The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 408

Judah, see eh. xi. 30; 2 Sam. xxiii. 28. The ea.Fe lhose who represented the tribe e.o- Netophathite. Though the name of the town cording to lineal descent in David's time. Netophah happens to occur only after the Though Gad and Asher are left out the Ce.ptivity (e.g. Ezra ii. 22; Neh. vii. 26), thirteen are filled up by the allowan~e of yet the name of the people, as in this pe.s- two for Levi, viz. one for the Levites and se.ge, we.s evidently e. name existing before 01;10 for the priest~; and three for Joseph, the Captivity (see also eh. ii. 54; ix. 16). viz. one for Ephrrnm and two for the divided Ver. 14.-For this Benaiah, who was of tribe of Manasseh. Ephraim, see eh. xi. 31 ; 2 Sam. xxiii. 30. Ver. 23.-The contents of this and the For Pirathon, see Judg. xii. 15, where alone following verse may be supposed to be sug- the place is mentioned. gested by the distinct reference to the matter Ver. 15.-For Heldai, who belonged to of m~mber in the first verse of the chapter, Judah, see eh. xi. 30, where the name e.nd 1n the latter halves of the followin<> appears as Hekd, and 2 Sam. x.xiii. 29, fourteen verses, contrasting with the utte~ where it appears as Hekb. For Othniel absence of any allusion to the same matter, (who we.s nephew and son-in-law of Caleb, when the whole body of the ti-ibes and their and first deliverer of the people after princes are the subject, in vers. 16-22. Joshua), see Josh. xv. 17; Judg. iii. 9. '£he deeper significance of the latter part of These twelve captains then come-from this verse probably comes to this, that God Judah seTen, from Benjamin and Ephraim be.d already given his people the proudest two each, and from Levi one. name for thtir numbers, in sayin<> that they Vere. 16-22.-These verses give the shoultl be numberless, like to the stars of names of the rulers (ver. 16), or princes (ver. the heavens, and perpetually on the in- 22), of ten out of the twelve tribes of Israel. crease. The tribes not mentioned are Gad e.nd Ver. 24.-It seems a little surprising to Asher, an omission which reminds of that read of J oab, fixed on the page of history of the two tribes Dan and Zebulou from e.s the person who began to number, but, .. the genealogies contained in eh. iv.- :finished not, when we have been already vii., e.nd equally unexplained. These particularly tolcl tha.t it was he to whom designations ruler ("i'})) e.nd prince (i;,,) e.re King David's command to number was the same as e.re fouud in the list of vers. "abominable" ( eh. xxi. 6). However dif- 1-15-the former in Ter. 4, e.nd tr1tnslated ferently enough from the method of either also e.s here " ruler;" e.nd the latter in vers. nature or mankind, the antidote has here I, 3, 5, 8, under the Authorized Version preceded the evil. For because there fell word of "capta;ns." This rehearsal of the wre.th for it, read the Hebrew, and there wa, rulers or captain. of the tribes stands for this wrath upon Israel. The last sen- evidently in no special relation to the pre- tence of the verse purports to say that such ceding military enumeration, but it forms numbering as he.d been done before the naturally enough one of four lists in this point at which Joa.b stopped was not chapter that purport to set forth David's honoured by a place, where other numbers complete arrangement of the affairs of the were found, in the register of the chronioles kingdom. So far e.s the enumeration goes, of King David. it appears to aim at fulness and no omission, Vers. 25-31.-These verses he.ve for their for the" Aaronites" (ver. 17) are given, and primary object, not to give an exhaustive Ephraim and the two halves of Manasseh summary of the wealth of Da.vill and the separately (vers. 20, 21). sources thereof, but to give the no.mes of Ver. 17.-It i;i, perhaps, remarkable that those persons who were charged with the Xa.shabi.a.h-presumably a Gershonite-is care, or the management and care, of it. The not distinguished from the Hebronite (i.e. classification, however, is internsting, a.nd Kohnthite) of the snme name (eh. xxvi. me.y be nature.By expected to be tolerably 30); some, however, think that our Hasha- complete. We do not find any distinction 1,i,,h is the Kohathite (see Smith's 'Bible made between such property e.s might ha.ve Dictionary,' i. 759 b). For Zadok, see eh. belonged to David as private property, e.nd vi. 4, 12. He was of the line of Eleazar. such e.s belonged to him os king-probably Ver. 18.-David'e eldest brother Elinb is because there we.a none worth making. no doubt intended here by the name Elihu. Ver. 25.-For storehouses, rend, e.s in The SeptWlgint gives Eliab. For Miohael, former clause, treasures. The suggestion of see eh. vii. 3. the second he.If of this verse in comparison Ver. 21.-There is no reason to donbt with the first is 1.hnt Azme.veth's churge that J'ae.siel is the son of tl,e Abner who was over treasures in J ernsalem. For the wos Saul's own cousin (eh. ix. 36; 1 Sam. oe.atlea, see 2 Chron. xvii. 12 ; xx. vii. 4. 'l'he xiv. 50). word i:i:\t-t, though the so.me in both Ver. 22.-These thirteen princes of the clauses, ioo.y probably enough cover precious ttii. ,a of Israel were presumably in each tree.sure, e.s of gold, silver, costly re.imcnt,  on. XX\'tt, 1-34.J TtIE FIRST BOOK •OF THE CHRONICLES. 411