The Speaker's Commentary
1871–1881
A collective commentary on the whole Bible by bishops and clergy of the Church of England, edited by F. C. Cook; commissioned after a proposal in the House of Commons, hence the name.
From the work itself
The marginal reference identifies him with Amasa, David’s nephew, but it seems unlikely that David would have misdoubted a band led by his own nephew.The passionate earnestness of Amasai’s speech is strongly marked in the original, and will be better seen by omitting the words which our Version adds in italics. Here, as in Chronicles 12:8-15, we have manifestly the actual words of a very ancient record. Verse 21. The band of the rovers - See the marginal reference. Verse 23. Rather, “These are the numbers of the men, ready equipped for the host, that came to David, etc.”In the list which follows such points as(1) The large mumber sent by the trans-Jordanic tribes;(2) The large numbers from Zebulon, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan, all tribes somewhat remote, and generally speaking undistinguished;(3) The small size of the contingent from Judah, which is generally represented as numerically superior to every other tribe, and which might have been expected to be especially zealous on behalf of its own prince and tribesman; throw some doubt upon the numbers, which may be suspected of having in some instances undergone corruption.
Quoted verbatim from the library, as an answer would quote it.
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The Speaker's Commentary
Commentary · 22 parts
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