These are the numbers of the heads of those who were armed for war, who came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of Yahweh.
Critical writers, lacking any real reason to press their denials regarding the authenticity of Chronicles, seize upon the numbers of the armed men coming to Hebron to make David king, declaring them to be unreaonable, exaggerated, "magnified,"[6] unhistorical, inaccurate, etc. To all such allegations, there is one single word: NONSENSE!  The conclusion announced by Curtis (Madsen) that, "Our chapter (this one) has no real historical worth,"[7] betrays the bias and essential ignorance of all such allegations.  Curtis pointed out that the numbers given here in  1 Chronicles 12:23-40 come to a sum total of 339,600 men.  There is nothing whatever suspicious, unreasonable, or difficult in the coming of such a crowd to Hebron for the coronation of King David.