The book opens with a simple list of fathers and sons, starting with Adam. It presents them without noting that each man fathered the person listed next: Adam, Seth, Enosh,

Kenan, Mahalalel, Yered,

Hanokh, Methuselah, Lemekh. This is one specific line of the descendants of Adam, the first man, which, for example, does not include Cain and his sons, as that branch of the family did not survive.

Noah, and his sons: Shem, Ham, and Yefet. The text does not explicitly state that all three were Noah’s sons, as it is presumably common knowledge.

The chapter specifies some of the nations and kingdoms that descended from Noah’s sons and spread throughout the world: The sons of Yefet: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Yavan, Tuval, Meshekh, and Tiras.

The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Difat, called Rifat in the book of Genesis, and Togarma.

The sons of Yavan: Elisha, possibly related to the former name for Greece, Hellas; and Tarshish, Kitim, and Rodanim, called Dodanim in Genesis (10:4). This completes the genealogical list of the children of Yefet, perhaps Noah’s eldest son.

The sons of Ham: Kush, Mitzrayim, Put, and Canaan.

The sons of Kush: Seva, Havila, Savta, Raama, and Savtekha. The sons of Raama: Sheva and Dedan.

Kush begot Nimrod, among others; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. Nimrod appears to have been the first powerful king whose reign extended beyond the confines of his own people. This fact merits mention, but no further details of the events of his life are recorded.

Mitzrayim, the man who eventually became the Egyptian nation, begot Ludim, Anamim,Lehavim, and Naftuhim,

Patrusim, who sometimes appear in the Bible parallel to the residents of Egypt, and Kasluhim, from which the Philistines and Kaftorim emerged, the residents of the island of Kaftor, modern-day Crete. Consequently, the Philistines are a mixed race, descended from the Patrusim and the Kasluhim, or a people that came from the same place as those nations. Although the Philistines settled in the Land of Israel, they were undoubtedly a foreign nation that invaded from overseas.

Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, Het,

the Yevusites, the Emorites, the Girgashites,

the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites,

the Arvadites, the Tzemarites, and the Hamatites. Some of these peoples are mentioned as having lived in the land of Canaan, while others dwelled in the nearby regions.

The sons of Shem: Elam, Ashur, Arpakhshad, whom some consider the father of the Chaldeans, the Babylonians, and Lud, Aram, Utz, Hul, Geter, and Meshekh. It seems that there were two people named Meshekh, one among the descendants of Yefet, and the other among the descendants of Shem. In Genesis (10:23), the latter is called Mash.

Arpakhshad begot Shela, and Shela begot Ever.

To Ever were born two sons: The name of the one was Peleg, as in his days the earth was divided [niflega], as people began to separate into different nations and languages, and the name of his brother was Yoktan.

Yoktan, apparently the younger [katan] of the two brothers, was the father of several nations, as he begot Almodad, Shelef, Hatzarmavet, who lived in Yemen, and Yerah,

Hadoram, Uzal, Dikla,

Eival, Avimael, Sheva,

Ofir, Havila, and Yovav. These nations may have dwelled in Africa or in the Indian Ocean region. All these were the sons of Yoktan.

The direct genealogical tree of Abraham is now presented: Shem, Arpakhshad, Shalah,

Ever, Peleg, Re’u,

Serug, Nahor, Terah,

Abram, the son of Terah, he is Abraham. The text emphasizes that Abram will no longer appear by that name, as God changed his name to Abraham.

The sons of Abraham: Isaac and Ishmael. Abraham’s two sons are listed in order of their importance, not age. However, the details that follow begin with a brief list of Ishmael’s descendants, as they appear in the Torah.

These are their progeny: The firstborn of Ishmael was Nevayot, and Kedar, Adbe’el, Mivsam were born after him,

Mishma, Duma, Masa, Hadad, Tema,

Yetur, Nafish, and Kedma. These are the sons of Ishmael. Some of these names have been identified as specific Bedouin tribes.

The sons of Ketura, Abraham’s concubine: She bore to Abraham Zimran, Yokshan, Medan, and Midyan. The descendants of Midyan, with whom the people of Israel had extensive contact over the course of history, both as individuals and as a nation, could be considered cousins of Israel. Ketura’s other two sons were Yishbak and Shuah; the sons of Yokshan were Sheva and Dedan, names which already appeared in these lists (verse 9). Perhaps these different groups of people lived together in the same place or they are different nations with identical names.

The sons of Midyan: Efa, Efer, Hanokh, Avida, and Eldaa. All these were the sons of Ketura.

Abraham begot Isaac. The sons of Isaac: Esau and Israel. This is Jacob, who was not named Israel at birth, but received that name later in life.

The sons of Esau: Elifaz, Re’uel, Yeush, Yalam, and Korah.

The sons of Elifaz: Teman, Omar, Tzefi, Gatam, Kenaz, Timna, and Amalek, whose descendants are mentioned on several occasions as enemies of Israel.

The sons of Re’uel: Nahat, Zerah, Shama, and Miza.

The connection between the following genealogical list and the children of Esau is explained in the book of Genesis, where it is stated that the children of Se’ir were a tribe who lived in the same land in which Esau settled, until over time the two peoples intermingled and became a single nation. The sons of Se’ir: Lotan, Shoval, Tzivon, Ana, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan.

The sons of Lotan: Hori, perhaps tied to the tribe or nation of the same name that lived in the Land of Israel, and Homam; Timna was Lotan’s sister. Timna would become the concubine of Esau’s firstborn son, Elifaz.

The sons of Shoval: Alyan, Manahat, Eval, Shefi, and Onam. The sons of Tzivon: Aya and Ana.

The sons of Ana: Dishon. The verse continues its listing of the children of the sons of Se’ir: The sons of Dishon: Hamran, Eshban, Yitran, and Keran.

The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, and Zaavan, Yaakan. The sons of Dishan, even though the Hebrew is vocalized as Dishon, the reference is to Dishan, Se’ir’s youngest son: Utz and Aran. It is possible that the suffix “an,” as in Dishan and Aran, was characteristic of the grammatical structure of their language.

This list completes the story of Esau: These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before a king reigned over the children of Israel. It is possible that the Israelite king to whom the verse alludes is Moses; although he was not explicitly called a king, he was the first leader of the Jewish nation as a whole. The first king of Edom was Bela son of Beor; and the name of his city was Dinhava.

Bela died, and Yovav son of Zerah from Botzra, who was not from the family of the previous king, reigned in his stead.

Yovav died, and Husham from the land of the Temanites, the province of one of the chieftains of Esau, reigned in his stead.

Husham died, and Hadad son of Bedad, who smote Midyan in the field of Moav, reigned in his stead; and the name of his city was Avit. The Midyanites were a nomadic tribe. Even if there was a place called the land of Midyan, it is unclear whether that place was a fixed, demarcated area. The king who ruled Edom fought Midyan in the territory of Moav, where he routed the Midyanites.

Hadad died, and Samla from Masreka reigned in his stead.

Samla died, and Shaul from Rehovot on the River reigned in his stead.

Shaul died, and Baal Hanan son of Akhbor reigned in his stead.

Baal Hanan died, and Hadad reigned in his stead; the name of his city was Pa’i. In the Torah he is called Hadar, and his city is Pa’u. And his wife’s name was Mehetavel, daughter of Matred, daughter of Mei Zahav. It is unclear whether these were their actual names, the titles of their professions, or epithets that allude to other aspects of their lives.

Hadad died. The chieftains, civil governors, small-scale princes who headed the tribes, of Edom were: The chieftain of Timna, the chieftain of Alva, the chieftain of Yetet,

the chieftain of Oholivama, the chieftain of Ela, the chieftain of Pinon,

the chieftain of Kenaz, the chieftain of Teman, the chieftain of Mivtzar,

the chieftain of Magdiel, the chieftain of Iram. These are the chieftains of Edom.

These are the sons of Israel, i.e., Jacob: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, the sons of Leah in order of their birth;

Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. Although Naphtali, Gad, and Asher were all born before Joseph and Benjamin, they are mentioned after them because Joseph and Benjamin were the sons of Rachel, Jacob’s most beloved wife. The tribes are listed in the Bible fifteen times, on each occasion in a different order.

The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, and Shela; three were born to him from Bat Shua, the Canaanite woman. Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the eyes of the Lord, and He put him to death. The same fate befell Onan, Judah’s second son.

Tamar, his, Judah’s, daughter-in-law, bore him Peretz and Zerah, as related in detail in the book of Genesis. All the sons of Judah were five. These five sons were not all alive at the same time; in the words of the Sages, they did not live in one world. The first two, who died young, apparently left no heirs, and yet their names and the circumstances of their deaths are repeated in Judah’s genealogical lists. The same is true with regard to Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu.

The sons of Peretz: Hetzron and Hamul.

The sons of Zerah: Zimri, Eitan, Heiman, Kalkol, and Dara; all of them were five. Eitan and Heiman are the names of singers mentioned both in this book and in Psalms. A verse below mentions another Heiman, who was one of the leading singers in the Temple (6:18). Although there is no certainty that the verses are referring to the same individuals, it is possible that Eitan the Ezrahite and Heiman the Ezrahite who appear in the book of Psalms were these sons of Zerah. The pair, together with Kalkol and Dara, also called Darda, are mentioned as men renowned for their wisdom.

The sons of Karmi, who is not identified here but is known from the book of Joshua as one of the sons of Zerah, included Akhar, called Akhan in the book of Joshua. Here he is called Akhar because he was the one who tainted [okher] Israel, who committed a trespass with the proscribed spoils of Jericho, resulting in a military defeat for Israel.

The sons, the son or one of the sons, of Eitan, son of Zerah: Azarya.

After mentioning some of the descendants of Zerah, whose line was not historically dominant in the tribe of Judah, the chapter returns to focus on the dominant line of the sons of Peretz. The sons of Hetzron, who were born to him: Yerahme’el, Ram, and Keluvai.

Ram begot Aminadav, and Aminadav begot Nahshon, who was the famous prince of the children of Judah at the time of the exodus from Egypt;

and Nahshon begot Salma, and Salma begot Boaz, who was the first of this genealogical line to enter and settle in the Land of Israel;

Boaz begot Oved, as related in the book of Ruth, and Oved begot Yishai,

and Yishai, spelled “Ishai” here, begot his firstborn Eliav, and Avinadav, the second son, and Shima the third. The sons of Shima are mentioned in several places in the book of Samuel.

Netanel the fourth, Radai the fifth,

Otzem the sixth, and David was the seventh son, albeit not the last.

Their sisters, the sisters of the sons of Yishai, were Tzeruya and Avigayil; the sons of Tzeruya, their lineage linked here to their mother rather than their father in deference to David, were Avshai, Yoav, and Asael, three. The sons of Tzeruya, the nephews of David, are among the principal characters in the book of Samuel.

Avigayil bore Amasa, and the father of Amasa was a man called Yeter the Ishmaelite.

Caleb son of Hetzron, son of Peretz, son of Judah, begot children with Azuva his wife, and he also fathered children with his second wife, Yeriot, and these are her sons: Yesher, Shovav, and Ardon.

Azuva died, and Caleb took for himself another wife, Efrat, and she bore him Hur. Nothing further is stated about Efrat, but a rabbinic tradition identifies her as Miriam, Moses’ sister. Hur appears in the Torah as a confidant of Moses until the revelation at Sinai. Moses trusted Hur, and when Moses ascended Mount Sinai, he left him, along with Aaron, in charge of the people, perhaps because he was his sister’s son.

Hur begot Uri, and Uri begot Betzalel, the chief architect of the Tabernacle, who therefore earns special mention here.

Thereafter, after he had already fathered several sons, Hetzron, Caleb’s father, consorted with the daughter of Makhir. Makhir was the son of Manasseh and the father of Gilad. The family of Gilad son of Makhir became so important that an entire region on the east side of the Jordan River was named after him. He took her when he was sixty years old. Hetzron married her when he was a widower, or in addition to his previous wives. And she bore him Seguv.

Seguv begot Ya’ir, and he had twenty-three cities in the land of the Gilad. The book of Numbers (32:41) mentions that Ya’ir conquered parts of Gilad, but his precise lineage is not given there. This list teaches that he was patrilineally descended from the tribe of Judah, but was a descendant of Makhir from his mother’s side. When Makhir conquered Gilad, Ya’ir joined him and took possession of a certain portion of the land, which was called Havot Ya’ir after him. This region seems to have bordered a foreign kingdom, as indicated in the next verse.

Havot Ya’ir did not remain under Israel’s control for long, as it was conquered by neighboring nations: Geshur and Aram, kingdoms northeast of Israel, took Havot Ya’ir from them, Israel, with Kenat and its environs, sixty cities; all these were the sons of Makhir father of Gilad. This is not a full genealogical list of the descendants of Makhir, but a few fragments of information recorded here because of Makhir’s family relationship to Hetzron.

