Chapter XXVII.
The Organisation of the Military and Civil Officials.
1–15.
The divisions of the Army by Courses.
It is in keeping with the plan and spirit of the Chronicler that he should not fail to ascribe to David, who for all his piety was preeminently the warrior-king, the organisation on an immense scale of the military and civil forces of the land. In monthly “courses” the king is here said to be attended by officers and soldiers totalling 288,000 men! The enumeration of David’s “mighty men” in chapter xi. 10 ff. is an utterly insufficient reason for supposing that the present chapter cannot also come from the Chronicler. It is suitable to his narrative, characteristic of his style, and, if further evidence be needed, it may be found in the tone of the references to the civil and military authorities in xxii. 17; xxiii. 2; xxviii. 1 ff., 21; xxix. 6 ff.
¹Now the children of Israel after their number, to wit, the heads of fathers’ houses and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and their officers that served the king, in any matter of the courses which came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year, of every course were twenty and four thousand.
1. came in and went out] Came on duty and went off duty; compare 2 Chronicles xxiii. 8.
²Over the first course for the first month was Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.
2. Jashobeam] Compare xi. 11, note.
³He was of the children of Perez, the chief of all the captains of the host for the first month.
3. Perez] For Perez, see ii. 4, 5.
⁴And over the course of the second month was Dodai the Ahohite, and his course; and Mikloth the ruler: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.
4. Dodai the Ahohite] Read probably (compare xi. 12), “Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite.”
and his course; and Mikloth the ruler] The words are corrupt and are omitted in the LXX. The original text is quite uncertain. A Benjamite called Mikloth is mentioned in viii. 32.
⁵The third captain of the host for the third month was Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada the priest¹, chief: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.
5. Benaiah] Compare xi. 22 ff., xviii. 17.
Jehoiada the priest, chief] “chief” refers to Benaiah.
⁶This is that Benaiah, who was the mighty man of the thirty, and over the thirty: and of his course was Ammizabad his son.
6. the mighty man of the thirty, and over the thirty] Compare xi. 25.
⁷The fourth captain for the fourth month was Asahel the brother of Joab, and Zebadiah his son after him: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.
7. Asahel] compare xi. 26, note.
⁸The fifth captain for the fifth month was Shamhuth the Izrahite: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.
8. Shamhuth the Izrahite] Perhaps to be identified with “Shammoth the Harorite” of xi. 27; see note there.
⁹The sixth captain for the sixth month was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.
9. Ira] compare xi. 28.
¹⁰The seventh captain for the seventh month was Helez the Pelonite, of the children of Ephraim: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.
10. Helez the Pelonite] Compare xi. 27, note.
¹¹The eighth captain for the eighth month was Sibbecai the Hushathite, of the Zerahites: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.
11. Sibbecai the Hushathite] Compare xi. 29, notes.
Zerahites] (also verse 13). Descendants of Zerah, son of Judah; ii. 4.
¹²The ninth captain for the ninth month was Abiezer the Anathothite, of the Benjamites: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.
12. Abiezer the Anathothite] Compare xi. 28.
¹³The tenth captain for the tenth month was Maharai the Netophathite, of the Zerahites: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.
13. Maharai the Netophathite] Compare xi. 30.
¹⁴The eleventh captain for the eleventh month was Benaiah the Pirathonite, of the children of Ephraim: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.
14. Benaiah the Pirathonite] Compare xi. 31.
¹⁵The twelfth captain for the twelfth month was Heldai¹ the Netophathite, of Othniel: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.
15. Heldai] Called Heled in xi. 30.
of Othniel] compare Judges i. 13, iii. 9. Thus Heldai was not of pure Israelite descent, but belonged to the Kenizzites (Kenaz), a younger branch of the Calebites, an independent tribe which settled primarily in southern Judah and was later incorporated in the tribe of Judah. Genealogically this fact was expressed by calling Caleb a son of Hezron, the son of Judah. See the article Caleb in Encyclopedia Britannica¹¹.
16–24.
The Princes of the Tribes of Israel.
Six tribes which were accounted “sons” of Leah are given first, then six “sons,” actual or legal, of Rachel; whilst Zadok as chief of the priestly caste may be reckoned as standing in a category by himself, representative of the nation as a whole. Gad and Asher are omitted, for some reason not easy to discern, perhaps accidentally or because the traditional number of “twelve” tribes was complete in this list without them.
