1 Chronicles 27:1

Contextual Overview

¹This is the list of the Israelites-heads of families, commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and their officers, who served the king in all that concerned the army divisions that were on duty month by month throughout the year. Each division consisted of 24,000 men.¹ This is the list of the Israelites—heads of families, commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and their officers, who served the king in all that concerned the army divisions that were on duty month by month throughout the year. Each division consisted of 24,000 men. ¹Now this is the total count of the sons of Israel, the heads of fathers' households, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and their officers who ministered to the king in each matter of the divisions which came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year, each division numbering 24,000: ¹ Now this is the enumeration of the sons of Israel, the heads of fathers' households, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and their officers who served the king in all the affairs of the divisions which came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year, each division numbering 24,000:¹ The children of Israel, after the number of them, ye auncient heads and captaynes of thousandes and hundredes, and their officers that serued the king by dyuers courses, which came in and went out moneth by moneth, throughout all the monethes of the yere: And in euery course were twentie and foure thouthousand. ¹ And [these] are the children of Israel after their number, the chief fathers and captains of thousands and hundreds, and their officers that served the king in every matter of the divisions, which came in and went out month by month throughout the months of the year; in every division were twenty-four thousand. ¹ And the children of Israel, according to their number, the heads of fathers' houses, the captains of thousands and hundreds and their officers, served the king in every matter of the military divisions. These divisions came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year, each division having twenty-four thousand. ¹ And the sons of Israel, according to their number, the heads of the fathers, and commanders of thousands and hundreds, and their scribes who served the king in every matter of the divisions which came in and went out month by month for allthe months of the year, the one division had twenty four thousand. ¹ This is the list of the Israelites who served the king in the army. Each group was on duty one month each year. There were rulers of families, captains, generals, and the court officers who served the king. Each army group had 24,000 men. ¹ Now the children of Israel after their number, [to wit], the heads of fathers' [houses] and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and their officers who served the king, in any matter of the courses which came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year-of every course were twenty-four thousand.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the chief fathers: The patriarchs, chief generals, or generals of brigade. This enumeration is widely different from that of the preceding. In that, we have the order and course of the priests and Levites, in their ecclesiastical ministrations: in this, we have the account of the order of the civil service, what related simply to the political state of the king and kingdom. Twenty-four persons, chosen out of David's worthies, each of whom had a second, were placed over 24,000 men, who all served a month at a time, in turn; and this was the whole of their service during the year, after which they attended to their own affairs. Thus the king had always on foot a regular force of 24,000, who served without expense to him or the state, and were not oppressed by the service, which took up only a twelfth part of their time; and by this plan he could, at any time, bring into the field 12 times 24,000 or 288,000 fighting men, independently of the 12,000 officers, which made in the whole an effective force of 300,000 soldiers; and all these men were prepared, disciplined, and ready at a call, without the smallest expense to the state or the king. These were, properly speaking, the militia of the Israelitish kingdom.

captains: 1 Chronicles 13:1, Exodus 18:25, Deuteronomy 1:15, 1 Samuel 8:12, Micah 5:2

served: 1 Chronicles 28:1, 2 Chronicles 17:12-19, 2 Chronicles 26:11-13

any matter: 1 Kings 5:14

month: 1 Kings 4:7, 1 Kings 4:27

Reciprocal: Numbers 1:4 - General 1 Chronicles 7:2 - whose number 1 Chronicles 29:6 - the chief 2 Chronicles 1:2 - to the captains 2 Chronicles 25:5 - captains over thousands

Cross-References

Genesis 27:23
He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he blessed him.

Genesis 27:23
He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he proceeded to bless him.

Genesis 27:23
And he did not recognize him because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands; so he blessed him.

Genesis 27:23
He did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands; so he blessed him.

Genesis 27:23
And he knewe him not, because his handes were heary as his brother Esaus handes: and so he blessed hym.