After the death of Hetzron, Caleb consorted with Efrat [bekhalev efrata], his wife. Some explain this phrase as meaning that Caleb came to the town of Efrat near Bethlehem, in the territory he ruled. He may have named the town itself after his wife. The wife of Hetzron was Aviya and she bore him Ashhur, father of the settlement of Tekoa.

The following genealogical lists are cited here apropos the previous one: The sons of Yerahme’el, who was the firstborn of Hetzron, were Ram the firstborn, which was also the name of Hetzron’s son. Several names in I Chronicles recur within the same families. In addition, there were Buna, Oren, Otzem, and Ahiya. All these were sons of Yerahme’el, presumably from the same wife.

Yerahme’el had another wife, and her name was Atara; she was the mother of Onam.

The sons of Ram, firstborn of Yerahme’el, were Maatz, Yamin, and Eker.

The sons of Onam, another of Yerahme’el’s sons, were Shamai and Yada, and the sons of Shamai: Nadav and Avishur.

The name of Avishur’s wife was Avihayil; she bore him Ahban and Molid.

The sons of Nadav son of Shamai were Seled and Apayim, and Seled died without children, perhaps without any descendants at all. He certainly did not leave behind sons to continue his name in the genealogical list.

The sons of Apayim, Nadav’s other son, included only Yishi. The sons of Yishi: Sheshan. The sons of Sheshan: Ahlai.

The sons of Yada, brother of the aforementioned Shamai, were Yeter and Yonatan; Yeter died without children.

The sons of Yonatan: Pelet and Zaza. All these were the sons of Yerahme’el.

Sheshan had no sons, but only daughters. Ahlai, listed above as his son (verse 31) either died during his father’s lifetime or was born after his father’s death. Sheshan had an Egyptian slave, and his name was Yarha.

Sheshan gave his daughter to Yarha his slave as a wife, and she bore him Atai. It is not known how this anomalous match came about. It is possible that Yarha was accepted in his master’s household and found favor in his eyes; that Yarha later converted, and his employer gave him his daughter in marriage.

Atai begot Natan, and Natan begot Zavad,

Zavad begot Eflal, and Eflal begot Oved,

Oved begot Yehu, and Yehu begot Azarya,

Azarya begot Heletz, and Heletz begot Elasa,

Elasa begot Sisemai, and Sisemai begot Shalum;

Shalum begot Yekamya, and Yekamya begot Elishama. It is unclear why this list appears here, nor is it known who Elishama was. He is the last to be listed in the family dynasty, and was therefore perhaps its most important personage. Some identify him as the grandfather of Yishmael son of Netanya, who killed Gedalya son of Ahikam, although the verses themselves do not indicate that he is that person.

The sons of Caleb, brother of Yerahme’el, Hetzron’s eldest son: Meisha his firstborn, who was the father of Zif. This is also the name of a place in the land of Judah, perhaps because it was settled by Zif or Meisha. And the sons of Zif were Maresha, father of Hevron.

The sons of Hevron: Korah, Tapuah, Rekem, and Shema.

Shema begot Raham, father of the settlement of Yorke’am, and Rekem begot Shamai.

The son of Shamai was Maon, and Maon was the father of the settlement of Beit Tzur.

Eifa, Caleb’s concubine, bore Haran, Motza, and Gazez, and Haran begot Gazez, another son in that family with the same name.

The sons of Yahdai, who was not previously mentioned, but was certainly another of Eifa’s children, were Regem, Yotam, Geshan, Pelet, Eifa, and Shaaf.

Maakha was the name of Caleb’s concubine, and she bore Shever and Tirhana.

She also bore Shaaf, father of the settlement of Madmana, and Sheva, father of the settlement of Makhbena and father of the settlement of Giva. The daughter of Caleb was called Akhsa.

These were the sons of Caleb son of Hur who was the firstborn of his mother Efrat: Shoval, father of the settlement of Kiryat Ye’arim.This Hur was, as stated, the son of the elder Caleb son of Hetzron, or Yefuneh.

He was followed by Salma, perhaps the father of Boaz, mentioned above, who was the father of the settlement of Bethlehem; and Haref, father of the settlement of Beit Gader.

Shoval, father of the settlement of Kiryat Ye’arim, had sons: Haro’eh, and Hatzi HaMenuhot. Some explain that this these last two are actually one name, referring to a son of Shoval who ruled over half of a place called Menuhot. Some of these names have clear interpretations, while others allude to obscure actions, memories, and perhaps even dreams. It is therefore difficult to ascertain the meaning of all these names.

The families of Kiryat Ye’arim were the Yitrites, the Putites, the Shumatites, and the Mishraites; from them, these families, the Tzoratites and the Eshtaolites emerged, the residents of Tzora and Eshtaol. These two cities appear in the list of cities in the portion of Dan, but since the two tribes were close to one another and intermingled, it is possible that their residents traced their lineage to the tribe of Judah.

The sons of Salma: the inhabitants of Bethlehem, the Netofatites, residents of Netofa, and the residents of Atrot Beit Yoav, and half of the Manahatites were the Tzorites, who had ties to Tzora.

Alongside the list of the families of Judah and their cities, the chapter notes other families who lived in the same region. The families of scribes, who copied Torah scrolls and who were probably also wise men and experts in the Torah, who dwelled at a place called Yabetz, possibly founded by a man named Yabetz, of unknown lineage. Those families were called the Tiratites, the Shime’atites, and the Sukatites. These are the Kenites, perhaps the descendants of the Kenites, the family of Yitro, Moses’ father-in-law, that came from Hamat, the name of a person who was the father of the house of Rekhav. The people of Rekhav were a tribe who lived on their own and maintained an unusual lifestyle. It is possible that their father was Yehonadav son of Rekhav, who appears in II Kings 10:15–17.

Now these were the sons of David, who were born to him in Hebron: The firstborn was Amnon, from Ahino’am the Yizre’elitess; second was Daniel, from Avigayil the Carmelitess, the widow of Naval the Carmelite. Elsewhere, this son is called Kilav;

the third was Avshalom, who was the son of Maakha, daughter of Talmai king of Geshur. Avshalom’s ties to Geshur explain why he went there when he fled from his father. The fourth son was Adoniya son of Hagit;

the fifth was Shefatya, born to Avital; the sixth was Yitre’am, to Egla his wife.

Six sons were born to him, David, in Hebron; he reigned there seven years and six months, and he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

These sons were born to him in Jerusalem: Shima, Shovav, Natan, and Solomon, four born to Bat Shua daughter of Amiel, who elsewhere is known as Batsheva, the daughter of Eliam;

Yivhar, Elishama, Elifelet,

Noga, Nefeg, Yafia,

Elishama, Elyada, and Elifelet, nine additional sons. It is somewhat surprising that both the name Elishama and the name Elifelet were assigned twice to different sons. Perhaps two of David’s sons died, and he called two of his later-born sons after them.

All these listed here are the sons of David, beside the sons of the concubines, who are not included, and Tamar was their sister, of the sons of David. It seems that she was not their actual sister, as nowhere is she described as David’s daughter. Rather, she was Avshalom’s maternal sister.

Solomon’s son was Rehavam; Aviya was his son, the son of Rehavam, and he reigned after Rehavam, and thus the dynasty continued: Asa his son, Yehoshafat his son,

Yoram his son, Ahazyahu his son, Yoash his son,

Amatzyahu his son, Azarya his son, frequently called Uziyahu, Yotam his son,

Ahaz his son, Hizkiyahu his son, Menashe his son,

Amon his son, Yoshiyahu his son.

The sons of Yoshiyahu: The firstborn was named Yohanan, the second Yehoyakim, the third Tzidkiyahu, and the fourth Shalum.

The sons of Yehoyakim: Yekhonya his son, also known as Yehoyakhin, who was taken captive to Babylonia, where he remained for many years until his death, and Tzidkiya his son.

The sons of Yekhonya: Asir, She’altiel his son. It is possible to understand that Asir was Yekhonya’s son and that She’altiel was Asir’s son, but it can also be explained that Yekhonya Asir is the name of a single person, and She’altiel was his son.

Malkiram, Pedaya, Shenatzar, Yekamya, Hoshama, and Nedaviya.

The sons of Pedaya: Zerubavel and Shimi. The sons of Zerubavel were Meshulam, and his brother Hananya, and Shelomit was their sister;

Hashuva, Ohel, Berekhya, Hasadya, Yushav Hesed, a total of five sons listed after Shelomit. The number is needed here to clarify that although Yushav Hesed is two words in the Hebrew, it is the name of a single person.

The son of Hananya: Pelatya and after him Yeshaya, and here the verse provides a brief mention of the families that came after Yeshaya: the sons of Refaya; the sons of Arnan; the sons of Ovadya; the sons of Shekhanya.

The sons of Shekhanya: Shemaya; and the sons of Shemaya: Hatush, Yigal, Bariah, Ne’arya, and Shafat, a total of six sons and grandsons.

The sons of Ne’arya: Elyo’einai, Hizkiya, and Azrikam, three sons.

The sons of Elyo’einai: Hodavyahu, Elyashiv, Pelaya, Akuv, Yohanan, Delaya, and Anani, a total of seven sons. This genealogical list continues for several generations after the construction of the Second Temple, for Zerubavel (verse 19, above) is likely the well-known Zerubavel son of She’altiel, who was one of the leaders of Israel at the beginning of the Second Temple period. The list continues for several generations after him.

This chapter provides another partial genealogical list of the tribe of Judah. The sons, descendants, of Judah: Peretz, and his son Hetzron, and Karmi, a descendant of Zerah son of Judah, and Hur, and Shoval, both of whom were mentioned above.

Re’aya son of Shoval begot Yahat, and Yahat begot Ahumai and Lahad. These are the families of the Tzoratites, families who lived in Tzora.

These are the fathers of the place called Eitam: Yizre’el, Yishma, Yidbash; the name of their sister was Hatzlelponi, who, according to the Midrash, was the unnamed mother of Samson in the book of Judges;

Penuel was father of the settlement of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of the settlement of Husha. All these are the sons of Hur the firstborn of Efrat. Hur was the father of the settlement of Bethlehem. Perhaps this is the reason that the city is called both Bethlehem and Efrat.

Ashhur, father of the settlement of Tekoa, had two wives: Hela, probably from the same root as the word ĥali, which means an ornament, just as the name Adi is derived from a word meaning ornament; and Naara.

Naara bore him Ahuzam, Hefer, Teimeni, and Ahashtari. These are the sons of Naara.

The sons of Hela: Tzeret, Tzohar, and Etnan.

Kotz begot Anuv, Hatzoveva, and the families of Aharhel son of Harum. Kotz was one of the sons of Hela, even though his name is not mentioned in the previous verse; this is a frequent occurrence in the book of Chronicles. Some read these two verses as though the word Kotz appears twice: And Etnan and Kotz; and Kotz begat, etc. The same can be applied to all similar instances.

There was a man in this family called Yabetz who was honored more than his brethren; his mother called his name Yabetz, saying, in a kind of play on words: Because I bore him in pain [be’otzev].

Yabetz called, prayed, to the God of Israel, saying: If only You would, alternatively, this is an introductory term that signifies a vow, bless me and expand my border, or my success, and Your hand would be with me to assist me, and You would keep me from harm, not causing me pain, so that I will not suffer. God granted him that which he requested. Although his requests were perhaps excessive, God fulfilled his wishes, and he indeed became a successful and important man.

Keluv brother of Shuha begot Mehir, who was the father of the settlement of Eshton.

Eshton begot Beit Rafa, Pase’ah, and Tehina, who was the father of the settlement of Ir Nahash. These are the men of the family of Rekha, although it is not revealed why they were called by this name.

The sons of Kenaz: Otniel, who is referred to elsewhere as a great man, a mighty warrior, the first of the judges, and a relation of Caleb, and Seraya; the sons of Otniel: Hatat.

Meonotai begot Ofra, and Seraya begot Yoav, father of the city of Gei Harashim, for they were craftsmen [h·]. This city was famous for the craftsmen who lived there. Since Yoav is not a common name, some contend that this is the famous Yoav son of Tzeruya, who is usually referred to by his mother’s name; according to this verse, his father was called Seraya.

The sons of Caleb son of Yefuneh, who belonged to the same family: Iru, Ela, and Naam; and the sons of Ela: Kenaz. Some read the verse as follows: The sons of Naam were Ela and Kenaz.

The sons of Yehalelel: Zif, Zifa, Tirya, and Asarel.