¹⁶Furthermore over the tribes of Israel: of the Reubenites was Eliezer the son of Zichri the ruler: of the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maacah: ¹⁷of Levi, Hashabiah the son of Kemuel: of Aaron, Zadok:
17. Hashabiah] Perhaps the person mentioned in xxvi. 30. The name is common among Levites.
of Aaron, Zadok] compare xii. 27, 28.
¹⁸of Judah, Elihu¹, one of the brethren of David: of Issachar, Omri the son of Michael: ¹⁹of Zebulun, Ishmaiah the son of Obadiah: of Naphtali, Jeremoth the son of Azriel: ²⁰of the children of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Azaziah: of the half tribe of Manasseh, Joel the son of Pedaiah:
18. Elihu] Perhaps the “Eliab” of 1 Samuel xvi. 6; compare margin.
²¹of the half tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo the son of Zechariah: of Benjamin, Jaasiel the son of Abner: ²²of Dan, Azarel the son of Jeroham. These were the captains of the tribes of Israel.
21. Gilead] “Gilead” is strictly speaking the name of the district between the Jabbok and Moab, in which the tribes of Gad and Reuben dwelt. Here it is used less precisely to include Bashan, the district north-east of Jordan in which the half tribe of Manasseh lived: compare ii. 22, note.
Iddo] Spelt quite differently in Hebrew from the name of the father of the prophet Zechariah (Zechariah i. 1).
Abner] 1 Samuel xiv. 50, 51.
²³But David took not the number of them from twenty years old and under: because the Lord had said he would increase Israel like to the stars of heaven.
23. took not the number] In Numbers i. 3 ff. it is said that in the census which God commanded Moses to take in the wilderness only those above twenty years old were to be numbered, and a chief from each tribe was appointed to assist Moses in the task of numeration. The Chronicler in this section wishes to say that, though David erred in taking the census unbidden by Jehovah, he at least conformed to the principles of the Law in carrying out his project: those under 20 years of age were not counted, and the princes just enumerated may be supposed to correspond to the chiefs who assisted Moses.
²⁴Joab the son of Zeruiah began to number, but finished not; and there came wrath for this upon Israel; neither was the number put into the account in the chronicles of king David.
24. but finished not] Compare xxi. 6.
into the account in] A summary of the numbers of David’s census is given in xxi. 5 and also (with divergences) in 2 Samuel xxiv. 9. The Chronicler probably means in the present passage that the details of the census were not entered in the official records.
the chronicles] Literally the acts of the days; compare Introduction, § 5.
25–31.
Various Officers of the King.
Twelve different officers are named here who acted as stewards of king David’s property.
²⁵And over the king’s treasuries was Azmaveth the son of Adiel: and over the treasuries in the fields, in the cities, and in the villages, and in the castles, was Jonathan the son of Uzziah: ²⁶and over them that did the work of the field for tillage of the ground was Ezri the son of Chelub:
25. castles] Literally towers; compare 2 Chronicles xxvi. 10, xxvii. 4.
²⁷and over the vineyards was Shimei the Ramathite: and over the increase of the vineyards for the wine cellars was Zabdi the Shiphmite:
27. the Ramathite] The well-known Ramah was in Benjamin, but there was also a Ramah (or Ramoth) of the South (Joshua xix. 8; 1 Samuel xxx. 27) from which the epithet “Ramathite” might be derived.
the Shiphmite] The adjective is probably derived from “Siphmoth” (1 Samuel xxx. 28), the name of a place in the south of Judah. If so, we should read either “Siphmite” here, or “Shiphmoth” in 1 Samuel.
²⁸and over the olive trees and the sycomore trees that were in the lowland was Baal-hanan the Gederite: and over the cellars of oil was Joash:
28. sycomore] The fig-mulberry, a tree having leaves like mulberry-leaves, and bearing a fruit resembling figs. Compare 2 Chronicles i. 15; Amos, vii. 14.
in the lowland] Hebrew Shephelah. See note on 2 Chronicles i. 15 (“vale”).
Gederite] i.e. inhabitant of “Geder” (Joshua xii. 13), perhaps another form of “Gederah” (Joshua xv. 36). A place in the south of Judah is intended in any case. See note on xii. 4.
²⁹and over the herds that fed in Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite: and over the herds that were in the valleys was Shaphat the son of Adlai:
29. Sharon] The great maritime plain bounded on the east by the “lowland” (Shephelah). “The valleys” would probably be the depressions among the hills of the Shephelah which open out into Sharon; compare Canticles ii. 1.
³⁰and over the camels was Obil the Ishmaelite: and over the asses was Jehdeiah the Meronothite:
30. Obil] The name is a form of the Arabic word ābil, “one who feeds camels.”
the Meronothite] Meronoth was perhaps near Gibeon and Mizpah; compare Nehemiah iii. 7.
