Bible Strands
1 Chronicles 12:38
All these men of war, arrayed for battle, came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. And all the rest of the Israelites were of one mind to make David king.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the moment after listing David’s military supporters, noting that both the previously enumerated warriors and the broader Israelite community gathered at Hebron to formally establish David as king.
The words — The Hebrew phrase בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם (be-leḇaḇ šālem) translates literally as "with a complete heart," describing the consolidated resolve of the people to crown David.
The thread — This motif of collective resolve appears in 1 Kings 8:61 regarding wholehearted devotion to God and in 2 Chronicles 30:12 where God gives the people "one heart" to obey the king's command.
Why it lands — The text states that political legitimacy required the consolidated will of the people, and it demands that readers recognize leadership transitions depend on communal alignment rather than force alone.
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
All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king.
Cross-references
- Genesis 49:8 Judah, your brothers shall praise you. Your hand shall be on the necks of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
- 1 Kings 8:61 So let your heart be fully devoted to the LORD our God, as it is this day, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments.”
- 2 Chronicles 30:12 Moreover, the power of God was on the people in Judah to give them one heart to obey the command of the king and his officials according to the word of the LORD.
- Psalms 110:3 Your people shall be willing on Your day of battle. Arrayed in holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn, to You belongs the dew of Your youth.
- Ezekiel 11:19 And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh,
- 2 Samuel 5:1 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Here we are, your own flesh and blood.
- 1 Kings 11:4 For when Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his father David had been.
- 2 Kings 20:3 “Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion; I have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
- 1 Chronicles 12:17 And David went out to meet them, saying, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free of violence, may the God of our fathers see it and judge you.”
- 1 Chronicles 12:33 From Zebulun: 50,000 fit for service, trained for battle with all kinds of weapons of war, who with one purpose were devoted to David.