Genesis 27:23
Isaac did not know it was Jacob, because his arms were hairy like Esau's. So Isaac blessed Jacob.

Genesis 27:23
And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands; so he blessed him.

Genesis 27:23
And Isaac knew not Jacob, for the heery hondis expressiden the licnesse of the more sone.

Genesis 27:23
And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairie, as his brother Esaus hands: So he blessed him.

Genesis 27:23
And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Now the children of Israel after their number,.... Not the whole body of the people, but the militia of the nation; for after the account of the division of the priests and Levites into courses, follows an account of the militia of the nation, being divided also into monthly courses; which, though done in the beginning of David's reign, as Kimchi and Jarchi observe, yet is here related; and that it was so soon is clear from the instance of Asahel, who was killed while David was king in Hebron, 1 Chronicles 27:7 to wit,

the chief fathers; the chief men in the tribes, the princes of them, not the natural fathers of the soldiers in each course, as a learned man suggests i: since it can never be thought that such a number sprung from those as made a course of 24,000; for they are distinct from the captains and officers after mentioned, under which the soldiers were; besides, why should they be called "chief fathers?" these, no doubt, were the general officers or princes, under which the captains and inferior officers were:

and captains of thousands and hundreds; in the several tribes:

and their officers; that were under them:

that served the king in any matter of the courses, which came in and went out month by month, throughout all the months of the year; by which it appears that the militia of the kingdom was divided into twelve courses, which served each month by turns; when one went out another came in; by which means the king was well supported and guarded, and had an army at once at command upon any insurrection or war that might arise; and each course serving but one month in a year, it was no great burden upon them, even if they maintained themselves, since they were at leisure, the other eleven months, to attend to their business; and especially if it was, as Jarchi observes, that not the poor but the rich were selected for this service:

of every course were twenty and four thousand; so that the twelve courses amounted to 288,000 men.

i Delaney's Life of King David, vol. 1. p. 319.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This verse is a general heading to the list 1 Chronicles 27:2-15. The heading has been taken from some fuller and more elaborate description of David’s army, whereof the writer of Chronicles gives us only an abridgement. Omitting the captains of thousands, the captains of hundreds, and the officers (probably “scribes”) who served the king, he contents himself with recording the “chief fathers” or heads of the divisions 1 Chronicles 28:1, and the number of Iraelites in each course.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER XXVII

An account of the twelve captains who were over the monthly

course of twenty-four thousand men; each captain serving one

month in turn, 1.

The names of the twelve, and the months in which they served,

2-15.

The names of the rulers of the twelve tribes, 16-22.

The reasons why the whole number of Israel and Judah had not

been taken, 23, 24.

The persons who were over the king's property, treasures,

fields, flocks, c., 25-31.

His officers of state, 32-34.

NOTES ON CHAP. XXVII

Verse 1 Chronicles 27:1. The chief fathers and captains of thousands — The patriarchs, chief generals, or generals of brigade. This enumeration is widely different from the preceding. In that, we have the orders and courses of the priests and the Levites in their ecclesiastical ministrations in this, we have the account of the order of the civil service, that which related simply to the political state of the king and the kingdom. Twenty-four persons, chosen out of David's worthies, each of whom had a second, were placed over twenty-four thousand men, who all served a month in turn at a time; and this was the whole of their service during the year, after which they attended to their own affairs. Thus the king had always on foot a regular force of twenty-four thousand, who served without expense to him or the state, and were not oppressed by the service, which took up only a twelfth part of their time, and by this plan he could at any time, when the exigency of the state required it, bring into the field twelve times twenty-four thousand, or two hundred and eighty-eight thousand fighting men, independently of the twelve thousand officers, which made in the whole an effective force of three hundred thousand soldiers; and all these men were prepared, disciplined, and ready at a call, without the smallest expense to the state or the king. These were, properly speaking, the militia of the Israelitish kingdom. See Calmet.