Read 1 Chronicles 11 and 12 at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraph divisions:
1 Chr 11:1-3 {s} All Israel came to David at Hebron to anoint him king over all the people of Israel
1 Chr 11:4-9 {p} David captured Jerusalem and it became his capital city
1 Chr 11:10 {s} The heads of David’s mighty men, who strengthened him to make him king
1 Chr 11:11-21 {s} David’s three chief mighty men, and Abishai, and their deeds
1 Chr 11:22-25 {s} Benaiah, one of the mighty men, and his great deeds
1 Chr 11:26-41 {p} The rest of David’s mighty men
1 Chr 12:1-4 {s} Thirty mighty men of Benjamin who defected to David at Ziklag
1 Chr 12:5-13 {s} Eleven mighty men of Gad who defected to David at the stronghold in the wilderness
1 Chr 12:14-15 {p} They were of Gad + crossed the Jordan in the first month and put to flight those in the valleys
1 Chr 12:16-17 {s} David: If you have come to help me, my heart is with you, but if to betray me, may God judge
1 Chr 12:18 {p} The Spirit’s answer: Peace to you and your helpers, for your God helps you
1 Chr 12:19-22 {p} The mighty men of Manasseh who defected to David at Ziklag/ until there was a great army
1 Chr 12:23 {s} The numbers equipped for war, who came to David at Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul to him
1 Chr 12:24 {s} Of the sons of Judah bearing shield and spear, 6800 armed for war
1 Chr 12:25 {s} Of the sons of Simeon, mighty men of valor fit for war, 7100
1 Chr 12:26 {s} Of the sons of Levi 4600
1 Chr 12:27 {s} Jehoiada, the leader of the house of Aaron, and with him 3700
1 Chr 12:28 {s} Zadok, a young man, a valiant warrior, and from his father’s house 22 captains
1 Chr 12:29 {s} Of Benjamin, relatives of Saul, 3000, who had remained loyal to Saul until then
1 Chr 12:30 {s} Of the sons of Ephraim 20,800, mighty men and famous
1 Chr 12:31 {s} Of the half-tribe of Manasseh 18,000, designated by name to make David king
1 Chr 12:32 {s} Of Issachar who had understanding to know what ought be done, 200 chiefs over their brethren
1 Chr 12:33 {s} Of Zebulun, war-wise, proficient in weapons, 50,000 who were not of double heart
1 Chr 12:34 {s} Of Naphtali 1000 captains + 37,000 with shield and spear
1 Chr 12:35 {s} Of Dan who could set the battle in array, 28,600
1 Chr 12:36 {s} Of Asher, able to go to war, who could set the battle in array, 40,000
1 Chr 12:37 {s} Of Reuben + Gad + half-tribe of Manasseh from across the Jordan, 120,000 armed for battle
1 Chr 12:38-40 {p} All these came to Hebron to make David king, and there was joy in Israel
The strong themes:
1 Chr 11:1-9 {s+p} All Israel came to David at Hebron to anoint him king/ Jerusalem, his capital city
1 Chr 11:10-41 {sx3+p} David’s mighty men + their great deeds, who strengthened him to make him king
1 Chr 12:1-15 {s+s+p} Mighty men of Benjamin + Gad who defected to David before he was king in Hebron
1 Chr 12:16-18 {s+p} David: Are you here to help?/ Spirit: Peace, for your God helps you
1 Chr 12:19-22 {p} The mighty men of Manasseh who defected to David at Ziklag/ until there was a great army
1 Chr 12:23-40 {sx15+p} 339,822 mighty men of war from all 12 tribes came to Hebron to make David king
The strong themes of these two chapters revealed the chiastic structure:
1a) 1 Chr 11:1-9 {s+p} All Israel came to David at Hebron to anoint him king/ Jerusalem, his capital city;
1b) 1 Chr 11:10-41 {sx3+p} David’s mighty men + their great deeds, who strengthened him to make him king;
1c) 1 Chr 12:1-15 {s+s+p} Mighty men of Benjamin + Gad who defected to David before he was king in Hebron;
central axis) 1 Chr 12:16-18 {s+p} “Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to David at the stronghold. And David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them, ‘If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look and bring judgment.’ Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said: ‘We are yours, O David; We are on your side, 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 captains of the troop;”
2c) 1 Chr 12:19-22 {p} The mighty men of Manasseh who defected to David at Ziklag/ until there was a great army;
2b) 1 Chr 12:23-37 {sx15} Of all 12 tribes, 339,822 mighty men of war strengthened David to make him king;
2a) 1 Chr 12:38-40 {p} All these came to Hebron to make David king/ feasting + joy in Israel.
We have just finished reading about David’s kingdom in 2 Samuel. Now we will read about it again in 1 Chronicles. 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, and 1-2 Chronicles all tell the same history: the history of the kings of Israel and Judah. 1-2 Samuel and 1-2 Kings was the official history kept by Samuel, and continued by David’s court once Samuel was gone, and the subsequent kings of Judah and Israel.
1-2 Chronicles was a record kept, most probably, by the priests or Levites, since in Chronicles there is an emphasis on spiritual matters rather than just political matters.
It may be that as the priests and Levites saw the kingdom divide, and the kings go down to idolatry, that they feared that the official record of the kings would become corrupted and the truth of what the kings were doing and what God was doing might be lost. So it is possible they began to keep a record of the history of Judah and Israel themselves, to serve as a corrector, or counter balance, if necessary, to the official history. When the Jews returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity under the leadership of Ezra, he collected the records and set them in their present form. He was a Levite, a scribe, and a teacher of the Law, and it was Ezra who organized synagogues in every town, with a schedule for reading from the Torah and the Prophets every Sabbath, so that Israel would learn the Torah and never fall back into idolatry again.
Chronicles tends to uphold the righteousness of the line of David, as the rightful ruler of Israel, and minimizes the kings of Israel.
Present in Samuel-Kings, absent in Chronicles:
1. David’s early life
2. David’s kingdom in Hebron
3. David’s adultery
4. Amnon and Tamar
5. Absalom’s revolt
6. Solomon’s apostasy
7. The kings and history of the Northern Kingdom, for the most part
Present in Chronicles, absent in Samuel-Kings:
1. David’s preparation for building the temple
2. David numbers and distributes the Levites
3. David arranges the singers, players and temple ritual
4. David prepares for temple officers
5. The war between Abijah and Jeroboam
6. The reform of Manasseh
7. The Passover of Josiah
8. Extra genealogical materials
So as we go through the repeats of history, I will not repeat what I have already said, unless new details revealed take us in a new direction. ♥
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