23 These are the numbers of the chiefs of the armed men, ready for war, who came to David at Hebron, to give the kingdom of Saul into his hands, as the Lord had said. 24 There were six thousand, eight hundred spearmen of the children of Judah, armed for war; 25 Seven thousand, one hundred of the children of Simeon, great men of war; 26 Of the children of Levi, four thousand, six hundred. 27 And Jehoiada, chief of the family of Aaron, and with him three thousand, seven hundred men; 28 And Zadok, a young man, great and strong in war, with twenty-two captains from his father's people. 29 And of the children of Benjamin, the brothers of Saul, three thousand; for up to that time the greater part of them had been true to Saul. 30 And of the children of Ephraim, twenty thousand, eight hundred great men of war, men of great name in their families. 31 And from the half-tribe of Manasseh, eighteen thousand, listed by name, came to make David king. 32 And of the children of Issachar, there were two hundred chiefs, men who had expert knowledge of the times and what it was best for Israel to do, and all their brothers were under their orders. 33 Of Zebulun, there were fifty thousand men, who went out with the army, expert in ordering the fight, to give help with all sorts of arms; true-hearted men. 34 And of Naphtali, a thousand captains with thirty-seven thousand spearmen. 35 And of the Danites, twenty-eight thousand, six hundred, expert in ordering the fight. 36 And of Asher, forty thousand who went out with the army, expert in ordering the fight. 37 From the other side of Jordan, there were a hundred and twenty thousand of the Reubenites and the Gadites and the men of the half-tribe of Manasseh, armed with every sort of instrument of war. 38 All these men of war, expert in ordering the fight, came to Hebron with the full purpose of making David king over all Israel; and all the rest of Israel were united in their desire to make David king. 39 For three days they were there with David, feasting at his table, for their brothers had made ready food for them. 40 And those who were near, as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, came with food on asses and camels and mules and oxen, with meal for food and cakes of figs and masses of grapes, and wine and oil and oxen and sheep in great numbers, for there was joy in Israel.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Chronicles 12:23-40
Commentary on 1 Chronicles 12:23-40
(Read 1 Chronicles 12:23-40)
When the throne of Christ is set up in a soul, there is, or ought to be, great joy in that soul; and provision is made, not as here, for a few days, but for the whole life, and for eternity. Happy are those who wisely perceive it to be their duty and interest, to submit to the Saviour Jesus Christ, the Son of David; who renounce for his sake all that is not consistent; whose earnest endeavours to do good are directed by the wisdom that God giveth, through acquaintance with his word, experience, and observation. If any man lack this wisdom, let him ask it of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.