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1 Crônicas 12

BLIVRE · Chapter 12/29

1Estes, pois, foram os que vieram a Davi a Ziclague, enquanto ele ainda estava escondido por causa de Saul filho de Quis; e eles estiveram entre os guerreiros que o ajudaram na guerra.

2Eles estavam armados de arcos, e podiam tanto com a mão direita como a esquerda atirar pedras com funda, e setas com arco. Estes eram dentre os irmãos de Saul, os benjamitas.

3Aiezer, o cabeça; e Joás, filhos de Semaá o gibeatita; e Jeziel, e Pelete, filhos de Azmavete; e Beraca, e Jeú o anatotita;

4E Ismaías, o gibeonita, valente entre os trinta, e capitão dos trinta; e Jeremias, Jaaziel, Joanã, Jozabade o gederatita;

5Eluzai, Jeremote, Bealias, Semarias, e Sefatias o harufita;

6Elcana, Issias, Azareel, Joezer, e Jasobeão, os coraítas;

7E Joela e Zebadias, filhos de Jeroão de Gedor.

8E [alguns] dos gaditas passaram a Davi, à fortaleza no deserto, guerreiros valentes, homens de guerra para lutar, armados com escudo e lança; seus rostos eram como rostos de leões, e velozes como as corças sobre os montes.

9Ézer o cabeça, Obadias o segundo, Eliabe o terceiro,

10Mismana o quarto, Jeremias o quinto,

11Atai o sexto, Eliel o sétimo,

12Joanã o oitavo, Elzabade o nono,

13Jeremias o décimo, Macbanai o décimo primeiro.

14Estes foram os capitães do exército dos filhos de Gade. O menor tinha autoridade sobre cem homens, e o maior sobre mil.

15Estes foram os que passaram o Jordão no mês primeiro, quando ele estava transbordando sobre todas as suas margens; e fizeram fugir a todos os dos vales ao oriente e ao ocidente.

16Também alguns dos filhos de Benjamim e de Judá vieram a Davi à fortaleza.

17E Davi saiu ao encontro deles, e lhes falou, dizendo: Se viestes a mim para paz e para me ajudar, meu coração será unido convosco; mas se é para me entregar a meus inimigos, mesmo sendo meus mãos sem crime, o Deus de nossos pais o veja, e o repreenda.

18Então o Espírito revestiu a Amasai, chefe de trinta, e disse: Teus somos, ó Davi! E contigo estamos, ó filho de Jessé! Paz, paz seja contigo, e paz com os teus ajudadores; pois o teu Deus te ajuda.E Davi os recebeu, e os constituiu entre os capitães das tropas.

19Também alguns de Manassés passaram a Davi, quando ele veio com os filisteus à batalha contra Saul, ainda que não os ajudaram; porque os líderes dos filisteus, [depois de terem feito] conselho, o despediram, dizendo: Com nossas cabeças ele passará a seu senhor Saul.

20Quando, pois, ele veio a Ziclague, passaram-se a ele dos de Manassés: Adna, Jozabade, Jediaiel, Micael, Jozabade, Eliú, e Ziletai, chefes de milhares dos de Manassés.

21E estes ajudaram a Davi contra aquela tropa; porque todos eles eram guerreiros valentes, e foram capitães no exército.

22Pois naquele tempo todos os dias, eles vinham a Davi para o ajudar, até que se fez um grande exército, como um exército de Deus.

23E este são os números dos chefes armados para a batalha, que vieram a Davi em Hebrom, para passar a ele o reino de Saul, conforme a palavra do SENHOR:

24Dos filhos de Judá que traziam escudo e lança, seis mil e oitocentos, armados para a batalha.

25Dos filhos de Simeão, guerreiros valentes para batalhar, sete mil e cem.

26Dos filhos de Levi, quatro mil e seiscentos;

27Joiada, porém, era o comandante dos [descendentes] de Arão, e com ele três mil e setecentos;

28E Zadoque, era um jovem guerreiro valente, e da família de seu pai vinte e dois líderes.

29Dos filhos de Benjamim, irmãos de Saul, três mil; porque até então ainda havia muitos deles que ainda trabalhavam pela casa de Saul.

30Dos filhos de Efraim, vinte mil e oitocentos, guerreiros valentes, homens ilustres nas casas de seus pais.

31Da meia tribo de Manassés, dezoito mil, que foram convocados por nome para virem a tornar Davi rei.

32Dos filhos de Issacar, conhecedores dos tempos, para saberem o que Israel devia fazer, duzentos de seus líderes; e todos os seus irmãos seguiam suas ordens.

