Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary

on the Whole Bible

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Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708)

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F I R S T   C H R O N I C L E S

CHAP. XXVII.

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In this chapter we have the civil list, including the military,

I. The twelve captains for every separate month of the year,

ver. 1-15.

II. The princes of the several tribes,

ver. 16-24.

III. The officers of the court,

ver. 25-34.

The Officers of the Army.	B. C. 1015.

     

1 Now the children of Israel after their number, to wit, the

chief fathers and captains of thousands and hundreds, and their

officers 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, of every course were twenty and four thousand.

  2 Over the first course for the first month was Jashobeam the

son of Zabdiel: and in his course were twenty and four

thousand.

  3 Of the children of Perez was the chief of all the captains

of the host for the first month.

  4 And over the course of the second month was Dodai an

Ahohite, and of his course was Mikloth also the ruler: in his

course likewise were twenty and four thousand.

  5 The third captain of the host for the third month was

Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, a chief priest: and in his course

were twenty and four thousand.

  6 This is that Benaiah, who was mighty among the thirty,

and above the thirty: and in his course was Ammizabad his son.

  7 The fourth captain for the fourth month was Asahel the

brother of Joab, and Zebadiah his son after him: and in his

course were twenty and four thousand.

  8 The fifth captain for the fifth month was Shamhuth the

Izrahite: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.

  9 The sixth captain for the sixth month was Ira the son of

Ikkesh the Tekoite: and in his course were twenty and four

thousand.

  10 The seventh captain for the seventh month was Helez the

Pelonite, of the children of Ephraim: and in his course were

twenty and four thousand.

  11 The eighth captain for the eighth month was Sibbecai the

Hushathite, of the Zarhites: and in his course were twenty and

four thousand.

  12 The ninth captain for the ninth month was Abiezer the

Anetothite, of the Benjamites: and in his course were twenty

and four thousand.

  13 The tenth captain for the tenth month was Maharai the

Netophathite, of the Zarhites: and in his course were twenty

and four thousand.

  14 The eleventh captain for the eleventh month was Benaiah

the Pirathonite, of the children of Ephraim: and in his course

were twenty and four thousand.

  15 The twelfth captain for the twelfth month was Heldai the

Netophathite, of Othniel: and in his course were twenty and

four thousand.

     

We have here an account of the regulation of the militia of the

kingdom. David was himself a man of war, and had done great things with

the sword; he had brought into the field great armies. Now here we are

told how he marshalled them when God had given him rest from all his

enemies. He did not keep them all together, for that would have been a

hardship on them and the country; yet he did not disband and disperse

them all, for then he would have left his kingdom naked, and his people

would have forgotten the arts of war, wherein they had been instructed.

He therefore contrived to keep up a constant force, and yet not a

standing army. The model is very prudent.

1. He kept up 24,000 constantly in arms, I suppose in a body, and

disciplined, in one part or other of the kingdom, the freeholders

carrying their own arms and bearing their own charges while they were

up. This was a sufficient strength for the securing of the public peace

and safety. Those that are Israelites indeed must learn war; for we

have enemies to grapple with, whom we are concerned constantly to stand

upon our guard against.

2. He changed them every month; so that the whole number of the militia

amounted to 288,000, perhaps about a fifth part of the able men of the

kingdom. By being thus distributed into twelve courses, they were all

instructed in, and accustomed to, military exercises; and yet none were

compelled to be in service, and at expenses, above one month in the

year (which they might very well afford), unless upon extraordinary

occasions, and then they might all be got together quickly. It is the

wisdom of governors, and much their praise, while they provide for the

public safety, to contrive how to make it effectual and yet easy, and

as little as possible burdensome to the people.

3. Every course had a commander in chief over it. Besides the subaltern

officers that were rulers over thousands, and hundreds, and fifties,

there was one general officer to each course or legion. All these

twelve great commanders are mentioned among David’s worthies and

champions,

2 Sam. xxiii. and 1 Chron. xi.

They had first signalized themselves by their great actions and then

they were advanced to those great preferments. It is well with a

kingdom when honour thus attends merit. Benaiah is here called a

chief priest,
v. 5.

But, cohen signifying both a priest and a prince,

it might better be translated here a chief ruler, or (as in the

margin) a principal officer. Dodai had Mikloth

(v. 4)

either for his substitute when he was absent or infirm, or for his

successor when he was dead. Benaiah had his son under him,

v. 6.

Asahel had his son after him

(v. 7),

and by this it seems that this plan of the militia was laid in the

beginning of David’s reign; for Asahel was killed by Abner while David

reigned in Hebron. When his wars were over he revived this method, and

left the military affairs in this posture, for the peaceable reign of

his son Solomon. When we think ourselves most safe, yet, while we are

here in the body, we must keep in a readiness for spiritual conflicts.

Let not him that girdeth on the harness boast as he that puts it

off.

The Military Force.	B. C. 1015.

     

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 Pet. ii. 13, 14),

the princes that decree justice. Of Benjamin was Jaaziel the son of

Abner,

v. 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,

v. 23, 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,

v. 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,
Eccles. v. 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 xxv. 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,

v. 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.

Ps. cxix. 24,

Thy testimonies are my delight and my counsellors.

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Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708)

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