1 Chronicles 27: What the Passage Says

The Chapter in a Sentence

This chapter lists how King David organized his kingdom. Twelve army divisions of 24,000 men each served one month of the year, and each division's commander is named. The list continues with the leaders over the tribes, a note that David did not count men twenty years old and under and that Joab's census was never finished or recorded, and then the officials over David's fields, herds, and storehouses, along with the king's advisers.

Claim by Claim

1. 27:1
   • The Israelites were reckoned by their number.
   • This list covers the heads of fathers' houses.
   • This list covers the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds.
   • This list covers their officers who served the king in every matter of the divisions.
   • The divisions came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year.
   • Each single division numbered twenty-four thousand men.
2. 27:2
   • Jashobeam son of Zabdiel was over the first division, for the first month.
   • In his division were twenty-four thousand men.
3. 27:3
   • Jashobeam was of the descendants of Perez.
   • He was the chief of all the commanders of the army for the first month.
4. 27:4
   • Dodai the Ahohite was over the division of the second month.
   • Mikloth was the ruler in his division.
   • In his division were twenty-four thousand men.
5. 27:5
   • The third commander of the army, for the third month, was Benaiah son of Jehoiada the priest.
   • Benaiah was chief.
   • In his division were twenty-four thousand men.
6. 27:6
   • This Benaiah was a mighty man among the thirty.
   • Benaiah was over the thirty.
   • Ammizabad his son was in charge of his division.
7. 27:7
   • The fourth commander, for the fourth month, was Asahel the brother of Joab.
   • Zebadiah his son came after him.
   • In his division were twenty-four thousand men.
8. 27:8
   • The fifth commander, for the fifth month, was Shamhuth the Izrahite.
   • In his division were twenty-four thousand men.
9. 27:9
   • The sixth commander, for the sixth month, was Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite.
   • In his division were twenty-four thousand men.
10. 27:10
    • The seventh commander, for the seventh month, was Helez the Pelonite, of the descendants of Ephraim.
    • In his division were twenty-four thousand men.
11. 27:11
    • The eighth commander, for the eighth month, was Sibbecai the Hushathite, of the Zerahites.
    • In his division were twenty-four thousand men.
12. 27:12
    • The ninth commander, for the ninth month, was Abiezer of Anathoth, of the Benjamites.
    • In his division were twenty-four thousand men.
13. 27:13
    • The tenth commander, for the tenth month, was Maharai the Netophathite, of the Zerahites.
    • In his division were twenty-four thousand men.
14. 27:14
    • The eleventh commander, for the eleventh month, was Benaiah the Pirathonite, of the descendants of Ephraim.
    • In his division were twenty-four thousand men.
15. 27:15
    • The twelfth commander, for the twelfth month, was Heldai the Netophathite, of Othniel.
    • In his division were twenty-four thousand men.
16. 27:16
    • Officers were set over the tribes of Israel.
    • The ruler of the Reubenites was Eliezer son of Zichri.
    • The ruler of the Simeonites was Shephatiah son of Maacah.
17. 27:17
    • The ruler of Levi was Hashabiah son of Kemuel.
    • The ruler of Aaron was Zadok.
18. 27:18
    • The ruler of Judah was Elihu, one of David's brothers.
    • The ruler of Issachar was Omri son of Michael.
19. 27:19
    • The ruler of Zebulun was Ishmaiah son of Obadiah.
    • The ruler of Naphtali was Jerimoth son of Azriel.
20. 27:20
    • The ruler of the descendants of Ephraim was Hoshea son of Azaziah.
    • The ruler of the half tribe of Manasseh was Joel son of Pedaiah.
21. 27:21
    • The ruler of the half tribe of Manasseh in Gilead was Iddo son of Zechariah.
    • The ruler of Benjamin was Jaasiel son of Abner.
22. 27:22
    • The ruler of Dan was Azarel son of Jeroham.
    • These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.
23. 27:23
    • David did not take the number of those twenty years old and under.
    • The reason was that the LORD had said he would multiply Israel like the stars of the heavens.
24. 27:24
    • Joab son of Zeruiah began to number the people.
    • Joab did not finish the numbering.
    • Because of this, wrath fell upon Israel.
    • The number was not entered in the account of the chronicles of King David.
25. 27:25
    • Azmaveth son of Adiel was over the king's treasuries.
    • Jehonathan son of Uzziah was over the storehouses in the countryside, in the cities, in the villages, and in the towers.
26. 27:26
    • Ezri son of Chelub was over those who did the field work for tilling the ground.
27. 27:27
    • Shimei the Ramathite was over the vineyards.
    • Zabdi the Shiphmite was over the produce of the vineyards for the wine stores.
28. 27:28
    • Baal-hanan the Gederite was over the olive trees and the sycamore-fig trees in the lowland.
    • Joash was over the stores of oil.
29. 27:29
    • Shitrai the Sharonite was over the herds pasturing in Sharon.
    • Shaphat son of Adlai was over the herds in the valleys.
30. 27:30
    • Obil the Ishmaelite was over the camels.
    • Jehdeiah the Meronothite was over the female donkeys.
31. 27:31
    • Jaziz the Hagrite was over the flocks.
    • All these were the officials over the property that belonged to King David.
32. 27:32
    • Jonathan, David's uncle, was a counselor.
    • Jonathan was a man of understanding.
    • Jonathan was a scribe.
    • Jehiel son of Hachmoni was with the king's sons.
33. 27:33
    • Ahithophel was the king's counselor.
    • Hushai the Archite was the king's companion.
34. 27:34
    • After Ahithophel came Jehoiada son of Benaiah and Abiathar.
    • Joab was the commander of the king's army.