The sons of Ezra: Yeter, Mered, Efer, and Yalon. She, Caleb’s wife, bore Miriam, Shamai, and Yishbah, father of the settlement of Eshtemoa,

and his Judean wife, the wife of Caleb or perhaps Mered, bore Yered, father of the settlement of Gedor; Hever, father of the settlement of Sokho; and Yekutiel, father of the settlement of Zano’ah; these are the sons of Bitya daughter of Pharaoh whom Mered took as a wife. Bitya daughter of Pharaoh is perhaps the same woman who earlier in the verse is called his Judean, or Jewish wife.

The sons of the wife of Hodiya, the sister of Naham: the father of the settlement of Ke’ila of the Garmites and Eshtemoa of the Maakhatites.

The sons of Shimon, who was perhaps sufficiently well known that there was no need to mention his lineage: Amnon, Rina, Ben Hanan, and Tilon. The sons of Yishi: Zohet and Ben Zohet, probably a name rather than “son of [ben] Zohet.”

Some of the people mentioned up to this point were descendants of Zerah son of Judah, although the majority were sons of Peretz. The chapter now cites a very short list of another branch of the tribe. The sons of Shela son of Judah: Er, named by Shela after his brother who had died young, the father of the settlement of Lekha, and Lada, father of the settlement of Maresha, and the families of the house of the craft of fine linen, of the house of Ashbe’a;

and Yokim, the men of Kozeva were from these families, Yo’ash, Saraf, who married into Moav, or who married women from Moav, and Yashuvi Lehem; the matters are ancientatikim]; alternatively, the records are copied [mu’atakim] from other lists and books.

They are the potters and the inhabitants of Neta’im and Gedera; alternatively, this means that they were those who dwelt among plantations [neta’im] and hedges [gedera]; they dwelt there in the king’s employ. The residents of these places performed the king’s labor and were perhaps famous on this account. This concludes an extremely abbreviated list of the descendants of Judah.

The sons of Simeon: Nemuel, Yamin, Yariv, Zerah, Shaul,

Shalum his, Shaul’s, son; Mivsam his son, the son of Shalum; and thus the generations continue: Mishma his, Shalum’s, son.

The sons of Mishma: Hammuel his son, Zakur his son, Shimi his son.

Shimi had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers did not have many children, and their entire family, the descendants of Simeon, did not multiply like the children of Judah. They were always far fewer in number than the tribe of Judah.

They, the children of Simeon, dwelled in Beersheba, Molada, and Hatzar Shual,

and in Bilha, in Etzem, in Tolad,

in Betuel, in Horma, in Tziklag,

in Beit Markavot, in Hatzar Susim, in Beit Biri, and in Shaarayim. These were their cities, the cities of the children of Simeon, until the reign of David. These are more or less the same places that are listed in the book of Joshua as the cities of Simeon. The tribe of Simeon was virtually subsumed into the tribe of Judah; the members of Judah provided them with protection, but their territory was swallowed up within the territory of Judah.

Their open, unwalled villages were Eitam and Ayin, Rimon and Tokhen, and Ashan, a total of five cities;

and all their villages that were surrounding these cities, up to Baal. These were their dwellings, and their relationship to them. This was the area in which they lived and the cities to which they were related. There were several central cities, surrounded by villages and small towns.

Over time, the tribe of Simeon increased and spread out: Meshovav, Yamlekh, Yosha son of Amatzya,

Yoel, Yehu son of Yoshivya, son of Seraya, son of Asiel,

Elioeinai, Yaakova, Yeshohaya, Asaya, Adiel, Yesimiel, Benaya,

and Ziza son of Shifi, son of Alon, son of Yedaya, son of Shimri, son of Shemaya.

All these mentioned by name were not ordinary individuals; rather, they were princes in their families, as each was the leader of a large group of people, and their patrilineal houses increased greatly. Their families multiplied, and as their territory was in the Negev, which is not very suitable for agriculture, they earned their living mainly by shepherding.

They went to the approach to Gedor, up to the east of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks.

They found an area of lush and good pasture, and the land was spacious, serene, and tranquil, for the inhabitants beforehand were from the children of Ham. The descendants of Ham who lived in that region were not belligerent.

Those princes recorded by name came in the days of Yehizkiyahu king of Judah, and smote their tents, and the Maonites, people of the tribe of Maon, who harassed Israel, who were found there, and destroyed them to this day, until the day this verse was written. They settled there in their stead, for there was pasture for their flocks there. It seems that they wandered in search of land fit for grazing until they came to an inhabited area, which they then conquered and settled. It is not clear whether this refers to a portion of the inheritance of Judah that the tribe had never captured, or if the children of Simeon traveled south of the border of the land of Judah.

Some of them from the sons of Simeon, a different section of the tribe, went to the highlands of Se’ir, five hundred men, and Pelatya, Ne’arya, Refaya, and Uziel, sons of Yishi, were at their head. Mount Se’ir was the region of the Edomites, among whom lived the remnant of Amalek that Saul had failed to destroy.

They, the sons of Simeon, smote the surviving remnant of the Amalekites and dwelled there to this day.

The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel; for he was the firstborn in order of age, strictly speaking, but when he desecrated his father’s couch, as related in Genesis (35:22), his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel. This transfer of the birthright was expressed by the double inheritance given to Joseph’s sons. Furthermore, it seems that some of Joseph’s descendants enjoyed a special status in Israel. But Joseph is not to be reckoned as firstborn. Joseph is still considered among the youngest of Jacob’s sons; regarding the matter of lineage, he is not the firstborn of Israel.

For Judah prevailed over his brothers; he became greater and more important than his brothers, as his was the dominant personality among them, as the prince would come from him, the royal line descended from Judah, but the right of primogeniture with regard to the inheritances and social status was to Joseph.

The previous introduction concerning Reuben’s status among the tribes is followed by a genealogical list. The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanokh, Palu, Hetzron, and Karmi.

This verse begins a list of important personages among the descendants of Reuben over the subsequent generations. The sons of Yoel, who was not included in the above list: Shemaya his, Yoel’s, son, Gog his, Shemaya’s, son, and thus the generations continued: Shimi his son,

Mikha his son, Re’aya his son, Baal his son,

Be’era his son, whom Tilgat Pilneser, also called Tiglat Pileser, king of Assyria, exiled; he, Be’era, was prince of the Reubenites. The Assyrians exiled the tribes who lived on the eastern side of the Jordan first, and at that time, Be’era was the leader of the tribe of Reuben. There is an opinion that identifies this Be’era with Be’eri, the father of the prophet Hosea, but there is no clear proof of this from the verses themselves.

His brethren, others of that same tribe, according to their families in establishing their lineage for their progeny were as follows: The leader was Ye’iel, and Zekharyahu succeeded him,

and Bela, son of Azaz, son of Shema, son of Yoel; he settled in Aroer, up to Nevo and Baal Meon, or he went from Aroer to Nevo and Baal Meon, as Aroer belonged to the portion of Gad;

and he, either the tribe or the aforementioned head of the tribe, settled eastward until the approach to the wilderness, and because their path was not blocked they continued to spread from there to a place adjacent to the Euphrates River, the place where the Euphrates River is closest to Israel, for their cattle multiplied in the land of Gilad, and since no political force halted their advance, they penetrated further and further into the Syrian Desert.

In the days of Saul, they, the children of Reuben, waged war with the Hagrites, a Bedouin tribe from the descendants of Hagar, who fell into their hand, and they dwelled in their tents across all the east of the Gilad.

The sons of Gad dwelled opposite them, across from the tribe of Reuben, or near them, in the land of Bashan, on the eastern side of the Jordan, up to Salkha, north of the border of Reuben’s territory:

Yoel was the chief in one generation, Shafam was the deputy to him, Yanai, Shafat; these people lived in the Bashan,

and their brethren, the chiefs, by their patrilineal houses were: Mikhael, Meshulam, Sheva, Yorai, Yakan, Zia, and Ever, a total of seven.

These seven men are the sons, descendants, of Avihayil, son of Huri, son of Yaro’ah, son of Gilad, son of Mikhael, son of Yeshishai, son of Yahdo, son of Buz;

Ahi, son of Avdiel, son of Guni, was the chief of their patrilineal houses.

They dwelled in the broad expanse of Gilad in the Bashan, in its environs, and in all the fields of Sharon, up to and including their borders.

All of them were established in their lineage in the days of Yotam king of Judah and in the days of Yorovam II, king of Israel. This was a period of relative quiet, as Yorovam II expanded Israel’s borders almost until the northern edge of Syria. The tranquil period of his reign provided the peace of mind that allowed for the organization of these genealogical lists.

The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of the military men, men able to bear shield and sword, archers, and those who were skillful in war, were counted: Forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty men who would go forth to war. This census was presumably performed in the days of Yotam and Yorovam.

They waged war with the Hagrites, Yetur, Nafish, and Nodav.

They were aided by God against them, their enemies, and the Hagrites and all the smaller tribes or nations who were with them were delivered into their hand, for they cried out to God in the battle, and He acceded to their entreaty because they trusted in Him.

They captured their livestock, from these nations: Camels – fifty thousand; sheep – two hundred and fifty thousand; donkeys – two thousand. And human beings – one hundred thousand.

For many fell slain; they achieved great victory despite being relatively few in number, because the war was from God. They dwelled in their stead, in place of those tribes, until the exile to Assyria.

The children of half the tribe of Manasseh dwelled in the land, from Bashan in the north, westward to Baal Hermon, and Senir, and Mount Hermon; they, the tribe of Manasseh, increased in number. Although it is stated in the Torah that Senir is another name for Hermon, it is possible that various sections of this great mountain were called by different names.

These are the heads of their patrilineal houses: Efer, and Yishi. Literally the verse reads “and Efer and Yishi,” but the first “and” is probably a mere stylistic flourish. And Eliel, and Azriel, and Yirmeya, and Hodavya, and Yahdiel, mighty warriors, men of renown whose names were well known, and who were heads of their patrilineal houses.

They, these tribes, trespassed against the God of their fathers and strayed after the gods of the peoples of the land whom God had destroyed before them.

The God of Israel roused the spirit of Pul king of Assyria and the spirit of Tilgat Pilneser, also called Tiglat Pileser, king of Assyria, and they exiled the Reubenite, the Gadite, and half the tribe of Manasseh and brought them to Halah, Havor, Hara, and to the river of Gozan, until this day. These places were in the northwestern portion of the kingdom of Assyria, in the northern part of the land of the Medes; present-day northern Syria and Iraq.

The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kehat, and Merari.

The sons of Kehat: Amram, Yitzhar, Hevron, and Uziel.

The children of Amram were: Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. The sons of Aaron: Nadav and Avihu, Elazar and Itamar. As is well known, Nadav and Avihu died in their father’s lifetime without sons, perhaps without any children whatsoever, and Elazar and Itamar were left as the two families of the High Priesthood.

Elazar begot Pinhas, Pinhas begot Avishua,

Avishua begot Buki, Buki begot Uzi,

Uzi begot Zerahya, Zerahya begot Merayot,

Merayot begot Amarya, Amarya begot Ahituv,

Ahituv begot Tzadok, Tzadok begot Ahimaatz,

Ahimaatz begot Azarya, Azarya begot Yohanan,

and Yohanan begot Azarya the second; it is he who served as priest in the House that Solomon built in Jerusalem. This Azarya and his sons after him were High Priests or well-known priests in the First Temple.

Azarya begot Amarya, Amarya begot Ahituv,

Ahituv begot Tzadok, Tzadok begot Shalum,

Shalum begot Hilkiya, Hilkiya begot Azarya,

Azarya begot Seraya, and Seraya begot Yehotzadak;

Yehotzadak was the priest who went with the Lord’s exiling of Judah and Jerusalem by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. These verses indicate that the High Priests who served in the First Temple were all members of a single dynasty. It is, however, possible that certain High Priests in the First Temple came from families that are not mentioned in this list. For example, mention is made elsewhere of the High Priest Yehoyada, and he is not listed here.

This chapter opens once again with the beginning of the family chain, in order to list the families of Levites who were not priests. The sons of Levi: Gershom, Kehat, and Merari.

These are the names of the sons of Gershom: Livni and Shimi.

The sons of Kehat: Amram, Yitzhar, Hevron, and Uziel.

The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their patrilineal houses. The same lineage of the family of Levi appears in the Torah.

For Gershom: Livni was his son, as stated, and Yahat was his son, the son of Livni, and thus the chain of generations continued: Zima his son,

Yoah his son, Ido his son, Zerah his son, Ye’aterai his son. These are the descendants of Gershom.

The sons, descendants, of Kehat: Aminadav, apparently the same individual as the aforementioned Yitzhar, who was his, Kehat’s son, Korah his son, the son of Aminadav, Asir his son,

Elkana his son, Evyasaf his son, Asir his son,

Tahat was his, Asir’s, son, Uriel his son, Uziya his son, and Shaul his son.

