the stars of heaven. 24Joab the son of Zeruiah began to number, but finished not; and there came wrath for this upon Israel; neither was the number put into the account in the chronicles of king David.
25And over the king's treasuries was Azmaveth the son of Adiel: and over the treasuries in the fields, in the cities, and in the villages, and in the castles, was Jonathan the son of Uzziah: 26and over them that did the work of the field for tillage of the ground was Ezri the son of Chelub: 27and over the vineyards was Shimei the Ramathite: and over the increase of the vineyards for the wine cellars was Zabdi the Shiphmite: 28and over the olive trees and the sycomore trees that were in the lowland was Baal-hanan the Gederite: and over the cellars of oil was Joash: 29and over the herds that fed in Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite: and
24. but finished not] Cp. xxi. 6.
into the account in] A summary of the numbers of David's census is given in xxi. 5 and also (with divergences) in 2 Sam. xxiv. 9. The Chronicler probably means in the present passage that the details of the census were not entered in the official records.
the chronicles] Lit. the acts of the days; cp. Introduction, § 5.
25—31. Various Officers of the King.
Twelve different officers are named here who acted as stewards of king David's property.
25. castles] Lit. towers; cp. 2 Chr. xxvi. 10, xxvii. 4.
27. the Ramathite] The well-known Ramah was in Benjamin, but there was also a Ramah (or Ramoth) of the South (Josh. xix. 8; 1 Sam. xxx. 27) from which the epithet "Ramathite" might be derived.
the Shiphmite] The adjective is probably derived from "Siphmoth" (1 Sam. xxx. 28), the name of a place in the south of Judah. If so, we should read either "Siphmite" here, or "Shiphmoth" in 1 Sam.
28. sycomore] The fig-mulberry, a tree having leaves like mulberry-leaves, and bearing a fruit resembling figs. Cp. 2 Chr. i. 15; Amos, vii. 14.
in the lowland] Heb. Shephelah. See note on 2 Chr. i. 15 ("vale").
Gederite] i.e. inhabitant of "Geder" (Josh. xii. 13), perhaps another form of "Gederah" (ib. xv. 36). A place in the south of Judah is intended in any case. See note on xii. 4.
29. Sharon] The great maritime plain bounded on the east by the "lowland" (Shephelah). "The valleys" would probably be the depressions among the hills of the Shephelah which open out into Sharon; cp. Cant. ii. 1.
