1 Chronicles 11

Then all Israel came together to David at Hebron and said, "Look, we are your own flesh and blood."

1Then all Israel gathered themselves to David unto Hebron, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.

NoteHebron was a town in the hill country of Judah, about twenty miles south of Jerusalem. David had already ruled there over the tribe of Judah alone; this gathering makes him king over all twelve tribes. "We are your own flesh and blood" is the Hebrew idiom for a kinship claim, the tribes are asserting that David is one of their own, not a foreign ruler.

2"Even in the past, back when Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel out to war and brought them home again. And the LORD your God said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will be ruler over my people Israel.'"

2And moreover in time past, even when Saul was king, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD thy God said unto thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be ruler over my people Israel.

Note"Led Israel out and brought them home" is a set phrase for commanding an army on campaign. "Shepherd" was a standard title for a king throughout the ancient Near East: the ruler who pastures, guards and provides for his people. LORD printed in capitals stands for the personal name of Israel's God, which Hebrew writes with four consonants (YHWH); the King James translators followed the Jewish custom of not pronouncing it.

3So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and there David made an agreement with them before the LORD. They anointed David king over Israel, just as the LORD had said through Samuel.

3Therefore came all the elders of Israel to the king to Hebron; and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the LORD; and they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD by Samuel.

NoteThe "elders" were the heads of families and clans who spoke for their tribes in public business. The agreement (Hebrew *berith*, usually translated "covenant") was a formal, binding pact with obligations on both sides, sworn in God's presence. Anointing meant pouring olive oil over the head, the ceremony that installed a king in office. Samuel was the prophet who had privately anointed David years earlier while Saul still reigned.

4Then David and all Israel marched to Jerusalem, that is, Jebus. The Jebusites lived there, and it was their land.

4And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus; where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land.

NoteJebus was the older name for Jerusalem, and the Jebusites were its non-Israelite inhabitants. Although the city sat between the northern tribes and Judah, Israel had never taken it; David is capturing neutral ground that belonged to no tribe.

5The people of Jebus said to David, "You will never get in here." But David captured the fortress of Zion, which is the City of David.

5And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come hither. Nevertheless David took the castle of Zion, which is the city of David.

NoteZion here means the fortified ridge of the old Jebusite town, not the whole city or the temple hill. "The City of David" became the standing name for that section of Jerusalem.

6David had said, "Whoever strikes down a Jebusite first will become chief commander." Joab son of Zeruiah went up first, so he became the chief.

6And David said, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain. So Joab the son of Zeruiah went first up, and was chief.

NoteZeruiah was David's sister, so Joab was David's nephew; Joab and his brothers are unusually identified by their mother throughout the books of Samuel and Chronicles. "Chief commander" means head of the whole army.

7David then made his home in the fortress, and that is why they called it the City of David.

7And David dwelt in the castle; therefore they called it the city of David.

8He built up the city all around it, starting from the Millo and going around, and Joab repaired the rest of the city.

8And he built the city round about, even from Millo round about: and Joab repaired the rest of the city.

NoteThe Millo is left untranslated because no one is certain what it was. The Hebrew word means something like "the filling," and it probably refers to the stepped stone terracing that shored up the steep eastern slope and made building on it possible.

9So David grew greater and greater, because the LORD of Hosts was with him.

9So David waxed greater and greater: for the LORD of hosts was with him.

Note"LORD of Hosts" means the LORD commanding the armies, a military title, fitting in a chapter about warriors, though "hosts" can also take in the heavenly armies and the stars.

10These are the leaders of David's mighty men. Together with all Israel, they gave him strong support in his kingdom to make him king, just as the LORD had said about Israel.

10These also are the chief of the mighty men whom David had, who strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom, and with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel.

Note"Mighty men" translates a Hebrew word for elite warriors of proven reputation. In David's army it became a formal designation for a recognized corps, with an inner group of three and a larger body known as the Thirty.

