Bible Strands
1 Chronicles 12:30
From Ephraim: 20,800 mighty men of valor, famous among their own clans.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — David’s forces gather at Hebron to consolidate his kingship over all Israel. The narrator lists tribal contingents arriving to join him, beginning with the Ephraimites.
The words — The text uses בְּנֵי (be.Nei) to denote the descendants of Ephraim and גִבּוֹרֵי (gi.Bo.rei) to identify them as mighty warriors. These terms establish their lineage and martial reputation among their clans.
The thread — This tribal muster continues in 1 Chronicles 12:29 with Benjamin’s loyalists and extends to 1 Chronicles 12:31 with Manasseh’s designated fighters. The pattern records each tribe’s contribution to the unified military force.
Why it lands — The verse demands recognition that David’s authority required explicit, quantified support from rival tribal factions. It asks the reader to see how political consolidation depended on documented loyalty rather than mere claim.
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
And of the children of Ephraim twenty thousand and eight hundred, mighty men of valour, famous throughout the house of their fathers.
Cross-references
- Genesis 6:4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and afterward as well—when the sons of God had relations with the daughters of men. And they bore them children who became the mighty men of old, men of renown.