The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 407

also all those offloers who served the king supply" Eleazar the son of," on the authority in any relation to these courses-the oouraes of cti. xi. 12; 2 Sam. xxiii. 9. The allusion were twelve, and ea.oh course we.a numbered to Mikloth ( of the tribe of Benjamin, accoru- twenty-four thousand. Meantime, when we ing to eh viii. 32; ix. 37) in this verse is not turn to the list, we do not find any full plain. '!'.he translation may possibly be the complement of chiefs, captains, and officers same which our Authorized Version gives, specified, but apparently only the chief of And over the course of the second month ./as each course, with somewhat ambiguous (Eleazar, the son of) Dodai the Ahohite 1 and additions in vers. 4 (Mikloth), 6 (Am- (over) his (or, its) course also Mikloth was mizabe.d), 7 (Zebadiah); while what seems ruler. The appearances of the Heb;re'w an unnecessary stress repeats the number text, however, favour the supposition of an each time. This, however, in fact, tallies inaccurate text. A somewhat similar con- with the clause "respecting their number" struction and position of words in ver. 6 in the first verse, and may constitute the is less difficult by the absence of a conjunc- explanation of the apparent inconsistency tion before Ammizabad. in question. Milman(' Hist. of the Jews,' Ver. 5.-Benaia.h ( eh. xi. 22-25; 2 Sam. i. 251, edit. 1830) says on this military xxiii. 20-23). To this name Keil thinks portion of David's preparations, that he the word chief (l!itti), in the eucceedinu ex- " organized an immense disposable force; pression, chief priest, belongs. Thus Jeh~iada every month twenty-four thousand men, would be named here only priest. Yet see furnished in rotation by the tribes, appeared oh. xii. 27, where Jehoiada is called 1'JJn in arms, and were trained as the standing 11"')~~; and 2 Kings xxv. 18; where ii;i,1.,,:, j~; militia. of the country. At the head of his army were officers of consummate experience stands for our !!ii-Ii EJ=-::!, as applied to Se- and, what was more highly esteemed in the raiah. Benuiah was manifestly a Aaronite. warfare of the time, extra.ordinary personal Ver. 7.-With this verse, as Keil observes, activity, strength, and valour. His heroes the description of the successive courses is remind us of those of Arthur or Charlemagne, given with the greatest brevity. Zebadiah excepting that the armour of the feudal was of Judnh. Inasmuch as Ase.hel (eh. xi. chieftains constituted their superiority ; 26; 2 Sam. xxiii. 2-1) was killed by Abner here, main strength of body nnd dauntless (2 Sam. ii. 23) before this division of mili- fortitude of mind." Whioh oe.me in and tary courses was made, it is evident thnt went out month by month ; i.e. exchanged his name in this place mnrke, not the indi- places in rotation (2 Kings xi. 5-7, 9; 2 viduo.l, but the family. Possibly he and Chron. xxiii. 8). his no.me were held in e.11 the grenter reg11rd, Ver. 2.-Je.shobee.m is mentioned in oh. and his son Zebadiah best known for the xii. 11 as son of Hachmoni, nnd e.s one of enke of his father. those "three mighties" of David, of whom Ver. 8.-Shamhuth. For vari11tions in the other two were Elenznr and Shammah the form of this nnme, see eh. xi. 27; 2 (see nlso eh. xii. 6); he is age.in referred to Sum. xxiii. 25. In tlie former of these (2 Som. xxiii. 8) in e. verse of which the pussuges o.leo we hnve Harorita in place of text is corrupt, ne '' the Tnchmonite," or our Izrahite, o.nd in the lntter Hurodite. more correctly •• the Tnhh-cemonite." The The lzrahite probo.bly meo.ns of the family tau in this word is probnbly e.n error for the of Zerah (eh. ii. 4, 6), and of course marks nrticle. Kennicott (' Diss.,' 72, 82) con- one of the tribe of Judah. The Hebrew firms this supposition by noting thnt the n;,,i:;::i evidently does not justify the forru Book of Snmuel constnntly replaces by the as transluted "Izrahite." definite artiole what appears in Chronicles Ver. 9.-For Ira, see eh. xi. 28; 2 Snm. as "son of." Ho has also shown reason for xxiii. 26. He wne of Tekoa, bdonging to believing that the words in this paesnge, Juduh. " thnt sat in the seat,'' a.re a corruption of Ver. 10.-For B:elez, see eh. xi. 27; 2 Sam. the Hebrew text for characters that would xxiii. 26. He belonged to Ephmim. spell our name "Je.shobee.m." We know Ver. 11.-For Bibbecai, see eh. xi. 20; nothing of this name "He.chmon,'' which x..x. 4; 2 Snm. xxi. 18; xxiii. 27, where by may be the name of e.n earlier forefnther, a corruption the name Mebunnai is found while Zabdiel, thence named " the Hnch- for Sibbechai, a corruption a.II the ensier monite," appears to be tile name of the to account for in the similarity of the actual father of J aeho benm. J ashobee.m chumcters tho.t form the no.mes. Ho was a we.e of J udnh. Ze.rhite, and belonged to the tribo of Judah. Ver. 3.-Thie verse tells us that Jneho- Ver. 12.-For Abiezer, of the tribe of bee.m belonged to the tribe of Judah, Benjamin, see eh. xi. 28; 2 Snm. xxiii. 27. through Peru, the fourth son of Judah (oh. For Anetothite (.Anathoth) see eh. vi. 60 ( 45); ii. 4). Josh. xxi.18; Jer. i. 1; xi. 21; xxxii. 7-9. Ver. 4.-Before the name Dodai we must Ver. 13.-For 111aharai, of tho tribe of  HO 'l'HE FIRST BOOK OF 'l'HE CHRONICLES. [en. xxv11. 1-34,