Moreover Abishai the son of Zeruiah slew of the Edomites in the valley of salt eighteen thousand.

1 CHRONICLES 18:12KJV
Know the Bible

1 Chronicles 18:12 (KJV)

What does 1 Chronicles 18:12 mean?

1 Chronicles 18:12 reports that Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, killed eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. This verse highlights a significant military victory for Israel over the Edomites during King David’s reign.

The verse is part of a record describing King David’s military campaigns and the leaders who served under him. Abishai, a prominent commander and the brother of Joab, is credited here with a major victory in a specific location known as the Valley of Salt, which lay near the border between Israel and Edom. This event is one of several that established Israel’s dominance over neighboring nations at the time.

The Hebrew behind 1 Chronicles 18:12

  • אֲבִישַׁי (Avishai): This is the name Abishai, who was a key military leader and the son of Zeruiah, David’s sister. His mention here shows his importance in David’s campaigns.
  • אֱדוֹם (Edom): This word refers to the Edomites, a nation often in conflict with Israel. The defeat of Edom is a sign of Israel’s growing power.
  • גֵּיא (gei): This word means “valley,” specifically the Valley of Salt, which was a real geographic location south of the Dead Sea. Naming the location grounds the story in a specific historical and geographic context.
  • שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה אֶלֶף (shemoneh esreh elef): This phrase means “eighteen thousand,” emphasizing the scale of the victory and the size of the Edomite loss.

Why 1 Chronicles 18:12 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Abishai, not Joab, is credited with this particular victory, which differs from some other biblical accounts and highlights the roles of different leaders under David.
  • The mention of the Valley of Salt connects this event to a specific place, helping readers trace the historical and geographical reality of Israel’s expansion.
  • The scale of the victory (eighteen thousand) underscores the strength of David’s forces and the significance of this moment in establishing Israel’s dominance over its neighbors.

Where else these words appear

“Abishai” Hebrew H52 · used in 24 verses

  • 1 Samuel 26:6 Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee.
  • 2 Samuel 10:10 And the rest of the people he delivered into the hand of Abishai his brother, that he might put them in array against the children of Ammon.
  • 2 Samuel 20:6 And David said to Abishai, Now shall Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than did Absalom: take thou thy lord's servants, and pursue after him, lest he get him fenced cities, and escape us.

“Zeruiah” Hebrew H6870 · used in 25 verses

  • 1 Samuel 26:6 Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee.
  • 2 Samuel 17:25 And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab: which Amasa was a man's son, whose name was Ithra an Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab's mother.
  • 1 Kings 2:5 Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.

“salt” Hebrew H4417 · used in 26 verses

  • Genesis 14:3 All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.
  • Joshua 3:16 That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.
  • 2 Kings 2:21 And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.

“valley” Hebrew H1516 · used in 54 verses

  • Numbers 21:20 And from Bamoth in the valley, that is in the country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looketh toward Jeshimon.
  • 1 Chronicles 4:39 And they went to the entrance of Gedor, even unto the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks.
  • Jeremiah 2:23 How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways;