SEV Biblia, Chapter 27:1
¶ Y los hijos de Israel según su número, que eran príncipes de familias, tribunos, centuriones y prepósitos de los que servían al rey en todos los negocios de las cuadrillas que entraban y salían cada mes en todos los meses del año, cada cuadrilla era de veinticuatro mil.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Chronicles 27:1
Verse 1. The chief fathers and captains of thousands] The patriarchs, chief generals, or generals of brigade. This enumeration is widely different from the preceding. In that, we have the orders and courses of the priests and the Levites in their ecclesiastical ministrations; in this, we have the account of the order of the civil service, that which related simply to the political state of the king and the kingdom. Twenty-four persons, chosen out of David's worthies, each of whom had a second, were placed over twenty-four thousand men, who all served a month in turn at a time; and this was the whole of their service during the year, after which they attended to their own affairs. Thus the king had always on foot a regular force of twenty-four thousand, who served without expense to him or the state, and were not oppressed by the service, which took up only a twelfth part of their time, and by this plan he could at any time, when the exigency of the state required it, bring into the field twelve times twenty-four thousand, or two hundred and eighty- eight thousand fighting men, independently of the twelve thousand officers, which made in the whole an effective force of three hundred thousand soldiers; and all these men were prepared, disciplined, and ready at a call, without the smallest expense to the state or the king. These were, properly speaking, the militia of the Israelitish kingdom. See Calmet.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 1. Now the children of Israel after their number , etc.] Not the whole body of the people, but the militia of the nation; for after the account of the division of the priests and Levites into courses, follows an account of the militia of the nation, being divided also into monthly courses; which, though done in the beginning of David’s reign, as Kimchi and Jarchi observe, yet is here related; and that it was so soon is clear from the instance of Asahel, who was killed while David was king in Hebron, ( Chronicles 27:7) to wit, the chief fathers ; the chief men in the tribes, the princes of them, not the natural fathers of the soldiers in each course, as a learned man suggests f124 : since it can never be thought that such a number sprung from those as made a course of 24,000; for they are distinct from the captains and officers after mentioned, under which the soldiers were; besides, why should they be called “chief fathers?” these, no doubt, were the general officers or princes, under which the captains and inferior officers were: and captains of thousands and hundreds ; in the several tribes: and their officers ; that were under them: that served the king in any matter of the courses, which came in and went out month by month, throughout all the months of the year ; by which it appears that the militia of the kingdom was divided into twelve courses, which served each month by turns; when one went out another came in; by which means the king was well supported and guarded, and had an army at once at command upon any insurrection or war that might arise; and each course serving but one month in a year, it was no great burden upon them, even if they maintained themselves, since they were at leisure, the other eleven months, to attend to their business; and especially if it was, as Jarchi observes, that not the poor but the rich were selected for this service: of every course were twenty and four thousand ; so that the twelve courses amounted to 288,000 men.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-15 - In the kingdoms of this world readiness for war forms a security for peace; in like manner, nothing so much encourages Satan's assaults a to be unwatchful. So long as we stand armed with the whole armour of God, in the exercise of faith, and preparation of heart for the conflict, we shall certainly be safe, and probably enjoy inward peace.
Original Hebrew
ובני 1121 ישׂראל 3478 למספרם 4557 ראשׁי 7218 האבות 1 ושׂרי 8269 האלפים 505 והמאות 3967 ושׁטריהם 7860 המשׁרתים 8334 את 853 המלך 4428 לכל 3605 דבר 1697 המחלקות 4256 הבאה 935 והיצאת 3318 חדשׁ 2320 בחדשׁ 2320 לכל 3605 חדשׁי 2320 השׁנה 8141 המחלקת 4256 האחת 259 עשׂרים 6242 וארבעה 702 אלף׃ 505
