1 Chronicles 12 Study Notes: Israel Rallies to David
Warriors from many tribes, including Saul’s own relatives, join David while he is still a fugitive, and Amasai, moved by the Spirit, pledges loyalty. Armed men from every tribe then gather at Hebron united in their resolve to crown David, and the assembly ends in three days of feasting and joy.
General
What happened to Amasai, who led the Thirty, and what did he say to David (1 Chronicles 12:18)?
Answer: The Spirit came on him, and he pledged loyalty, for God helps David
In answer to David’s challenge, God’s Spirit came on Amasai, and he spoke words of loyalty: the men belonged to David and stood with the son of Jesse, and he wished peace to David and to all who helped him, because David’s God was helping him (12:18). David accepted them and put them in command of units of his troops. God’s Spirit moved Amasai to recognize what God was doing, much as the Spirit came on Gideon to rally men to him (Judges 6:34). The heart of Amasai’s message is that David’s real help came from God, as the psalms confess when they call God a helper (Psalm 54:4; Psalm 118:7).
- 1 Chronicles 12:18 (BSB)“Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, the chief of the Thirty, and he said: “We are yours, O David! We are with you, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers, for your God helps you.” So David received them and made them leaders of his troops.”The Spirit comes upon Amasai, who pledges loyalty to David because God helps him.
- Judges 6:34 (BSB)“So the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, who blew the ram’s horn and rallied the Abiezrites behind him.”The Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon to rally men, a similar work of the Spirit.
- Psalm 54:4 (BSB)“Surely God is my helper; the Lord is the sustainer of my soul.”David confesses that God is his helper, the very point of Amasai’s words.
- Psalm 118:7 (BSB)“The LORD is on my side; He is my helper. Therefore I will look in triumph on those who hate me.”The psalmist names the LORD as his helper, the ground of confidence Amasai declares over David.
Theological
What came upon Amasai, and what was the content of his declaration to David (1 Chronicles 12:18)?
Answer: The Spirit came on him, and he pledged loyalty, for God helps David
The Spirit comes upon Amasai, and his Spirit-given words answer David’s challenge: these men are David’s, and peace rests on David and his helpers because his God helps him (12:18). David then receives them as commanders. The Spirit’s coming upon a leader to rally God’s people recalls Gideon (Judges 6:34), and the confession that God is David’s helper is the language of the psalms (Psalm 54:4; Psalm 118:7). God is moving hearts toward the king He has chosen.
- 1 Chronicles 12:18 (BSB)“Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, the chief of the Thirty, and he said: “We are yours, O David! We are with you, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers, for your God helps you.” So David received them and made them leaders of his troops.”The Spirit comes upon Amasai, who pledges loyalty to David because God helps him.
- Judges 6:34 (BSB)“So the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, who blew the ram’s horn and rallied the Abiezrites behind him.”The Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon to rally men, a similar work of the Spirit.
- Psalm 54:4 (BSB)“Surely God is my helper; the Lord is the sustainer of my soul.”David confesses that God is his helper, the very point of Amasai’s words.
- Psalm 118:7 (BSB)“The LORD is on my side; He is my helper. Therefore I will look in triumph on those who hate me.”The psalmist names the LORD as his helper, the ground of confidence Amasai declares over David.
General
True or False: The chapter says David’s following stayed small until he was made king at Hebron.
Answer: False
This is false. The chapter says that in those days fresh recruits arrived daily to help David, until his forces became vast, like God’s own host (12:22). David’s company had begun with some four hundred men who were in distress, in debt, or discontented (1 Samuel 22:2). Day by day it grew into a vast army. That growth matches what the chapter before says: David’s power kept increasing because the LORD of Hosts stood by him (11:9).
- 1 Chronicles 12:22 (BSB)“For at that time men came to David day after day to help him, until he had a great army, like the army of God.”Men come to David day after day until his army is great, like the army of God.
- 1 Samuel 22:2 (BSB)“And all who were distressed or indebted or discontented rallied around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.”David’s band began with about four hundred men in distress, showing how much it grew.
- 1 Chronicles 11:9 (BSB)“And David became greater and greater, for the LORD of Hosts was with him.”David’s growing strength is credited to the LORD of Hosts being with him.
Theological
True or False: According to the chapter, David’s band remained small until his coronation at Hebron.
