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Read the Bible

New Century Version

1 Chronicles 12:8

Part of the people of Gad joined David at his stronghold in the desert. They were brave warriors trained for war and skilled with shields and spears. They were as fierce as lions and as fast as gazelles over the hills.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - David;   Deer;   Gad;   Thompson Chain Reference - Animals;   Deer;   Shields;   Warriors;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Gad, the Tribe of;   Mountains;   Roe, the;   Shields;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Gad;   Roe and Roebuck;   War;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - David;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Buckler;   Chronicles, Books of;   David;   Gad;   Roe;   Shield;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Benjamin;   Eliel;   Elzabad;   Footman;   Gad (1);   Lion;   Machbanai;   Naphtali;   Obadiah;   Roe;   War;   Ziklag;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Arms and Armor;   Obadiah;   Tribes of Israel, the;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Chronicles, I;   Gad;   Gazelle;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Gad;   Ziklag ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Gad;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Armor;   Arms;   David;   Gad (2);   Ziklag;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Arms, Armor;   E'zer;   Roe, Roebuck;   War;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Lion;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - War;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Deer;   Eliab;   Gad (1);   Games;   Gazelle;   Lion;   Roe;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Gad;   Shield;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the desert. They were valiant warriors, trained for battle, expert with shield and spear. Their faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles on the mountains.
Hebrew Names Version
Of the Gadi there separated themselves to David to the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, that could handle shield and spear; whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the roes on the mountains;
King James Version
And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David into the hold to the wilderness men of might, and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains;
English Standard Version
From the Gadites there went over to David at the stronghold in the wilderness mighty and experienced warriors, expert with shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions and who were swift as gazelles upon the mountains:
New English Translation
Some of the Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the desert. They were warriors who were trained for battle; they carried shields and spears. They were as fierce as lions and could run as quickly as gazelles across the hills.
Amplified Bible
Courageous men from the Gadites came over to David in the stronghold in the wilderness, men trained for war, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and who were swift as gazelles on the mountains.
New American Standard Bible
From the Gadites valiant mighty men went over to David at the stronghold in the wilderness, men trained for war who could handle a large shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains.
World English Bible
Of the Gadites there separated themselves to David to the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, that could handle shield and spear; whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the roes on the mountains;
Geneva Bible (1587)
And of the Gadites there separated them selues some vnto Dauid into the holde of the wildernesse, valiant men of warre, and men of armes, and apt for battel, which coulde handle speare and shielde, and their faces were like the faces of lyons, and were like the roes in the mountaines in swiftnesse,
Legacy Standard Bible
From the Gadites, mighty men of valor separated themselves to David in the stronghold in the wilderness, men of war who had gone out for military duty, who could handle large shield and spear, and whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains.
Berean Standard Bible
Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the desert. They were mighty warriors, trained for battle, experts with shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions and who were as swift as gazelles on the mountains:
Contemporary English Version