The additional sons of the Elkana mentioned above (verse 8) were Amasai and Ahimot. Some explain that this Elkana was the same son of Shaul mentioned in the previous verse and that the verse is truncated, a stylistic feature of the book of Chronicles.

As for Elkana, a different person in this line who had the same name as the previously mentioned Elkana: The sons, descendants, of Elkana: Tzofai his son, Nahat his son,

Eliav his son, Yeroham his son, Elkana his son. This Elkana is the father of the prophet Samuel. For some reason Samuel himself is not mentioned as Elkana’s son, but the genealogical list continues:

The sons of Samuel: The firstborn was Vashni and the second son was Aviya. Some explain: The firstborn and the second [vehasheni] son was Aviya. However, it is more likely that the name of the firstborn was Vashni. Like many of the other names listed in the book of Chronicles, the meaning of Vashni is unclear. These were the descendants of Kehat.

The sons of Merari, Levi’s third son: The firstborn was Mahli; Livni was his son, Shimi his son, Uza his son,

Shima his son, Hagiya his son, Asaya his son.

These are those whom David installed in charge of the song in the House of the Lord. They were made responsible for the singing in the House of God once the ark came to rest, after which the Levites were no longer required to perform what had been their regular task of carrying the Ark of the Covenant and the other vessels of the Tabernacle.

They served with song before the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting; their service had partly consisted of singing in the Tabernacle until Solomon built the House of the Lord in Jerusalem; and then they remained in their service in accordance with their practice, their custom; they continued to serve as singers in the Temple.

These are those who stood over, were involved in, the song, and they were joined in this task by their sons. The singers were not from one specific Levite family; rather, they came from all branches of the tribe. From the sons of the Kehatites: Heman the singer, son of Yoel, son of Samuel, probably Samuel the prophet. If so, Heman was Samuel’s grandson.

Samuel was the son of Elkana, son of Yeroham, son of Eliel, son of To’ah,

son of Tzuf, son of Elkana, son of Mahat, son of Amasai,

son of Elkana, son of Yoel, son of Azarya, son of Tzefanya,

son of Tahat, son of Asir, son of Evyasaf, son of Korah,

son of Yitzhar, son of Kehat, son of Levi, son of Israel. This is Heman’s genealogical lineage.

His brother from the same tribe, although not from the line of Kehat, was Asaf, mentioned by name several times in the book of Psalms (50:1; 73–83), who stood on his right. It seems that Heman was the lead singer, while Asaf was secondary to him; Asaf, son of Berekhyahu, son of Shima,

son of Mikhael, son of Baaseya, son of Malkiya,

son of Etni, son of Zerah, son of Adaya,

son of Eitan, son of Zima, son of Shimi,

son of Yahat, son of Gershom, son of Levi.

Their brethren, the sons of Merari, were on the left. Whereas Asaf stood on Heman’s right side, the sons of Merari were positioned to Heman’s left: Eitan, son of Kishi, son of Avdi, son of Malukh,

son of Hashavya, son of Amatzya, son of Hilkiya,

son of Amtzi, son of Bani, son of Shemer,

son of Mahli, son of Mushi, son of Merari, son of Levi. The book of Psalms mentions a singer named Eitan, but since that singer is called Eitan the Ezrahite, he may not be the same person referred to here in Chronicles.

Their brethren the Levites, those who were not singers, were given for all the service of the Tabernacle, the House of God.

But Aaron and his sons had a special function, as they offered on the altar of the burnt offerings and on the altar of incense, for all the labor of the sacred sanctities, or of the most holy things; the sacred offerings of especially high sanctity which were burned upon the altar, and to atone for Israel, in accordance with everything that Moses the servant of God had commanded. Some of the Levites were singers, and the lineage of some of them is traced here. The rest of the Levites performed ancillary services in the Temple, while the actual service of the Temple was reserved for the priests alone.

A second list of priests until the generation of Solomon is presented here, which is identical to the list above (5:29). These are the sons of Aaron: Elazar his son, the son of Aaron, Pinhas his son, the son of Elazar, and so the generations continue: Avishua his son,

Buki his son, Uzi his son, Zerahya his son,

Merayot his son, Amarya his son, Ahituv his son,

Tzadok his son, Ahimaatz his son.

A list of the cities that were given to the priests and the Levites from the inheritances of the various tribes is provided here, similar to the details given in the book of Joshua (chap. 21). These are their dwellings, the dwellings of the priests and Levites, according to their residences,fenced-in tent encampments or places of residence, in their borders: They were given first to the sons of Aaron, for the families of the Kehatite, for theirs was the first lot. They received the first lot that determined their cities;

they allotted to them Hebron in the land of Judah, and its perimeter fields, the open areas around it,

but the fields of the city and its villages, the small, surrounding settlements, they allotted to Caleb son of Yefuneh. Elsewhere, it is stated that Hebron belonged to Caleb. It is therefore explained here that the city of Hebron itself, together with the open land surrounding it, was given to the priests, the sons of Kehat, while Caleb received the fields and villages.

To the sons of Aaron, they allotted the following cities of refuge: Hebron, which was one of the major cities of refuge, Livna and its perimeter fields, Yatir, and Eshtemoa and its perimeter fields. They were given only the city and its open land, but not the fields and villages, as the Levites and priests did not receive a proper inheritance in Israel, but merely residences and sufficient space for their basic needs.

And Hilen and its perimeter fields, Devir and its perimeter fields,

and Ashan and its perimeter fields, and Beit Shemesh and its perimeter fields.

From the tribe of Benjamin, they gave Geva and its perimeter fields, Alemet and its perimeter fields, and Anatot and its perimeter fields. All their cities, the cities of the priests from the portion of Benjamin, were thirteen cities, where they dwelled with their families.

For the remaining sons of Kehat from the family of the tribe, all those who were not priests, from half, part of, the tribe of the half of Manasseh that dwelled on the western side of the Jordan River, ten cities were divided among them by lots. They also received cities from the inheritances of Ephraim and Dan, as explained below (verses 51–55) and in the book of Joshua (21:20–24).

For the sons of Gershom by, according to, their families, cities were given to them from the tribe of Issachar, from the tribe of Asher, from the tribe of Naphtali, and from the tribe of Manasseh, the other half of Manasseh, which dwelled in Bashan, thirteen cities.

For the sons of Merari by, according to, their families, cities were given from the tribe of Reuben, from the tribe of Gad, and from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities were divided among them by lot.

The children of Israel allotted to the Levites the cities and their perimeter fields.

They allotted them by lot from the tribe of the children of Judah, from the tribe of the children of Simeon, and from the tribe of the children of Benjamin, these aforementioned cities that they will call them by name. The chapter does not specify which of the cities were given from the children of Simeon, whose tribal territory was incorporated within that of Judah.

For the rest of the families of the sons of Kehat, the cities of their borders were from the tribe of Ephraim.

They allotted to them the cities of refuge: Shekhem, another major city of refuge, and its perimeter fields, in the highlands of Ephraim, and Gezer and its perimeter fields;

and Yokme’am and its perimeter fields, and Beit Horon and its perimeter fields,

and Ayalon and its perimeter fields, and Gat Rimon and its perimeter fields.

From half the tribe of Manasseh: Aner and its perimeter fields, and Bilam and its perimeter fields, for the remaining family of the sons of Kehat.

For the sons of Gershom: From the family of half the tribe of Manasseh: Golan in the Bashan, which was also one of the main cities of refuge, listed among the cities that Moses dedicated for this purpose, and its perimeter fields, and Ashtarot and its perimeter fields.

From the tribe of Issachar they gave Kedesh, called Kishyon in the book of Joshua in order to differentiate it from Kedesh Naphtali, the major city of refuge listed below, and its perimeter fields, Dovrat and its perimeter fields,

Ramot and its perimeter fields, and Anem and its perimeter fields.

From the tribe of Asher: Mashal and its perimeter fields, and Avdon and its perimeter fields,

Hukok and its perimeter fields, and Rehov and its perimeter fields.

From the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee, one of the three main cities of refuge on the western side of the Jordan, and its perimeter fields, Hamon and its perimeter fields, and Kiryatayim and its perimeter fields.

For the remaining Levites, the sons of Merari, cities were given from the tribe of Zebulun: Rimono and its perimeter fields, Tavor and its perimeter fields.

Beyond the Jordan, at Jericho, east of the Jordan, the Levites received from the tribe of Reuben: Betzer in the wilderness, also a major city of refuge that was dedicated by Moses, and its perimeter fields, and Yatza and its perimeter fields,

Kedemot and its perimeter fields, and Meifaat and its perimeter fields.

From the tribe of Gad: Ramot in the Gilad, the third major city of refuge on the eastern side of the Jordan, and its perimeter fields, and Mahanayim and its perimeter fields,

and Heshbon and its perimeter fields, and Yazer and its perimeter fields. This list of cities is incomplete. The book of Joshua provides a more orderly account of the manner in which the children of Levi settled by family in the cities they received from each of the tribes of Israel.

The sons of Issachar: Tola, Pua, Yashuv, and Shimron, four.

The sons of Tola: Uzi, Refaya, Yeriel, Yahmai, Yivsam, and Shmuel, who were heads of their patrilineal houses, all their descendants, were counted for Tola, and they were mighty warriors in their legacy; their number in the days of David, when a census was conducted to ascertain the number of military men, was twenty-two thousand six hundred.

The sons, descendants, of Uzi, the son of Tola, were: his son Yizrahya; and the sons of Yizrahya were: Mikhael, Ovadya, Yoel, Yishiya, a total of five; all of them were leaders.

With them, by their progeny, by their patrilineal houses, were counted units of the army for war, a sum of thirty-six thousand men. This family had more offspring than was common in other corresponding families, for they had many wives and thus more sons.

Together with their brethren among all the families of Issachar, these mighty warriors, all established in their lineage, were eighty-seven thousand. These were all the soldiers who traced their genealogy to all of the heads of the fathers of the tribe.

The chapter provides one of various genealogical lists for the tribe of Benjamin (see chap. 8). Some understand that the reference here is not to the tribe of Benjamin, but rather to another descendant of Issachar who was also named Benjamin. The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Bekher, and Yediael, three.

The sons of Bela: Etzbon, Uzi, Uziel, Yerimot, and Iri, five; they were the heads of their patrilineal houses, mighty warriors; there were twenty-two thousand and thirty-four soldiers in their lineage.

The sons of Bekher: Zemira, Yoash, Eliezer, Elyoeinai, Omri, Yeremot, Aviya, Anatot, and Alemet. All these are the sons of Bekher.

Their lineage through their progeny, who were the heads of their patrilineal houses, mighty warriors, was a total of twenty thousand two hundred men.

The sons of Yediael: Bilhan; and the sons of Bilhan: Yeush, Binyamin, Ehud, Kenaana, Zeitan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar.

All these are sons of Yediael, who were the heads of their patrilineal houses, mighty warriors, seventeen thousand two hundred, fit for military service.

Shupim and Hupim were sons of Ir, perhaps the Iri mentioned above, Hushim was the son of Aher. Some understand this verse as meaning: Son of another [aĥer], as the author of the book of Chronicles may have been uncertain whether the members of these families belonged to the tribe of Benjamin; therefore, he counted them separately.

The sons of Naphtali are presented in an extremely truncated form. They were: Yahtziel, Guni, Yetzer, and Shalum, who were sons, descendants, of Bilha, wife of Jacob. It is possible that “sons of Bilha” also includes Hushim, mentioned in the previous verse, who might have been the son of Dan, the son of Bilha.

The sons of Manasseh: Asriel, who was borne by his Aramean concubine, who bore Makhir, father of the settlement of Gilad. Some explain the verse as follows: Asriel was borne by his concubine, the Aramean woman, who also bore Makhir the father of Gilad.

Makhir took a wife for Hupim and Shupim; his sister’s name, either Shupim’s sister or the sister of both of them, was Maakha. The name of the second child of Manasseh or Asriel was Tzelofhad, and Tzelofhad had only daughters. The Torah relates how the daughters of Tzelofhad demanded from Moses their right to their father’s inheritance.

Maakha the wife of Makhir bore a son, and she called his name Peresh; the name of his brother was Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rekem.

The sons of Ulam: Bedan. These are the sons of Gilad, son of Makhir, son of Manasseh.

His sister, who had the unusual name of Hamolekhet, bore Ishhod, Aviezer, and Mahla.

The sons of Shemida were Ahyan, Shekhem, Lik’hi, and Aniyam, who also belonged to the expanded family of Makhir. These were the children of Manasseh.

