST FOR THE FIRST MONTH. — This notice about Jashobeam is obscure. The “captains of the host” (Heb., _hosts_)... [ Continue Reading ]
DODAI AN AHOHITE. — _The Ahohite._ 1 Chronicles 11:11 proves that the right reading is _Eliezer son of Dodai the Ahohite._ AND OF HIS COURSE WAS MIKLOTH ALSO THE RULER. — Literally, _and his course, and Mikloth the prince_ (_nâgîd_)_;_ which appears meaningless. Perhaps the “and” before Mikloth is s... [ Continue Reading ]
THE THIRD CAPTAIN OF THE HOST. — Heb., _captain of the third host._ So Vulg. BENAIAH. — See 1 Chronicles 11:22. THE SON OF JEHOIADA, A CHIEF PRIEST. — Rather, _son of Jehoiada the priest, as head,_ viz., of the third army corps. The term “chief,” or “head,” belongs to Benaiah, not to his father. B... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS IS THAT BENAIAH, WHO WAS MIGHTY AMONG THE THIRTY. — Literally, _he, Benaiah, was a hero of the thirty._ (Comp. 1 Chronicles 11:25; 2 Samuel 23:23.) AND IN HIS COURSE. — Heb., _and his course. Ammizabad his son._ Comp. the second clause of 1 Chronicles 27:4. Here, as there, the LXX. and Vulg. g... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FOURTH CAPTAIN FOR THE FOURTH MONTH. — Heb_., the fourth, for the fourth month;_ an abridged mode of expression, which is preserved from this point to the end of the list. ASAHEL THE BROTHER OF JOAB. — 1 Chronicles 11:26. Asahel was slain by Abner at the beginning of David’s reign (2 Samuel 2:18... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FIFTH CAPTAIN FOR THE FIFTH MONTH. — Rather, _the fifth, for the fifth month, was the captain Shamhuth._ Shamhuth is called “Shammoth the Harorite” in 1 Chronicles 11:27, and _“_Shammah the Harodite” in 2 Samuel 23:25. THE IZRAHITE. — Heb., _ha-yizráh,_ which is probably a mistake for _ha-zarhî... [ Continue Reading ]
(9-14) Comp. 1 Chronicles 11:27 for the names here given.... [ Continue Reading ]
HELDAI (living). — The same as “Heled” (life) in 1 Chronicles 11:30. OF OTHNIEL. — Of the clan so called. (Comp. Joshua 15:17.) His town was Netophah, near Bethlehem. Of the whole list of twelve generals, it is noticeable that eight — viz., the first, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, eighth, tenth, an... [ Continue Reading ]
II. THE PRINCES OR EMIRS OF THE TWELVE TRIBES (1 Chronicles 27:16). (16) FURTHERMORE OVER THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL. Literally, _and over the tribes of Israel_... _the Reubenites had as prince_ (_nâgîd_)_ Eliezer,_ etc. ELIEZER THE SON OF ZICHRI. — Originally the emir of the tribe was its leader in war... [ Continue Reading ]
OF THE LEVITES, HASHABIAH. — Levi has two princes, one for the tribe and one for the great Aaronite branch. The literal rendering would be: _To Levi, Hashabiah_... _to Aaron, Zadok._ Zadok was the high priest (1 Chronicles 24:3).... [ Continue Reading ]
OF JUDAH, ELIHU, ONE OF THE BRETHREN OF DAVID. — The LXX. reads “Eliab.” Eliab was David’s eldest brother (1 Chronicles 2:13). He, therefore, was tribal prince by right of the firstborn, assuming that the house of Jesse was the leading family of Judah. (See Ruth 4:17.) OMRI THE SON OF MICHAEL. — Om... [ Continue Reading ]
OF THE HALF TRIBE OF MANASSEH. — That on the west of Jordan, between Ephraim and Issachar.... [ Continue Reading ]
OF THE HALF TRIBE OF MANASSEH IN GILEAD. — Rather, _towards Gilead, Gilead-ward: i.e.,_ on the east of the Jordan, in Gilead and Bashan. IDDO THE SON OF ZECHARIAH. — The prophet Ze-chariah was a son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, and may have descended from this Iddo. JAASIEL THE SON OF ABNER, was, do... [ Continue Reading ]
