Study Desk

Benaiah son of Jehoiada^(q) was the son of a brave man^[f] from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. Benaiah killed two sons of Ariel of Moab,^[g] and he went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.

He also killed an Egyptian who was seven and a half feet tall.^[h] Even though the Egyptian had a spear in his hand like a weaver's beam,^(r) Benaiah went down to him with a club, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and then killed him with his own spear.

These were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who had a reputation among the three warriors.

He was the most honored of the Thirty, but he did not become one of the Three. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

The fighting men^(s) were: Joab's brother Asahel,^(t) Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite,

Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite,

Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,

Maharai the Netophathite, Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite,

Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjaminites, Benaiah the Pirathonite,

Hurai from the wadis of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite,

Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite,

the sons of^[i](u) Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite,

Ahiam son of Sachar the Hararite, Eliphal son of Ur,

Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite,

Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai son of Ezbai,

Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar son of Hagri,

Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer for Joab son of Zeruiah,

Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

Uriah the Hittite, Zabad son of Ahlai,

Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, chief of the Reubenites, and 30 with him,

Hanan son of Maacah, Joshaphat the Mithnite,

Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite,

Jediael son of Shimri and his brother Joha the Tizite,

Eliel the Mahavite, Jeribai and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite,

Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

The following were the men who came to David at Ziklag while he was still banned from the presence of Saul son of Kish.^(a) They were among the warriors who helped him in battle.

They were archers who could use either the right or left hand, both to sling stones and shoot arrows from a bow.^(b) They were Saul's relatives^(c) from Benjamin:

Their chief was Ahiezer son of Shemaah the Gibeathite. Then there was his brother Joash; Jeziel and Pelet sons of Azmaveth; Beracah, Jehu the Anathothite;

Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a warrior among the Thirty and a leader over the Thirty; ^[a]Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite;

Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite;

Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites;

and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham from Gedor.

Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the desert. They were fighting men, trained for battle, expert with shield and spear. Their faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles on the mountains.^(d)

Ezer was the chief, Obadiah second, Eliab third,

Mishmannah fourth, Jeremiah fifth,

Attai sixth, Eliel seventh,

Johanan eighth, Elzabad ninth,

Jeremiah tenth, and Machbannai eleventh.

These Gadites were army commanders; the least of them was a match for a hundred, and the greatest of them for a thousand.^(e)

These are the men who crossed the Jordan in the first month^[b] when it was overflowing all its banks,^(f) and put to flight all those in the valleys to the east and to the west.

Other Benjaminites and men from Judah also went to David at the stronghold.^(g)

David went out to meet them and said to them, "If you have come in peace to help me, my heart will be united with you, but if you have come to betray me to my enemies even though my hands have done no wrong, may the God of our ancestors look on it and judge."

Then the Spirit took control of^[c](h) Amasai,⁽ⁱ⁾ chief of the Thirty, and he said: We are yours, David, we are with you, son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to him who helps you,^(j) for your God helps you. So David received them and made them leaders of his troops.

Some Manassites defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. However, they did not help the Philistines because the Philistine rulers sent David away after a discussion. They said, "It will be our heads if he defects to his master Saul."^(k)

When David went to Ziklag, some men from Manasseh defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands in Manasseh.

They helped David against the raiders,^(l) for they were all brave warriors and commanders in the army.

At that time, men came day after day to help David until there was a great army, like an army of God.^[d](m)

The numbers of the armed troops who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul's kingdom over to him,⁽ⁿ⁾ according to the Lord 's word,^(o) were as follows:

From the Judahites: 6,800 armed troops bearing shields and spears.

From the Simeonites: 7,100 brave warriors ready for war.

From the Levites: 4,600

²⁷in addition to Jehoiada, leader of the house of Aaron, with 3,700 men;

²⁸and Zadok,^(p) a young brave warrior, with 22 commanders from his own ancestral house.

From the Benjaminites, the relatives of Saul:^(q) 3,000 (up to that time the majority of the Benjaminites maintained their allegiance to the house of Saul).

From the Ephraimites: 20,800 brave warriors who were famous men in their ancestral houses.

From half the tribe of Manasseh: 18,000 designated by name to come and make David king.

From the Issacharites, who understood the times^(r) and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs with all their relatives under their command.

From Zebulun: 50,000 who could serve in the army, trained for battle with all kinds of weapons of war, with one purpose^(s) to help David.^[e]

From Naphtali: 1,000 commanders accompanied by 37,000 men with shield and spear.

From the Danites: 28,600 trained for battle.

From Asher: 40,000 who could serve in the army, trained for battle.

From across the Jordan—from the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh: 120,000 men equipped with all the military weapons of war.

All these warriors, lined up in battle formation, came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. All the rest of Israel was also of one mind to make David king.^(t)

They spent three days there eating and drinking with David, for their relatives had provided for them.

In addition, their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali came and brought food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen—abundant provisions of flour, fig cakes, raisins, wine and oil, oxen, and sheep.^(u) Indeed, there was joy in Israel.

David consulted with all his leaders, the commanders of hundreds and of thousands.