Answer: False
This is false. Even before Hebron, recruits joined David daily until his force was vast, like God’s own host (12:22). From roughly four hundred malcontents at Adullam (1 Samuel 22:2), the band became a great army, the outworking of the LORD of Hosts being with David (11:9).
- 1 Chronicles 12:22 (BSB)“For at that time men came to David day after day to help him, until he had a great army, like the army of God.”Men come to David day after day until his army is great, like the army of God.
- 1 Samuel 22:2 (BSB)“And all who were distressed or indebted or discontented rallied around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.”David’s band began with about four hundred men in distress, showing how much it grew.
- 1 Chronicles 11:9 (BSB)“And David became greater and greater, for the LORD of Hosts was with him.”David’s growing strength is credited to the LORD of Hosts being with him.
General
When more men from Benjamin and Judah came to his stronghold, what did David say to them (1 Chronicles 12:16-17)?
Answer: If they came in peace he would join them; if to betray him, God would judge
David greeted the new arrivals with a careful word. If they had come peacefully, to help him, his heart would be joined with theirs. But if they had come to hand him over to his enemies, though he had done no wrong, he asked the God of their fathers to take notice and judge the matter (12:17). David did not take revenge into his own hands but left judgment to God, as he had done with Saul himself (1 Samuel 24:11-12). He trusted the LORD to judge rightly according to a person’s integrity (Psalm 7:8).
- 1 Chronicles 12:16-17 (BSB)“Other Benjamites and some men from Judah also came to David in his stronghold. And David went out to meet them, saying, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free of violence, may the God of our fathers see it and judge you.””David offers union to those who come in peace and leaves betrayal to God’s judgment.
- 1 Samuel 24:11-12 (BSB)“See, my father, look at the corner of your robe in my hand. For I cut it off, but I did not kill you. Know and see that there is no evil or rebellion in my hands. I have not sinned against you, even though you are hunting me down to take my life. May the LORD judge between you and me, and may the LORD take vengeance on you, but my hand will never be against you.”David, innocent toward Saul, likewise left judgment and vengeance to the LORD.
- Psalm 7:8 (BSB)“The LORD judges the peoples; vindicate me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and integrity.”David asks the LORD, the Judge of the peoples, to vindicate him by his integrity.
Theological
How did David address the Benjamites and Judahites who came to his stronghold (1 Chronicles 12:16-17)?
Answer: If they came in peace he would join them; if to betray him, God would judge
David meets the newcomers with an open offer and a solemn appeal: peace means a united heart, but treachery against an innocent man he commits to the God of the fathers to see and judge (12:17). This is David’s consistent practice in his exile, refusing personal vengeance and entrusting judgment to the LORD (1 Samuel 24:11-12; Psalm 7:8).
- 1 Chronicles 12:16-17 (BSB)“Other Benjamites and some men from Judah also came to David in his stronghold. And David went out to meet them, saying, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free of violence, may the God of our fathers see it and judge you.””David offers union to those who come in peace and leaves betrayal to God’s judgment.
- 1 Samuel 24:11-12 (BSB)“See, my father, look at the corner of your robe in my hand. For I cut it off, but I did not kill you. Know and see that there is no evil or rebellion in my hands. I have not sinned against you, even though you are hunting me down to take my life. May the LORD judge between you and me, and may the LORD take vengeance on you, but my hand will never be against you.”David, innocent toward Saul, likewise left judgment and vengeance to the LORD.
- Psalm 7:8 (BSB)“The LORD judges the peoples; vindicate me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and integrity.”David asks the LORD, the Judge of the peoples, to vindicate him by his integrity.
General
How does the chapter describe the men of Gad who went over to David in the wilderness (1 Chronicles 12:8, 14-15)?
Answer: Fierce, swift fighters who forded the Jordan while it was in flood
Men from the tribe of Gad, whose land lay beyond the Jordan River, went over to David while he was hiding out in the desert. They were seasoned warriors, skilled with spear and shield, fierce as lions and fast as gazelles running on the hills (12:8). The weakest of their commanders could stand against a hundred men, and the strongest against a thousand (12:14). At the start of the year, when the Jordan was flooding over its banks, they crossed it and routed everyone in the valleys on both sides (12:15). Like the Benjamites, they came to David during his years as a fugitive, part of the steady stream of men that turned his band into a great army (12:22).
