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.

1 CHRONICLES 27:23KJV
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1 Chronicles 27:23 (KJV)

What does 1 Chronicles 27:23 mean?

1 Chronicles 27:23 explains that King David did not count those in Israel who were twenty years old or younger when numbering the people, because the LORD had promised to make Israel as numerous as the stars in the sky. This shows David’s respect for God’s promise and a sense of trust in God’s ability to multiply the nation.

The verse is set during David’s organization of Israel’s military and administrative structure. The writer points out that David held back from counting the younger population, recalling God’s earlier promise to Abraham about countless descendants. This detail highlights David’s awareness of God’s word and his decision to avoid overstepping boundaries God had set.

The Hebrew behind 1 Chronicles 27:23

  • יְהוָה (YHWH, transliterated as "Yahweh" or "the LORD"): This is the personal name of God, emphasizing that the promise to multiply Israel comes directly from God Himself, not just a general hope.
  • רָבָה (ravah, "increase"): This word means to multiply or become many. Its use here connects directly to the promise God made to Abraham about his descendants being as numerous as the stars, reinforcing the idea of divine blessing rather than human achievement.
  • כּוֹכָב (kokhav, "stars"): The comparison to the stars is a vivid image of countless numbers, reminding readers of the covenant with Abraham and God’s faithfulness across generations.

Why 1 Chronicles 27:23 matters

  • This verse clarifies that David intentionally limited his census, showing sensitivity to God’s promises and perhaps avoiding the pride or presumption that could come from counting all the people.
  • It connects David’s actions to the larger biblical story, especially God’s covenant with Abraham, making clear that Israel’s growth is seen as God’s work, not just the result of human planning.
  • The verse helps explain why the census described here differs from other censuses in the Bible, highlighting the spiritual reasoning behind David’s decision.

Where else these words appear

“under” Hebrew H4295 · used in 18 verses

  • Exodus 26:24 And they shall be coupled together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto one ring: thus shall it be for them both; they shall be for the two corners.
  • Exodus 39:20 And they made two other golden rings, and put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart of it, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.
  • Proverbs 15:24 The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.

“stars” Hebrew H3556 · used in 37 verses

  • Genesis 1:16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
  • Nehemiah 4:21 So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.
  • Isaiah 13:10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

“number” Hebrew H4557 · used in 129 verses

  • Genesis 34:30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
  • Deuteronomy 32:8 When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.
  • Ezra 3:4 They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required;