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.
Complete Jewish Bible
and Yo‘elah and Z'vadyah the sons of Yerocham from G'dor.
Darby Translation
And of the Gadites, there separated themselves to David in the stronghold in the wilderness mighty men of valour, men fit for the service of war, armed with shield and spear; whose faces were [like] the faces of lions, and who were swift as the gazelles upon the mountains:
Easy-to-Read Version
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.
George Lamsa Translation
And those of the tribe of the Gadites separated themselves to David to go out with him to the stronghold in the wilderness; mighty men and men of stature and fit for battle, who could handle sword and shield, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and who were swift for war upon the mountains:
Good News Translation
These are the names of the famous, experienced soldiers from the tribe of Gad who joined David's troops when he was at the desert fort. They were experts with shields and spears, as fierce looking as lions and as quick as mountain deer.
Lexham English Bible
And from the Gadites, valiant mighty warriors, soldiers fit for war, expert with shield and spear, defected to David at the fortress toward the wilderness. And they had faces like lions and were swift as gazelles upon the mountains.
Literal Translation
And of the Gadites, there were separated to David, to the stronghold in the wilderness, valiant warriors, men of the army for battle, setting shield and spear in order, and their faces theface of a lion, and as gazelles on the heightsfor swiftness:
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Of the Gaddites resorted there vnto Dauid to the castell in the wyldernesse, mightie Worthies and men of armes, which hadled speares and swerdes, and had faces like lios, & were as swifte as the Roes vpon ye mountaynes.
American Standard Version
And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David to the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, that could handle shield and spear; whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the roes upon the mountains:
Bible in Basic English
And some of the Gadites, siding with David, went to his strong place in the waste land, great and strong men, trained for war, expert in the use of arms, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were quick-footed like roes on the mountains;
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And of the Gadites there seperated themselues some vnto Dauid into the houlde of the wildernesse, men of might and men apt for the warre, & that coulde handle shielde and speare, whose faces were lyke the faces of lions, and they were as swyft as the Roes in the mountaynes.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
and Joelah, and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of the troop.
King James Version (1611)
And of the Gadites there separated themselues vnto Dauid, into the hold to the wildernesse, men of might, and men of warre, fit for the battel, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of Lyons, and were as swift as the Roes vpon the mountaines:
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And from Gad these separated themselves to David from the wilderness, strong mighty men of war, bearing shields and spears, and their faces were as the face of a lion, and they were nimble as roes upon the mountains in speed.
English Revised Version
And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David to the hold in the wilderness, mighty men of valour, men trained for war, that could handle shield and spear; whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the roes upon the mountains;
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
But also of Gaddi strongeste men, and beste fiyteris, holdynge scheld and spere, fledden ouer to Dauid, whanne he was hid in deseert; the faces of hem as the face of a lioun, and thei weren swift as capretis in hillis.
Update Bible Version
And of the Gadites there separated themselves to David to the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, that could handle shield and spear; whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the roes on the mountains;
Webster's Bible Translation
And of the Gadites there separated themselves to David in the hold in the wilderness men of might, [and] men of war [fit] for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces [were like] the faces of lions, and [were] as swift as the roes upon the mountains;
New King James Version
Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains:
New Living Translation
Some brave and experienced warriors from the tribe of Gad also defected to David while he was at the stronghold in the wilderness. They were expert with both shield and spear, as fierce as lions and as swift as deer on the mountains.
New Life Bible
Powerful soldiers came from the Gadites to David in the strong-place in the desert. They had been taught how to fight in war, and could use the battle-covering and spear. Their faces were like the faces of lions. And they were as fast as the deer on the mountains.
New Revised Standard
From the Gadites there went over to David at the stronghold in the wilderness mighty and experienced warriors, expert with shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and who were swift as gazelles on the mountains:
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, of the Gadites, there separated themselves unto David, to the stronghold towards the desert, heroes of valour, men of war, for battle, men that could handle shield and spear, - and, faces of lions, were their faces, and, like gazelles upon the mountains, were they, for swiftness:
Douay-Rheims Bible
From Gaddi also there went over to David, when he lay hid in the wilderness most valiant men, and excellent warriors, holding shield and spear: whose faces were like the faces of a lion, and they were swift like the roebucks on the mountains.
Revised Standard Version
From the Gadites there went over to David at the stronghold in the wilderness mighty and experienced warriors, expert with shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and who were swift as gazelles upon the mountains:
Young's Literal Translation
And of the Gadite there have been separated unto David, to the fortress, to the wilderness, mighty of valour, men of the host for battle, setting in array target and buckler, and their faces the face of the lion, and as roes on the mountains for speed:
THE MESSAGE
There were some Gadites there who had defected to David at his wilderness fortress; they were seasoned and eager fighters who knew how to handle shield and spear. They were wild in appearance, like lions, but as agile as gazelles racing across the hills. Ezer was the first, then Obadiah, Eliab, Mishmannah, Jeremiah, Attai, Eliel, Johanan, Elzabad, Jeremiah, and Macbannai—eleven of them. These Gadites were the cream of the crop—any one of them was worth a hundred lesser men, and the best of them were worth a thousand. They were the ones who crossed the Jordan when it was at flood stage in the first month, and put everyone in the lowlands to flight, both east and west.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
From the Gadites there came over to David in the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, who could handle shield and spear, and whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains.

