Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Chronicles 12:8

"And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David to the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, that could handle shield and spear; whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the roes upon the mountains;" — 1 Chronicles 12:8 (ASV)

Separated themselves from the royalists of Gad, who clung to Saul.

Into the hold to (towards) the wilderness. — Perhaps the cave of Adullam (1 Samuel 22:1; 1 Samuel 22:4), or one of David’s other haunts, the wooded Mount of Hachilah (1 Samuel 23:19), or the crag of Maon, or the rocks of En-gedi (1 Samuel 23:25; 1 Samuel 23:29). “Caves and holds” are mentioned together as refuges (Judges 6:2). In the earlier period of his outlawry, David found refuge in the natural fastnesses of Judea.

Men of might. — Mighty men of valour (1 Chronicles 5:24), and valiant men of might (1 Chronicles 7:2). Hebrew: “the valiant warriors,” whose names follow.

Men of war fit for the battle. — Literally, men of service or training, i.e., veterans, for the war.

That could handle shield and buckler. — Hebrew: wielding (or presenting) shield and spear, .

Buckler (mâgên) is the reading of some old editions, but against the manuscripts, which have rômah (lance).

Whose faces were like the faces of lions. — Literally:

“And face of the lion, their face;
And like gazelles on the mountains they speed.”

The poetic style of this betrays its ancient source. The chronicler is clearly borrowing from some contemporary record (Compare David’s own description of Saul and Jonathan, 2 Samuel 1:23; and the term Ariel, lion of God, i.e., hero or champion, 1 Chronicles 11:22).

Swift as the roes. — Compare what is said of Asahel (2 Samuel 2:18).