1 Chronicles 11

1Ch 11:1-3.

DAVID

MADE

KING.

1. Then all Israel gathered themselves to David unto Hebron--This

event happened on the death of Ish-bosheth

(see on

2Sa 5:1).

The convention of the estates of the kingdom, the public and solemn

homage of the representatives of the people, and the repeated anointing

of the new king in their presence and by their direction, seem to have

been necessary to the general acknowledgment of the sovereign on the

part of the nation (compare

1Sa 11:15).

1Ch 11:4-9.

HE

WINS THE

CASTLE OF

ZION FROM THE

JEBUSITES BY

JOAB'S

VALOR.

4. David and all Israel went to . . .

Jebus--(See on

2Sa 5:6).

8. Joab repaired the rest of the city--David built a new town to the

north of the old one on Mount Zion; but Joab was charged with a

commission to restore the part that had been occupied by the ancient

Jebus, to repair the breaches made during the siege, to rebuild the

houses which had been demolished or burned in the sacking of the town,

and to preserve all that had escaped the violence of the soldiery. This

work of reconstruction is not noticed elsewhere

[CALMET].

1Ch 11:10-47.

A

CATALOGUE OF

HIS

WORTHIES.

10. These . . . are the chief of the mighty

men--(See on

2Sa 23:8).

They are here described as those who held strongly with him

(Margin) to make him king, &c. In these words the sacred

historian assigns a reason for introducing the list of their names,

immediately after his account of the election of David as king, and the

conquest of Jerusalem; namely, that they assisted in making David king.

In the original form of the list, and the connection in which it occurs

in Samuel, there is no reference to the choice of a king; and even in

this passage it is only in the clause introduced into the

superscription that such a reference occurs [KEIL].

11-13. Jashobeam, an Hachmonite--or, "son of Hachmoni." He is called

also son of Zabdiel

(1Ch 27:2),

so that, strictly speaking, he was the grandson of Hachmoni (compare

1Ch 27:32).

lifted up his spear against three hundred slain by him at one time--The

feat is said

(2Sa 23:8)

to have been a slaughter of eight hundred in one day. Some endeavor to

reconcile the statements in that passage and in this by supposing that

he slew eight hundred on one occasion and three hundred on another;

while others conjecture that he attacked a body of eight hundred, and,

having slain three hundred of them, the rest fled [LIGHTFOOT].

12. the three mighties--Only two are mentioned; namely, Jashobeam and

Eleazar--the third, Shammah

(2Sa 23:11),

is not named in this passage.

13. He was with David at Pas-dammim--It was at the time when he was a

fugitive in the wilderness, and, parched with thirst under the burning

heat of noonday, he wistfully thought of the cool fountain of his

native village

[2Sa 23:15;

1Ch 11:17].

This is a notice of the achievement, to which Eleazar owed his fame,

but the details are found only in

2Sa 23:9-11,

where it is further said that he was aided by the valor of Shammah, a

fact corroborated in the passage before us

(1Ch 11:14),

where it is recorded of the heroes, that "they set themselves in the

midst of that parcel." As the singular number is used in speaking of

Shammah

(2Sa 23:12),

the true view seems to be that when Eleazar had given up from

exhaustion, Shammah succeeded, and by his fresh and extraordinary

prowess preserved the field.

barley--or lentils

(2Sa 23:11).

Ephes-dammim was situated between Shocoh and Azekah, in the west of the

Judahite territory. These feats were performed when David acted as

Saul's general against the Philistines.

15-19. David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink . . .

of the well of

Beth-lehem--(See on

2Sa 23:15).

This chivalrous act evinces the enthusiastic devotion of David's men,

that they were ready to gratify his smallest wish at the risk of their

lives. It is probable that, when uttering the wish, David had no

recollection of the military posted at Beth-lehem. It is generally

taken for granted that those who fought a way to the well of Beth-lehem

were the three champions just mentioned [see on

1Ch 11:13].

But this is far from being clear. On the contrary, it would seem that

three different heroes are referred to, for Abishai

(1Ch 11:20)

was one of them. The camp of the Philistines was in the valley of

Rephaim

(1Ch 11:15),

which lay on the west of Jerusalem, but an outpost was stationed at

Beth-lehem

(1Ch 11:16),

and through this garrison they had to force a passage.

21. howbeit he attained not to the first

three--(See on

2Sa 23:19).

22. Benaiah . . . of Kabzeel--a town in the south of Judah

(Jos 15:21;

Ne 11:25).

It is said that "he had done many acts," though three only are

mentioned as specimens of his daring energy and fearless courage.

slew two lionlike men of Moab--literally, "lions of God," that is,

great lions or champions. This gallant feat was probably achieved in

David's hostile invasion of Moab

(2Sa 8:2).

also he went down and slew a lion in a pit in a snowy day--probably a

cave into which Benaiah had taken refuge from the snowstorm, and in

which he encountered a savage lion which had its lair there. In a

spacious cave the achievement would be far greater than if the monster

had been previously snared or cabined in a pit.

23. he went down--the ordinary phraseology for expressing an engagement

in battle. The encounter of Benaiah with this gigantic Egyptian reminds

us, in some respects, of David's combat with Goliath. At least, the

height of this giant, which was about eight feet, and his armor,

resembled his of Gath.

with a staff--that is, having no other weapon in his hand than his

walking stick.

25. David set him over his guard--the Cherethites and Pelethites

that composed the small bodyguard in immediate attendance on the king.

26. Also the valiant men of the armies--This was the third degree

of military rank, and Asahel was their chief; the names of few of those

mentioned are historically known.

27. Shammoth--Between this name and Hebez, that of Elikah has

evidently fallen out, as we may see

(2Sa 23:25, 26)

[BERTHEAU].

30. Maharai--chief of the detachment of the guards who attended

on the king in the tenth month, January

(1Ch 27:13;

2Sa 23:28).

39. Naharai--armorbearer to Joab

(2Sa 23:37).

The non-occurrence of Joab's name in any of the three catalogues is

most probably to be accounted for by the circumstance that his office

as commander-in-chief raised him to a position superior to all these

orders of military knighthood.

41. Uriah the Hittite--The enrolment of this name in such a list,

attesting, as it does, his distinguished merits as a brave and devoted

officer, aggravates the criminality of David's outrage on his life and

honor. The number of the names at

1Ch 11:26-41

(exclusive of Asahel and Uriah, who were dead) is thirty, and at

1Ch 11:41-47

is sixteen--making together forty-eight (see on

1Ch 27:1-34).

Of those mentioned

(1Ch 11:26-41),

the greater part belonged to the tribes of Judah and Benjamin; the

sixteen names

(1Ch 11:41-47)

are all associated with places unknown, or with cities and districts on

the east of the Jordan. The northern tribes do not appear to have

furnished any leaders [BERTHEAU].