- 1 Chronicles 12:8 (BSB)“Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the wilderness. They were mighty men of valor, trained for battle, experts with the shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions and who were as swift as gazelles on the mountains:”The Gadites who come to David are trained warriors, lion-faced and swift as gazelles.
- 1 Chronicles 12:14-15 (BSB)“These Gadites were army commanders, the least of whom was a match for a hundred, and the greatest for a thousand. These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight all those in the valleys, both to the east and to the west.”Their commanders are matched against a hundred or a thousand, and they cross the flooded Jordan.
- Numbers 32:33 (BSB)“So Moses gave to the Gadites, to the Reubenites, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan—the land including its cities and the territory surrounding them.”Moses gave Gad its land east of the Jordan, the region these warriors came from.
- Joshua 3:15 (BSB)“Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge,”The Jordan overflows its banks in the harvest season, the danger the Gadites crossed.
- 1 Chronicles 12:22 (BSB)“For at that time men came to David day after day to help him, until he had a great army, like the army of God.”Men kept coming to David day after day until his army was great.
Theological
What is said of the Gadite commanders who defected to David in the wilderness (1 Chronicles 12:8, 14-15)?
Answer: Fierce, swift fighters who forded the Jordan while it was in flood
The Gadites, from the tribe settled beyond the Jordan, are portrayed as elite warriors: trained, expert with spear and shield, lion-faced and gazelle-swift (12:8). The least of their commanders could face a hundred, the greatest a thousand (12:14), and they crossed the Jordan at flood at the start of the year and routed the enemy in the valleys east and west (12:15). Their coming, like that of Saul’s own Benjamite kin, belongs to the daily stream of men God was drawing to David until his army was great (12:22).
- 1 Chronicles 12:8 (BSB)“Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the wilderness. They were mighty men of valor, trained for battle, experts with the shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions and who were as swift as gazelles on the mountains:”The Gadites who come to David are trained warriors, lion-faced and swift as gazelles.
- 1 Chronicles 12:14-15 (BSB)“These Gadites were army commanders, the least of whom was a match for a hundred, and the greatest for a thousand. These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight all those in the valleys, both to the east and to the west.”Their commanders are matched against a hundred or a thousand, and they cross the flooded Jordan.
- Numbers 32:33 (BSB)“So Moses gave to the Gadites, to the Reubenites, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan—the land including its cities and the territory surrounding them.”Moses gave Gad its land east of the Jordan, the region these warriors came from.
- Joshua 3:15 (BSB)“Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge,”The Jordan overflows its banks in the harvest season, the danger the Gadites crossed.
- 1 Chronicles 12:22 (BSB)“For at that time men came to David day after day to help him, until he had a great army, like the army of God.”Men kept coming to David day after day until his army was great.
General
What does the chapter say set apart the leaders sent by the tribe of Issachar (1 Chronicles 12:32)?
Answer: They discerned their moment and knew the course Israel should take
Issachar’s contribution is described not by its numbers or weapons but by its wisdom. Its 200 chiefs, with their relatives under their command, were men who grasped the meaning of their day and saw the right course for Israel (12:32). They saw what the moment called for: to crown David as God had said. Scripture values this kind of wisdom. Paul urges believers to walk wisely, making the most of the time and grasping the Lord’s will (Ephesians 5:15-17), and to live with an awareness of the hour they are in (Romans 13:11).
- 1 Chronicles 12:32 (BSB)“From Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs with all their kinsmen at their command.”Issachar’s chiefs are described as men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.
- Ephesians 5:15-17 (BSB)“Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”Paul calls believers to walk wisely and understand the Lord’s will, the same discernment.
- Romans 13:11 (BSB)“And do this, understanding the occasion. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”Paul urges believers to understand the occasion and the hour, as Issachar did.
Theological
How are the leaders of Issachar characterized in the Hebron muster (1 Chronicles 12:32)?
Answer: They discerned their moment and knew the course Israel should take
Issachar is distinguished by discernment: its leaders read their moment rightly and saw the course Israel must take (12:32). Their wisdom lay in recognizing that the hour had come to join God’s purpose in David. The New Testament calls for the same wise reading of the times in light of the Lord’s will (Ephesians 5:15-17) and the nearness of salvation (Romans 13:11).
- 1 Chronicles 12:32 (BSB)“From Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs with all their kinsmen at their command.”Issachar’s chiefs are described as men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.