33E de Zebulom, cinquenta mil, que saíam como exército preparados para a batalha, com todas as armas de guerra; capazes de batalhar com firmeza de coração.

34E de Naftali mil capitães, e com eles trinta e sete mil com escudo e lança.

35E dos danitas, preparados para a batalha, vinte e oito mil e seiscentos.

36E de Aser, dos que saíam como exército, prontos para a batalha, quarenta mil.

37E dalém do Jordão, dos rubenitas, dos gaditas, e da meia tribo de Manassés, como toda variedade de armas de guerra para batalhar, cento e vinte mil.

38Todos estes homens de guerra, postos em posição de batalha, com coração íntegro, vieram a Hebrom, para constituir Davi rei sobre todo Israel; e também todos os demais de Israel tinham a mesma intenção de constituir Davi o rei.

39E estiveram ali com Davi três dias, comendo e bebendo, porque seus irmãos haviam lhes feito preparativos.

40E também os seus vizinhos, até de Issacar, Zebulom, e Naftali, trouxeram pão sobre asnos, camelos, mulos, e bois; e alimento de farinha, bolos de figos e passas, vinho e azeite, bois e ovelhas em abundância, porque havia alegria em Israel.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Warriors from various tribes who joined David are listed, both during his time as a fugitive and at the moment he was crowned king in Hebron, forming a great unified army from all of Israel.

Explanation

This chapter celebrates David's growing base of support, showing skilled warriors coming even from the tribe of Benjamin, the very tribe of King Saul, which demonstrates a significant national reconciliation after the period of civil war between the two royal houses. The mention that the leaders of Issachar were 'men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do' suggests leadership that combined strategic and spiritual discernment, not just military strength. The great final celebration, with abundant food and drink brought by various tribes, symbolizes the genuine, joyful unity achieved around David's leadership.

