25. Simeon] The most southerly of the tribes (iv. 24–31). The tribes are mentioned in order from south to north.
²⁷And Jehoiada was the leader of the house of Aaron, and with him were three thousand and seven hundred;
27. of the house of Aaron] Jehoiada was not high-priest, but leader of the warriors of the house of Aaron. He may be the same person as the father of Benaiah (xi. 22). Leader (Hebrew nagīd) is the title given to the “Ruler” of the Temple (ix. 11).
²⁸and Zadok, a young man mighty of valour, and of his father’s house twenty and two captains.
28. Zadok] In xxvii. 17 he seems to occupy the position assigned to Jehoiada in verse 27. Perhaps he succeeded him.
²⁹And of the children of Benjamin, the brethren of Saul, three thousand: for hitherto the greatest part of them had kept[¹] their allegiance to the house of Saul. ³⁰And of the children of Ephraim twenty thousand and eight hundred, mighty men of valour, famous men in their fathers’ houses.
[¹] Hebrew kept the charge of the house.
29. hitherto] i.e. up to the time referred to in 2 Samuel v. 1.
³¹And of the half tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, which were expressed by name, to come and make David king.
31. which were expressed by name] Suggesting that a census list was kept, recording however not necessarily individuals but simply households. The phrase does not mean picked representatives. Note how the Chronicler skilfully lightens his statistics by some descriptive phrase: so also in verses 32 ff.