The sons, descendants, of Ephraim were: Shutelah, Bered his, Shutelah’s son, Tahat his son, the son of Bered, and thus the generations continued: Elada his son, Tahat his son,

Zavad his son, Shutelah his son, and Ezer and Elad; the men of Gat, who were born in the land, killed them when they came down to take their livestock.

Ephraim their father mourned many days over his slain sons, and his brethren came to comfort him.

He consorted with his wife after the period of mourning, and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Beria, because “in evil” [bera’a] was in his house. The child was born in the evil time of the tragic deaths of his brothers.

His daughter was called She’era, and she built Lower and Upper Beit Horon and Uzen She’era.

Refah was his son, and Reshef and Telah his son, and Tahan his son,

Ladan his son, Amihud his son, Elishama his son; Elishama son of Amihud was the prince of the tribe of Ephraim, as stated in the Torah.

Non his son, the son of Elishama, Joshua his son, the son of Non, or Nun. This teaches that Joshua son of Nun was the grandson of the prince of the tribe of Ephraim, which might shed light on his character.

Their portion and dwellings, those of the children of Ephraim, were Beit El and its environs, and to the east Naaran, and to the west Gezer (see 6:52) and its environs, and Shekhem and its environs, up to Aya and its environs.

Alongside them, the children of Ephraim, were situated the children of Manasseh; those who crossed the Jordan River together with the rest of Israel rather than remaining on its eastern side like the sons of Makhir. They settled in Beit She’an and its environs, Taanakh and its environs, Megiddo and its environs, Dor and its environs. In these places settled Ephraim and Manasseh, the children of Joseph son of Israel. The descendants of Joseph initially inherited Samaria, in central Israel, before spreading to Megiddo in the north and Dor in the west, on the coast.

The sons of Asher: Yimna, Yishva, Yishvi, Beria, and Serah their sister. It is not clear why Serah is mentioned here and whether she was married and if so, to whom. Serah is also mentioned in the Torah, and many stories are related about her. However, the Bible itself reveals nothing of her life.

The sons of Beria: Hever and Malkiel; he was the father of a place called Birzayit.

Hever begot Yaflet, Shomer, Hotam, and Shua their sister who, like Serah, is probably also mentioned because she was an important woman.

The sons of Yaflet: Pasakh, Bimhal, and Asvat. These are the sons of Yaflet. Some of these names do not appear to be of Hebrew origin.

The sons of Shemer: Ahi, Roga, Huba, and Aram.

The sons of Helem, who was his brother: Tzofah, Yimna, Shelesh, and Amal.

The sons of Tzofah: Suah, Harnefer, which both sound like Egyptian names, Shual, Beri, Yimra,

Betzer, Hod, Shama, Shilsha, Yitran, and Be’era.

The sons of Yeter: Yefuneh, Pispa, and Ara.

The sons of Ula, a name that would become famous in the Talmudic period: Arah, Haniel, and Ritzya.

All these people are the children of Asher, heads of the patrilineal houses, select mighty warriors, heads of the princes. Their lineage, people who were counted for military service, was twenty-six thousand men.

Benjamin begot Bela his firstborn, Ashbel the second, Ahrah the third,

Noha the fourth, and Rafa the fifth. Some of these names correspond to the names that appear in the Torah, occasionally with slight differences, while others are hard to identify. As is the case throughout this book, it seems that many individuals had two names, or nicknames.

Bela had sons, descendants, Adar, Gera, Avihud,

Avishua, Naaman, Aho’ah,

Gera, Shefufan, and Huram,

these people mentioned above are the sons of Ehud. These are the heads of patrilineal houses, the heads of families, of the inhabitants of Geva, and they were exiled to a place called Manahat, although it is unclear when and why this happened.

As for Naaman and Ahiya, it was Gera who exiled them, and he, Gera, who banished them or caused them to depart, stayed in his place, and begot Uza and Ahihud.

After he sent them away, Shaharayim had children in the field of Moav; after Gera had banished the heads of the families from Giva, Shaharayim went to the field of Moav, where he fathered children with Hushim and Baara, who were his wives.

And he begot from Hodesh, the name of his other wife: Yovav, Tzivya, Meisha, Malkam,

Yeutz, Sakhya, and Mirma. All these men are his sons, heads of the patrilineal houses.

From his wife Hushim, he begot Avituv and Elpaal.

The sons of Elpaal: Ever, Misham, and Shemed; he built Ono and Lod and its environs, nearby towns and villages. These places were located within the borders of the territory of Benjamin, in its western portion.

Beria and Shema, from the sons of Elpaal, perhaps other names for Ever and Misham, they were heads of patrilineal houses of the inhabitants of Ayalon; they caused the inhabitants of Gatto flee.

Ahyo, Shashak, Yeremot,

Zevadya, Arad, Eder,

Mikhael, Yishpa, and Yoha, all these men were the sons of Beria.

Zevadya, Meshulam, Hizki, Hever,

Yishmerai, Yizliah, and Yovav were the sons of Elpaal, who was mentioned above, together with some of his sons (verses 11–12).

Yakim, Zikhri, Zavdi,

Eli’enai, Tziletai, Eliel,

Adaya, Beraya, and Shimrat were the sons of Shimi.

Yishpan, Eved, Eliel,

Avdon, Zikhri, Hanan;

Hananya, Elam, Antotiya,

Yifdeya and Penuel were the sons of Shashak.

Shamsherai, Sheharya, Atalya, which is apparently the name of a man here, as opposed to the well-known Atalya, the royal mother and queen;

Yaareshya, Eliya, and Zikhri were the sons of Yeroham.

These are heads of patrilineal houses by their progeny, in order of birth; these heads settled in Jerusalem, part of which was in the territory of Benjamin.

In Givon, the father of the settlement of Givon settled, and his wife’s name was Maakha;

his firstborn son was called Avdon, and the rest of his sons were called Tzur, Kish, Baal, Nadav,

Gedor, Ahyo, and Zekher.

Miklot, who was also a son of the man known as the father of the settlement of Givon, begot Shima. They too, the members of this family, settled like their brethren in Jerusalem, like their brothers, they lived in Jerusalem with their brethren.

Ner begot Kish, and Kish begot Saul. This teaches that Avner son of Ner was a close relative of Saul. This accounts for his unique relationship with the house of Saul. And Saul begot Yehonatan, about whom much is related in the book of Samuel, Malki Shua, Avinadav, and Eshbaal, also called Ish Boshet in the book of Samuel. This is the same name, but as the Baal is an idol, this part of the name was replaced by the derogatory term boshet, or shame.

The son of Yehonatan was Meriv Baal, more frequently called Mefivoshet, and Meriv Baal begot Mikha.

The sons of Mikha: Piton, Melekh, Taare’a, and Ahaz.

Ahaz begot Yehoada; Yehoada begot Alemet, Azmavet, and Zimri; Zimri begot Motza;

Motza begot Bine’a; Rafa was his, Bine’a’s son, and thus the generations continued: Elasa his son, Atzel his son.

Atzel had six sons and these are their names: Azrikam, Bokhru, Yishmael, Shearya, Ovadya, and Hanan. All these are the sons of Atzel.

The sons of Eshek his brother, the brother of Atzel: Ulam his firstborn, Yeush the second, and Elifelet the third.

The sons of Ulam were mighty warriors, archers, and had many children and grandchildren, and the family numbered one hundred and fifty men in total. All these are of the children of Benjamin.

After having provided genealogical lists for several tribes, the text notes that the books of lineage were more comprehensive than those lists. All Israel were established in their lineage. In general, the people had orderly, reliable genealogical lists. Behold they, those records of family lineage, which do not deal with the historical events of the nation and its kings, are recorded with the book of the kings of Israel, as a kind of appendix to that work. Perhaps this is the origin of the book of Chronicles itself. The people of Judah, together with the residents of the nearby areas, were exiled to Babylon because of their trespass, due to their sins.

The first settlers that returned from the exile and who were in their portions, their inheritances in their cities: Some of the Israelites, regular Jews, who were neither priests nor Levites, and some of the priests, the Levites, and the Netinim, descendants of the Givonites, who lived with Israel while serving as menial laborers for the Temple. They too returned from Babylon.

In Jerusalem settled some of the children of Judah, some of the children of Benjamin, as the city was located on the border between these two tribes, and some of the children of Ephraim and Manasseh:

Utai son of Amihud, son of Omri, son of Imri, son of Bani, from the children of Peretz son of Judah.

From the Shilonite, the descendants of Shela son of Judah: Asaya the firstborn and his sons.

From the sons of Zerah son of Judah: Yeuel, and their brethren, the rest of the members of the tribe of Judah, numbered six hundred and ninety.

From the sons of Benjamin, those who returned from the exile and came to Jerusalem at the start of the Second Temple period: Salu, son of Meshulam, who was the son of Hodavya, who was the the son of Hasenua;

Yivneya son of Yeroham; Ela son of Uzi, son of Mikhri; Meshulam son of Shefatya, son of Re’uel, son of Yivneya;

and their brethren, by their progeny, the branches of their families, were nine hundred and fifty-six. All these counted men, important individuals, were heads of patrilineal houses by their patrilineal houses.

From the priests, only some of the priestly families returned from the exile: Yedaya, Yehoyariv, and Yakhin;

Azarya son of Hilkiya, son of Meshulam, son of Tzadok, son of Merayot, son of Ahituv, who was in his day the chief official, the man who had been appointed in charge of the House of God. This title may refer back to Azarya rather than to Ahituv.

Adaya son of Yeroham, son of Pashhur, son of Malkiya; and Masai, son of Adiel, son of Yahzera, son of Meshulam, son of Meshilemit, son of Imer;

and their brethren, heads of their patrilineal houses, one thousand seven hundred and sixty; mighty warriors for the labor of the service of the House of God.

From the Levites: Shemaya son of Hashuv, son of Azrikam, son of Hashavya, from the sons of Merari;

and Bakbakar, Heresh, and Galal; and Matanya, son of Mikha, son of Zikhri, son of Asaf;

and Ovadya son of Shemaya, son of Galal, son of Yedutun; and Berekhya son of Asa, son of Elkana, who dwells in the villages of the Netofatites. It is possible that all these men belonged to families of singers, some of them tracing their lineage to the singers Asaf and Yedutun.

The gatekeepers: Shalum, Akuv, Talmon, and Ahiman; their aforementioned brother Shalum was the leader, the chief official.

Until now, currently, at the time of writing, he is in the king’s gate to the east; they were the gatekeepers for the camps of the children of Levi.

Shalum, son of Koreh, son of Evyasaf, son of Korah, and his brethren of his patrilineal house the Korahites, the family of Korah, were appointed in charge of the labor of the service, guardians of the threshold of the Tent, they stood guard at the gate of the Tent of Meeting already in the time of David; their fathers in the wilderness had been appointed in charge of the camp of the Lord, guardians of the entrance.

The following comment refers to the early generations: Pinhas son of Elazar had been the chief official appointed over them in the distant past; the Lord was with him, and therefore he was the leader of the priests. Alternatively, the verse can be read as follows: In time past, the Lord was with him. This might be teaching that Pinhas was at some point a prophet, but did not remain a prophet for his entire life.

The chapter returns to the later generations: Zekharya son of Meshelemya was also the gatekeeper for the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

All of those selected as gatekeepers were two hundred and twelve; their lineage was established in accordance with their villages. It was they who were established by David and Samuel the seer, the prophet, for the order of the Levite porters, in their entrusted task, to fulfill their tasks faithfully and steadily. Alternatively, this last clause is referring to David and Samuel: They ordained the Levites by virtue of their faithful, trustworthy office. Although the Temple had not yet been built in David’s lifetime, he prepared for it as much as he possibly could. Not only did he amass the many materials required for its construction, but he also built the administrative systems for the future Temple. Furthermore, Samuel apparently sat with David and shared with him his vision of the pattern of the Temple, which included the watches of the priests and Levites.

They, the porters, and their children, were in charge of the gates of the House of the Lord, for the house of the Tent, by watches, by the groups appointed to guard the Temple.

On the four sides were the gatekeepers: east, westward, northward, and southward.

Their brethren, who were living in their villages, the Levite cities, were charged to come for seven days at fixed times, intervals, in order to be with and assist them. Both the priests and the Levites were divided into watches, each of which served a week at a time.

For the aforementioned (verse 17) four head gatekeepers had an entrusted task; they fulfilled their tasks faithfully and steadily. They are the Levites, the permanent staff who managed the Temple, who were also appointed over the chambers and over the treasuries in the House of God. Apart from the priests and Levites who would come at fixed times to perform the Temple service itself, there was a need for a permanent, dependable team to handle the administrative and logistical requirements of the Sanctuary.

They lodged around the House of God so that they should always be close to the Temple, because upon them was cast the watch, and they were in charge of the opening of the doors of the Temple each and every morning, some of which were locked at night.

