1 Chronicles 11:10-40

C. David’s Mighty Men 11:10-12:40

This list of great warriors reflects the greatness of David. People know something about a man or woman by the company he or she keeps. The writer identified three groups: the chiefs among David’s mighty men (1 Chronicles 11:10-25), the mighty men in David’s army (1 Chronicles 11:26-47), and the mighty men who joined David at Ziklag (ch. 12).

There are several discrepancies between the numbers in Chronicles and those in parallel passages in Samuel, Kings, and elsewhere. A case in point is 1 Chronicles 11:11 where 2 Samuel 23:8 has 800. The number in Samuel is apparently the correct one in this case, and the difference was evidently due to a scribal error in copying. [Note: For an explanation of each such difference and other problems involving numbers in Chronicles, see the note in The New Scofield Reference Bible, pp. 472-73; and J. Barton Payne, "The Validity of the Numbers in Chronicles," Bibliotheca Sacra 136:542 and 543 (April-June and July-September 1979):109-28, 206-20. See also Appendix 2: "Numbers in Chronicles That Disagree With Their Old Testament Parallels" from Payne, "1, 2 Chronicles," at the end of these notes.]

David was a leader who had won the confidence and support of the strongest men in Israel as well as Judah. The episode in 1 Chronicles 11:15-19 shows why men such as these pledged their loyalty to David. He showed unusual sensitivity to the dangers his men faced.

Chapter 12 has no parallel in Samuel. Its unique emphases are these. Men from Israel as well as Judah followed David, and there was a very large number of them (1 Chronicles 11:22). David also had many other supporters (1 Chronicles 11:39-40). Even Saul’s relatives followed him (1 Chronicles 11:2; 1 Chronicles 11:16; 1 Chronicles 11:29). [Note: See Benjamin Mazar, "The Military Elite of King David," Vetus Testamentum 13 (1963):310-20.] God sanctioned the plan of these men to turn the kingdom of Saul over to him (1 Chronicles 11:23).

Popular enthusiasm for David was overwhelming (1 Chronicles 11:38; cf. 1 Chronicles 11:18). The writer named all the tribes, proving broad-based support (1 Chronicles 11:24-37). This emphasis is much stronger in Chronicles than it is in Samuel.

Chapters 11 and 12 give evidence of what God told David later in 1 Chronicles 17:8, namely, "I have been with you wherever you have gone." They also provide hope that God would do for David what He promised in 1 Chronicles 17:10, namely, "I will subdue all your enemies."