Then he said to the whole assembly of Israel, "If it seems good to you, and if this is from the Lord our God, let us spread out and send the message to the rest of our relatives in all the districts of Israel, including the priests and Levites in their cities with pasturelands,^(a) that they should gather together with us.

Then let us bring back the ark of our God, for we did not inquire of Him^(b) in Saul's days."

Since the proposal seemed right to all the people, the whole assembly agreed to do it.

So David assembled all Israel,^(c) from the Shihor of Egypt to the entrance of Hamath,^[a](d) to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.^(e)

David^(f) and all Israel went to Baalah^(g) (that is, Kiriath-jearim that belongs to Judah) to take the ark of God from there, which is called by the name of the Lord who dwells between the cherubim.^(h)

At Abinadab's house⁽ⁱ⁾ they set the ark of God on a new cart. Uzzah and Ahio^[b] were guiding the cart.

David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before God with songs and with lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.^(j)

When they came to Chidon's threshing floor,^(k) Uzzah reached out to hold the ark because the oxen had stumbled.

Then the Lord 's anger burned against Uzzah, and He struck him dead because he had reached out to the ark.^(l) So he died there in the presence of God.^(m)

David was angry because of the Lord 's outburst against Uzzah, so he named that place Outburst Against Uzzah,^[c] as it is still named today.

David feared God that day and said, "How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?"

So David did not move the ark of God home^[d] to the city of David; instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.⁽ⁿ⁾

The ark of God remained with Obed-edom's family in his house for three months, and the Lord blessed his family and all that he had.

King Hiram of Tyre sent envoys to David,^(a) along with cedar logs, stonemasons, and carpenters to build a palace for him.

Then David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and that his kingdom had been exalted for the sake of His people Israel.

David took more wives in Jerusalem, and he became the father of more sons and daughters.

These^(b) are the names of the children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,

Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet,

Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia,

Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.

When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they all went in search of David; when David heard of this, he went out to face them.

Now the Philistines had come and raided in the Valley of Rephaim,^(c)

so David inquired of God, "Should I go to war against the Philistines? Will You hand them over to me?" The Lord replied, "Go, and I will hand them over to you."

So the Israelites went up to Baal-perazim, and David defeated the Philistines there. Then David said, "Like a bursting flood, God has used me to burst out against my enemies." Therefore, they named that place the Lord Bursts Out.^[a]

The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David ordered that they be burned in the fire.

Once again the Philistines raided in the valley.

So David again inquired of God, and God answered him, "Do not pursue them directly. Circle around them and attack them opposite the balsam trees.

When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then march out to battle, for God will have marched out ahead of you to attack the camp of the Philistines."

So David did exactly as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army from Gibeon to Gezer.

Then David's fame spread throughout the lands, and the Lord caused all the nations to be terrified of him.^(d)

David built houses for himself in the city of David, and he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.^(a)

Then David said, "No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the Lord has chosen them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister before Him forever."^(b)

David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem^(c) to bring the ark of the Lord to the place he had prepared for it.^(d)

Then he gathered together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:

From the Kohathites, Uriel the leader and 120 of his relatives;

from the Merarites, Asaiah the leader and 220 of his relatives;

from the Gershomites,^[a] Joel the leader and 130 of his relatives;

from the Elizaphanites, Shemaiah the leader and 200 of his relatives;

from the Hebronites, Eliel the leader and 80 of his relatives;

from the Uzzielites, Amminadab the leader and 112 of his relatives.

David summoned the priests Zadok^(e) and Abiathar^(f) and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.

He said to them, "You are the heads of the Levite families. You and your relatives must consecrate yourselves^(g) so that you may bring the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it.^(h)

For the Lord our God burst out in anger against us because you Levites were not with us the first time, for we didn't inquire of Him about the proper procedures."⁽ⁱ⁾

So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel.

Then the Levites carried the ark of God the way Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord : on their shoulders with the poles.^(j)

Then David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their relatives as singers and to have them raise their voices with joy accompanied by musical instruments—harps, lyres, and cymbals.^(k)

So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his relatives, Asaph son of Berechiah; and from their relatives the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah.

With them were their relatives second in rank: Zechariah, Jaaziel,^[b] Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, and the gatekeepers Obed-edom and Jeiel.

The singers Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals;

Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play harps according to Alamoth;^[c]

and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead the music with lyres according to the Sheminith.

Chenaniah, the leader of the Levites in music, was to direct the music because he was skillful.

Berechiah and Elkanah were to be gatekeepers for the ark.

The priests, Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, were to blow trumpets^(l) before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah were also to be gatekeepers for the ark.

David,^(m) the elders of Israel, and the commanders of thousands went with rejoicing to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-edom.⁽ⁿ⁾

While the Levites were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord , with God's help, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.^(o)

Now David was dressed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, as well as the singers and Chenaniah, the music leader of the singers. David also wore a linen ephod.

So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouts, the sound of the ram's horn, trumpets, and cymbals, and the playing of harps and lyres.

As the ark of the covenant of the Lord was entering the city of David, Saul's daughter Michal looked down from the window and saw King David dancing^[d] and celebrating, and she despised him in her heart.