1 Chronicles 27:23
New International Version
David did not take the number of the men twenty years old or less, because the LORD had promised to make Israel as numerous as the stars in the sky.

New Living Translation
When David took his census, he did not count those who were younger than twenty years of age, because the LORD had promised to make the Israelites as numerous as the stars in heaven.

English Standard Version
David did not count those below twenty years of age, for the LORD had promised to make Israel as many as the stars of heaven.

Berean Standard Bible
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.

King James Bible
But David took not the number of them from twenty years old and under: because the LORD had said he would increase Israel like to the stars of the heavens.

New King James Version
But David did not take the number of those twenty years old and under, because the LORD had said He would multiply Israel like the stars of the heavens.

New American Standard Bible
But David did not count those twenty years of age and under, because the LORD had said He would multiply Israel as the stars of heaven.

NASB 1995
But David did not count those twenty years of age and under, because the LORD had said He would multiply Israel as the stars of heaven.

NASB 1977
But David did not count those twenty years of age and under, because the LORD had said He would multiply Israel as the stars of heaven.

Legacy Standard Bible
But David did not take up a count of those twenty years of age and under, because Yahweh had said He would multiply Israel as the stars of heaven.

Amplified Bible
But David did not count those twenty years of age and under, for the LORD had said he would multiply Israel as the stars of heaven.

Christian Standard Bible
David didn’t count the men aged twenty or under, for the LORD had said he would make Israel as numerous as the stars of the sky.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
David didn’t count the men aged 20 or under, for the LORD had said He would make Israel as numerous as the stars of heaven.

American Standard Version
But David took not the number of them from twenty years old and under, because Jehovah had said he would increase Israel like to the stars of heaven.

Contemporary English Version
When David decided to count the people of Israel, he gave orders not to count anyone under 20 years of age, because the LORD had promised long ago that Israel would have as many people as there are stars in the sky.

English Revised Version
But David took not the number of them from twenty years old and under: because the LORD had said he would increase Israel like to the stars of heaven.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
David didn't count those under 20 years old, because the LORD had promised that the people of Israel would be as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Good News Translation
King David did not take a census of the people who were under the age of twenty, because of the LORD's promise to make the people of Israel as numerous as the stars in the sky.

International Standard Version
David did not complete a census of those younger than 20 years of age, since the LORD had said he would make Israel as numerous as the stars of heaven.

Majority Standard Bible
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.

NET Bible
David did not count the males twenty years old and under, for the LORD had promised to make Israel as numerous as the stars in the sky.

New Heart English Bible
But David did not take the number of them from twenty years old and under, because the LORD had said he would increase Israel like the stars of the sky.

Webster's Bible Translation
But David took not the number of them from twenty years old and under: because the LORD had said he would increase Israel like to the stars of the heavens.

World English Bible
But David didn’t take the number of them from twenty years old and under, because Yahweh had said he would increase Israel like the stars of the sky.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
But David has not taken up their number from a son of twenty years and under, for YHWH had said [He would] multiply Israel as the stars of the heavens.

Young's Literal Translation
And David hath not taken up their number from a son of twenty years and under, for Jehovah said to multiply Israel as the stars of the heavens.

Smith's Literal Translation
And David lifted not up their number, from the son of twenty years and beneath: for Jehovah said to multiply Israel as the stars of the heavens.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
But David would not number them from twenty years old and under: because the Lord had said that he would multiply Israel like the stars of heaven.

Catholic Public Domain Version
But David was not willing to number them from twenty years old and under. For the Lord had said that he would multiply Israel like the stars of heaven.

New American Bible
David did not count those who were twenty years of age or younger, for the LORD had promised to multiply Israel like the stars of the heavens.

New Revised Standard Version
David did not count those below twenty years of age, for the LORD had promised to make Israel as numerous as the stars of heaven.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
But David did not number those twenty years old and under because the LORD had said he would increase Israel like the stars of the heavens.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And David did not take the number of them, from a son of twenty years and under, because LORD JEHOVAH said that he would multiply Israel as the stars that are in Heaven.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
But David took not the number of them from twenty years old and under; because the LORD had said He would increase Israel like to the stars of heaven.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But David took not their number from twenty years old and under: because the Lord said that he would multiply Israel as the stars of the heaven.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Leaders of the Twelve Tribes
22and over Dan was Azarel son of Jeroham. These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel. 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. 24Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the men but did not finish. For because of this census wrath came upon Israel, and the number was not entered in the Book of the Chronicles of King David.…

Cross References
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.”

Genesis 22:17
I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies.

Genesis 32:12
But You have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper, and I will make your offspring like the sand of the sea, too numerous to count.’”

Exodus 1:7
but the Israelites were fruitful and increased rapidly; they multiplied and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them.

Exodus 12:37
The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth with about 600,000 men on foot, besides women and children.

Numbers 1:46
And all those counted totaled 603,550.

Numbers 2:32
These are the Israelites, numbered according to their families. The total of those counted in the camps, by their divisions, was 603,550.

Numbers 26:1-4
After the plague had ended, the LORD said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, / “Take a census of the whole congregation of Israel by the houses of their fathers—all those twenty years of age or older who can serve in the army of Israel.” / So on the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho, Moses and Eleazar the priest issued the instruction, ...

