Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, July 17th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

1 Chronicles 12:2

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

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):
Contemporary English Version

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.
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:
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 This is a list of the men who came to David while he was at Ziklag. This was when David was hiding from Saul son of Kish. These men helped David in battle. 2 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 3 Ahiezer, their leader, and Joash (sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite); Jeziel and Pelet (sons of Azmaveth); Beracah and Jehu from the town of Anathoth; 4 Ishmaiah the Gibeonite (a hero and leader of the Thirty Heroes); Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad from the Gederathites; 5 Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, and Shemariah; Shephatiah from Haruph; 6 Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, all from the tribe of Korah; 7 and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham from the town of Gedor. 8 Part of the tribe of Gad joined David at his fortress in the desert. They were brave soldiers trained for war and skilled with the shield and spear. They looked as fierce as lions, and they could run as fast as gazelles through the mountains. 9 Ezer was the leader of the army from the tribe of Gad. Obadiah was the second in command. Eliab was the third in command. 10 Mishmannah was the fourth in command. Jeremiah was the fifth in command.

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 those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you. I will use you to bless all the people on earth."
Genesis 12:4
So Abram left Haran just like the Lord said, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran.
Genesis 12:6
Abram traveled through the land as far as the town of Shechem and then to the big tree at Moreh. The Canaanites were living in the land at that time.
Genesis 12:8
Then he left that place and traveled to the mountains east of Bethel. He set up his tent there. Bethel was to the west, and Ai was to the east. Abram built another altar at that place to honor the Lord , and he worshiped the Lord there.
Genesis 12:9
Then he moved on toward the Negev, stopping for a time at several places on the way.
Genesis 12:10
During this time there was not enough food in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to live.
Genesis 12:14
So when Abram went into Egypt, the Egyptian men saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman.
Genesis 12:16
Pharaoh was kind to Abram because he thought Abram was Sarai's brother. He gave Abram sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and men and women servants.
Genesis 12:17
Pharaoh took Abram's wife, so the Lord caused Pharaoh and all the people in his house to have very bad diseases.
Genesis 12:18
Pharaoh called Abram and said to him, "You have done a very bad thing 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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