OF DAN. — Dan and Zebulun, omitted in the tribal registers of 1 Chronicles 4-7, are both mentioned in the present list. On the other hand, Gad and Asher are unnoticed here; why, we cannot say. The total — “twelve” — is made by counting Manasseh as two and Joseph as three tribes. The order of the fir... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT DAVID TOOK (Numbers 3:40, _nâsâ’mispar_) NOT THE NUMBER OF THEM. — This and the next verse contain concluding remarks on the two lists communicated in 1 Chronicles 27:1. The heading of the chapter professes that the “sons of Israel, _according to their number_,” is the subject in hand. This appe... [ Continue Reading ]
JOAB THE SON OF ZERUIAH BEGAN. — Or, _had begun._ This clearly refers to 1 Chronicles 21:6. Joab omitted to number Levi and Benjamin. BECAUSE THERE FELL WRATH FOR IT. — The same phrase recurs in 2 Chronicles 19:10; 2 Chronicles 24:18. (Comp. for the fact, 1 Chronicles 21:7, _seq._) The sense of the... [ Continue Reading ]
III. — THE TWELVE OVERSEERS OF THE ROYAL ESTATES AND PROPERTY (1 Chronicles 27:25). The number of these officers is noticeable, twelve being a normal number in Israelite institutions. (25) AND OVER THE KING’S TREASURES. — That is, those of the palace on Zion. AND OVER THE STOREHOUSES. — The Hebrew... [ Continue Reading ]
AND OVER THEM THAT DID THE WORK OF THE FIELD. — Ezri was steward of the arable domains.... [ Continue Reading ]
SHIMEI of Ramah-Benjamin (Joshua 18:25) was overseer of the vineyards. ZABDI. — Zebadiah (the New Testament Zebedee), of the south Judean town Shiphmoth (1 Samuel 30:28), was “over that which is in the vineyards for the treasures (stores) of wine,” _i.e.,_ the wine-cellars. So Vulg., _cellis vinari... [ Continue Reading ]
OLIVE TREES. — The same word (_zéthîm_) is rendered “olive yards” in Joshua 24:13; 1 Samuel 8:14, and elsewhere in the Authorised version. THE SYCAMORE TREES THAT WERE IN THE LOW PLAINS. — The sycomores that were in the Shephelah or lowland of Judah, between the hills and the sea (Joshua 15:33). The... [ Continue Reading ]
AND OVER THE HERDS THAT FED IN SHARON. — Heb., _the oxen that grazed in the Sharon._ The Sharon (_i.e.,_ “the Level”) was a fertile strip of pasture-land running along the coast of the Mediterranean, between Cæsarea and Joppa. (See Song of Solomon 2:1; Isaiah 33:9.) SHITRAI. — Hebrew margin, _Shirt... [ Continue Reading ]
OVER THE CAMELS ALSO WAS OBIL THE ISHMAELITE. — Obil’s name means either “owner of camels” or “a good manager of camels,” answering exactly to the Arabic _‘âbil._ (Comp. Genesis 37:25; Judges 7:12.) An “Ishmaelite,” _i.e.,_ an Arab, would be the fittest person for looking after camels. THE ASSES. —... [ Continue Reading ]
AND OVER THE FLOCKS. — Of sheep and goats. JAZIZ THE HAGERITE. — See 1 Chronicles 5:10, for the conquest of East Gilead, the home of the Hagrim, or “Hagerites,” by the tribe of Reuben, in the days of Saul. David’s herds of camels and flocks of small cattle may have grazed in the pastures east of th... [ Continue Reading ]
IV. — DAVID’S PRIVY COUNCIL 1 Chronicles 27:32). (32) ALSO JONATHAN DAVID’S UNCLE WAS A COUNSELLOR. — A son of David’s brother Shimeah was named Jonathan (1 Chronicles 20:7; 2 Samuel 21:21). Nothing further is known of the present Jonathan than what is here related. A WISE MAN, AND A SCRIBE. — Rath... [ Continue Reading ]