1 Chronicles 27:16

“PRINCES OF THE TWELVE TRIBES. (Ch1 27:16-24) over the tribes of Israel: the ruler--This is a list of the hereditary chiefs or rulers of tribes at the time of David's numbering the people. Gad and Asher are not included; for what reason is unknown. The tribe of Levi had a prince (Ch1 27:17), as well as the other tribes; and although it was ecclesiastically subject to the high priest, yet in all civil matters it had a chief or head, possessed of the same authority and power as in the other tribes, only his jurisdiction did not extend to the priests.”

“Gad and Asher are omitted from this list of the tribes. Similarly, Dan and Zebulon are omitted from the genealogical survey of the tribes 1 Chr. 4–8. We can only suppose that the lists, as they came down to the writer of Chronicles, were incomplete. The “rulers” or “princes” of the tribes appear to have been the oldest lineal descendants of the patriarchs according to the law of primogeniture. return to 'Top of Page'”

“The ruler - These were the princes of the tribes, the constant rulers of the tribes; who seem to have had a superior power to these twenty four captains, and therefore are named before them, being probably the king's chief counsellors and assistants in the great affairs of his kingdom. 1 Chronicles 27:22”

“27:16-22 The order of the tribes roughly follows Num 1:5-15: the six sons of Leah, the two sons of Rachel (the “tribe” of Joseph=Ephraim and Manasseh, followed by Benjamin), followed by the two sons of Bilhah (Dan and Naphtali). Changes from the order of that list are that Naphtali is transferred to his geographical location next to Zebulun, and the tribe of Levi is inserted at the position of Levi’s birth order, with the family of Aaron (the priests) listed separately. Absent from this list are the two sons of Zilpah (Gad and Asher).”

“Furthermore: These persons, called "princes of the tribes," in Ch1 27:22, and Ch1 28:1, appear to have been civil rulers over their several tribes, and honorary men, without pay, not unlike the lords lieutenants of our counties. In this enumeration there is no mention of the tribes of Gad and Asher, probably because they were joined to the neighbouring tribes; or perhaps, the account of these has been lost from the register. 1 Chronicles 27:17”

“The princes of the twelve tribes. - The enumeration of the tribal princes, commencing with the words, "and over the tribes of Israel," immediately follows the catalogue of the divisions of the army with their commanders, because the subjects are in so far connected as the chief management of the internal business of the people, divided as they were into tribes, was deposited in their hands. In the catalogue the tribes Gad and Asher are omitted for reasons unknown to us, just as in 1 Chron 4-7, in the genealogies of the tribes, Dan and Zebulun are. In reference to Levi, on the contrary, the Nagid of Aaron, i.e., the head of the priesthood, is named, viz., Zadok, the high priest of the family…”