Who was Zichri in the Bible?

Zichri was a leader from the tribe of Reuben who served during the reign of King David. He is specifically mentioned as the chief officer over the Reubenites in the list of David's military and tribal administrators (1 Chronicles 27:16).

What was Zichri's role in King David's administration?

Zichri held a significant leadership position as the official in charge of the tribe of Reuben for one month each year. This was part of King David's system of 12 monthly divisions of 24,000 troops, each led by a tribal chief (1 Chronicles 27:16).

Why is Zichri mentioned in the Bible?

Zichri's mention highlights the organized structure of David's kingdom and the inclusion of all tribes, even those east of the Jordan like Reuben. His record serves to document the tribal leadership and military organization of Israel during its united monarchy.

Zichri

Old TestamentDivided MonarchyMaleLeader

Zichri was the leader of the tribe of Reuben during the reign of King David (1Ch.27.16).

Zichri

Biography

Zichri was the leader appointed over the tribe of Reuben during the administrative organization of David's kingdom as described in 1 Chronicles 27:16. David's system of tribal officers, detailed in 1 Chronicles 27, assigned a leader to each of the twelve tribes, responsible for civil administration and presumably military mustering. The Reubenites, the firstborn tribe of Israel by birth order though displaced from that honor by their ancestor's sin against Jacob, maintained their tribal identity east of the Jordan. Zichri's appointment placed him at the head of this eastern tribe, serving the king's administrative purposes. Beyond this brief reference, nothing further is recorded about his personal history, family lineage, or the specific nature of his duties as tribal leader.

Significance

Zichri's appointment as tribal leader over Reuben during David's reign illustrates the Chronicler's sustained interest in demonstrating that the kingdom of Israel was an ordered, comprehensive polity in which all twelve tribes participated. This organizational detail serves a theological purpose: it portrays David's kingdom as a unified national entity encompassing the full breadth of the covenant people, from the Mediterranean coast to the Transjordanian plains. In a postexilic context, such lists carried renewed meaning, articulating an ideal of all-Israel unity that the returnees were called to reconstitute. Zichri, however obscure, represents the local leadership structures through which royal governance translated into lived communal reality for ordinary Israelites.

Verse Appearances (1)

1Chr

1Chr 27:16

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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