1 Chronicles 11:11

(11) And this is the number of the mighty men.—The heading of the catalogue in Samuel is merely, “These are the names of the warriors whom David had.” The chronicler resumes, after the parenthetic explanation of the last verse, with “These, the number of the warriors.” The word “number” (mispar) seems to refer to the fact that the corps was originally known as the Thirty (comp. 1 Chronicles 11:12). In 1 Chronicles 12:23, the plural (misperê) is used.

Jashobeam, an Hachmonite.—Literally, Jasho-beam, son of a Hakmonite; but ben may be spurious, as in 1 Chronicles 9:7, and Nehemiah 11:10. The Hebrew of 2 Samuel 23:8 has yoshebbashshebeth Tahkemoni, which has been supposed to be a corruption of Ishbosheth ha-hahmoni (“Ishbosheth the Hachmonite”). If this guess be right, the Jashobeam of our text may be a disguise of Eshbaal. This seems to be borne out by the readings of the Vatican LXX. here and at 1 Chronicles 27:2 : Ἰεσεβαὅά and Ἰσβοάς. The Alex. MS., however, reads Ἰσβαάμ and Ἰσβοάμ, that is, Jashobeam.

The chief of the captains.—The Hebrew text has “head of the Thirty,” and so the LXX. and Syriac. “Captains” (“knights,” or “members of the royal staff.”) is the reading of Samuel and the Hebrew margin here. The corps of the Thirty may also have been called the Knights; but the two Hebrew words might easily be confused (shelâshîm, shalîshîm). It is possible that the original reading was “head of the Three” (shelôshah), as 1 Chronicles 11:11-14 describe an exploit of three champions.

He lifted up his spear.—Literally, he it was who brandished his lance over three hundred slain in a single encounter. Samuel says eight hundred, but. the text there is otherwise very faulty. Yet as 1 Chronicles 11:20 records that the lesser hero, Abishai, slew three hundred, the greater number may be correct here. (Comp. the like exploit of Shamgar (Judges 3:31), and the feats ascribed to Rameses II. and to the heroes of the Iliad.) A well-armed champion might cut down whole companies of ordinary fighting-men.