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Contemporary English Version

1 Chronicles 12:2

Warriors from the Benjamin tribe

Several of these warriors were from King Saul's own tribe of Benjamin. They were experts at using a bow and arrows, and they could shoot an arrow or sling a stone with either hand.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Archery;   Benjamin;   David;   Stones;   Thompson Chain Reference - Warriors;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Armies;   Benjamin, Tribe of;   Bow, the;   Hands, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Bow;   Sling;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Weapons;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Armour;   Benjamin;   Bow;   Chronicles, Books of;   Games;   Jonathan;   Sling;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Arms;   Benjamin;   David;   Ismaiah;   Jehu;   Jeziel;   Joash;   Jonathan;   Sling;   Ziklag;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ahiezer;   Arms and Armor;   Gederah;   Korah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ahiezer;   Beracah;   Chronicles, I;   Stone;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Boyhood ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Gederathite ;   Ziklag ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Benjamin;   Ziklag;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Ben'jamin, the Tribe of;   Jon'athan,;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Left (hand);   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Arms;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Benjamin;   David;   Lefthanded;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Ambidexter;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Archer, Archery;   Athletes, Athletics, and Field-Sports;   Benjamin;   Jacob, Blessing of;   Jonathan, Jehonathan;   Right and Left;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They were archers who could use either the right or left hand, both to sling stones and shoot arrows from a bow. They were Saul’s relatives from Benjamin:
Hebrew Names Version
They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in slinging stones and in shooting arrows from the bow: they were of Sha'ul's brothers of Binyamin.
King James Version
They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows out of a bow, even of Saul's brethren of Benjamin.
English Standard Version
They were bowmen and could shoot arrows and sling stones with either the right or the left hand; they were Benjaminites, Saul's kinsmen.
New Century Version
They came with bows for weapons and could use either their right or left hands to shoot arrows or to sling rocks. They were Saul's relatives from the tribe of Benjamin.
New English Translation
They were armed with bows and could shoot arrows or sling stones right or left-handed. They were fellow tribesmen of Saul from Benjamin.) These were:
Amplified Bible
They were armed with bows, and could use the right hand or the left to sling stones and shoot arrows from the bow; they were Saul's relatives from [the tribe of] Benjamin.
New American Standard Bible
They were equipped with bows, using both the right hand and the left to sling stones and shoot arrows with the bow; they were Saul's kinsmen from Benjamin.
World English Bible
They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in slinging stones and in shooting arrows from the bow: they were of Saul's brothers of Benjamin.
Geneva Bible (1587)
They were weaponed with bowes, & could vse the right and the left hand with stones and with arrowes and with bowes, and were of Sauls brethren, euen of Beniamin.
Legacy Standard Bible
They were equipped with bows, using both the right hand and the left to sling stones and to shoot arrows from the bow; they were Saul's relatives from Benjamin.
Berean Standard Bible
they were archers using both the right and left hands to sling stones and shoot arrows; and they were Saul's kinsmen from Benjamin):
Complete Jewish Bible
They were archers who could use either hand to sling stones or shoot arrows from a bow; they were Sha'ul's kinsmen from Binyamin.
Darby Translation
armed with bows, using both the right hand and the left with stones and with arrows on the bow; [they were] of Saul's brethren of Benjamin:
Easy-to-Read Version
They could shoot arrows from their bows with either their right or left hand. They could also throw stones from their slings with either their right or left hand. They were Saul's relatives from the tribe of Benjamin. They were
George Lamsa Translation
They held the bows with their left hand and the swords with their right, and their bows were filled with arrows, but David was unwilling to slay Saul, because he was the chief, the prince of the tribe of Benjamin.
Good News Translation
members of the tribe of Benjamin, to which Saul belonged. They could shoot arrows and sling stones either right-handed or left-handed.
Lexham English Bible
They were armed with the bow, able to shoot right-handed or left-handed, slinging stones or shooting arrows with the bow; they were kinsmen of Saul from Benjamin.
Literal Translation
right and left-handed, armed with bows, with stones, and with arrows, with the bow from the brothers of Saul, of Benjamin.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and coulde handle bowes with both their handes, & coulde cast stones, and shute arowes with the bowe. Of Sauls brethren which were of Ben Iamin:
American Standard Version
They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in slinging stones and in shooting arrows from the bow: they were of Saul's brethren of Benjamin.
Bible in Basic English
They were armed with bows, and were able to send stones, and arrows from the bow, with right hand or left: they were Saul's brothers, of Benjamin.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
They were weaponed with bowes, and could hurle stones with the right hand and with the left, and shoote arrowes out of a bowe, & were of Sauls brethren, euen of Beniamin.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in slinging stones and in shooting arrows from the bow; they were of Saul's brethren of Benjamin.
King James Version (1611)
They were armed with bowes, and could vse both the right hand and the left, in hurling stones, and shooting arrowes out of a bow, euen of Sauls brethren of Beniamin.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
and using the bow with the right hand and with the left, and slingers with stones, and shooters with bows. Of the brethren of Saul of Benjamin,
English Revised Version
They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in slinging stones and in shooting arrows from the bow; they were of Saul’s brethren of Benjamin.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
beendynge bouwe, and castynge stoonys with slyngis with euer either hond, and dressynge arowis; of the britheren of Saul of Beniamyn,
Update Bible Version
They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in slinging stones and in shooting arrows from the bow: they were of Saul's brothers of Benjamin.
Webster's Bible Translation
[They were] armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in [hurling] stones, and [shooting] arrows from a bow, [even] of Saul's brethren of Benjamin.
New King James Version
armed with bows, using both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows with the bow. They were of Benjamin, Saul's brethren.
New Living Translation
All of them were expert archers, and they could shoot arrows or sling stones with their left hand as well as their right. They were all relatives of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin.
New Life Bible
They fought with the bow. They could also throw stones or shoot arrows with both the right and left hand. They were Saul's brothers from Benjamin.
New Revised Standard
They were archers, and could shoot arrows and sling stones with either the right hand or the left; they were Benjaminites, Saul's kindred.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
armed with the bow, using right hand or left with stones, and with arrows in the bow, - of the brethren of Saul, out of Benjamin:
Douay-Rheims Bible
Bending the bow, and using either hand in hurling stones with slings, and shooting arrows: of the brethren of Saul of Benjamin.
Revised Standard Version
They were bowmen, and could shoot arrows and sling stones with either the right or the left hand; they were Benjaminites, Saul's kinsmen.
Young's Literal Translation
armed with bow, right and left handed, with stones, and with arrows, with bows, of the brethren of Saul, of Benjamin.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
They were equipped with bows, using both the right hand and the left to sling stones and to shoot arrows from the bow; they were Saul's kinsmen from Benjamin.