³¹and over the flocks was Jaziz the Hagrite. All these were the rulers of the substance which was king David’s.
31. Hagrite] Compare v. 10.
32–34 (compare xviii. 15–17 = 2 Samuel viii. 16–18; compare 2 Samuel xx. 23–26).
David’s Officers at Court.
³²Also Jonathan David’s uncle¹ was a counsellor, a man of understanding, and a scribe: and Jehiel the son of Hachmoni was with the king’s sons:
32. Jonathan David’s uncle] The name Jonathan is common in Hebrew, but no uncle of David is elsewhere mentioned. A “Jonathan, son of Shimea,” David’s brother, is referred to in xx. 7 (= 2 Samuel xxi. 21), and many scholars in consequence prefer to follow the margin and render Jonathan, David’s brother’s son. Curtis renders David’s lover, taking the reference to be to Jonathan, Saul’s son, who as the friend of David’s youth might be spoken of as his first “counsellor.” This view seems improbable but is not impossible, despite the phrase “and a scribe” which could not possibly be said of Saul’s warrior son. There is some evidence that those words are a gloss, and it is true that the list is not one of living men only (compare Ahithophel), whilst finally the Chronicler might well be tempted to drag in an allusion to a relationship so well-known and so creditable to David.
a scribe] Not the chief scribe; compare xviii. 16, note.
with the king’s sons] As tutor; compare 2 Kings x. 6.
³³and Ahithophel was the king’s counsellor: and Hushai the Archite was the king’s friend:
33. Ahithophel] See 2 Samuel xv. 31; xvi. 20–xvii. 23.
Hushai] See 2 Samuel xv. 32–37, xvi. 16–19, xvii. 5–16.
Archite] The “border of the Archites” was near Bethel (Joshua xvi. 2). The word has no connection with the “Arkite” of i. 15.
king’s friend] compare 2 Samuel xvi. 16. “Special titles served to signify the degree of rank the great men held with respect to the king [of Egypt]. In old times the most important were the friend and the well-beloved friend of the king” (Erman, Ancient Egypt, English translation p. 72). The Greek kings of Syria granted similar titles to their chief dependents; compare 1 Maccabees ii. 18 (Revised Version with margin), “thou and thy house shall be in the number of the king’s Friends.”
³⁴and after Ahithophel was Jehoiada the son of Benaiah, and Abiathar: and the captain of the king’s host was Joab.
34. after Ahithophel] Compare verse 33.
Jehoiada the son of Benaiah] Either we must read, “Benaiah the son of Jehoiada” (compare xviii. 17), or we must assume that a person known only from this passage is meant.
and Abiathar] Possibly such a phrase as “And Zadok and Abiathar were priests” (compare 2 Samuel xx. 25) originally stood here.
Chapters XXVIII, XXIX.
David’s farewell Speech.
Chapter XXVIII.
1–8 (compare xxii. 17–19).
His charge to the chief men of Israel
concerning the building of the Temple.
The glorious reign now reaches a fitting climax. David summons the assembly of all the princes and commanders of Israel, and, in the presence of the heir to the throne, addresses them in a final oration. He recounts his Divine election and rule over Israel and the promise that the same Divine Power will be with Solomon his son (xxviii. 1–10). Then, handing over to Solomon the inspired plans for the Temple (11–21), and briefly describing the treasures he has amassed for its enrichment (xxix. 1–5) he appeals to the liberality of the people and is met by a magnificent response (6–9). Finally, in a prayer of fine humility and faith (10–20), he commends his son and his people to the eternal and all-powerful God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. How immense the contrast between this and the pathetically real picture of the closing days of David portrayed in 1 Kings i., ii. 1–11! There the dying monarch is seen, exhausted in mind and body, surrounded by the intrigues of an Eastern palace. With a last flicker of his strength, he rouses himself to secure the succession of Solomon by firm but ruthless orders against the leaders of the opposing faction. Whilst the narrative in Kings is indispensable to us in preserving some record of the actual history of the last days of David, Chronicles is also of great value in its own way as a religious interpretation of history (Introduction pp. liii, lv). Rightly understood, this farewell speech is in many respects a noble and inspiring passage of Scripture: so ought a perfect reign to end. Here David dies, leaving his country peaceful, powerful, and contented. He dies believing that his people’s true prosperity is in its zeal for the worship of God; and for that end, with the popular approval, he has made marvellous preparation. And lastly he dies, in no vain-glorious spirit, but conscious of the littleness of man and the majesty of God, and in humble dependence on the continuance of Grace.