Deuteronomy 1:10
The LORD your God has multiplied you, so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Deuteronomy 10:22
Your fathers went down to Egypt, seventy in all, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Deuteronomy 28:62
You who were as numerous as the stars in the sky will be left few in number, because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God.

2 Samuel 24:1-2
Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He stirred up David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.” / So the king said to Joab the commander of his army, who was with him, “Go now throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and register the troops, so that I may know their number.”

2 Samuel 24:10
After David had numbered the troops, his conscience was stricken and he said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg You to take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”

Psalm 147:4
He determines the number of the stars; He calls them each by name.

Isaiah 10:22
Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand of the sea, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overflowing with righteousness.


Treasury of Scripture

But David took not the number of them from twenty years old and under: because the LORD had said he would increase Israel like to the stars of the heavens.

from twenty

Numbers 1:18
And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls.

he would increase

Genesis 15:5
And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

Hebrews 11:12
Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

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Age Below Count David Heaven Heavens Increase Israel Less Multiply Numerous Promised Sky Stars Twenty
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1 Chronicles 27
1. The twelve captains for each month
16. The princes of the twelve tribes
23. The numbering of the people is hindered
25. David's several officers














Yet David did not count
This phrase highlights King David's decision to refrain from conducting a census of certain individuals. In the Hebrew context, the act of counting or taking a census was often associated with military or administrative purposes. However, it also carried spiritual implications, as it could imply a reliance on human strength rather than divine providence. David's choice here reflects a conscious decision to trust in God's promises rather than in numerical strength.

the men twenty years of age or younger
In ancient Israel, the age of twenty was significant as it marked the beginning of military service and full adult responsibilities. By not counting those under this age, David acknowledges a divine principle that values potential and future promise over immediate strength. This decision underscores a reliance on God's timing and provision, recognizing that the future of Israel rests in God's hands, not in the current military might.

because the LORD had promised
This phrase is pivotal, as it anchors David's actions in the faithfulness of God. The Hebrew word for "promised" conveys a sense of a solemn vow or covenant. David's decision is not arbitrary but is deeply rooted in the assurance of God's unchanging word. It reflects a deep trust in the divine promises that have been a cornerstone of Israel's identity and history.

to make Israel as numerous as the stars of the sky
This promise echoes the covenant God made with Abraham in Genesis 15:5, where God assured Abraham that his descendants would be as countless as the stars. This imagery of the stars serves as a powerful reminder of God's ability to fulfill His promises beyond human comprehension. It speaks to the vastness and the divine blessing upon Israel, emphasizing that their strength and future are secured not by human efforts but by God's sovereign will.

(23) But David took (Numbers 3:40, n?s?'mispar) not the number of them.--This and the next verse contain concluding remarks on the two lists communicated in 1Chronicles 27:1-22. The heading of the chapter professes that the "sons of Israel, according to their number," is the subject in hand. This appended note limits that statement to those who were above "twenty years old," that is, to those who were of the military age. The reference is undoubtedly to the census, of which 1 Chronicles 21 gave the account; and it is evident that one of the main objects of that census was the military and political organisation here so scantily and obscurely described.

Because the Lord had said he would increase Israel like to the stars of the heavens.--The reason why David restricted the census to those who were capable of bearing arms (see Genesis 15:5; Genesis 22:17). The idea implied seems to be that to attempt to number Israel would be to evince a distrust of Jehovah's faithfulness; and, perhaps, that such an attempt could not possibly succeed.

Verse 23. - The contents of this and the following verse may be supposed to be suggested by the distinct reference to the matter of number in the first verse of the chapter, and in the latter halves of the following fourteen verses, contrasting with the utter absence of any allusion to the same matter, when the whole body of the tribes and their princes are the subject, in vers. 16-22. The deeper significance of the latter part of this verse probably comes to this; that God had already given his people the proudest name for their numbers, in saying that they should be numberless, like to the stars of the heavens, and perpetually on the increase.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
David
דָוִיד֙ (ḏā·wîḏ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1732: David -- perhaps 'beloved one', a son of Jesse

did not
וְלֹא־ (wə·lō-)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

count
נָשָׂ֤א (nā·śā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take

the men
לְמִבֶּ֛ן (lə·mib·ben)
Preposition-l, Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1121: A son

aged
שָׁנָ֖ה (šā·nāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8141: A year

twenty
עֶשְׂרִ֥ים (‘eś·rîm)
Number - common plural
Strong's 6242: Twenty, twentieth

or under,
וּלְמָ֑טָּה (ū·lə·māṭ·ṭāh)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Adverb
Strong's 4295: Downward, below, beneath

because
כִּ֚י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

the LORD
יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3069: YHWH

had said that
אָמַ֣ר (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

He would make Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

as numerous
לְהַרְבּ֥וֹת (lə·har·bō·wṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct
Strong's 7235: To be or become much, many or great

as the stars
כְּכוֹכְבֵ֥י (kə·ḵō·wḵ·ḇê)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 3556: A star, a prince

of the sky.
הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃ (haš·šā·mā·yim)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky


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OT History: 1 Chronicles 27:23 But David didn't take the number (1 Chron. 1Ch iCh i Ch 1 chr 1chr)
1 Chronicles 27:22
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