Words Worth Explaining

Every language note in this chapter, gathered. These explain what a word meant, never what it means for the reader.

27:1

This describes a militia, not a standing professional army. Twelve divisions of 24,000 men each took a month of duty in turn, so most men were at home farming for eleven months of the year. "Commanders over thousands and over hundreds" is the standard Israelite chain of command, with units named by size. The Hebrew word for "thousand" (eleph) can also mean a clan or a military unit of unspecified size, so the totals may be smaller than they sound.

27:3

Perez was a son of Judah, and his descendants formed the leading clan of the tribe of Judah, David's own family line. Saying a commander was "of Perez" placed him in the most prominent family of the ruling tribe.

27:5

The Hebrew is ambiguous about who the priest is. It can mean that Benaiah himself held priestly rank, or (more likely, since he appears elsewhere purely as a soldier) that his father Jehoiada was the priest. Translations differ.

27:6

"The Thirty" was the name of David's corps of elite warriors, listed by name in 1 Chronicles 11 and 2 Samuel 23. To be "over the Thirty" was to command that corps.

27:7

Asahel, Joab's brother, was killed early in David's rise (2 Samuel 2), which is why his son is listed as taking the post after him. The list appears to preserve the original roster along with the replacement.

27:9

Tekoa was a town in the hills of Judah, about ten miles south of Jerusalem.

27:11

Zerah was Perez's twin brother and, like him, a son of Judah; the Zerahites were one of the main clans of that tribe.

27:12

Anathoth was a village belonging to the priests, a few miles northeast of Jerusalem in the territory of Benjamin.

27:15

Othniel was a well-known early leader from the generation after the conquest, related to Caleb; "of the family of Othniel" identifies Heldai's descent, not his rank.

27:16

This second list names a chief officer for each tribe, a civil counterpart to the military divisions. Levi and Aaron are counted separately here because Aaron's family were the priests within the tribe of Levi.

27:17

Levi was the tribe set apart for religious duties. Aaron's descendants were the one branch within Levi who could serve as priests, so they are counted separately here. Zadok was the head of that priestly line under David.

27:18

"Elihu" is probably another form of the name Eliab, David's eldest brother (1 Samuel 16).

27:20

The tribe of Manasseh was unusual. Half of it settled west of the Jordan River and half settled east, so it had two leaders.

27:21

The tribe of Manasseh held land on both sides of the Jordan River, so it was spoken of as two half tribes. Gilead is the highland region on the eastern side.

27:22

The list is missing Gad and Asher, and no reason is given. It still reaches twelve names by counting the two halves of Manasseh separately and listing Levi and Aaron's priestly line as two entries.

27:23

Counting men "from twenty years old" meant counting those fit for military service; anyone younger was not on the muster roll. The promise about the stars is God's word to Abraham in Genesis 15 and 22: that his descendants would be beyond counting.

27:24

This refers back to the census in 1 Chronicles 21, which brought a plague on the nation. "The official records of King David's reign" means the royal court annals, a separate administrative document, not the book of Chronicles you are reading.

27:25

"Fortified places" translates a word for towers or strongholds, walled depots built to guard stored grain and goods in open country.

27:27

Wine "cellars" were stone vats and pits cut into bedrock, where crushed grape juice was left to ferment and then stored in large jars. Grapes, olives and grain were the three pillars of the economy, which is why each gets its own royal officer.

27:28

The sycomore here is not the modern sycamore tree. It was a fig-bearing tree of the lowlands whose fruit was cheap, everyday food for poorer people. The "low hills" are the Shephelah, the belt of rolling foothills between the coastal plain and the hill country.

27:29

Sharon was the broad, well-watered coastal plain running north from Joppa, known for rich grazing land.

27:30

Ishmaelites and Hagrites were desert and steppe peoples living on Israel's margins, and they were the recognized experts with camels and grazing herds. David hired outsiders for the jobs they knew best, and their foreign origins are recorded without comment.

27:31

The Ishmaelites and Hagrites were desert peoples of the eastern and southern margins, reckoned as descendants of Ishmael and of Hagar. They were known as herders of camels and flocks, which is presumably why foreigners held these particular posts in the royal household.

27:32

The Hebrew word translated "uncle" can also mean a more distant relative or a close associate, so the exact relationship is uncertain. A "scribe" was a trained official who could read, write and keep records, a rare and valuable skill, closer to a senior civil servant than a copyist.

27:33

"The king's companion" (or "friend") was a formal court office, not a description of personal affection: a trusted confidential adviser attached to the king. Ahithophel was famous as the shrewdest counselor of his age; he later deserted David for Absalom's rebellion (2 Samuel 15-17).

27:34

Abiathar was one of the chief priests, and Joab, David's nephew, was the ruthless and effective commander who had run the army since the beginning of the reign. The verse lists who filled Ahithophel's advisory role after him, since Ahithophel took his own life during Absalom's revolt.