0 SAB 1 Chronicles 11

The Gadites ... whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains. 12:8

Trivia: How many men did Jashobeam kill with his spear at one time?

1 Chronicles

CHAPTER 11

David becomes king of Israel
11:1-9, Cf. 2 Sam 5:1-3

1 Then all Israel gathered themselves to David unto Hebron, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.

Everyone in Israel came to David and said to him,
We are your flesh and blood.

2 And moreover in time past, even when Saul was king, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD thy God said unto thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be ruler over my people Israel.

When Saul was king, you led his army.

God said to you, "You'll feed my people and be their king."

3 Therefore came all the elders of Israel to the king to Hebron; and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the LORD; and they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD by Samuel.

So they made David their king, according to God's word as spoken by Samuel.

4 And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus; where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land.

David, along with everyone in Israel, went to Jerusalem (which is Jebus).

5 And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come hither. Nevertheless David took the castle of Zion, which is the city of David.

When they arrived, the people of Jebus said to David,
You won't come here.

But David took Jerusalem anyway. [1]

6 And David said, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain. So Joab the son of Zeruiah went first up, and was chief.

7 And David dwelt in the castle; therefore they called it the city of David.

8 And he built the city round about, even from Millo round about: and Joab repaired the rest of the city.

David said,
Whoever is first to smite the Jebusites will be my chief and captain.

And Joab was the first to smite them, so he was chief.

9So David waxed greater and greater: for the LORD of hosts was with him.

David lived in the castle and became greater and greater, because the God of war was with him. [2]
David's mighty men
11:10-47, Cf. 2 Sam 23:8-39

10 These also are the chief of the mighty men whom David had, who strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom, and with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel.

This is a list of David's mighty men.

11 And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had; Jashobeam, an Hachmonite, the chief of the captains: he lifted up his spear against three hundred slain by him at one time.

Jashobeam, the chief of the captains, killed 300 men with his spear. [3]

12 And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighties.

13 He was with David at Pasdammim, and there the Philistines were gathered together to battle, where was a parcel of ground full of barley; and the people fled from before the Philistines.

Eleazar, the son of Dodo, was one of the three mighties.

14 And they set themselves in the midst of that parcel, and delivered it, and slew the Philistines; and the LORD saved them by a great deliverance.

15 Now three of the thirty captains went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the host of the Philistines encamped in the valley of Rephaim.

16 And David was then in the hold, and the Philistines' garrison was then at Bethlehem.

God saved Eleazar and David by helping them kill Philistines.

17And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, that is at the gate!

18And the three brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but David would not drink of it, but poured it out to the LORD.

19And said, My God forbid it me, that I should do this thing: shall I drink the blood of these men that have put their lives in jeopardy? for with the jeopardy of their lives they brought it. Therefore he would not drink it.

These things did these three mightiest.

Once David was thirsty and said to his three warriors,
I'd like someone to get me a drink of water from the well in Bethlehem.

So the three warriors snuck through the Philistine soldiers to the well in Bethlehem and brought back some water for David to drink.

But David poured it out to God and said,

God forbid that I drink the blood of the men who risked their lives for me.

And he wouldn't drink it.

20 And Abishai the brother of Joab, he was chief of the three: for lifting up his spear against three hundred, he slew them, and had a name among the three.

Abishai got a name for himself by killing 300 with his spear.

21 Of the three, he was more honourable than the two; for he was their captain: howbeit he attained not to the first three.

Of the three, Abishai was more honorable than the other two, but wasn't as great as the first three.

22Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many acts; he slew two lionlike men of Moab: also he went down and slew a lion in a pit in a snowy day.

Benaiah killed two lion-like men of Moab, and he also killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day.

23 And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high; and in the Egyptian's hand was a spear like a weaver's beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear.

He also killed a giant Egyptian, who was five cubits (~ 7.5 feet) tall.

He plucked the spear out of the giant's hand and killed him with it.

24 These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had the name among the three mighties.

He had a name among the three mighties.

25 Behold, he was honourable among the thirty, but attained not to the first three: and David set him over his guard.

26 Also the valiant men of the armies were, Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

27 Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite,

28 Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Antothite,

29 Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,

30 Maharai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite,

31 Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah, that pertained to the children of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite,

32 Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite,

33 Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite,

34 The sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shage the Hararite,

35 Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur,

36 Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite,

37 Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai,

38 Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Haggeri,

39 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, the armourbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah,

40 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

41 Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai,

42 Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a captain of the Reubenites, and thirty with him,

43 Hanan the son of Maachah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite,

44 Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jehiel the sons of Hothan the Aroerite,

45 Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite,

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

47 Eliel, and Obed, and Jasiel the Mesobaite.

He did well among the thirty, but he wasn't as good as the three.
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