Contextual Overview

1 Some time earlier, David had gone to live in the town of Ziklag to escape from King Saul. While David was there, several brave warriors joined him to help fight his battles. 2

Warriors from the Benjamin tribe

Several of these warriors were from King Saul's own tribe of Benjamin. They were experts at using a bow and arrows, and they could shoot an arrow or sling a stone with either hand.
3Their leaders were Ahiezer and Joash, the sons of Shemaah from Gibeah. Here is a list of those men from Benjamin: Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah and Jehu from Anathoth; Ishmaiah from Gibeon, who was the leader of the Thirty Warriors; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad from Gederah; Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah from Haruph; Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam from the Korah clan; Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham from Gedor. 8

Warriors from the Gad tribe

Men from the tribe of Gad also joined David at his fortress in the desert and served as his warriors. They were also brave soldiers—fierce as lions and quick as gazelles. They were always prepared to fight with shields and spears. 9There were eleven of them, ranked in the following order: Ezer the leader, then Obadiah, Eliab, Mishmannah, Jeremiah, Attai, Eliel, Johanan, Elzabad, Jeremiah, and Machbannai. 14 All these men were army officers; some were high-ranking officers over a thousand troops, and others were officers over a hundred troops. 15 Earlier, they had crossed the Jordan River when it flooded, and they chased out the people who lived in the valleys on each side of the river. 16

Warriors from the Benjamin and Judah tribes

One time a group of men from the tribes of Benjamin and Judah went to the fortress where David was staying. 17 David met them outside and said, "If you are coming as friends to fight on my side, then stay and join us. But if you try to turn me over to my enemies, the God our ancestors worshiped will punish you, because I have done nothing wrong." 18 Amasai, who later became the leader of the Thirty Warriors, was one of these men who went to David. God's Spirit took control of him, and he said, "We will join you, David son of Jesse! You and your followers will always be successful, because God fights on your side." So David agreed to let them stay, and he even put them in charge of his soldiers who raided enemy villages.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

could use: Judges 3:15, Judges 20:16

in hurling: 1 Samuel 17:49

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 20:10 - in Joab's 1 Chronicles 8:40 - archers 1 Chronicles 12:16 - the children 1 Chronicles 12:29 - kindred

Cross-References

Genesis 12:3
I will bless anyone who blesses you, but I will put a curse on anyone who puts a curse on you. Everyone on earth will be blessed because of you.
Genesis 12:4
Abram was seventy-five years old when the Lord told him to leave the city of Haran. He obeyed and left with his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions and slaves they had gotten while in Haran. When they came to the land of Canaan,
Genesis 12:6
Abram went as far as the sacred tree of Moreh in a place called Shechem. The Canaanites were still living in the land at that time,
Genesis 12:8
Abram traveled to the hill country east of Bethel and camped between Bethel and Ai, where he built another altar and worshiped the Lord .
Genesis 12:9
Later, Abram started out toward the Southern Desert.
Genesis 12:10
The crops failed, and there was no food anywhere in the land. So Abram and his wife Sarai went to live in Egypt for a while. But just before they got there, he said, "Sarai, you are really beautiful!
Genesis 12:14
As soon as Abram and Sarai arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians noticed how beautiful she was.
Genesis 12:16
The king was good to Abram because of Sarai, and Abram was given sheep, cattle, donkeys, slaves, and camels.
Genesis 12:17
Because of Sarai, the Lord struck the king and everyone in his palace with terrible diseases.
Genesis 12:18
Finally, the king sent for Abram and said to him, "What have you done to me? Why didn't you tell me Sarai was your wife?

Gill's Notes on the Bible

They were armed with bows,.... Much used in war in those times:

and could use both the right hand and the left, in hurling stones, and shooting arrows out of a bow; they were ambidextrous; who could sling stones, or shoot arrows, with either, which was no small advantage to them:

even of Saul's brethren of Benjamin; they were of the tribe of Benjamin, of which Saul was, and so his brethren; and they might be, at least some of them, his relations and kinsmen; who observing the unreasonableness of Saul's enmity to David, and detesting his cruelty, and sensible of the innocence of David, and of the service he had done his country; and perhaps not being ignorant of his divine right and title to the kingdom, went over to him, to comfort, strengthen, and assist him.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The skill of the Benjamites as archers is noted in 1 Chronicles 8:40, and 2 Chronicles 14:8. Their proficiency in using the left hand appears in the narrative of Judges (Judges 3:15, and marginal reference) where their special excellency as slingers is also noticed.

Even of Saul’s brethren - Compare 1 Chronicles 12:29. Even of Saul’s own tribe there were some who separated themselves from his cause, and threw in their lot with David.


 
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