1 Chronicles 27:23

Contextual Overview

¹⁶The following were in charge of the tribes of Israel: ¹⁶ Furthermore over the tribes of Yisra'el: of the Re'uveni was Eli`ezer the son of Zikhri the ruler: of the Shim`oni, Shefatyah the son of Ma`akhah: ¹⁶ Furthermore over the tribes of Israel: the ruler of the Reubenites was Eliezer the son of Zichri: of the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maachah: ¹⁶ Over the tribes of Israel, for the Reubenites, Eliezer the son of Zichri was chief officer; for the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maacah; ¹⁶ These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel. Eliezer son of Zicri was over the tribe of Reuben. Shephatiah son of Maacah was over the tribe of Simeon. ¹⁶ The officers of the Israelite tribes: Eliezer son of Zikri was the leader of the Reubenites, Shephatiah son of Maacah led the Simeonites, ¹⁶Now in charge of the tribes of Israel [were the following]: chief officer of the Reubenites was Eliezer the son of Zichri; of the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maacah; ¹⁶ Now in charge of the tribes of Israel: chief officer for the Reubenites was Eliezer the son of Zichri; for the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maacah; ¹⁶ Furthermore over the tribes of Israel: of the Reubenites was Eliezer the son of Zichri the ruler: of the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maacah: ¹⁶ Moreouer the rulers ouer the tribes of Israel were these: ouer the Reubenites was ruler, Eliezer the sonne of Zichri: ouer the Shimeonites, Shephatiah the sonne of Maachah:

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

David took not: It seems probable, from this passage, that Joab began, by David's order, to number the children, as well as adults, but was prevented from finishing the account, probably because the plague had begun. The numbering of the effective men might have been deemed a political expedient; but pride and ostentation alone could dictate the numbering of minors and infants, especially as God had pronounced the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, innumerable.

from twenty: Numbers 1:18

he would increase: Genesis 15:5, Hebrews 11:12

Reciprocal: Genesis 13:16 - General Numbers 1:2 - Take ye the sum Deuteronomy 1:10 - your God 2 Samuel 24:1 - number 2 Samuel 24:9 - eight hundred thousand 1 Kings 3:8 - cannot 1 Chronicles 7:2 - whose number 1 Chronicles 21:2 - bring 1 Chronicles 21:5 - a thousand Nehemiah 9:23 - multipliedst Psalms 80:9 - and it

Cross-References

Genesis 27:11
Ya`akov said to Rivka his mother, "Behold, Esav my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.

Genesis 27:11
And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:

Genesis 27:11
Then Jacob said to his mother, "Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, but I am a smooth man.

Genesis 27:11
But Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, "My brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am smooth!

Genesis 27:11
"But Esau my brother is a hairy man," Jacob protested to his mother Rebekah, "and I have smooth skin!

Genesis 27:11
Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "Listen, Esau my brother is a hairy man and I am a smooth [skinned] man.

Genesis 27:11
But Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, "Behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man and I am a smooth man.

Genesis 27:11
But Iaakob sayde to Rebekah his mother, Beholde, Esau my brother is rough, and I am smoothe.

Genesis 27:11
Then Jacob answered his mother Rebekah, "Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.

Genesis 27:11
"My brother Esau is a hairy man," Jacob reminded her. "And I am not.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But David took not the number of them from twenty years old and under,.... Only those that were twenty years and upwards; but, according to Cornelius Bertram k, he numbered them that were under twenty, though but sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, or nineteen years of age, provided they were of robust bodies, and of a tall stature, and able to bear arms; which he takes to be the sin of David, in numbering the people, being contrary to the law of God; yet though he had ordered them to be numbered, and they were, yet he would not take them and put them into the account of his chronicles, as in the next verse, that his sin might not be known, see 2 Samuel 24:9

because the Lord had said, he would increase Israel like to the stars in the heavens; which are not to be numbered, and therefore David sinned in attempting to number the people.

k Lucubrat. Franktall, c. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

David’s numbering of the people was therefore a military arrangement in order to fix the amount of his standing army. To the general Oriental prejudice against numbering possessions, etc., there was added in the case of the Jews a special objection - a feeling that it would be irreverent to attempt to count what God had promised should be countless.