Page:The Books of Chronicles (1916).djvu/217

Rh Now the children of Israel after their number, to wit, the heads of fathers' houses and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and their officers that served the king, in any matter of the courses which came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year, of every course were twenty and four thousand. Over the first course for the first month was Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. He was of the children of Perez, the chief of all the captains of the host for the first month. And over the course of the second month was Dodai the Ahohite, and his course; and Mikloth the ruler: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. The third captain of the host for the third month was Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada the priest, chief: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. This is that Benaiah, who was

XXVII.&emsp;

1—15.&emsp;

It is in keeping with the plan and spirit of the Chronicler that he should not fail to ascribe to David, who for all his piety was preeminently the warrior-king, the organisation on an immense scale of the military and civil forces of the land. In monthly "courses" the king is here said to be attended by officers and soldiers totalling 288,000 men! The enumeration of David's "mighty men" in ch. xi. 10 ff. is an utterly insufficient reason for supposing that the present chapter cannot also come from the Chronicler. It is suitable to his narrative, characteristic of his style, and, if further evidence be needed, it may be found in the tone of the references to the civil and military authorities in xxii. 17; xxiii. 2; xxviii. 1 ff., 21; xxix. 6 ff.

1. came in and went out] Came on duty and went off duty; cp. 2 Chr. xxiii. 8.

2. Jashobeam] Cp. xi. 11, note.

3. Perez] For Perez, see ii. 4, 5.

4. Dodai the Ahohite] Read probably (cp. xi. 12), "Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite."

and his course; and Mikloth the ruler] The words are corrupt and are omitted in the LXX. The original text is quite uncertain. A Benjamite called Mikloth is mentioned in viii. 32.

5. Benaiah] Cp. xi. 22 ff, xviii. 17.

Jehoiada the priest, chief] "chief" refers to Benaiah.