Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
1 Chronicles 27:23

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Military and civilian leaders (27:1-34)

In contrast to the detail that the writer gives in the lists of the Levites, there is only a brief summary of David’s military and civil leaders. Each month 24,000 men were required to do one month’s military service. The twelve commanding officers (who took turns at commanding this fighting force, one month at a time) all belonged to David’s group of ‘mighty men’ (27:1-15; see 11:10-47). Three other lists name the leaders of Israel’s tribes (16-24), the officials who looked after the king’s farmlands (25-31), and the king’s close advisers (32-34).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

THE TRIBAL HEADS IN DAVID'S REIGN

"Furthermore over the tribes of Israel: of the Reubenites was Eliezer the son of Zichri the ruler: of the Simeronites, Shephatiah the son of Maacah: of Levi, Hashabiah the son of Kemuel: of Judah, Elihu, one of the brethren of David: of Issachar, Omri the son of Michael: of Zebulun, Ishmaiah the son of Obadiah: of Naphtali, Jeremoth the son of Azriel: of the children of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Azaziah: of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joel the son of Pedaiah: of the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo the son of Zechariah: of Benjamin, Jaasiel the son of Abner: of Dan, Azarel the son of Jeroham. These were the captains of the tribes of Israel. But David took not the number of them from twenty years old and under, because Jehovah had said he would increase Israel like to the stars of the heaven. Joab the son of Zeruiah began to number, but finished not; and there came wrath for this upon Israel; neither was the number put into the account in the chronicles of king David."

It is strange that neither Gad nor Asher of the Twelve Tribes is mentioned. Curtis supposed that this was because, "The list of twelve was complete without them"!International Critical Commentary, Chronicles, p. 291.

"David took not the number of them from twenty years old and under" There is a hint here as to the reason why God was displeased with David's numbering Israel. Curtis (Madsen) believed that, "David refrained from counting them, because such an act would have implied a doubt on David's part of God's promise in Genesis 22:17."Ibid., p. 292. Evidently, his efforts to find out exactly how many able-bodied soldiers Israel had likewise exhibited a sinful doubt on David's part. He was apparently tempted to trust in the number of his troops, instead of relying upon the promise of God.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

David’s numbering of the people was therefore a military arrangement in order to fix the amount of his standing army. To the general Oriental prejudice against numbering possessions, etc., there was added in the case of the Jews a special objection - a feeling that it would be irreverent to attempt to count what God had promised should be countless.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 27

And then the courses were established in chapter twenty-seven. There were twelve captains for, one for each month to oversee a particular month. And then the princes were established for the twelve tribes. And in verse twenty-three, chapter twenty-seven,

But David took not the number of them from twenty years old and under: because the LORD had said he would increase Israel like the stars of heaven. Joab the son of Zeruiah began to number, but he didn't finish the task, because of the plague that fell upon Israel; and neither was the number put into the account of the chronicles of king David ( 1 Chronicles 27:23-24 ).

And then David's own personal administration of his own personal wealth. It speaks of the man that he set over his own treasury, over the storehouses of the fields, the cities. The men that were in charge of the work in the field, the tilling of the ground and so forth. The man that was over his vineyards. And the man who was over the increase of the vineyards with the wine cellars. The one who was over the olive trees and the fig trees. And the one who was over the cellars of oil, and another one over the herds that fed in the plains of Sharon. Another one that was over the herds that fed in the valleys and over the camels. And so David had all of these vast things to take care of, and he was, no doubt, a super administrator also.

And Ahithophel was the king's counselor: with Hushai the Archite who was the king's companion: and after Ahithophel was Jehoiada and Joab, of course, was the general of the army ( 1 Chronicles 27:33-34 ). "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Preparations for governmental order ch. 27

David also organized his army (1 Chronicles 27:1-15), Israel’s tribal leaders (1 Chronicles 27:16-24), his administrators (1 Chronicles 27:25-31), and his counselors and advisers (1 Chronicles 27:32-34). He did all this to ensure future stability so what God had promised could happen without unnecessary opposition or confusion. Again the writer mentioned 12 tribes, but in this list these included Levi and the two halves of Manasseh. He omitted Gad and Asher in this tally (1 Chronicles 27:16-24; cf. ch. 7).

Chapters 22-27 record David’s preparation for the fulfillment of those Davidic Covenant promises that would come after he passed off the scene. His preoccupation with God’s promises and his preparations for their fulfillment served as a good example for Chronicles’ original readers. David’s zeal for the house of the Lord reflected his zeal for the reputation of the Lord. He truly put God’s glory before his own personal ambitions.

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

But David took not the number of them from twenty years old and under,.... Only those that were twenty years and upwards; but, according to Cornelius Bertram k, he numbered them that were under twenty, though but sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, or nineteen years of age, provided they were of robust bodies, and of a tall stature, and able to bear arms; which he takes to be the sin of David, in numbering the people, being contrary to the law of God; yet though he had ordered them to be numbered, and they were, yet he would not take them and put them into the account of his chronicles, as in the next verse, that his sin might not be known, see 2 Samuel 24:9

because the Lord had said, he would increase Israel like to the stars in the heavens; which are not to be numbered, and therefore David sinned in attempting to number the people.

