Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Chronicles 12:40

"Moreover they that were nigh unto them, [even] as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, victuals of meal, cakes of figs, and clusters of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep in abundance: for there was joy in Israel." — 1 Chronicles 12:40 (ASV)

Those who were near them. —The tribes bordering on Judah (Septuagint οἱ ὁμοροῦντες), and even the northern tribes, contributed provisions.

Brought, were bringing.

Asses ... camels ... mules ... oxen, but not horses, were the usual beasts of burden in rocky Canaan.

Meat, meal. —Rather, food of flour.

Bunches. —Rather, cakes of raisins; masses of dried figs and raisins were, and are, a staple article of food in the East (Compare to 1 Samuel 25:18; Amos 8:11). The simple diction of the narrative, reminding us of Homer’s feasts, is a mark of its ancient origin.

1 Chronicles 13-16 form a complete section relating to the transfer of the Ark from Kirjath-jearim to its new sanctuary at Jerusalem. The continuity of the narrative is only suspended by the short parenthetic 1 Chronicles 13:0; 1 Chronicles 13:0 is closely parallel to 2 Samuel 6:1–11. The introduction, however (1 Chronicles 12:1–5), is much fuller than that of Samuel, which is condensed into one brief sentence.