Some of them were in charge of the vessels of service, the vessels for the regular service, such as those used for carrying the blood of the offerings and sprinkling it upon the altar, as well as the forks and shovels for transporting the sacrificial parts and the ashes; as they would count when bringing them out and count when removing them. Due to the importance of the sacred vessels in the Temple, they were all numbered and counted, and brought out only when needed.

From them were those appointed over the vessels, those vessels that were not directly connected to the sacred service, such as cooking implements, over all the sacred vessels, e.g., the table for the showbread and its appurtenances, and over the high-quality flour, the wine, the oil, the frankincense, and the spices.

Some of the sons of the priests were the blenders of the blend of the spices. A specific family was assigned this role.

Matitya of the Levites, he was the firstborn of Shalum the Korahite, was entrusted with the preparation of pancakes. This is referring to the meal offering prepared on a griddle, especially the unique meal offering baked on a griddle that was brought by the High Priest every day. An especially appointed, trustworthy person would perform the complex preparation of this meal offering every day, before sunrise. Half of the meal offering was brought in the morning, and the other half in the afternoon.

Some of the children of the Kehatites of their brethren, of those mentioned above, were put in charge of the bread of the arrangement, to prepare it each and every Sabbath. Before each Sabbath, they would prepare a fresh set of loaves to place on the table for the showbread in the Sanctuary.

These are the singers, who were heads of the patrilineal houses of the Levites, in the chambers, who were exempt from other service in the Temple because the labor is incumbent upon them, day and night. The singers, who were occupied with their special job, did not deal with the administrative tasks of running the Temple and preparing the requisite materials; that was left to the other Levites. Many Temple rites were accompanied by music, but few of the vocal and instrumental arrangements are known to us. There were certain regular songs that were chanted in public, while others were performed only on certain days.

These men are heads of patrilineal houses of the Levites, by their progeny; these heads dwelled in Jerusalem.

In Givon settled the father of the settlement of Givon, who was called Ye’iel, and the name of his wife was Maakha.

His firstborn son was Avdon, and his subsequent sons were called Tzur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadav,

Gedor, Ahyo, Zekharya, and Miklot.

Miklot begot Shime’am, called Shima above (8:32), and they, the members of this family, also dwelled like their brethren in Jerusalem, like their brothers, they lived in Jerusalem with their brethren.

The following short list provides the lineage of the family of King Saul and his descendants: Ner begot Kish, and Kish begot Saul, who later became king, and Saul begot Yehonatan, Malki Shua, Avinadav, and Eshbaal.

The son of Yehonatan was Meriv Baal, more generally known as Mefivoshet, Meriv Baal begot Mikha.

The sons of Mikha: Piton, Melekh, and Tahre’a.

Ahaz begot Yara, who was earlier called Yehoada (8:36); and Yara begot Alemet, Azmavet, and Zimri; Zimri begot Motza.

Motza begot Bina, and Refaya, who was earlier called Rafa (8:37), was his son, Elasa his son, Atzel his son.

Atzel had six sons, and these are their names: Azrikam, Bokhru, Yishmael, She’arya, Ovadya, and Hanan; these are the sons of Atzel. This too is an abbreviated list of the descendants of Benjamin, some of whom were already mentioned earlier. However, these last few lists serve to complete the account of the Temple and Jerusalem, as well as the dynasty of King Saul.

The Philistines waged war, one of the most devastating wars there were against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell, slain, on Mount Gilboa and its environs, where the battle took place.

In addition to the general conflict between the Israelites and the Philistines, there was a more focused battle: The Philistines pursued after Saul and after his sons. The Philistines sought not merely to defeat the Israelites, but to kill their leaders as well. And the Philistines smote Yonatan, Avinadav, and Malkishua, sons of Saul. One son, Ish Boshet, also known as Eshbaal, remained alive, and later assumed his father’s throne for a brief period. Following this defeat, the Israelites ceased fighting as an organized combat force, and split into scattered groups of warriors who fled the advancing Philistines.

The fighting was intense against Saul, and only a small group of warriors remained to protect him. Although they were unaware of his exact location, the Philistines closed in on him, and the Philistine archers located him. There were apparently not many skilled archers in the Israelite army; rather, they fought primarily with swords and spears. And he feared greatly because of the archers who were closing in on him. Alternatively, the latter phrase of this verse may be translated to mean that he was mortally wounded by the archers.

Saul said to his armor-bearer, who was always at his side: Draw your sword, and stab me to death with it, lest these uncircumcised Philistines come and find me alive, and abuse me. Even if they abuse my body, at least I will not suffer their torture alive. His armor-bearer was unwilling. As the closest and most loyal person to his commander, he was so attached to Saul that he was even willing to die for him, and he was therefore very afraid to perform such a deed. Saul took his sword and fell on it, in an attempt to commit suicide. It is not easy to kill oneself by falling on a sword. From one of the descriptions of this incident in the book of Samuel, it seems that Saul’s attempt was not entirely successful. Although he was mortally wounded, he remained somewhat conscious until he was killed by an Amalekite lad.

His armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, and he too fell on his sword and died. Due to his profound connection to Saul, when he saw that Saul was dead, the armor-bearer felt that he too had no reason to live.

Saul died, and his three sons and his entire household together died.

All the men of Israel who were in the valley, Yizre’el, saw that they, the warriors, had fled after their defeat, and that Saul and his sons died, and they too abandoned their cities and fled. Any Israelites who remained in the area after the defeat had no means of defense against the Philistines. Therefore, they abandoned their homes and moved to more secure areas, and the Philistines came and settled in them, the abandoned Israelite areas.

Apparently, the battle ended at nightfall, as it is pointless to conduct a battle in the dark. It was on the next day that the Philistines came to strip the corpses of any clothes or articles of value and take them as spoils of war, standard practice throughout the generations, and unexpectedly, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. Saul could have escaped the battlefield under the cover of night; they were unaware that he had remained until the end.

They stripped him, carried his head, which they had severed, and his personal armor, and sent them all around the regions of the land of the Philistines, to bring the news to their idols and to the people. In their celebration of their victory, they brought the symbolic objects of their triumph to their houses of worship before presenting them to the entire people.

Afterward, they placed his, Saul’s, armor in the house of their gods, and they fastened his skull in the house of their deity Dagon.

All the inhabitants of Yavesh Gilad,who had had very close ties to the tribe of Benjamin, and to Saul in particular, over the course of many years, heard everything that the Philistines had done to Saul.

All the valiant men rose and carried the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Yavesh. They stole Saul’s remains and the remains of his sons that had been displayed in the Philistine cities. Although the bodies were not heavily guarded, it took bold men to infiltrate the Philistine cities and extract them. They buried their bones under the terebinth in a designated area in Yavesh, and they fasted seven days.

After concluding its description of the tragic events, the chapter provides an explanation for them, as is often the case in the Bible: Saul died for his trespass that he trespassed against the Lord, in the war against Amalek and other instances, in that he did not keep the word of the Lord precisely, and also for another sin, toward the end of his life; for consulting the medium to seek counsel of the dead,

and he did not seek counsel of the Lord. Although Saul had sought unsuccessfully to seek God at that time, he should have persisted in his efforts. And He put him to death; He transferred the kingdom to David son of Yishai. This story is related to the demise of the house of Saul and his royal line. The book does not relate anything about the lives of Saul or of the rest of his family; rather, it relates his death in war, in the wake of which the monarchy was transferred to David. At this juncture, the book begins its treatment of the history of King David and his deeds.

Once Saul had been killed, and his surviving son, who had ruled for a brief period, had also been assassinated, there was no designated heir to the throne. All Israel gathered to David, to Hebron, saying: Behold, we are your bone and your flesh. We are all one people; you are not a stranger to us. Although at that point David ruled only over the tribe of Judah, representatives from other tribes approached him in order to reestablish the monarchy over the entire people, just as Saul had ruled over the entire people.

In times past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel out and led them in. Even during Saul’s reign, you were a leader in military and other matters. Although, over time, you were partially removed from those roles, you have always been a central figure for us; and the Lord your God said to you: You shall shepherd My people Israel, and you shall be ruler over My people Israel. This, of course, is a reference to David’s anointment as king by Samuel.

All the elders of Israel ultimately came to the king, to Hebron, and David established a covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord. They agreed that David would be their king, and he accepted the position. They anointed David king over Israel, in accordance with the word of the Lord conveyed by means of Samuel. Although David had already been anointed by Samuel, that anointment was private, and of limited significance. His anointment in Hebron signified a national decision to crown him as king.

David could not rule over all Israel from Hebron, as the city is situated in the middle of the tribal territory of Judah, far removed from the other tribes, and associated exclusively with the tribe of Judah. Therefore, one of David’s first actions was to search for an alternative center for his monarchy. While doing so, he also proved his might. David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is the city that was then called Yevus, and the Yevusites, one of the Canaanite tribes, inhabitants of the land, were living there.

The inhabitants of Yevus said to David: You shall not come here. Yevus was an enclave that had never been completely conquered by the Israelites when they entered the Land of Israel. However, relations between the Yevusites of Jerusalem and the Israelites were apparently civil. Although the Yevusites were not a populous people and were not full-fledged soldiers, they resisted David’s army when it came to conquer the city. In the first stage, David captured a fortress adjacent to the city, in the environs of the Temple Mount, which was later called the stronghold of Zion, which is the City of David. It seems this was a specific point through which one could enter the city. The parallel account in II Samuel (5:6–8) indicates that control over this spot would enable an army to breach the city.

David said: Whoever smites the Yevusite, breaks their resistance first, will be a leader and an officer; he will be appointed to a senior position. Yoav son of Tzeruya ascended to the city first, and he became a leader.

David dwelled in the stronghold, the fortified area of the city; therefore they called it, and the area later built around it, the City of David.

He built the city around, from the Milo until the surrounding wall. There were empty areas between the stronghold and the wall of the city, which David and his son Solomon filled [millu]. Originally, Jerusalem was not entirely fortified and protected, but after the construction of the Milo, the entire city was surrounded by a wall. Yoav restored, or provided for, the rest of the city. David’s palace was initially located in the City of David, but later an actual palace was built for him. The other side of the city, where David did not reside, was Yoav’s responsibility.

David grew steadily greater, as the Lord of hosts was with him. David became a great king who waged wars, conquered countries, and expanded the borders of Israel.

The following is a list of David’s mighty men, men in special positions and ranks; a parallel list appears in the book of Samuel. These are the heads of the mighty who were with David, who exerted themselves with him to assist him in his kingdom, with all Israel, to crown him king, in accordance with the word of the Lord concerning Israel. Some of them performed acts of individual heroism, as related here; others grew close to David as courageous individuals and over time were appointed commanders in his army; some filled senior, prominent positions.

This is the number of the mighty who were with David: The first on the list is Yoshovam son of Hakhmoni, who was head of the officers; he wielded his spear against three hundred men who were slain by him on one occasion, in a single encounter, with his own unique strength.

After him, Elazar son of Dodo the Ahohite, the name of the patriarch of his family; alternatively, Ahohite refers to a place; who was among the three mighty ones, an outstanding team of warriors notable for their exploits, as related in the following verses.

He was with David at a place called Pas Damim, or Efes Damim. The reason for either of these names is unknown. And the Philistines gathered there for war. This is referring to the early clashes between the Philistines and David, when the Philistines sent a force to weaken David and to contain and damage his kingdom. The Philistines sought to prevent the kingdom of Israel from posing a threat to them. They knew David both as an ally, from the time he spent in their camp, and as a formidable adversary. In their wars, they sought to preserve their hegemony in the region, and their superior status. There was a tract of a field full of barley, and the people fled from before the Philistines, and some hid in that field.

They stood, Elazar and another hero, or Elazar and his men, in the midst of the tract, and saved it, and they smote the Philistines. They successfully halted the Philistine advance, and even protected the produce of the field from damage. The Lord rescued them with a great salvation.

Three of the thirty leaders went down to the rock that served as a fortress and shelter, to David, to the cave of Adulam.It is unclear whether this occurred before or after he conquered Jerusalem. And the Philistine camp was encamped in the Valley of Refaim,an open area near Jerusalem.

David was then in the stronghold, the rock adjacent to the cave of Adulam, and a Philistine garrison was then in Bethlehem. After the defeat of Israel at Gilboa, and Saul’s death, the Philistines extended their rule into the land of Judah. Therefore, a Philistine governor ruled the city of Bethlehem and its environs, and a garrison defended it.

David had a craving and said: Who will give me water to drink from the cistern of Bethlehem, which is at the gate? Bethlehem was not far from the Valley of Refaim. David was raised in Bethlehem, and he remembered it from its peaceful days. It does not appear that David made a special request; rather he was merely waxing nostalgic about that water, as he could have easily obtained water collected in waterholes in the desert, or elsewhere.

