the LORD. 24The children of Judah that bare shield and spear were six thousand and eight hundred, armed for war. 25Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valour for the war, seven thousand and one hundred. 26Of the children of Levi four thousand and six hundred. 27And Jehoiada was the leader of the house of Aaron, and with him were three thousand and seven hundred; 28and Zadok, a young man mighty of valour, and of his father's house twenty and two captains. 29And of the children of Benjamin, the brethren of Saul, three thousand: for hitherto the greatest part of them had [1]kept their allegiance to the house of Saul. 30And of the children of Ephraim twenty thousand and eight hundred, mighty men of valour, famous men in their fathers' houses. 31And of the half tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, which were expressed by name, to
suggest that its statements are based on those of some ancient document. Its value in the idealistic account of David which the Chronicler furnishes is obvious, implying as it does not only that the northern as well as the southern tribes concurred whole-heartedly in the election of David, but also that the occasion was one of great military display. On the huge numbers alleged to have come from the North (Zebulun, Naphtali, Dan, and Asher being credited with 155,600 warriors) cp. the following note, and, in general, on midrashic exaggeration of numbers in Chron. see the note on 2 Chr. xvii. 14.
24. six thousand and eight hundred] Contrast the numbers assigned to the northern tribes in vv. 33 ff. It may be the idea of the Chronicler that the unanimous support of the southern tribes could be assumed, and that only chosen representatives of these tribes attended. But much more probably the multitudes of Zebulun (ver. 33), etc. are simply due to his desire to magnify the share taken by the north, whilst the problem of the numerical contrast with Judah, etc. did not present itself to him as it does to us.
25. Simeon] The most southerly of the tribes (iv. 24—31). The tribes are mentioned in order from south to north.
27. of the house of Aaron] Jehoiada was not high-priest, but leader of the warriors of the house of Aaron. He may be the same person as the father of Benaiah (xi. 22). Leader (Heb. nagīd) is the title given to the "Ruler" of the Temple (ix. 11).
28. Zadok] In xxvii. 17 he seems to occupy the position assigned to Jehoiada in ver. 27. Perhaps he succeeded him.
29. hitherto] i.e. up to the time referred to in 2 Sam. v. 1.
31. which were expressed by name] Suggesting that a census list was
- ↑ Heb. kept the charge of the house.
