📖WEB · 1 Chronicles 27:12
What does 1 Chronicles 27:12 mean?
"The ninth captain for the ninth month was Abiezer the Anathothite, of the Benjamites: and in his division were twenty-four thousand."
— 1 Chronicles 27:12 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
The sixth captain for the sixth month was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite: and in his division were twenty-four thousand.
The seventh captain for the seventh month was Helez the Pelonite, of the children of Ephraim: and in his division were twenty-four thousand.
The eighth captain for the eighth month was Sibbecai the Hushathite, of the Zerahites: and in his division were twenty-four thousand.
The ninth captain for the ninth month was Abiezer the Anathothite, of the Benjamites: and in his division were twenty-four thousand.
The tenth captain for the tenth month was Maharai the Netophathite, of the Zerahites: and in his division were Twenty-four thousand.
The eleventh captain for the eleventh month was Benaiah the Pirathonite, of the children of Ephraim: and in his division were twenty-four thousand.
The twelfth captain for the twelfth month was Heldai the Netophathite, of Othniel: and in his division were twenty-four thousand.
Explanation
1 Chronicles 27:12 is a simple administrative notice. It tells us that Abiezer, a man from Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin, was appointed as the military commander responsible for the ninth month, and that his division consisted of twenty-four thousand men. This verse is part of a longer list (1 Chronicles 27:1-15) that names twelve captains, one for each month of the year, each leading a division of twenty-four thousand troops who rotated through service to the king.
The context is the reign of King David, and the book of 1 Chronicles was likely compiled after the Babylonian exile, addressed to the returning Jewish community, to remind them of their national and religious heritage. The Chronicler had a particular interest in showing how David organized the kingdom with order, wisdom, and attention to detail — not just in worship and temple preparations, but also in civil and military administration. Abiezer himself is a familiar name from Israel's history; an earlier Abiezer was an ancestor of Gideon (Judges 6:11), and men from Anathoth, a Levitical town in Benjamin, appear elsewhere in Scripture (Anathoth was also the hometown of the prophet Jeremiah). This particular Abiezer is also listed among David's mighty men in 2 Samuel 23:27 and 1 Chronicles 11:28, indicating he was a proven warrior chosen for this leadership role because of prior loyalty and valor.
Theologically, this verse and its surrounding list reflect the biblical conviction that God's people are to
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