When three of David’s men heard his wish, the three mighty men, who were great admirers of David, fought and breached the fortified Philistine camp, and drew water from the cistern of Bethlehem, which was at the gate. They carried it and brought it to David, but David was unwilling to drink it, and instead he poured it out to the Lord, as a water libation to God.

He, David, said: Far be it from me by my God to do this, to drink this water; shall I drink the blood of these men who risked their lives? For at the risk of their lives they brought it. Since these men put their lives at risk for this water, it is as though their own blood is mixed with it. It is therefore inappropriate for me to drink this water that was acquired with blood. He was unwilling to drink it. These were done by the mighty three. These three mighty men achieved renown through this extraordinary deed.

Avshai, here called Avshai but consistently referred to as Avishai in the book of Samuel, brother of Yoav, he was head of the three. He wielded his spear against three hundred slain, and he had renown among the three.

Of the three, Tahkemoni, Elazar, and Shama, he was more esteemed, in his personal courage, than two, and he became their commander. Avishai rose in the ranks of command and over time became one of David’s great commanders, but he did not come with the three. Although Avishai was their leader, he was not included as one of the three.

Another mighty man, Benaya son of Yehoyada, was the son of an accomplished, valiant man from a place called Kavtze’el, and he smote the two champions [ariel],a term that also appears on the Mesha Stele of King Mesha of Moav, and which apparently means “special forces,” who were in the camp of Moav. And in another episode that displays Benaya’s personal valor, he went down and smote the lion inside the pit on the snowy day. Benaya descended alone into a pit on a snowy day, and managed to overcome a distressed lion that he found there.

He smote the Egyptian man, who was a man of large dimensions, roughly five cubits high; in the Egyptian’s hand was a great spear like a large weaver’s beam that is found at the top of the loom; and he, Benaya, went against him with a staff, not a spear, and snatched the spear from the hand of the Egyptian and killed him with his own spear. Perhaps Benaya managed to snatch the spear from the Egyptian’s hand because the latter’s armor encumbered him, similar to the story of David and Goliath.

These, Benaya son of Yehoyada did, and he had renown among the three mighty ones. Even the three mighty men considered him a remarkable hero.

He was considered more esteemed than the thirty mighty men listed below (see 27:6), but he did not reach the three. He was not as mighty as the three, who had become archetypes of courage and valor. And David appointed him over his guard. David gave Benaya command responsibilities; he was appointed commander of the Keretites and the Peletites, David’s personal guard detail.

The names of the mighty warriors,including the aforementioned thirty mighty men, were: Asael, the younger brother of Yoav, who was killed by Avner, and Elhanan son of Dodo, both from Bethlehem;

Shamot the Harorite, Heletz the Pelonite. It is possible that he was from a place called Peloni; alternatively, he was called Peloni, a placeholder name in Hebrew, because his place of origin was unknown.

Ira son of Ikesh the Tekoite, from the city of Tekoa in Judah, Aviezer the Anatotite, from Anatot in Benjamin;

Sibekhai the Hushatite, Ilai the Ahohite,the name of a family from the tribe of Benjamin (see 8:4);

Mahrai the Netofatite, Heled son of Baana the Netofatite, both from the town of Netofa;

Itai son of Ribai from Giva of the Benjaminites, Benaya the Piratonite,from Piraton in Ephraim;

Hurai of Nahalei Gaash, Aviel the Arvatite,

Azmavet the Baharumite, from a place called Bahurim, east of Jerusalem, Elyahba the Shaalvonite,from Shaalvin,

the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Yonatan son of Shageh the Hararite,

Ahiam son of Sakhar the Hararite, Elifal son of Ur,

Hefer the Mekheratite, Ahiya the Pelonite,

Hetzro the Carmelite, Naarai son of Ezbai,

Yoel brother of Natan; perhaps the prophet Natan, which may explain why he is linked to his brother; Mivhar son of Hagri,

Tzelek the Amonite, Nahrai the Berotite,from Be’erot, who was the armor-bearer, close assistant, of Yoav son of Tzeruya,

Ira the Yitrite, Garev the Yitrite,

Uriya the Hitite, Zavad son of Ahlai,

Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, who eventually became head of the Reubenites, and with him were thirty men,

Hanan son of Maakha, and Yoshafat the Mitnite,

Uziya the Ashteratite, Shama and Ye’iel the sons of Hotam the Aroerite,

Yediael son of Shimri, and Yoha his brother, the Tizite,

Eliel the Mahavite, and Yerivai and Yoshavya sons of Elnaam, and Yitma the Moavite,

Eliel, and Oved, and Yaasiel the Metzova’ite.

The following list of names, consisting of some names clear and obvious and some obscure, details David’s followers before he rose to power, as well as those who rallied around him after he was crowned. These are those who came to David, to Tziklag.Tziklag was a city in the Land of Israel conquered by the Philistines. They gave it to David, and it remained part of the inheritance of the royal house of David for generations. These men joined David while he was still constrained and detained there due to Saul son of Kish. While David resided in Tziklag he was not a free man. Saul, who considered him a traitor, pursued him, and might well have killed him. During his time of need, various men came to David’s side; and they were considered among the mighty men, supporters in war.

They included some who were armed with bows, both right and left-handed, who could attack with stones, and with arrows with the bow. These men were ambidextrous fighters, which provided a great advantage on the battlefield. They also included some who were from Saul’s brethren from Benjamin. It has been suggested that left-handedness was a hereditary trait of the tribe of Benjamin, as left-handed individuals are mentioned more than once in connection with this tribe. It has been common throughout time for many left-handed people to learn to use their right hand as well to perform various tasks, whether for convenience or social conformity. Whatever the reasons, they were effectively ambidextrous.

The leader of them was Ahiezer, and with him was Yo’ash; both were sons of Shemaa the Givatite, of Givat Binyamin; and Yeziel and Pelet, sons of Azmavet, and Berakha, and Yehu the Anatotite, from Anatot,

and Yishmaya the Givonite, from Givon, who was mighty among the thirty, one of the thirty mighty men who formed a separate fighting unit, and was even appointed in charge of the thirty;

and Yirmeya, Yahaziyel, Yohanan, Yozabad the Gederatite,

Eluzai, Yerimot, Be’alya, Shemaryahu, Shefatyahu the Harifite,

Elkana, Yishiyahu, Azarel, Yoezer, and Yoshovam, the Korahites, possibly descendants of Korah the Levite;

and Yoela and Zevadya, sons of Yeroham from Gedor.

Some of the Gadites, men from the tribe of Gad, went over to David, to the stronghold in the wilderness; mighty warriors, soldiers of war, who engaged in hand-to-hand combat and were skilled wielders of shield and spear; their faces were fearsome in appearance, like the faces of the lion, and they were fast like gazelles on the mountains. These men of Gad came all the way from east of the Jordan, despite the fact that they had no personal stake in the wars. It seems that the legion of soldiers who initially gathered to David’s side were men who came from different places, some of them fleeing local persecution for various reasons, e.g., debt. Presumably, they were also joined by men who simply sought adventure and excitement.

Ezer was the head, Ovadya the second, Eliav the third,

Mishmana the fourth, Yirmeya the fifth,

Atai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,

Yohanan the eighth, Elzavad the ninth,

Yirmeyau the tenth, Makhbenai the eleventh.

These of the sons of Gad were heads of the army in their places; the smallest among them was one commander over one hundred, and the greatest was one commander over one thousand.

A short episode to demonstrate the great power and determination of these captains is now related: These are those who crossed the Jordan in the first month, Nisan, after the rainy season, when it had filled all its banks. Crossing the river then was both difficult and dangerous. One could easily drown in the Jordan at high tide, especially in the areas in the middle of the river where the current was strongest at that time of year. And they caused all who dwelled in the valleys, who had harassed them and perhaps sought to prevent them from joining David, to flee eastward and westward of the Jordan.

They also came from the children of Benjamin and Judah to the stronghold to David.

David emerged to meet them and he proclaimed and said to them: If you have come to me in peace to support me, my heart will be with you in togetherness, we will be fully united as though we share the same heart; but if you come to betray me by delivering me to my enemies for no villainy in my hand, let the God of our fathers look and let Him chastise. God will judge and determine which of us has justice on his side. David repeatedly claimed, and rightly so, that he had neither rebelled against the previous king nor committed any evil, and that he had been undeservedly persecuted.

An animated spirit, divine inspiration, clothed Amasai, probably Amasa, the son of David’s sister, head of the officers of the group of mighty men. Through this spirit he spoke almost poetically, unlike the style of a typical professional soldier: To you, David, and with you, son of Yishai; peace, peace be to you, and peace be to your supporters, for your God supports you. Since David had turned to them in his time of trouble, and had essentially requested their support, Amasai declared on their behalf that their loyalty was fully with David. David accepted them and set them as the heads of the troop.

From the tribe of Manasseh some fell in with David, that is, they joined David’s side, when he came with the Philistines against Saul to war. David was still serving the Philistines when they came to wage war against Saul, as related in the book of Samuel. This put David in a difficult situation. He could not fight in the Israelite army, as Saul continued pursuing him, but he also did not wish to wage war against his own people. But ultimately, they, David and his men, did not help them, the Philistines in waging war, for the lords, the leaders of the Philistines in the battlefield, took counsel, sending him away, as they did not trust him and were worried that he might betray them, saying: He will fall upon our heads for reconciliation with his master Saul.

Then, upon his return from the battlefield and going to Tziklag, some men from Manasseh fell in with him: Adnah, Yozabad, Yediael, Mikhael, Yozabad, Elihu, and Tziletai, who were heads of thousands that were of Manasseh.

They assisted David in his attack against the troop of Amalekites who had razed Tziklag, and captured David’s family and the families of his men who had emerged from the city, for they were all mighty warriors, and they were commanders in the army.

For from day to day, every day more men came to David to support him, until there was with him a great camp, like the camp of God, a massive camp. This marks the end of the list of the mighty men who supported David before he became king.

The following list of names refers to a later period. These are the numbers of the heads of the vanguard of the army, who came to David, to Hebron, in order to transfer the kingdom of Saul to him, in accordance with the word of the Lord.

The children of Judah, bearers of shield and spear, were six thousand eight hundred mobilized soldiers. This was the unit of warriors sent by the tribe of Judah.

From the children of Simeon, the mighty warriors who came for the army were seven thousand one hundred;

from the children of Levi, four thousand six hundred.

Yehoyada was the chief official for Aaron, the priests, and with him were three thousand seven hundred men;

and Tzadok the priest was a lad, a mighty warrior, and his patrilineal house of princes were twenty-two.

From the children of Benjamin, the brethren of Saul, there came three thousand; until then most of them had kept their allegiance to the house of Saul as they were his supporters, but now they moved to David’s camp to crown him.

From the children of Ephraim, twenty thousand eight hundred; mighty warriors, men of renown in their patrilineal houses.

From half the tribe of Manasseh there were eighteen thousand, who were designated specifically by name to come and crown David king.

From the children of Issachar there came men who were possessors of understanding of the times, who possessed great insight and would give good advice, suitable for the time and place, who were able to know what Israel should do both in civilian life and in the military; their leaders were two hundred, and all their brethren were acting at their command. This group of chief advisors later evolved into the leaders of the Sanhedrin, who were experts in determining the months and the intercalation of years.

From Zebulun, there came men who were fit for military service, wagers of war with all instruments of war, were fifty thousand, and to wage war, or perform work in other areas, wholeheartedly. They were fully devoted to their tasks.

From Naphtali there came one thousand captains, and with them warriors with shield and spear were thirty-seven thousand.

From the Danites came men who were wagers of war, they were twenty-eight thousand six hundred.

From Asher, there came men who were fit for military service, to wage war, forty thousand.

From the other side of the Jordan, there came from the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, soldiers armed with all military instruments of war, they were one hundred and twenty thousand.

All these, men of war, wagers of campaigns, came wholeheartedly to Hebron, to crown David king over all Israel; and all the rest of Israel too were wholehearted to crown David king. These representatives expressed the collective national desire that David should be king over all Israel.

They, all those guests, both military and civilian, who were sent by all the tribes, were there with David three days, eating and drinking to celebrate the coronation of the king; for their brethren, probably the local population, had prepared foods for them.

Also those tribes who were close to them, David’s men, plus those who were as far away as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought food on donkeys, on camels, on mules, and on cattle; provisions of flour, dried figs, raisins, wine and oil, and cattle and sheep, in abundance, for there was rejoicing in Israel.

David consulted with the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with every high official.

