1 Chronicles · chapter 11 of 29
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1 Chronicles 11 tells how all Israel gathers at Hebron and anoints David king, according to the word of the Lord through Samuel. David conquers Jerusalem, then called Jebus, and makes it his city. The chapter then introduces the mighty men who supported him, including the three who broke through the Philistine camp to bring him water from the well of Bethlehem, which David poured out as an offering to the Lord.
After the death of Saul in chapter 10, the story moves straight to David. Chronicles skips the years of persecution, the civil war with the house of Saul and the first seven years in Hebron, and begins with all Israel recognizing David as king. The author wants to show a united kingdom and a city, Jerusalem, that will be the center of worship. This chapter introduces the men who made that kingdom possible.
All Israel gathers to David at Hebron and tells him that they are his bone and flesh, and that even in the time of Saul it was he who led Israel out and in. The elders make a covenant with David before the Lord and anoint him king over Israel, according to the word the Lord had spoken through Samuel.
David and all Israel go to Jerusalem, which was Jebus, where the Jebusites lived. The inhabitants mock David, but he takes the stronghold of Zion, which is the city of David. David had said that whoever first attacked the Jebusites would become chief and commander, and Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first and became chief. David settled in the stronghold and grew greater and greater, for the Lord of hosts was with him.
The rest of the chapter introduces David's mighty men. Jashobeam is named, who raised his spear against three hundred men, and Eleazar, and we are told how three of them broke through the camp of the Philistines to draw water from the well of Bethlehem. David would not drink it; he poured it out before the Lord and said it would be like drinking the blood of those men who risked their lives. Abishai and Benaiah son of Jehoiada are also mentioned, who killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day, and a long list of warriors, among whom appears Uriah the Hittite.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The elders of Israel made a covenant with David at Hebron and anointed him king according to the word of the Lord given by Samuel. The author stresses that David's reign was not only a political decision but the fulfillment of what God had said.
The Jebusites thought David would never get in, but he took the stronghold of Zion, the city of David. From here on Jerusalem will be the capital of the kingdom and the place where the ark and later the temple will stand.
David grew greater and greater because the Lord of hosts was with him. The author gives the key to his success from the start: it was not his military genius but the presence of the Lord.
Three mighty men broke through the Philistine camp and brought water from the well of Bethlehem. David would not drink it; he poured it out before the Lord and said it would be like drinking the blood of those men. He turned his thirst into an offering and honored the courage of his men.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: At Hebron. — 1 Chronicles 11:1-3
Answer: Jebus, where the Jebusites lived. — 1 Chronicles 11:4
Answer: Joab, the son of Zeruiah. — 1 Chronicles 11:6
Answer: Because the Lord of hosts was with him. — 1 Chronicles 11:9
Answer: Water from the well of Bethlehem; he poured it out before the Lord and would not drink it. — 1 Chronicles 11:17-19
Answer: He went down into a pit and killed a lion. — 1 Chronicles 11:22
This chapter shows that David's leadership rested on two things: the presence of the Lord and the loyalty of brave people. No leader moves forward alone. In church or in a small group, we can thank those who sustain the work with steady effort, and recognize that the success of a ministry has many names, not only that of the one at the front.
David's gesture with the water also teaches that what is costly is to be treated with reverence. He would not enjoy something that had cost his men a risk, and he offered it to the Lord. Ask how you can honor the sacrifices of others, such as parents, teachers or brothers and sisters who have served without being seen.
1 Chronicles 11 presents David already king, with Jerusalem as his city and mighty men at his side. The next chapter shows the other side of his rise: how people from many tribes joined him, from Ziklag to Hebron, until all Israel agreed to make him king.
Because the author already had the books of Samuel and wants to highlight the moment when all Israel united around David. His interest is in the united kingdom and in Jerusalem, the center of worship. He omits what does not serve that purpose, but he does not deny it.
They were a Canaanite people who lived in Jebus, the city later called Jerusalem. They had resisted the Israelites since the conquest of the land, and David defeated them by taking the stronghold of Zion. From then on Jerusalem was called the city of David.
Because he considered it too valuable: his men had risked their lives to bring it. By pouring it out before the Lord, he turned it into an offering and recognized that the courage of those men deserved respect and not to be used for a whim.