(11) And this is the number of the mighty men.--The heading of the catalogue in Samuel is merely, "These are the names of the warriors whom David had." The chronicler resumes, after the parenthetic explanation of the last verse, with "These, the number of the warriors." The word "number" (mispar) seems to refer to the fact that the corps was originally known as the Thirty (comp. 1 Chronicles 11:12). In 1 Chronicles 12:23, the plural (mispere) is used.
Jashobeam, an Hachmonite.--Literally, Jasho-beam, son of a Hakmonite; but ben may be spurious, as in 1 Chronicles 9:7, and Nehemiah 11:10. The Hebrew of 2 Samuel 23:8 has yoshebbashshebeth Tahkemoni, which has been supposed to be a corruption of Ishbosheth ha-hahmoni ("Ishbosheth the Hachmonite"). If this guess be right, the Jashobeam of our text may be a disguise of Eshbaal. This seems to be borne out by the readings of the Vatican LXX. here and at 1 Chronicles 27:2 : ???????? and ??????. The Alex. MS., however, reads ?????? and ??????, that is, Jashobeam.
The chief of the captains.--The Hebrew text has "head of the Thirty," and so the LXX. and Syriac. "Captains" ("knights," or "members of the royal staff.") is the reading of Samuel and the Hebrew margin here. The corps of the Thirty may also have been called the Knights; but the two Hebrew words might easily be confused (shelashim, shalishim). It is possible that the original reading was "head of the Three" (sheloshah), as 1 Chronicles 11:11-14 describe an exploit of three champions.
He lifted up his spear.--Literally, he it was who brandished his lance over three hundred slain in a single encounter. Samuel says eight hundred, but. the text there is otherwise very faulty. Yet as 1 Chronicles 11:20 records that the lesser hero, Abishai, slew three hundred, the greater number may be correct here. (Comp. the like exploit of Shamgar (Judges 3:31), and the feats ascribed to Rameses II. and to the heroes of the Iliad.) A well-armed champion might cut down whole companies of ordinary fighting-men.
Verse 11. - This is the number. The Hebrew has," These are the number." The sentence should probably be, "These are the names" (2 Samuel 23:8). Jashobeam. In the parallel passage, this name is supplied by the words "The Tachmonite ישֵׁב בַּשֶּׁבָת, Authorized Version, "that sat in the seat" (see the previous verse), probably in error for our יָשָׁבְעָם (see Kennicott's 'Dissert.,' 82). His immediate paternal ancestor seems to have been Zabdiel (1 Chronicles 27:2). The only other notices of him are in 1 Chronicles 12:6; 1 Chronicles 27:2, in which latter passage he is mentioned as "over the first course for the first month and in his course were twenty and four thousand." The chief of the captains. The Authorized Version follows the Keri (which is distinguished from the Chethiv by a yod in place of a vau), and translates captains. It seems better (vers. 15, 25; 1 Chronicles 12:1, 18; 1 Chronicles 27:6) to abide by the Chethiv, and translate "the chief of the thirty."He lifted up his spear. Notice the probable error in Samuel, occasioned by some similarity in the Hebrew letters. "The same was Adino the Eznite." The number of Jashobeam's victims is stated at "eight hundred" in the parallel passage (2 Samuel 23:8). (For analogous idioms, see Exodus 7:20; Exodus 20:25; Deuteronomy 27:5; Joshua 8:31; Psalm 41:9; Psalm 74:5; Isaiah 2:4; Ezekiel 26:28.)
11:10-47 An account is given of David's worthies, the great men who served him. Yet David reckoned his success, not as from the mighty men that were with him, but from the mighty God, whose presence is all in all. In strengthening him, they strengthened themselves and their own interest, for his advancement was theirs. We shall gain by what we do in our places for the support of the kingdom of the Son of David; and those that are faithful to Him, shall find their names registered much more to their honour, than these are in the records of fame.
And inquired not of the Lord,.... For though he did inquire in some sense in an external, careless, and hypocritical manner, yet not done seriously, sincerely, and heartily, nor with constancy; it was accounted as if he inquired not at all, 1 Samuel 28:6 the Targum adds another reason of his death, because he killed the priests of Nob; but that is not in the text:
therefore he slew him; or suffered him to be slain:
and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse; translated the kingdom of Israel out of Saul's family, upon his death, into Jesse's, even unto David; for the sake of which observation this short account is given of the last end of Saul.
Jashobeam, an Hachmonite.--Literally, Jasho-beam, son of a Hakmonite; but ben may be spurious, as in 1 Chronicles 9:7, and Nehemiah 11:10. The Hebrew of 2 Samuel 23:8 has yoshebbashshebeth Tahkemoni, which has been supposed to be a corruption of Ishbosheth ha-hahmoni ("Ishbosheth the Hachmonite"). If this guess be right, the Jashobeam of our text may be a disguise of Eshbaal. This seems to be borne out by the readings of the Vatican LXX. here and at 1 Chronicles 27:2 : ???????? and ??????. The Alex. MS., however, reads ?????? and ??????, that is, Jashobeam.
The chief of the captains.--The Hebrew text has "head of the Thirty," and so the LXX. and Syriac. "Captains" ("knights," or "members of the royal staff.") is the reading of Samuel and the Hebrew margin here. The corps of the Thirty may also have been called the Knights; but the two Hebrew words might easily be confused (shelashim, shalishim). It is possible that the original reading was "head of the Three" (sheloshah), as 1 Chronicles 11:11-14 describe an exploit of three champions.
He lifted up his spear.--Literally, he it was who brandished his lance over three hundred slain in a single encounter. Samuel says eight hundred, but. the text there is otherwise very faulty. Yet as 1 Chronicles 11:20 records that the lesser hero, Abishai, slew three hundred, the greater number may be correct here. (Comp. the like exploit of Shamgar (Judges 3:31), and the feats ascribed to Rameses II. and to the heroes of the Iliad.) A well-armed champion might cut down whole companies of ordinary fighting-men.
therefore he slew him; or suffered him to be slain:
and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse; translated the kingdom of Israel out of Saul's family, upon his death, into Jesse's, even unto David; for the sake of which observation this short account is given of the last end of Saul.