- Ephesians 5:15-17 (BSB)“Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”Paul calls believers to walk wisely and understand the Lord’s will, the same discernment.
- Romans 13:11 (BSB)“And do this, understanding the occasion. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”Paul urges believers to understand the occasion and the hour, as Issachar did.
General
How does the account of the gathering at Hebron end (1 Chronicles 12:39-40)?
Answer: Three days of feasting supplied by neighbors, and joy in Israel
The gathering ended in a great celebration. For three days the men feasted with David on food their relatives had prepared. Neighbors from distant tribes in the north brought large loads of provisions on pack animals, and Israel was full of joy (12:39-40). Joy at God’s blessing is a common note in Scripture. Israel’s feasts were times when the people’s joy would be complete because of the LORD’s blessing (Deuteronomy 16:15), and later Nehemiah told the people to eat, drink, share with others, and not grieve, for their strength lay in the LORD’s joy (Nehemiah 8:10).
- 1 Chronicles 12:39-40 (BSB)“They spent three days there eating and drinking with David, for their relatives had provided for them. And their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen—abundant supplies of flour, fig cakes and raisin cakes, wine and oil, oxen and sheep. Indeed, there was joy in Israel.”The men feast with David for three days, neighbors bring abundant food, and there is joy in Israel.
- Deuteronomy 16:15 (BSB)“For seven days you shall celebrate a feast to the LORD your God in the place He will choose, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that your joy will be complete.”Israel’s feasts were to be times of complete joy because of the LORD’s blessing.
- Nehemiah 8:10 (BSB)“Then Nehemiah told them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send out portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.””Feasting, sharing portions, and the joy of the LORD go together in Israel’s later history.
Theological
What marks the close of the Hebron assembly (1 Chronicles 12:39-40)?
Answer: Three days of feasting supplied by neighbors, and joy in Israel
The account closes with three days of feasting, generous provision carried in from the distant northern tribes, and joy throughout Israel (12:39-40). The scene fits the biblical pattern in which God’s blessing on His people issues in festal joy (Deuteronomy 16:15) and shared provision, as when Nehemiah sent the people to feast and send portions because their strength lay in the LORD’s joy (Nehemiah 8:10).
- 1 Chronicles 12:39-40 (BSB)“They spent three days there eating and drinking with David, for their relatives had provided for them. And their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen—abundant supplies of flour, fig cakes and raisin cakes, wine and oil, oxen and sheep. Indeed, there was joy in Israel.”The men feast with David for three days, neighbors bring abundant food, and there is joy in Israel.
- Deuteronomy 16:15 (BSB)“For seven days you shall celebrate a feast to the LORD your God in the place He will choose, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that your joy will be complete.”Israel’s feasts were to be times of complete joy because of the LORD’s blessing.
- Nehemiah 8:10 (BSB)“Then Nehemiah told them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send out portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.””Feasting, sharing portions, and the joy of the LORD go together in Israel’s later history.
General
For what purpose did the armed men from the tribes come to David in Hebron (1 Chronicles 12:23)?
Answer: To hand Saul’s throne to David, just as the LORD had said
The long list of troops that follows begins by giving its purpose: the armed men gathered in Hebron to transfer Saul’s throne to David, as the LORD had said (12:23). All Israel came together to do what God had already said. God had told Samuel He had chosen a king from Jesse’s sons (1 Samuel 16:1), chapter 10 says the LORD gave the kingdom to David (10:14), and David was anointed at Hebron as the LORD had promised through Samuel (11:3).
- 1 Chronicles 12:23 (BSB)“Now these are the numbers of men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul’s kingdom over to him, in accordance with the word of the LORD:”The armed men come to Hebron to turn the kingdom over to David as the LORD had said.
- 1 Samuel 16:1 (BSB)“Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have selected from his sons a king for Myself.””God had already chosen a king for Himself from Jesse’s sons.
- 1 Chronicles 10:14 (BSB)“and he failed to inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.”The LORD turned the kingdom over to David after Saul’s death.
- 1 Chronicles 11:3 (BSB)“So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, where David made a covenant with them before the LORD. And they anointed him king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD through Samuel.”David was anointed at Hebron according to the word of the LORD through Samuel.
Theological
What does 12:23 give as the purpose of the troops gathering at Hebron?