11This is the list of David's mighty men. Jashobeam, a Hachmonite, was chief of the officers. He raised his spear against three hundred men and killed them all in one fight.

11And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had; Jashobeam, an Hachmonite, the chief of the captains: he lifted up his spear against three hundred slain by him at one time.

NoteThe parallel list in 2 Samuel 23:8 gives eight hundred rather than three hundred, and the name in different form; the two lists have been copied separately and differ at several points. "Chief of the officers" means the highest-ranking of these picked men.

12Next after him was Eleazar son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men.

12And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighties.

13He was with David at Pas-dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. There was a field full of barley at that spot, and the troops ran away from the Philistines.

13He was with David at Pasdammim, and there the Philistines were gathered together to battle, where was a parcel of ground full of barley; and the people fled from before the Philistines.

NoteThe Philistines were a people settled on the coastal plain to Israel's southwest, in five allied cities, and were Israel's main military rival throughout Saul's and David's lifetimes. Pas-dammim lay in the border country west of Bethlehem. A ripe barley field mattered because standing crops were both food and plunder, and because the level ground made a defensible line.

14But they took their stand in the middle of that field, defended it, and struck the Philistines down. The LORD saved them with a great victory.

14And they set themselves in the midst of that parcel, and delivered it, and slew the Philistines; and the LORD saved them by a great deliverance.

15Three of the thirty officers went down to the rock where David was, at the cave of Adullam, while the Philistine army was camped in the Valley of Rephaim.

15Now three of the thirty captains went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the host of the Philistines encamped in the valley of Rephaim.

NoteThe Thirty was the name of the larger corps of David's picked fighters, and "officers" here are its leaders. Adullam was a cave in the limestone hills southwest of Bethlehem where David had hidden during his years as an outlaw. The Valley of Rephaim is the broad plain running southwest from Jerusalem, the standard invasion route up from Philistine territory.

16At that time David was in the stronghold, and a Philistine outpost was stationed at Bethlehem.

16And David was then in the hold, and the Philistines’ garrison was then at Bethlehem.

NoteA garrison or outpost is a permanent detachment holding a position; Bethlehem, David's home town, is under enemy occupation. "The stronghold" is the fortified refuge David was using, probably the Adullam position just named.

17David longed and said, "I wish someone would get me a drink of water from the well by the gate of Bethlehem!"

17And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, that is at the gate!

NoteWells and springs generally lay outside or at the edge of a walled town, near the gate, which is why fetching water meant passing through the Philistine line.

18So the three broke through the Philistine army, drew water from the well by the gate of Bethlehem, carried it back, and brought it to David. But David would not drink it. Instead he poured it out to the LORD,

18And the three brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but David would not drink of it, but poured it out to the LORD,

NotePouring a liquid out on the ground was a recognized form of offering, a libation. David treats the water as too costly for ordinary use and gives it to God instead.

19and said, "May my God keep me from doing this! Should I drink the blood of these men, who put their lives at risk? They brought it at the risk of their lives." So he would not drink it. These were the deeds of the three mighty men.

19And said, My God forbid it me, that I should do this thing: shall I drink the blood of these men that have put their lives in jeopardy? for with the jeopardy of their lives they brought it. Therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mightiest.

NoteIn Israelite thought blood was the life itself, and consuming blood was forbidden. Calling the water "the blood of these men" says that their lives went into getting it, so drinking it would be drinking them.

20Abishai, the brother of Joab, was the chief of the three. He raised his spear against three hundred men and killed them, and he won a name alongside the three.

20And Abishai the brother of Joab, he was chief of the three: for lifting up his spear against three hundred, he slew them, and had a name among the three.

NoteSome ancient copies read "chief of the Thirty" here rather than "the three," which fits better with the next verse's statement that he was not one of the first three; the Hebrew text of this list is uncertain at several such points. To "win a name" is to gain formal standing and reputation among these ranked warriors.

21Of the three, he was more honored than the other two, and he became their commander, but he was not counted among the first three.

