Number of brave warriors from the tribe of Ephraim who joined David
The number 20800 appears in 1 Chronicles 12:31, where it states that twenty thousand eight hundred brave warriors from the sons of Ephraim, notable men in their ancestral houses, joined David. This text is part of a larger listing of the tribal fighting forces who came to transfer Saul's kingdom to David in Hebron. Ephraim was one of the powerful tribes of Israel, and the number testifies to the tribe's military strength and willingness to support David's kingdom. As part of the united army, Ephraim's contribution represents a significant portion of the forces that marked the transition to David's united kingdom. Ephraim was a son of Joseph and gained a prominent position among the tribes. Jacob blessed Ephraim before his older brother Manasseh (Gen 48:14–20), which foreshadowed the tribe's future significance. The number 20800 can be factored as 2⁶ × 5² × 13. In Jewish tradition, the number 13 is sometimes associated with unity (echad, אחד, has a gematria value of 13), but there is no established tradition for attributing special numerological meaning to the combination 20800 itself. The list in 1 Chron 12 of warriors from the tribes who came to David at Hebron is considered by many historians an important source for understanding the military organization of the Israelite tribes during the early phase of the united monarchy.*