Study Desk

These are the numbers of the men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul's kingdom over to him, as the LORD had said:

men of Judah, carrying shield and spear-6,800 armed for battle;

men of Simeon, warriors ready for battle-7,100;

men of Levi-4,600,

including Jehoiada, leader of the family of Aaron, with 3,700 men,

and Zadok, a brave young warrior, with 22 officers from his family;

men of Benjamin, Saul's kinsmen-3,000, most of whom had remained loyal to Saul's house until then;

men of Ephraim, brave warriors, famous in their own clans-20,800;

men of half the tribe of Manasseh, designated by name to come and make David king-18,000;

men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do-200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command;

men of Zebulun, experienced soldiers prepared for battle with every type of weapon, to help David with undivided loyalty-50,000;

men of Naphtali-1,000 officers, together with 37,000 men carrying shields and spears;

men of Dan, ready for battle-28,600;

men of Asher, experienced soldiers prepared for battle-40,000;

and from east of the Jordan, men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, armed with every type of weapon-120,000.

All these were fighting men who volunteered to serve in the ranks. They came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. All the rest of the Israelites were also of one mind to make David king.

The men spent three days there with David, eating and drinking, for their families had supplied provisions for them.

Also, their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules and oxen. There were plentiful supplies of flour, fig cakes, raisin cakes, wine, oil, cattle and sheep, for there was joy in Israel.