1Ch 12:8 | KD | STEP | 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. מצד, pointed with Pathach instead of with Kamets (מצד, cf. ), on account of its intimate connection with מדבּרה, is synonymous with מצוּדה ( , etc.). The addition מדבּרה, “towards the wilderness,” shows that מצד 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. בּמּצדות בּמּדבּר, ; ); so that מצד here is to be understood, as המּצוּדה, , 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 ( and ). To these belong the Gadites, and the men out of Benjamin and Judah, whose adhesion to David is noticed in our verses. נבדּלוּ, they separated themselves from the other Gadites who were on Saul’s side, “strong heroes,” as in ; cf. חיל גּבּורי, ; , , etc. למּלחמה צבא אנשׁי, men for service in the host for the war, i.e., combatants practised in war. ורמח צנּה ערכי, 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 ורמח, Veneta and many of the older copies have וּמגן; 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 the names are enumerated individually. עשׂר עשׁתּי, at the end of a series of ordinal numbers, denotes the eleventh; cf. 1Ch 24:12.

‏ 1 Chronicles 12:8

1Ch 12:8-13 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. מצד, pointed with Pathach instead of with Kamets (מצד, cf. 1Ch 12:16), on account of its intimate connection with מדבּרה, is synonymous with מצוּדה (1Sa 24:22, etc.). The addition מדבּרה, “towards the wilderness,” shows that מצד 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. בּמּצדות בּמּדבּר, 1Sa 23:14; 1Sa 24:1); so that מצד here is to be understood, as המּצוּדה, 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. נבדּלוּ, they separated themselves from the other Gadites who were on Saul’s side, “strong heroes,” as in Jos 8:3; cf. חיל גּבּורי, 1Ch 5:24; 1Ch 7:2, 1Ch 7:9, etc. למּלחמה צבא אנשׁי, men for service in the host for the war, i.e., combatants practised in war. ורמח צנּה ערכי, 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 ורמח, Veneta and many of the older copies have וּמגן; 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. עשׂר עשׁתּי, at the end of a series of ordinal numbers, denotes the eleventh; cf. 1Ch 24:12.