k Lucubrat. Franktall, c. 2.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      16 Furthermore over the tribes of Israel: the ruler of the Reubenites was Eliezer the son of Zichri: of the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maachah:   17 Of the Levites, Hashabiah the son of Kemuel: of the Aaronites, Zadok:   18 Of Judah, Elihu, one of the brethren of David: of Issachar, Omri the son of Michael:   19 Of Zebulun, Ishmaiah the son of Obadiah: of Naphtali, Jerimoth the son of Azriel:   20 Of the children of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Azaziah: of the half tribe of Manasseh, Joel the son of Pedaiah:   21 Of the half tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo the son of Zechariah: of Benjamin, Jaasiel the son of Abner:   22 Of Dan, Azareel the son of Jeroham. These were the princes of the tribes of Israel.   23 But David took not the number of them from twenty years old and under: because the LORD had said he would increase Israel like to the stars of the heavens.   24 Joab the son of Zeruiah began to number, but he finished not, because there fell wrath for it against Israel; neither was the number put in the account of the chronicles of king David.   25 And over the king's treasures was Azmaveth the son of Adiel: and over the storehouses in the fields, in the cities, and in the villages, and in the castles, was Jehonathan the son of Uzziah:   26 And over them that did the work of the field for tillage of the ground was Ezri the son of Chelub:   27 And over the vineyards was Shimei the Ramathite: over the increase of the vineyards for the wine cellars was Zabdi the Shiphmite:   28 And over the olive trees and the sycamore trees that were in the low plains was Baal-hanan the Gederite: and over the cellars of oil was Joash:   29 And over the herds that fed in Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite: and over the herds that were in the valleys was Shaphat the son of Adlai:   30 Over the camels also was Obil the Ishmaelite: and over the asses was Jehdeiah the Meronothite:   31 And over the flocks was Jaziz the Hagerite. All these were the rulers of the substance which was king David's.   32 Also Jonathan David's uncle was a counsellor, a wise man, and a scribe: and Jehiel the son of Hachmoni was with the king's sons:   33 And Ahithophel was the king's counsellor: and Hushai the Archite was the king's companion:   34 And after Ahithophel was Jehoiada the son of Benaiah, and Abiathar: and the general of the king's army was Joab.

      We have here an account,

      I. Of the princes of the tribes. Something of the ancient order instituted by Moses in the wilderness was still kept up, that every tribe should have its prince or chief. It is probable that it was kept up all along, either by election or by succession, in the same family; and those are here named who were found in that office when this account was taken. Elihu, or Eliab, who was prince of Judah, was the eldest son of Jesse, and descended in a right line from Nahshon and Salmon, the princes of this tribe in Moses's time. Whether these princes were of the nature of lord-lieutenants that guided them in their military affairs, or chief-justices that presided in their courts of judgment, does not appear. Their power, we may suppose, was much less now that all the tribes were united under one king than it had been when, for the most part, they acted separately. Our religion obliges us to be subject, not only to the king as supreme, but unto governors under him (1 Peter 2:13; 1 Peter 2:14), the princes that decree justice. Of Benjamin was Jaaziel the son of Abner, 1 Chronicles 27:21; 1 Chronicles 27:21. Though Abner was David's enemy, and opposed his coming to the throne, yet David would not oppose the preferment of his son, but perhaps nominated him to this post of honour, which teaches us to render good for evil.

      II. Of the numbering of the people, 1 Chronicles 27:23; 1 Chronicles 27:24. It is here said, 1. That when David ordered the people to be numbered he forbade the numbering of those under twenty years old, thinking thereby to save the reflection which what he did might otherwise cast upon the promise that they should be innumerable; yet it was but a poor salvo, for it had never been customary to number those under twenty, and the promise of their numbers chiefly respected the effective men. 2. That the account which David took of the people, in the pride of his heart, turned to no good account; for it was never perfected, nor done with exactness, nor was it ever recorded as an authentic account. Joab was disgusted with it, and did it by halves; David was ashamed of it, and willing it should be forgotten, because there fell wrath for it against Israel. A good man cannot, in the reflection, please himself with that which he knows God is displeased with, cannot make use of that, nor take comfort in that, which is obtained by sin.

      III. Of the officers of the court. 1. The rulers of the king's substance (as they are called, 1 Chronicles 27:31; 1 Chronicles 27:31), such as had the oversight and charge of the king's tillage, his vineyards, his olive-yards, his herds, his camels, his asses, his flocks. Here are no officers for state, none for sport, no master of the wardrobe, no master of the ceremonies, no master of the horse, no master of the hounds, but all for service, agreeable to the simplicity and plainness of those times. David was a great soldier, a great scholar, and a great prince, and yet a great husband of his estate, kept a great deal of ground in his own hand, and stocked it, not for pleasure, but for profit; for the king himself is served of the field,Ecclesiastes 5:9. Those magistrates that would have their subjects industrious must themselves be examples of industry and application to business. We find, however, that afterwards the poor of the land were thought good enough to be vine-dressers and husbandmen, 2 Kings 25:12. Now David put his great men to preside in these employments. 2. The attendants on the king's person. They were such as were eminent for wisdom, being designed for conversation. His uncle, who was a wise man and a scribe, not only well skilled in politics, but well read in the scriptures, was his counsellor, 1 Chronicles 27:32; 1 Chronicles 27:32. Another, who no doubt excelled in learning and prudence, was tutor to his children. Ahithophel, a very cunning man, was his counsellor: but Hushai, an honest man, was his companion and confidant. It does not appear that he had many counsellors; but those he had were men of great abilities. Much of the wisdom of princes is seen in the choice of their ministry. But David, though he had all these trusty and well-beloved cousins and counsellors about him, preferred his Bible before them all. Psalms 119:24, Thy testimonies are my delight and my counsellors.