1 Chronicles 21:5
in 1 Chronicles 21And Joab reported to David the total number of the troops. In all Israel there were 1,100,000 men who drew the sword, including 470,000 in Judah.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Joab gave up the sum of the numbering of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and a hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword.
KJV
And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword.
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This verse in 1 Chronicles 21
Commentary
5 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
In 2Sa 24:9 the numbers are different. The explanation there given is not so generally accepted as the supposition that the numbers have, in one passage or the other (or possibly in both), suffered corruption.
This site's exposition
the king's word prevailed
on 1 Chronicles 21:4-6
Joab's count reaches every tribe, and Chronicles gives its own total, one million one hundred thousand swordsmen in Israel and four hundred seventy thousand in Judah, figures that differ from Samuel's eight hundred thousand and five hundred thousand. Chronicles alone states why Levi and Benjamin are left out: the king's word was abominable to Joab, and the tally breaks off before those two tribes are numbered. Albert Barnes reads the differing totals as evidence of an unfinished census recorded at two different stages rather than a contradiction to be resolved.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
17 And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O L ORD my God, be on me, and on my father's house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:97%@v17
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
So large a population at this early period, considering the limited extent of the country and comparing it with the earlier census (Nu 26:1-65), is a striking proof of the fulfilment of the promise (Ge 15:5).
All they of Israel were a thousand thousand - Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand - In the parallel place, 2Sa 24:9 (note), the men of Israel are reckoned eight hundred thousand, and the men of Judah five hundred thousand.
The words behind it
26 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּתֵּ֥ן | vaiyiten | and he gave | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| יוֹאָ֛ב | yoav | Joab | H3097 → | 144 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מִסְפַּ֥ר | mispar | [the] number of | H4557 → | 134 times |
| מִפְקַד־ | mifkad- | [the] muster of | H4662 → | |
| הָעָ֖ם | haam | the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| דָּוִ֑יד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| וַיְהִ֣י | vayhi | and it was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| כָֽל־ | khol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֡ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| אֶ֣לֶף | ʾelef | one thousand | H505 → | 505 times |
| אֲלָפִים֩ | ʾalafim | thousands | H505 → | 505 times |
| וּמֵאָ֨ה | umeah | and one hundred | H3967 → | 581 times |
| אֶ֤לֶף | ʾelef | thousand | H505 → | 505 times |
| אִישׁ֙ | ʾish | man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| שֹׁ֣לֵֽף | sholef | [who] drew out | H8025 → | 25 times |
| חֶ֔רֶב | cherev | a sword | H2719 → | 413 times |
| וִֽיהוּדָ֕ה | vihudah | and Judah | H3063 → | 819 times |
| אַרְבַּע֩ | ʾarba' | four | H702 → | 318 times |
| מֵא֨וֹת | meot | hundred<s> | H3967 → | 581 times |
| וְשִׁבְעִ֥ים | veshivim | and seventy | H7657 → | |
| אֶ֛לֶף | ʾelef | thousand | H505 → | 505 times |
| אִ֖ישׁ | ʾish | man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| שֹׁ֥לֵֽף | sholef | [who] drew out | H8025 → | 25 times |
| חָֽרֶב׃ | charev | a sword | H2719 → | 413 times |
וַיִּתֵּ֥ןand he gave
vaiyitenH5414 →2011 times
יוֹאָ֛בJoab
yoavH3097 →144 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
מִסְפַּ֥ר[the] number of
misparH4557 →134 times
מִפְקַד־[the] muster of
mifkad-H4662 →
הָעָ֖םthe people
haamH5971 →1873 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
דָּוִ֑ידDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
וַיְהִ֣יand it was
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
כָֽל־all
khol-H3605 →5413 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֡לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
אֶ֣לֶףone thousand
ʾelefH505 →505 times
אֲלָפִים֩thousands
ʾalafimH505 →505 times
וּמֵאָ֨הand one hundred
umeahH3967 →581 times
אֶ֤לֶףthousand
ʾelefH505 →505 times
אִישׁ֙man
ʾishH376 →1663 times
שֹׁ֣לֵֽף[who] drew out
sholefH8025 →25 times
חֶ֔רֶבa sword
cherevH2719 →413 times
וִֽיהוּדָ֕הand Judah
vihudahH3063 →819 times
אַרְבַּע֩four
ʾarba'H702 →318 times
מֵא֨וֹתhundred<s>
meotH3967 →581 times
וְשִׁבְעִ֥יםand seventy
veshivimH7657 →
אֶ֛לֶףthousand
ʾelefH505 →505 times
אִ֖ישׁman
ʾishH376 →1663 times
שֹׁ֥לֵֽף[who] drew out
sholefH8025 →25 times
חָֽרֶב׃a sword
charevH2719 →413 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
7 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Chronicles 27:23David did not count the men aged twenty or under, because the LORD had said that He would make Israel as numerous as the stars of the sky.
it leads to
- Genesis 15:5
And the LORD took him outside and said, “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him, “So shall your offspring be.”
- 1 Chronicles 21:2–5
So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan and bring me a report, so that I may know their number.”
- Numbers 1:18
and on the first day of the second month they assembled the whole congregation and recorded their ancestry by clans and families, counting one by one the names of those twenty years of age…
- Hebrews 11:12
And so from one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
- Genesis 15:5
Through
2 Samuel 24:9And Joab reported to the king the total number of the troops. In Israel there were 800,000 men of valor who drew the sword, and in Judah there were 500,000.
it leads to
- 1 Chronicles 27:23–24
David did not count the men aged twenty or under, because the LORD had said that He would make Israel as numerous as the stars of the sky.
- 1 Chronicles 21:5–6
And Joab reported to David the total number of the troops. In all Israel there were 1,100,000 men who drew the sword, including 470,000 in Judah.
- Numbers 1:44–46
These were the men numbered by Moses and Aaron, with the assistance of the twelve leaders of Israel, each one representing his family.
- 1 Chronicles 27:23–24
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About 1 Chronicles

Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
