Some leaders inspire such love and loyalty that their followers will attempt almost anything for them. David was such a leader. In today’s text, the sheer weight of names and numbers makes clear how many within Israel wanted to see David become king. Behind these details, the Chronicler invites us to see the hand of God supporting David’s rise to power (1 Chronicles 11:10; 12;18, 22).

1 Chronicles 11:10–47 lists David’s “mighty warriors”: “the Three” (vv. 18–20), “the Thirty” (v. 25) and apparently even some non-Israelites (Zelek the Ammonite, v. 39; Uriah the Hittite, v. 41; Ithmah the Moabite, v. 46). We see the fighting qualities of these men (vv. 11–14, 20–25), and also David’s care for them. When three of his men take his words too literally, David refuses to drink water for which they have risked their lives (vv. 15–19).⁴ This narrative suggests the lengths David’s men were prepared to go for him.

1 Chronicles 12 lists those who supported David before he became king: those who defected to him during Saul’s lifetime (12:1–22), and those who joined him after Saul’s death (vv. 23–40). Israelites from all 12 tribes came to him, including some from Benjamin (vv. 2–7). When he becomes king, David has a large army at his command (vv. 23–37), a force “like the army of God” (v. 22). It is fitting that today’s text closes on a note of celebration, feasting, and joy (vv. 38–40).

As in chapter 10, the Chronicler presupposes knowledge of other incidents from David’s life: 12:1–18 reminds us of David’s life on the run from Saul (1 Samuel 22–23; 27); 12:19 briefly refers to a particularly hair-raising incident before the battle of Gilboa (1 Samuel 29).

These allusions to incidents described in the books of Samuel invite us to compare the Chronicler’s account of David’s rise with that found in 1 and 2 Samuel. When we do that, we note clear differences of emphasis. The books of Samuel suggest that David had to struggle long and hard to establish himself as king (2 Samuel 1–4). Chronicles, in contrast, focuses on the end result: when David finally became king, it was with the support of all the tribes.

In the Chronicler’s day, when there was no reigning king from David’s line, this narrative of David’s rise would have expressed hope for a renewed, future kingdom of David. Christians will see today’s text as pointing forward to Jesus Christ, “great David’s greater son”, who made the kingdom of God a reality 1,000 years after David.

See also 2 Samuel 23:8–39.

⁴ The Hebrew text does not say “David longed for water and said” (NIV) but “David said longingly” (ESV). David was not complaining that he was thirsty; rather, he was expressing indignation that Bethlehem, his hometown, was in Philistine hands.