Contextual Overview

1 These were the men who came to David at Ziklag when David was hiding from Saul son of Kish. They were among the warriors who helped David in battle. 2 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. 3 Ahiezer was their leader, and there was Joash. (Ahiezer and Joash were sons of Shemaah, who was from the town of Gibeah.) There were also Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth. There were Beracah and Jehu from the town of Anathoth. 4 And there was Ishmaiah from the town of Gibeon; he was one of the Thirty. In fact, he was the leader of the Thirty. There were Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad from Gederah. 5 There were Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, and Shemariah. There was Shephatiah from Haruph. 6 There were Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam from the family group of Korah. 7 And there were Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham, from the town of Gedor. 8 Part of the people of Gad joined David at his stronghold in the desert. They were brave warriors trained for war and skilled with shields and spears. They were as fierce as lions and as fast as gazelles over the hills. 9 Ezer was the leader of Gad's army, and Obadiah was second in command. Eliab was third, 10 Mishmannah was fourth, Jeremiah was fifth,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

into the hold: 1 Chronicles 12:16, 1 Chronicles 11:16, 1 Samuel 23:14, 1 Samuel 23:29, 1 Samuel 24:22

of war: Heb. of the host

handle: 2 Chronicles 25:5, Jeremiah 46:9

whose faces: 1 Chronicles 11:22, 2 Samuel 1:23, 2 Samuel 17:10, 2 Samuel 23:20, Proverbs 28:1

as swift as the roes upon the mountains: Heb. as the roes upon the mountains to make haste, 2 Samuel 2:18, Proverbs 6:5, Song of Solomon 8:14

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 33:20 - Blessed Ezekiel 1:10 - the face of a lion Ezekiel 38:4 - handling Revelation 9:17 - as the

Cross-References

Genesis 4:26
Seth also had a son, and they named him Enosh. At that time people began to pray to the Lord .
Genesis 12:12
When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This woman is his wife.' Then they will kill me but let you live.
Genesis 12:14
When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was very beautiful.
Genesis 12:15
The Egyptian officers saw her and told the king of Egypt how beautiful she was. They took her to the king's palace, and
Genesis 12:16
the king was kind to Abram because he thought Abram was her brother. He gave Abram sheep, cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.
Genesis 13:4
and where he had built an altar. So he worshiped the Lord there.
Genesis 21:33
Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba and prayed to the Lord , the God who lives forever.
Genesis 28:19
At first, the name of that city was Luz, but Jacob named it Bethel.
Genesis 35:3
We will leave here and go to Bethel. There I will build an altar to God, who has helped me during my time of trouble. He has been with me everywhere I have gone."
Joshua 7:2
Joshua sent some men from Jericho to Ai, which was near Beth Aven, east of Bethel. He told them, "Go to Ai and spy out the area." So the men went to spy on Ai.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David, into the hold to the wilderness,.... Men of the tribe of Gad, who lived on the other side Jordan; these separated themselves from the rest of their tribe, from their families and dwellings, and from the government of Saul, and came over to David, and joined him either when he was in some strong hold in the wilderness of Ziph, or Maon, 1 Samuel 23:14, or, as some think, when he was at Ziklag, in the hold there, said to be in the wilderness of Judah:

men of might, and men of war, fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler; warlike, valiant, and courageous men, well skilled in military discipline: whose faces were like the face of lions; bold, stern, and fierce. The philosopher observes d, that of all creatures the lion most resembles a man, having a great mouth, a square face and forehead, large eye brows, c.

and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains which are remarkable for their swiftness on the mountains, see Song of Solomon 2:17. Aelianus e speaks of one sort of them that run as swift as a tempest. These Gadites, as with their undaunted looks and courage, intimidated their enemies, and put them to flight, so they were swift to pursue them, and overtake them.

d Aristot. Physiognom. c. 5. e De Animal. l. 14. c. 14.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Into the hold to the wilderness - Rather, “into the hold toward the wilderness.” Some understand by this Ziklag, some En-gedi 1 Samuel 24:1-2; but it seems most probable that here and in 1 Chronicles 12:16 the stronghold of Adullam is intended 1 Chronicles 11:15-16.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Chronicles 12:8. And were as swift as the roes — That swiftness was considered to be a grand accomplishment in a warrior, appears from all ancient writings which treat of military affairs.


 
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