Keil and Delitzsch Commentary - 1 Chronicles 12:8 - 12:8

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Keil and Delitzsch Commentary - 1 Chronicles 12:8 - 12:8


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The Gadites, Benjamites, and men of Judah who joined themselves to David during his sojourn in the mountain fastness. - 1Ch 12:8. David's sojourn in the mountain hold falls in the first years of his flight from Saul, 1Sa 22:1. מְצַד, pointed with Pathach instead of with Kamets (מְצָד, cf. 1Ch 12:16), on account of its intimate connection with מִדְבָּרָה, is synonymous with מְצוּדָה (1Sa 24:22, etc.). The addition מִדְבָּרָה, “towards the wilderness,” shows that מְצָד denotes a mountain-top or mountain-fortress in the wilderness of Judah. If we compare the account in 1 Sam 22-24, we learn that David at that time did not hide himself in one single definite mountain-fortress, but sought and found resting-places, now here, now there, in the wilderness, on the summits of the hills (cf. בַּמְּצָדֹות בַּמִּדְבָּר, 1Sa 23:14; 1Sa 24:1); so that מְצָד here is to be understood, as הַמְּצוּדָה, 1Sa 24:3, also is, generally of the fastnesses in the mountains of Judah. At that time there gathered round David a great company of discontented and oppressed men, to the number of about 400, - men dissatisfied with Saul's rule, whose leader he became, and who soon amounted to 600 men (1Sa 22:2 and 1Sa 23:13). To these belong the Gadites, and the men out of Benjamin and Judah, whose adhesion to David is noticed in our verses. נִבְדְּלוּ, they separated themselves from the other Gadites who were on Saul's side, “strong heroes,” as in Jos 8:3; cf. חַיִל גִּבֹּורֵי, 1Ch 5:24; 1Ch 7:2, 1Ch 7:9, etc. לַמִּלְחָמָה צָבָא אַנְשֵׁי, men for service in the host for the war, i.e., combatants practised in war. וָרֹמַח צִנָּה עֹרְכֵי, preparing shield and spear, i.e., wielding shield and spear, practised in their use: the preparing of these weapons includes the handling of them. Instead of וָרֹמַח, Veneta and many of the older copies have וּמָגֶן; but it is not supported by MS authority, and moreover is not congruous with the passage. Lions' faces their faces, i.e., lion-like in appearance, thoroughly warlike figures; cf. 2Sa 1:23. “As roes running swiftly on the mountains;” cf. 2Sa 2:18. This description of the strength and swiftness of these warriors recalls, as Bertheau remarks, the similar expressions used in the historical books concerning heroes of David's time. It has manifestly been drawn from the original documents, not added by the chronicler. In 1Ch 12:9-13 the names are enumerated individually. עָשָׂר עַשְׁתֵּי, at the end of a series of ordinal numbers, denotes the eleventh; cf. 1Ch 24:12.