¹And David assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the captains of the companies that served the king by course, and the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, and the rulers over all the substance and possessions¹ of the king and of his sons, with the officers², and the mighty men, even all the mighty men of valour, unto Jerusalem.
1. the princes of the tribes] Compare xxvii. 16–22.
the captains of the companies] See xxvii. 1–15.
the rulers] See xxvii. 25–31.
officers] margin eunuchs; the earlier authorities however for David’s reign (in the books of Samuel) do not mention such persons; and they were perhaps introduced into the Israelite court at a later time. Yet compare 1 Samuel viii. 15.
²Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: as for me, it was in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God; and I had made ready for the building.
2. stood up upon his feet] Kings sometimes made orations sitting; compare Acts xii. 21. Here the king stands to mark the greatness of the occasion.
my brethren] The king is the brother of his subjects; Deuteronomy xvii. 15, 20; compare Psalms xlv. 7.
it was in mine heart] See xvii. 1; 2 Samuel vii. 2.
an house of rest] Compare xvii. 5; 2 Samuel vii. 6.
the footstool] compare Isaiah lx. 13.
³But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou art a man of war, and hast shed blood.
3. thou art a man of war] See note on xxii. 8.
⁴Howbeit the Lord, the God of Israel, chose me out of all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever: for he hath chosen Judah to be prince¹; and in the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel:
4. out of all the house] See 1 Samuel xvi. 1–13.
king ... for ever] i.e. the kingdom is to abide with David and his descendants. That the promise, however, was not to be interpreted as independent of moral conditions, see below verse 9 ad fin.
⁵and of all my sons, (for the Lord hath given me many sons,) he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel.
5. many sons] compare iii. 1–9.
he hath chosen Solomon] The earlier histories (Samuel–Kings) do not thus speak of God choosing Solomon as David’s successor; but compare 2 Samuel xii. 24, 25; 1 Kings i. 11–14.
the throne of the kingdom of the Lord] Compare xxix. 23, the throne of the Lord. The Chronicler regards the king as the deputy of Jehovah.
⁶And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts: for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.
6. he shall build my house] Compare xxii. 10.
⁷And I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do my commandments and my judgements, as at this day.
7. And I will establish] Compare xvii. 11.
if he be constant] Literally if he be strong; compare verses 10, 20, be strong (same word in Hebrew). Compare 1 Kings ix. 4, 5.
⁸Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel, the congregation of the Lord, and in the audience of our God, observe and seek out all the commandments of the Lord your God: that ye may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children after you for ever.
8. and seek out] The same Hebrew word is used in xiii. 3, we sought not unto it (i.e. the Ark) in the days of Saul.
that ye may possess this good land] possess = inherit. The Hebrew word connotes three different ideas, which may all have been present to the mind of the speaker, viz. (1) continued holding of the land by passing it from father to son (compare Exodus xx. 12), (2) completion of the work of conquest left unfinished by Joshua (compare Genesis xxiv. 60), (3) enjoyment of the fruits of the land (compare Psalms xxv. 13).
9–21.
David’s Charge to Solomon.
⁹And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
9. know thou the God of thy father] For this use of know compare Exodus v. 2; Isaiah i. 3; Jeremiah xxxi. 34.
with a perfect heart] i.e. with a single, undivided heart; compare xii. 33 “they were not of double heart.” In 2 Chronicles xv. 17 the heart of king Asa is described as perfect, because he took no part in the idolatrous practices which prevailed in his day. Faithfulness to Jehovah, not moral perfection, is implied in phrases of this kind.
the Lord searcheth] Compare Ezekiel’s vision of the Lord’s detection of secret idolatry (Ezekiel viii.).
¹⁰Take heed now; for the Lord hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.
10. hath chosen thee] See on verse 5.
¹¹Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch of the temple, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper rooms thereof, and of the inner chambers thereof, and of the place¹ of the mercy-seat:
11. the pattern] Compare verse 12; Exodus xxv. 9. The Temple, like the tabernacle, was to be constructed according to a pattern or model communicated by inspiration (see verse 19). A verbal description rather than a drawing is meant.
the porch] compare 2 Chronicles iii. 4; 1 Kings vi. 3.
the houses thereof] Compare 2 Chronicles xxxiv. 11. “Thereof” of course refers to the Temple as a whole, and by “houses” we must understand the various portions of the building.
the treasuries] A different Hebrew word from that used in verse 12. The inner treasuries mentioned here were for treasure; the outer treasuries (verse 11) were perhaps rather store-chambers.
upper rooms] compare 2 Chronicles iii. 9; and 1 Kings vi. 6 (where however the Hebrew word is different).
the place of the mercy-seat] The Holy of Holies.