David said to the entire assembly of Israel: If it pleases you, and if it, this matter, is from the Lord our God, if it is in accordance with God’s will, let us go out and send to our brethren who remain in all the tribal territories of Israel, who have not come here, and with them the priests and Levites who are in the cities with their perimeter fields, and gather them to us, so that there will be a great assembly here;

and let us transfer the ark of our God to us, to Jerusalem; for we had not sought it, we did not address the matter, in the days of Saul until now.

The entire assembly said they desired to do so, for the matter was right in the eyes of the entire people. The people agreed that the ark should be moved to a central site where they could renew the service of God.

David assembled all Israel, from Shihor, the river marking the eastern border of Egypt until Levo Hamat in the north, in order to bring the Ark of God from Kiryat Ye’arim.

David and all Israel went up to a place called Baala, to Kiryat Ye’arim which is of Judah, in order to bring up from there the Ark of God, the Lord who is seated amidst the cherubs, upon which the Name is called. The ark, over which the cherubs spread their arched wings, symbolizes the Divine Presence in Israel, and for this reason God is called the One who sits upon the cherubs. This is the focal point of the Sanctuary.

The Torah explicitly states that the ark may not be transported in a cart; rather, it must be borne by the Levites on their shoulders. The Philistines had returned the ark in a cart, because they were afraid to touch it. They, the Israelites tasked with moving the ark, mounted the Ark of God on a new cart, as they too did not want to touch it, and they took it from the house of Avinadav; and Uza and Ahyo were directing the cart.

David and all Israel were reveling before God with all their might, dancing with enthusiasm and great fervor, and with songs, and with harps, and with lyres, and with drums, and with cymbals, and with trumpets.

They came to a place known as the threshing floor of Kidon, and Uza extended his hand to grasp the ark to prevent it from falling, as the oxen had stumbled. Apparently, it was a cart open on all sides and they feared that the ark would fall. Instinctively, Uza quickly extended his hand to grasp the ark and prevent it from falling.

The wrath of the Lord was enflamed against Uza, and He smote him, because he extended his hand to the ark; and he died there before God.

David was distressed because the Lord had lashed out in a breach [peretz] against Uza, killing him; and he called that place, which was previously known as Kidon, Peretz Uza to this day. David was distraught as Uza’s intentions were certainly worthy, even if his actions were not.

David feared God on that day, saying: How can I bring the Ark of God to me? If one whose intentions were good was instantly killed when he touched the ark, what is liable to befall us?

David did not move the ark to him to the City of David, and instead he diverted it to the house of Oved Edom the Gitite, a Levite who lived outside the city.

The Ark of God remained with the household of Oved Edom, in his house three months, and the Lord blessed the house of Oved Edom, and everything that he had. David was worried that proximity to the ark might lead to calamity, but in fact the opposite occurred in the house of Oved Edom, as his home and family were privileged to receive special blessings. The Sages say that all the women in his house were blessed with children at that time. This teaches that one who treats the Ark of God with the proper deference suffers no harm; rather, he receives God’s blessing and salvation.

Huram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, as an expression of goodwill and in order to establish positive diplomatic ties; and in addition he sent cedar trees,and masons, and carpenters, in order to build him a house. The king of Tyre volunteered to help David construct a house from expensive cedar wood, in the style of the magnificent structures to which the king of Tyre was accustomed. This substantial gesture shows that Huram considered David a great king who was worthy of respect. It was not payment of tribute in any sense; rather it was a valuable gift sent in deference to David to cultivate a close relationship between the rulers.

David, however, did not interpret this generous gesture as a personal gift. David knew that the Lord had established him king over Israel, for his kingdom was highly exalted for the sake of His people Israel. He viewed the action of the king of Tyre as a sign that the status of the kingdom of Israel was elevated among the nations. David’s kingdom was no longer a local phenomenon; the nations of the region were aware of its power and its influence. Since the kingdom of Israel was far larger than Tyre, its increased strength brought Huram to seek closer relations with Israel’s king.

The text inserts another short genealogical list, similar to one cited earlier: (3:5–9) David took more wives in Jerusalem, in addition to those he had in Hebron, and David begot more sons and daughters.

These are the names of the children whom he had in Jerusalem: Shamua, Shovav, Natan, and Solomon,

Yivhar, Elishua, Elpelet,

Noga, Nefeg, Yafia,

Elishama, Be’elyada, and Elifelet. Elpelet and Elifelet are versions of the same name, meaning that God [El] has saved [pelet]. Similarly, the names Elishua and Elishama serve as a reminder that God [El], has heard [shama] and rescued [hoshia] David from his troubles (see commentary on 3:8).

The Philistines heard that David was anointed king over all Israel, and all the Philistines went forth to seek the life of David. They wished to make war against him and end the threat he posed to them. David heard, and he came out to meet them.

The Philistines came and penetrated deep into the Land of Israel, and raided in the Refaim Valley, near Jerusalem.

David inquired of God, saying: Shall I go up to war against the Philistines, and will You deliver them into my hand? The Lord said to him: Go up, and I will deliver them into your hand.

They went up to a place called Baal Peratzim, and David smote them there. David said: God has breached [paratz] and scattered my enemies by my hand, like a burst [peretz] of water from a narrow spot in all directions, destroying all that lies in its path. The Philistines did not even attempt to fight, but fled for their lives and dispersed. Therefore they called the name of that place Baal Peratzim.

As the Philistines fled the battlefield in haste, they abandoned their gods there, the idols they had taken out with them to war; David said to burn them, and they were burned in fire, as stated in the Torah.

The Philistines continued to attack and raided in the valley.

David again inquired of God; and God said to him: You shall not go up directly after them, as you did the first time; rather, turn away from them, go around, and come to them opposite the mastic trees, or bushes; so that they do not sense your approach.

It shall be when you hear the unnatural sound of men marching above the tops of the mastic trees, this will be a sign for you that then you shall come out to wage war, as God has come out before you to smite the Philistine camp.

David did as God commanded him, and they smote the Philistine camp from Givon to Gezer. Apparently, they pushed the Philistine army back to the Judean plain, where they smote them.

After the impressive victory over the Philistines, David’s renown circulated in all lands, and the Lord imposed fear of him upon all nations. David’s double routing of the Philistines enhanced his reputation and his power over all the surrounding nations.

He made houses for himself in the City of David, and, as part of this project, he prepared a place for the Ark of God and pitched a tent for it.

Then David said not to bear the Ark of God, by any other means, e.g., a cart, excepting the Levites, who should carry it on their shoulders; as the Lord has chosen them to bear the Ark of the Lord and to serve Him forever. Bearing the ark is a task exclusive to the Levites.

David again assembled all of Israel to gather in Jerusalem, to take up the Ark of the Lord to its place, the tent in Jerusalem that he had prepared for it.

David gathered the sons of Aaron and the Levites, to prepare them to take up the ark;

those who gathered from the sons of Kehat: Uriel the captain, who was in charge of them, and his brethren, the members of his patrilineal house, one hundred and twenty men;

from the sons of Merari: Asaya the captain and his brethren, two hundred and twenty men;

from the sons of Gershom: Yoel the captain and his brethren, one hundred and thirty men;

from the sons of Elitzafan: Shemaya the captain and his brethren, two hundred men;

from the sons of Hevron: Eliel the captain and his brethren, eighty men;

from the sons of Uziel: Aminadav the captain and his brethren, one hundred and twelve men.

David called for Tzadok and Evyatar the chief priests, and for the heads of the aforementioned families of Levites: For Uriel, Asaya, Yoel, Shemaya, Eliel, and Aminadav.

He said to them: You are the heads of the patrilineal houses of the Levites; sanctify yourselves, prepare and purify yourselves, you and your brethren, and you shall take up the Ark of the Lord, God of Israel, to that place which I have prepared for it.

Because you initially, on the first occasion, did not take it up; therefore, the Lord our God breached against us, killing Uza, because we did not seek Him appropriately. We failed to conduct ourselves properly, in accordance with protocol. Had we carried the ark in the correct manner from the outset, the tragedy would have been avoided.

The priests and the Levites sanctified themselves in order to take up the Ark of the Lord, God of Israel.

The children of the Levites carried the Ark of God as Moses had commanded in the Torah, in accordance with the word of the Lord, on their shoulders with the poles on them.

David said to the captains of the Levites to stand their brethren the singers with the musical instruments, lyres, harps, and cymbals, playing loudly with joy.

The Levites set as singer, Heiman son of Yoel, and from his brethren, Asaf son of Berekhyahu; and from the sons of Merari their brethren, Eitan son of Kushayahu; these individuals might be the psalmists Heiman, Asaf, and Eitan.

Those were the chief singers, and with them their brethren of the second rank: Zekharyahu, Ben, and Yaaziel, and Shemiramot, and Yehiel, and Uni, Eliav, and Benayahu, and Maaseyahu, and Matityahu, and Elifelehu, and Mikneyahu, and Oved Edom, and Ye’iel, who were the gatekeepers.

The singers, Heiman, Asaf, and Eitan, were designated for playing bronze cymbals;

Zekharya, Aziel, Shemiramot, Yehiel, Uni, Eliav, Maaseyahu, and Benayahu, who generally served as gatekeepers, played music in this procession, and were with lyres on alamot, either another type of musical instrument, or perhaps lyres, which were generally played by young women [alamot];

Matityahu, Elifelehu, Mikneyahu, Oved Edom, Ye’iel, and Azazyahu, were with harps on the sheminit, playing.

Kenanyahu was captain of the Levites in song. He himself did not sing, perhaps because he was too old or his voice was not pleasant; rather, he was conductor and arranger of the song, because he was an expert. He conducted the choir and arranged the singing.

Berekhya and Elkana were gatekeepers for the ark. These Levites stood alongside the ark.

Shevanyahu, Yoshafat, Netanel, Amasai, Zekharyahu, Benayahu, and Eliezer, the priests, sounded the trumpets, as they proceeded before the Ark of God; and Oved Edom and Yehiya were gatekeepers for the ark. They too walked alongside the ark, on the side of the priests.

David, and the elders of Israel, and the captains of thousands, who were walking to take up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from the house of Oved Edom, were joyful. The ark was transported from the house of Oved Edom, who was himself a Levite, and taken up to Jerusalem in a great procession that included dignitaries and which was led by the king.

It was as God helped the Levites, carriers of the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams, in joy and thanksgiving to God that everything was progressing smoothly.

David was wrapped in a fine linen robe, an unadorned white garment, along with all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers, and Kenanya the captain of the song of the singers; upon David there was also an ephod of linen, a short cloak like an apron, fastened with a belt and perhaps supported with shoulder straps.

All Israel were taking up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord with shouts, and with the sound of a shofar, and with trumpets, and with the sounding of cymbals, and with lyres and harps.

It was as the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord came to the City of David, Mikhal daughter of Saul looked through the window, and saw King David dancing and reveling together with the entire assembly, and with the free movements of a dancer, and she despised him in her heart. He looked like a common man, and Mikhal, the daughter of a king, could not bear that conduct, which in her mind was undignified.

They brought the Ark of God and positioned it in the tent that David had pitched for it, and they presented burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.

David concluded presenting the burnt offering and the peace offering, and he blessed the people in the name of the Lord.

He distributed to each person of Israel, both men and women, a gift in honor of the great occasion of the arrival of the ark. To each person, all those present, he gave a loaf of bread; and a piece of meat [eshpar], which some say was one-sixth [shishit] of a bull [par]; and a raisin cake, a food or drink made of grapes, or a jug of wine.

He set men, appointed to a permanent position, from among the Levites before the Ark of the Lord, to be servants and to invoke [ulhazkir], or recite a song that causes the memory [mazkir] of Israel to come before God, as it were, or proclaims the deeds of God, and to thank and to praise the Lord, God of Israel. Although the Temple had not yet been built, a sanctified tent already stood; therefore, it was appropriate for men to stand alongside the ark and serve there on a permanent basis.

These were Asaf the leader, and his deputy Zekharya, and with them Ye’iel, Shemiramot, Yehiel, Matitya, Eliav, and Benayahu; Oved Edom and Ye’iel were playing on lyres and on harps, and Asaf was sounding the cymbals;

Benayahu and Yahaziel the priests were sounding with trumpets continually, before the Ark of the Covenant of God.

On that day David initiated thanking the Lord, meaning that he was the first to recite the song of thanks to God, by means of Asaf and his brethren. It is unclear whether David composed this hymn, or if he merely determined the content of the song or its framework, and one of the singers composed it.

The following verses with minor variations appear as part of a longer psalm in the book of Psalms (105): Give thanks to the Lord, call in His name; proclaim His exploits among the peoples.

Sing to Him; sing praises to Him; speak of all His wonders.

Glory in His sacred name; since Israel is God’s nation, their faith in Him and the blessings they receive from Him are the glorification of God’s name; let the heart of the seekers of the Lord rejoice when they hear all these matters.

Search for the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually.