New Defender's Study Bible Notes
27:1 Now the children of Israel. I Chronicles 27:1-15 seems to refer to David’s standing army, rotating month by month, with each monthly course consisting of 24,000 men. Although this is not stated explicitly, the implication is that each of the twelve tribes supplied one course of 24,000 men for one month each year (probably all could be called up as needed in times of war).
27:2 Jashobeam. Captain of the first course, Jashobeam, had been recognized as the first of David’s “mighty men” (I Chronicles 11:11).
27:5 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. Benaiah was also one of David’s “mighty men,” as were Asahel (I Chronicles 27:7), Abiezer (I Chronicles 27:12), Maharai (I Chronicles 27:13), Benaiah (I Chronicles 27:14) and Heldai (I Chronicles 27:15). See I Chronicles 11:24,26,28,30-31. David had appointed each of these men to be head over one of the twelve courses. Another, Dodai (I Chronicles 27:4) was the father of Eleazar, one of the three mightiest of David’s mighty men (I Chronicles 11:12).
27:16 over the tribes of Israel. These governors (the connotation of “princes”—I Chronicles 27:22) of the tribes of Israel include Elihu, David’s brother, as prince of Judah. For reasons not clear, neither Gad nor Asher is listed.
27:23 the stars of the heavens. Even though Joab only counted men over twenty years of age, and did not include the tribes of Levi or Benjamin, the number recorded was over a million fighting men, far greater in number than the stars that could be seen with the naked eye.