1Ch 11-12 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for 1Chr 11:1-3: 11:1-3 David first became king of Judah at Hebron and ruled there 7½ years (3:4 ; 2 Sam 5:5 ). The Chronicler omits the account of that period (see 2 Sam 2–4 ) and focuses on David’s reign over the entire nation for 33½ years, beginning with his covenant ... with all the elders of Israel at Hebron (see 2 Sam 5:1-5 ).

Summary for 1Chr 11:1-3: 11:1-3 ^a David first became king of Judah at Hebron and ruled there 7½ years (3:4 ^b; 2 Sam 5:5 ^c). The Chronicler omits the account of that period (see 2 Sam 2–4 ^d) and focuses on David’s reign over the entire nation for 33½ years, beginning with his covenant ... with all the elders of Israel at Hebron (see 2 Sam 5:1-5 ^e).
Summary for 1Chr 11:4-9: 11:4-9 ^f David’s conquest and rebuilding of Jerusalem established it as the capital city of his reign over all Israel.
Summary for 1Chr 11:10-47: 11:10-47 ^g This account of David’s mighty warriors demonstrates that David had the support of Israel’s best and bravest men, as well as the support of all Israel (cp. 2 Sam 23:8-39 ^h). 11:10 ⁱ just as the Lord had promised: David’s kingship was God’s choice, not David’s or the people’s (cp. 11:3 ^j; 1 Sam 16:11-14 ^k).
Summary for 1Chr 11:41-47: 11:41-47 ^l Zabad ... Jaasiel: These warriors, not mentioned in the parallel passage at 2 Sam 23 ^m, were from locations east of the Jordan River. David had broad support among all the tribes of Israel as well as among foreigners.

‏ 1 Chronicles 12

Summary for 1Chr 12:1-22: 12:1-22 ⁿ Support for making David king did not begin with Saul’s demise. When Saul was king and David was a fugitive, warriors went to David and eventually became a vast camp of various tribes, representing all of Israel. Even relatives of Saul deserted to David and supported him as king (12:2 ^o). Of course, David was prudent about such deserters (12:17 ^p), making sure they were not traitors who would betray him to Saul. Before David’s actual anointing took place at Hebron, the will of the people reflected the will of God that David should become king.
Summary for 1Chr 12:23-40: 12:23-40 ^q The succession of a king was often a contentious matter, particularly when the new king represented a different family lineage. The gathering of all twelve tribes at Hebron, including some of Saul’s relatives (12:29 ^r), to confirm David’s rule showed that the animosity of the war among different tribes following Saul’s death had been overcome (12:23-37 ^s). The Chronicler stresses the unity among the tribes with the declaration that they all, without reservation, had the single purpose of making David the king over all Israel (12:38 ^t).