Chapter XXVII.
The Organisation of the Military and Civil Officials.
1–15.
The divisions of the Army by Courses.
It is in keeping with the plan and spirit of the Chronicler that he should not fail to ascribe to David, who for all his piety was preeminently the warrior-king, the organisation on an immense scale of the military and civil forces of the land. In monthly “courses” the king is here said to be attended by officers and soldiers totalling 288,000 men! The enumeration of David’s “mighty men” in chapter xi. 10 ff. is an utterly insufficient reason for supposing that the present chapter cannot also come from the Chronicler. It is suitable to his narrative, characteristic of his style, and, if further evidence be needed, it may be found in the tone of the references to the civil and military authorities in xxii. 17; xxiii. 2; xxviii. 1 ff., 21; xxix. 6 ff.
¹Now the children of Israel after their number, to wit, the heads of fathers’ houses and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and their officers 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, of every course were twenty and four thousand.
1. came in and went out] Came on duty and went off duty; compare 2 Chronicles xxiii. 8.
²Over the first course for the first month was Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.
2. Jashobeam] Compare xi. 11, note.
³He was of the children of Perez, the chief of all the captains of the host for the first month.
3. Perez] For Perez, see ii. 4, 5.