Answer: To hand Saul’s throne to David, just as the LORD had said
The muster at Hebron is introduced with its purpose: to transfer Saul’s throne to David as the LORD had decreed (12:23). God’s prior choice (1 Samuel 16:1), His sovereign transfer of the kingdom (10:14), and the anointing according to Samuel’s word (11:3) are now ratified by the whole nation in arms.
- 1 Chronicles 12:23 (BSB)“Now these are the numbers of men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul’s kingdom over to him, in accordance with the word of the LORD:”The armed men come to Hebron to turn the kingdom over to David as the LORD had said.
- 1 Samuel 16:1 (BSB)“Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have selected from his sons a king for Myself.””God had already chosen a king for Himself from Jesse’s sons.
- 1 Chronicles 10:14 (BSB)“and he failed to inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.”The LORD turned the kingdom over to David after Saul’s death.
- 1 Chronicles 11:3 (BSB)“So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, where David made a covenant with them before the LORD. And they anointed him king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD through Samuel.”David was anointed at Hebron according to the word of the LORD through Samuel.
General
How does the chapter describe the attitude of the warriors and the rest of Israel toward making David king (1 Chronicles 12:38)?
Answer: United in one purpose, fully resolved to crown him over all
The soldiers arrived in Hebron wholeheartedly resolved to crown David over the entire nation, and everyone else in Israel shared that single aim (12:38). Zebulun’s troops are described the same way, devoted to David with a single purpose (12:33). After Israel’s defeat and flight at Saul’s death (10:7), the people were now united around the king God had chosen. Scripture praises such unity among God’s people (Psalm 133:1), and the early church was described as sharing one heart and one soul (Acts 4:32).
- 1 Chronicles 12:38 (BSB)“All these men of war, arrayed for battle, came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. And all the rest of the Israelites were of one mind to make David king.”The warriors come fully determined, and the rest of Israel is of one mind to make David king.
- 1 Chronicles 12:33 (BSB)“From Zebulun: 50,000 fit for service, trained for battle with all kinds of weapons of war, who with one purpose were devoted to David.”Zebulun’s troops are devoted to David with one purpose.
- Psalm 133:1 (BSB)“A song of ascents. Of David. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!”God’s people living together in harmony is good and pleasant.
- Acts 4:32 (BSB)“The multitude of believers was one in heart and soul. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they owned.”The early believers were one in heart and soul, the same unity seen at Hebron.
Theological
What does 12:38 say about the disposition of the troops and the rest of Israel?
Answer: United in one purpose, fully resolved to crown him over all
The muster closes on unanimity: the warriors came to Hebron with a whole heart to crown David, and the rest of Israel was of one mind (12:38; compare Zebulun’s single-minded devotion, 12:33). Israel is united around the king of God’s choosing. Scripture commends this unity of God’s people (Psalm 133:1), and the apostolic church displays it in its shared heart and soul (Acts 4:32).
- 1 Chronicles 12:38 (BSB)“All these men of war, arrayed for battle, came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. And all the rest of the Israelites were of one mind to make David king.”The warriors come fully determined, and the rest of Israel is of one mind to make David king.
- 1 Chronicles 12:33 (BSB)“From Zebulun: 50,000 fit for service, trained for battle with all kinds of weapons of war, who with one purpose were devoted to David.”Zebulun’s troops are devoted to David with one purpose.
- Psalm 133:1 (BSB)“A song of ascents. Of David. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!”God’s people living together in harmony is good and pleasant.
- Acts 4:32 (BSB)“The multitude of believers was one in heart and soul. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they owned.”The early believers were one in heart and soul, the same unity seen at Hebron.
General
Why did the men of Manasseh who defected to David not end up helping the Philistines fight Saul (1 Chronicles 12:19)?
Answer: The Philistine rulers sent David away, afraid he would turn back to Saul
Some men from Manasseh joined David as he marched out alongside the Philistine army to fight Saul. But they never fought for the Philistines: the Philistine lords conferred and dismissed David. They feared that David would defect back to Saul and that it would cost them their own heads (12:19). 1 Samuel 29 tells the same scene from the Philistine commanders’ side (1 Samuel 29:4). So David was kept from fighting against his own people. People make their plans, but the LORD directs their steps (Proverbs 16:9).