21Of the three, he was more honourable than the two; for he was their captain: howbeit he attained not to the first three.

22Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the son of a brave man from Kabzeel, did many great deeds. He struck down two of Moab's fiercest fighters. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.

22Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many acts; he slew two lionlike men of Moab: also he went down and slew a lion in a pit in a snowy day.

NoteMoab was the nation east of the Dead Sea, a frequent enemy. The King James "lionlike men" and the modern "champions" both translate a Hebrew word whose sense is disputed; it may mean champions, or may be a title, or even a place name. Lions were still found in the region in this period, and pits were dug traps for them.

23He also killed an Egyptian who was a huge man, five cubits tall. The Egyptian had a spear like a weaver's beam in his hand. Benaiah went at him with only a club, pulled the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with it.

23And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high; and in the Egyptian’s hand was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear.

NoteA cubit was roughly eighteen inches, the length of a forearm, so five cubits is about seven and a half feet. A weaver's beam is the thick wooden roller of a loom, a stock comparison for an enormous spear shaft. Benaiah's "staff" or club is a herdsman's stick, which is the point: he is unarmed by comparison.

24These were the deeds of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he won a name alongside the three mighty men.

24These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had the name among the three mighties.

25He was honored among the thirty, but he was not counted among the first three. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

25Behold, he was honourable among the thirty, but attained not to the first three: and David set him over his guard.

Note"His guard" is David's personal bodyguard, a standing unit of professional soldiers distinct from the citizen army; commanding it was a position of high trust.

26The brave fighting men of the army were these: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

26Also the valiant men of the armies were, Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

NoteFrom here the chapter is a muster roll. The endings "-ite" and "of" mark a man's home town or clan, Netophathite means "from Netophah," Tekoite "from Tekoa," and so on. Several of these places are otherwise unknown, and some names are spelled differently in the parallel list in 2 Samuel 23. Lists like this preserved who had standing in the army and where their families came from.

27Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite,

27Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite,

28Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Antothite,

28Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Antothite,

29Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,

29Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,

30Maharai the Netophathite, Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite,

30Maharai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite,

31Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah, which belonged to the people of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite,

31Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah, that pertained to the children of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite,

32Hurai from the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite,

32Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite,

33Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite,

33Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite,

34the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan son of Shage the Hararite,

34The sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shage the Hararite,

35Ahiam son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal son of Ur,

35Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur,

36Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite,

36Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite,

37Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai son of Ezbai,

37Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai,

38Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar son of Haggeri,

38Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Haggeri,

39Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, who carried the weapons of Joab son of Zeruiah,

39Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, the armourbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah,

NoteZelek is an Ammonite and Ithmah in verse 46 a Moabite: David's corps included men from neighboring nations Israel usually fought. An armor-bearer carried a commander's weapons and shield into battle and fought at his side; it was a post for a trusted soldier, not a servant's job.

40Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

40Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

41Uriah the Hittite, Zabad son of Ahlai,

41Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai,

NoteThis is the Uriah whose wife Bathsheba David took, recounted in 2 Samuel 11. Chronicles lists him among the loyal elite without telling that story. "Hittite" marks him as of foreign descent, from the peoples of the north.

42Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, a leader of the Reubenites, and thirty men with him,

42Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a captain of the Reubenites, and thirty with him,

Note"Thirty with him" is a separate detachment under Adina's command, not the corps called the Thirty. The full list runs past thirty names, which indicates that the Thirty was a unit title whose membership changed over time as men died and were replaced, rather than a fixed headcount.

43Hanan son of Maachah, Joshaphat the Mithnite,

43Hanan the son of Maachah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite,

44Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jehiel the sons of Hothan the Aroerite,

44Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jehiel the sons of Hothan the Aroerite,

45Jediael son of Shimri, and his brother Joha the Tizite,

45Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite,

46Eliel the Mahavite, Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite,

46Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai, and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite,

47Eliel, Obed, and Jasiel the Mesobaite.

47Eliel, and Obed, and Jasiel the Mesobaite.