Fun facts

  • The warriors of Gad are described with vivid language, compared to lions in the face and swift as gazelles upon the mountains, a poetic style common in ancient Near Eastern military literature to describe ferocity and agility in combat.
  • The phrase used for the men of Issachar, 'understanding of the times,' is interpreted by scholars as referring both to astronomical/calendar knowledge and to political wisdom in discerning the right moment to act.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 1 Crônicas 12:1Even before becoming king, David was already drawing valiant warriors while hiding out in Ziklag, fleeing from Saul — the start of a list that shows support arriving from every direction, well before the official coronation.
  2. 1 Crônicas 12:2These Benjamite warriors could sling stones and shoot arrows with either hand, a rare and prized skill in an ancient army. The detail shows the kind of specific talent that made someone worth remembering by name in a list of hundreds of soldiers.
  3. 1 Crônicas 12:3The first names on this Ziklag list, starting with the chief Ahiezer — all warriors who chose David’s side while he was still a fugitive, not a king.
  4. 1 Crônicas 12:4Ismaiah the Gibeonite is described as a mighty man among the thirty, and even a captain over them — another name showing the kind of talent already surrounding David before the throne.
  5. 1 Crônicas 12:5Five more warriors join the list of Ziklag supporters, each identified by family or city of origin, in the usual way for these military lists.
  6. 1 Crônicas 12:6Five more names close out this part of the list of those who came to support David while he was still a fugitive, including Jashobeam, who reappears as one of the great warriors from the previous chapter.
  7. 1 Crônicas 12:7Joelah and Zebadiah close out the list of Benjamites who chose David even though they were of Saul’s own tribe — a brave choice, since it meant going against their own king and kinsman.
  8. 1 Crônicas 12:8Warriors of Gad also join David in the wilderness — described with a striking image: faces like lions, and swift as roes running on the mountains.
  9. 1 Crônicas 12:9The first three of these Gadite warriors already come with a kind of military ranking: Ezer the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third.
  10. 1 Crônicas 12:10The ranking continues down to fifth place — an organized and unusual way of listing warriors, almost like a standings table.
  11. 1 Crônicas 12:11Two more Gadite warriors round out the ranking through seventh place, keeping the same numbered pattern as the rest of the list.
  12. 1 Crônicas 12:12The ranking reaches ninth place — each position representing the level of distinction of each warrior within this specific group from Gad.
  13. 1 Crônicas 12:13The ranking closes out with tenth and eleventh place — eleven warriors of Gad, each with a defined position within the group.
  14. 1 Crônicas 12:14These eleven warriors of Gad became captains of the army: the least of them commanded a hundred men, and the greatest commanded a thousand — a clear military structure even within a small group.
  15. 1 Crônicas 12:15The most impressive feat of these Gadites: they cross the Jordan while it’s overflowing all its banks, and still put to flight everyone in the valleys on both sides of the river.
  16. 1 Crônicas 12:16Some from Benjamin and Judah also come to David’s hideout — the two tribes that will later form the core of the southern kingdom after Israel’s division.
  17. 1 Crônicas 12:17David doesn’t accept support just any way: he goes out to meet these men and makes clear he only wants true allies, calling on God himself to witness if their intention is to betray him.
  18. 1 Crônicas 12:18The Spirit comes upon Amasai, who declares total loyalty to David in a short poem of peace — and it’s this declaration that convinces David to accept the group and make them captains.
  19. 1 Crônicas 12:19Some of Manasseh desert to David’s side at the very moment he found himself, unwillingly, on the wrong side — about to fight alongside the Philistines against Saul himself, until he’s dismissed out of suspicion by the Philistine lords themselves.
  20. 1 Crônicas 12:20Back at Ziklag, more captains of thousands from Manasseh join David — support grows precisely at the moment he needs it most, right after escaping having to fight against his own people.
  21. 1 Crônicas 12:21These men of Manasseh help David against a band of raiders — probably the same Amalekites who attack Ziklag while David was away, a story told in detail in Samuel.
  22. 1 Crônicas 12:22The expression “like the host of God” used to describe the size of the force joining David is the Chronicler’s way of saying this support came from all the tribes, not just from his home territory of Judah. It’s an important detail: it shows all Israel, north and south, united behind David before any future division between the kingdoms.
  23. 1 Crônicas 12:23Here begins the great census of Hebron: the number of armed chiefs who come to confirm David as king, fulfilling the word of the Lord about the transfer of Saul’s kingdom.
  24. 1 Crônicas 12:24From Judah come six thousand eight hundred armed men — David’s own tribe contributing a solid contingent for the coronation.
  25. 1 Crônicas 12:25From Simeon come seven thousand one hundred mighty men of valor — numbers that, added up tribe by tribe, will show the real size of the national support for David.
  26. 1 Crônicas 12:26From Levi come four thousand six hundred — even though it’s the tribe dedicated to worship, with no land inheritance, the Levites also send their fighting men to support the coronation.
  27. 1 Crônicas 12:27Jehoiada leads the specific group from Aaron’s family, with three thousand seven hundred men — the priests also have military representation at this historic gathering.
  28. 1 Crônicas 12:28Zadok appears here still a young man, described as a mighty man of valor, years before becoming the famous high priest who anoints Solomon as king.
  29. 1 Crônicas 12:29From Benjamin come only three thousand, and the text explains why: many of the tribe were still loyal to the house of Saul, being his relatives — support for David wasn’t unanimous from the very start.
  30. 1 Crônicas 12:30From Ephraim come twenty thousand eight hundred mighty men of valor, described as famous men — one of the largest numerical contributions of all the tribes gathered at Hebron.
  31. 1 Crônicas 12:31The half-tribe of Manasseh sends eighteen thousand men, expressed by name specifically to come and make David king — a targeted recruitment, not just a voluntary one.
  32. 1 Crônicas 12:32From Issachar come only two hundred chiefs, but with a rare quality: they had understanding of the times, and knew what Israel ought to do — one of the most quoted verses in the Bible on discernment and wise leadership.
  33. 1 Crônicas 12:33From Zebulun come fifty thousand trained warriors, described as men of steady heart, not divided in loyalty — a large contingent, and a reliable one besides.
  34. 1 Crônicas 12:34From Naphtali come a thousand captains leading thirty-seven thousand men armed with shield and spear — another northern tribe bringing considerable strength to support David.
  35. 1 Crônicas 12:35From Dan come twenty-eight thousand six hundred warriors ready for war — the list of tribes keeps growing, showing the national reach of support for David.
  36. 1 Crônicas 12:36From Asher come forty thousand men able to keep battle formation — another sizable number added to the overall total.
  37. 1 Crônicas 12:37The tribes on the other side of the Jordan — Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh — send a hundred and twenty thousand men with every kind of weapon of war, the largest single contingent on the whole list.
  38. 1 Crônicas 12:38Three days of eating and drinking in Hebron, with the neighboring tribes bringing provisions in abundance, close the chapter with an image of feasting and unity. It’s the picture the Chronicler wants to leave in the reader’s mind before the accounts of war and reign that come next.
  39. 1 Crônicas 12:39Once gathered, these men spend three days in Hebron eating and drinking, because their own relatives had already prepared provisions for them — a great celebration even before the actual coronation.
  40. 1 Crônicas 12:40Even more distant tribes, like Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, send food in abundance — meal, figs, raisins, wine, oil, oxen, and sheep — because, as the text sums it up, there was joy in Israel.

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