1 Chronicles 11:26

"Also the mighty men of the armies: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbomite, the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shagee the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai, Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibbar the son of Hagri, Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, the armorbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a chief of the Reubenites, and thirty with him, Hanan the son of Maacah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite, Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite, Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite, Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai, and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite, Eliel and Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite."

The parallel of these verses (1 Chronicles 11:10-47) is in 2 Samuel 23:8-35; and the variations are of no practical concern whatever. Our comments there will not be repeated here.

In the group of men called "The Thirty," there were most certainly casualties from time to time; and as men died, others were named in their places; thus there were possibly many lists of "The Thirty," that conformed, of course, to the particular date of any particular list.

"And Abishai, the brother of Joab, he was chief of the three" (1 Chronicles 11:20). "The three" of which Abishai was chief may have been those three mentioned in the preceding paragraph who brought the water from the well of Bethlehem. However, Myers suggested that, "Abishai may have taken the place of Asahel after he was slain by Abner."[1]

The main list of David's Mighty Men actually ends with Uriah the Hittite (1 Chronicles 11:41a). There are thirty-one names, compared with exactly thirty in 2 Samuel 23:24-39. "There are some variations in names and spelling."[2] The same scholar spoke of both lists as "undoubtedly genuine."[3]

Beginning with 1 Chronicles 11:41b, sixteen other names are listed. These could have been others associated at one time or another with the "thirty"; or the Chronicler may have added them to emphasize the representatives of trans-Jordan who aided the cause of David. There are many such questions which shall remain unanswered.

"The variations between the parallel accounts of this chapter in Chronicles with that in 2Samuel are few and unimportant."[4]

The intention of the Chronicler to emphasize David's commendable qualities and to ignore or downplay his terrible sins appears in the fact of his including the episode in 1 Chronicles 11:15-19 and omitting altogether any mention of his adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of eighteen men along with Uriah the Hittite in a vain effort to hide it.

Further comment on this interesting chapter is given in my commentary on 2Samuel.