Bible Strands
1 Chronicles 12:20
When David went to Ziklag, these men of Manasseh defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands in Manasseh.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Chronicler’s narrator records a historical moment during David’s flight when tribal representatives from Manasseh formally joined his forces at Ziklag.
The words — נָפְל֣וּ (na.fe.Lu) = they fell, and מִֽ/מְּנַשֶּׁ֡ה (mi./me.na.Sheh) = some of Manasseh.
The thread — This pattern of appointing capable commanders aligns with Exodus 18:21 and Deuteronomy 1:15, where leadership is structured around proven ability rather than lineage alone.
Why it lands — It requires the reader to recognize that political and military realignment in Israel’s history follows a consistent administrative principle: authority rests on verified competence and formal allegiance.
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.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
As he went to Ziklag, there fell to him of Manasseh, Adnah, and Jozabad, and Jediael, and Michael, and Jozabad, and Elihu, and Zilthai, captains of the thousands that were of Manasseh.
Cross-references
- Exodus 18:21 Furthermore, select capable men from among the people—God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
- Deuteronomy 1:15 So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them as leaders over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens, and as officers for your tribes.
- Deuteronomy 33:17 His majesty is like a firstborn bull, and his horns are like those of a wild ox. With them he will gore the nations, even to the ends of the earth. Such are the myriads of Ephraim, and such are the thousands of Manasseh.”
- 1 Samuel 29:11 So David and his men got up early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.