1 Chronicles 11:47

Study note

Setting — The narrator lists additional warriors who joined David's forces, continuing the roster of valiant men from the preceding verse. This occurs during the historical account of David's consolidation of military support in Jerusalem.

The words — The Hebrew terms אֱלִיאֵל (Eliel), עוֹבֵד (Obed), and יַעֲשִׂיאֵל (Jaasiel) appear alongside הַמְּצֹבָיָה (ha-metsōḇāyāh), identifying one combatant as "the Mezobaite." These function as proper names and a geographic demonym within a military register.

The thread — Comparable lists of named fighters and regional affiliations appear in 1 Chronicles 12:1–40 and 2 Samuel 23:8–39. The pattern of attaching city or tribal designations to individual soldiers recurs throughout the Samuel and Chronicles accounts of David's reign.

Why it lands — The text records specific names and geographic origins to document the concrete composition of David's coalition. Readers must first acknowledge this historical inventory before considering any theological or leadership implications.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.