- 1 Chronicles 12:19 (BSB)“Some from Manasseh defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. (They did not help the Philistines because the Philistine rulers consulted and sent David away, saying, “It will cost us our heads if he defects to his master Saul.”)”The Philistine rulers send David away for fear he will defect to Saul.
- 1 Samuel 29:4 (BSB)“But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with Achish and told him, “Send that man back and let him return to the place you assigned him. He must not go down with us into battle only to become our adversary during the war. What better way for him to regain the favor of his master than with the heads of our men?”The Philistine commanders demand that David be sent back so he cannot turn against them.
- Proverbs 16:9 (BSB)“A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”The LORD directs people’s steps, here keeping David from battle against Israel.
Theological
What kept David and the Manassite defectors from fighting alongside the Philistines against Saul (1 Chronicles 12:19)?
Answer: The Philistine rulers sent David away, afraid he would turn back to Saul
The Manassites who joined David on the march with the Philistines never fought for them, because fearing David would defect to Saul at the cost of their own heads, the Philistine lords dismissed him (12:19; compare 1 Samuel 29:4). By the suspicion of pagan commanders, the LORD kept His anointed from fighting Israel. Human plans are made, yet the LORD determines the steps (Proverbs 16:9).
- 1 Chronicles 12:19 (BSB)“Some from Manasseh defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. (They did not help the Philistines because the Philistine rulers consulted and sent David away, saying, “It will cost us our heads if he defects to his master Saul.”)”The Philistine rulers send David away for fear he will defect to Saul.
- 1 Samuel 29:4 (BSB)“But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with Achish and told him, “Send that man back and let him return to the place you assigned him. He must not go down with us into battle only to become our adversary during the war. What better way for him to regain the favor of his master than with the heads of our men?”The Philistine commanders demand that David be sent back so he cannot turn against them.
- Proverbs 16:9 (BSB)“A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”The LORD directs people’s steps, here keeping David from battle against Israel.
General
Who were the skilled archers and slingers who joined David at Ziklag during the years Saul had driven him away (1 Chronicles 12:1-2)?
Answer: Benjamites, Saul’s own relatives, who could use either hand
The first group listed joined David at Ziklag during the years he lived as an outcast from Saul. They were mighty warriors who could shoot arrows and sling stones with either the right or the left hand, and they were relatives of Saul from his own tribe, Benjamin (12:1-2). Benjamin had long been known for skilled slingers (Judges 20:16). It is striking that men from Saul’s own tribe came over to David even before Saul died. The narrator has already said that the LORD gave the kingdom to David (10:14), and here God was drawing people to David well in advance.
- 1 Chronicles 12:1-2 (BSB)“Now these were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was still banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the mighty men who helped him in battle; they were archers using both the right and left hands to sling stones and shoot arrows; and they were Saul’s kinsmen from Benjamin):”Benjamite kinsmen of Saul, skilled with both hands, come to David at Ziklag.
- Judges 20:16 (BSB)“Among all these soldiers there were 700 select left-handers, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair without missing.”Benjamin’s skilled slingers were renowned long before David’s day.
- 1 Chronicles 10:14 (BSB)“and he failed to inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.”The LORD turned the kingdom over to David, which explains why even Saul’s kin came to him.
Theological
Who were the ambidextrous warriors who joined David at Ziklag during his exile from Saul (1 Chronicles 12:1-2)?
Answer: Benjamites, Saul’s own relatives, who could use either hand
The first men named are from Benjamin, Saul’s own kin, and they defect to David in Ziklag during his exile, bringing their famed skill with bow and sling in either hand (12:1-2; compare Judges 20:16). Even before Saul’s fall, God is gathering to David the very men who might have been expected to stay with Saul, in keeping with His decision to turn the kingdom to David (10:14).
- 1 Chronicles 12:1-2 (BSB)“Now these were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was still banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the mighty men who helped him in battle; they were archers using both the right and left hands to sling stones and shoot arrows; and they were Saul’s kinsmen from Benjamin):”Benjamite kinsmen of Saul, skilled with both hands, come to David at Ziklag.
- Judges 20:16 (BSB)“Among all these soldiers there were 700 select left-handers, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair without missing.”Benjamin’s skilled slingers were renowned long before David’s day.
- 1 Chronicles 10:14 (BSB)“and he failed to inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.”The LORD turned the kingdom over to David, which explains why even Saul’s kin came to him.