¹²and the pattern of all that he had by¹ the spirit, for the courts of the house of the Lord, and for all the chambers round about, for the treasuries of the house of God, and for the treasuries of the dedicated things:
12. that he had by the spirit] i.e. that had come to him by revelation and rested with him waiting for realisation. Margin, that he had in his spirit (i.e. in his mind) is a less likely translation.
for the courts] The last verse dealt with the Temple itself; this one with the courts and detached buildings.
chambers] compare ix. 26, note.
the treasuries] The same Hebrew word as in xxvi. 20; Nehemiah xiii. 12, 15. See note on verse 11.
dedicated things] xxvi. 26–28; 2 Chronicles xv. 18.
¹³also for the courses of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the service of the house of the Lord, and for all the vessels of service in the house of the Lord:
13. also for the courses] The verse is best taken in adjectival connection with the phrase the chambers round about in the preceding verse: these were used for the treasuries..., and “also for the courses,” etc. It is possible, however, to take it in the sense “he gave the pattern also for the courses,” etc.; i.e. the scheme of rotation set forth in previous chapters.
of the priests and the Levites] Compare xxiv. 1–31.
¹⁴of gold by weight for the vessels of gold, for all vessels of every kind of service; of silver for all the vessels of silver by weight, for all vessels of every kind of service: ¹⁵by weight also for the candlesticks of gold, and for the lamps thereof, of gold, by weight for every candlestick and for the lamps thereof: and for the candlesticks of silver, silver by weight for every candlestick and for the lamps thereof, according to the use of every candlestick:
14. of gold by weight] sc. he gave the pattern or account of gold, etc.
¹⁶and the gold by weight for the tables of shewbread, for every table; and silver for the tables of silver:
16. tables of shewbread] Elsewhere, except 2 Chronicles iv. 19 (see note on 2 Chronicles iv. 8), only one table for the shewbread is mentioned; compare 2 Chronicles xxix. 18; Exodus xxxv. 13, xxxvii. 10, xl. 22.
and silver] Neither the silver tables of this verse, nor the silver candlesticks of verse 15 are mentioned elsewhere; perhaps they stood in some of the chambers (verse 12) of the Temple courts for the use of the Levites in their work.
¹⁷and the fleshhooks, and the basons, and the cups, of pure gold: and for the golden bowls by weight for every bowl; and for the silver bowls by weight for every bowl:
17. fleshhooks] Exodus xxvii. 3; 1 Samuel ii. 13.
basons] These were used for dashing the blood of a victim against the altar. Compare 2 Chronicles xxix. 22.
the cups] Probably the same as the flagons (Revised Version) of Exodus xxv. 29 which were used for pouring out the drink offering.
¹⁸and for the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the pattern of the chariot, even the cherubim, that spread out their wings, and covered the ark of the covenant of the Lord.
18. the altar of incense] 2 Chronicles xxvi. 16; Exodus xxx. 1–10.
the chariot, even the cherubim] Compare Ezekiel i. 5–10, 15–17. The Cherubim were poetically conceived as the chariot of Jehovah. The phrase has its origin in the language of Psalms xviii. 10.
¹⁹All this, said David, have I been made to understand in writing¹ from the hand of the Lord, even all the works of this pattern.
19. All this, said David, have I been made to understand in writing from the hand of the Lord, even all the works of this pattern] Compare verse 11, note. As in the case of Moses and the tabernacle (Exodus xxv. 9, 40), so David’s plans for the Temple are said to be of Divine origin.
²⁰And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, is with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord be finished.
20. Be strong] God’s help in the planning is a pledge of God’s help in the accomplishment. Compare verse 10, which finds its continuation at this point. The work was great, and Solomon young; xxii. 5.
be finished] The LXX. shows that a passage which was present in the Hebrew text of the second century has been later accidentally omitted from the Hebrew at this point. Add therefore Now behold the pattern of the porch of the temple and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper rooms thereof, and of the inner chambers thereof, and of the house of the mercy-seat, even the pattern of the house of the Lord. Torrey, Ezra Studies, pp. 73, 87.
²¹And, behold, there are the courses of the priests and the Levites, for all the service of the house of God: and there shall be with thee in all manner of work every willing man that hath skill, for any manner of service: also the captains and all the people will be wholly at thy commandment.
21. every willing man that hath skill] Compare Exodus xxxv. 5, 10 ff.