VII. THE GREAT CLANS OF ISSACHAR, BENJAMIN, NAPTHALI, WEST MANASSEH, EPHRAIM, AND ASHER. (1–5) The tribe of Issachar, its clans and their military strength. (1) NOW THE SONS OF ISSACHAR. — Heb., _and to the sons_ — _i.e.,_ “and as for the sons of Issachar, Tola, Puah, &c., four were they.” The Vat... [ Continue Reading ]
Genesis 46:21 — Bela and Becher and Ashbel, Gera and Naaman, Ehi and Rosh, Muppim and Huppim and Ard.... [ Continue Reading ]
Numbers 26:38 —... [ Continue Reading ]
1 Chronicles 8:1 — All the lists make Bela the first of Benjamin’s sons. In other respects they differ greatly. 1 Chronicles 7:6 assigns him two brothers — Éecher and Jediael. Of these, Becher occurs in Genesis 46, Jediael here only.... [ Continue Reading ]
BECHER with different vowels would mean _firstborn;_ and the original reading in Genesis 46 may have been _Bela bechoro_ — “Bela his firstborn,” as in 1 Chronicles 8:1. JEDIAEL, _friend of God,_ may be a substitute for _Ashbel,_ i.e., Eshbaal, _man of Bel_ or _Baal._ (Comp. 1 Chronicles 3:8, Eliada... [ Continue Reading ]
(6-11) The tribe of Benjamin. (6) BENJAMIN. — Before this word _bnê_ (sons of...) has been lost, because Benjamin in Hebrew begins with the same three letters. The present list of the sons of Benjamin may be compared with three others, that of Gen. xlvi 21, that of Num. xxvi 38-41, and that of the n... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE SONS OF BELA. — The names are wholly different in 1 Chronicles 8:3. The reason would seem to be that the names before us represent the chieftains and clans of Bela as they existed at a given epoch, viz., the time of David’s census. The list of 1 Chronicles 8 belongs to another period. Here,... [ Continue Reading ]
Nine sons of Becher. THE SONS OF BECHER. — See Note on 1 Chronicles 7:6. The nine Benjamite houses here enumerated might have been known as “sons of the firstborn.” They are nowhere else recorded. The remarkable name Elioenai is frequent in the Chronicles. (See 1 Chronicles 3:23; 1 Chronicles 4:36;... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE NUMBER ... — Render, “And their census (_hithyahsâm_) according to their birth-rolls, heads of their clans, valiant warriors, was 20,200.” This means that the total number of the warriors of Becher, chiefs with clans, was 20,200. “Their census:” that is, the census of the chiefs who are rega... [ Continue Reading ]
Eight sons of Jediael. BILHAN. — 1 Chronicles 1:42, a son of Seir. Perhaps an Edomite element in Benjamin. (Comp. 1 Chronicles 2:34; 1 Chronicles 4:18; 1 Chronicles 2:46, and especially the case of Caleb the Kenizzite.) JEUSH. — So Heb., margin. Text, Jeish; a son of Esau (1 Chronicles 1:35). BENJ... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL THESE THE SONS OF JEDIAEL. — Render, “All these were sons of Jediael; (according) to the heads of the clans, valiant warriors; 17,200 going out in host to the battle.” Perhaps the particle (_according to_) should be omitted. In any case, the chiefs or the clans are regarded as one with their war... [ Continue Reading ]
SHUPPIM ALSO, AND HUPPIM, THE CHILDREN OF IR. — Literally, _and Shuppim and Huppim sons of Ir; Hushim sons of Aher._ The copulative _and_ suggests that “Shuppim and Huppim” are other Benjamite clans thrown in at the end of the account. We have seen (see Note on 1 Chronicles 7:6) that Genesis 46:21 n... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SONS OF NAPHTALI. — See Numbers 26:48 _seq.,_ and Genesis 46:24, which read Jahzeel and Shillem. SONS OF BILHAH. — Dan and Naphtali were her sons (Genesis 46:25). That does not, however, prove that a reference to Dan is intended here. Both in Genesis, _50100,_ and in the present text, grandsons... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SONS OF MANASSEH. — Translate, _the sons of Manasseh, Asriel, whom his Aramean concubine bare._ (_She bare Machir, father of Gilead._) Numbers 27:1; Joshua 17:3, give the line Zelophehad has five daughters, but no sons. Numbers 26:29 gives the same line with additions thus: — This last passage... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MACHIR TOOK to WIFE. — The Hebrew cannot mean this. Translate, _now Machir took a wife of Huppim and of Shuppim_ (the two Benjamite clans of 1 Chronicles 7:12); _and the name of the first_ (read _‘ahath_)_ was Maachah, and the name of the second_ (read _shçnîth_)_ was_....” (the name is omitted)... [ Continue Reading ]
PERESH... SHERESH occur nowhere else. ULAM AND RAKEM (Rekem) were probably sons of the elder, Peresh, whose line would naturally be continued, as usual.... [ Continue Reading ]
BEDAN (_i.e., ben Dan_ “the Danite” in 1 Samuel 12:11 is a judge between Jerubbaal and Jephthah. Here a clan is meant, not a person. THESE WERE THE SONS OF GILEAD, THE SON OF MACHIR, THE SON OF MANASSEH. — These words appear to refer to a series of names which has dropped out of the text, but which... [ Continue Reading ]
SHECHEM. — See Joshua 17:2. The name points to West Manasseh. AHIAN, LIKHI, and ANIAM, are not mentioned elsewhere.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE TRIBE OF EPHRAIM (1 Chronicles 7:20). SHUTHELAH (Numbers 26:35) was head of the first of the four Ephraimitic clans (_mishpehôth_). The names of six successive chieftains of his line appear to be given in 1 Chronicles 7:20, ending with his namesake Shuthelah. It is likely, however, that these na... [ Continue Reading ]
(22-23) This is either what we should call a metaphorical description of the enfeebling of the tribe of Ephraim by the disaster which had befallen two of its chief houses, and of its subsequent recovery owing to the natural increase of its numbers, and the formation of a new and populous clan, that... [ Continue Reading ]
BECAUSE IT WENT EVIL. — Beriah is derived from a root, _bara’,_ and apparently means _gift._ Heb., _because in evil it_ (_i.e.,_ the birth of Beriah) _happened in his house._ There is an allusive play on the words _Beriah_ (“gift”) and _bera’ah_ (“in evil”) such as we often meet with in Genesis (see... [ Continue Reading ]
HIS DAUGHTER — _i.e.,_ Ephraim’s. BUILT may mean rebuilt, or restored, or fortified (Joshua 6:26; Psalms 102:16; 2 Chronicles 11:6). BETH-HORON THE NETHER, AND THE UPPER. — The two Beth-horons (Joshua 10:10) were apparently a Canaanite foundation. They are now _Beit ur et-Tahta_ and _Beit-ur el-Fa... [ Continue Reading ]
AND REPHAH HIS SON; AND RESHEPH AND TELAH HIS SON. — (Heb. text). This seems to mean that Rephah was son of Beriah. But perhaps a son of Ephraim is intended. Rephah does not occur among the sons of Ephraim (Numbers 26:35). The word “his son” (_benô_) may have fallen out after Resheph. Otherwise Resh... [ Continue Reading ]
BLISHAMA SON OF AMMIHUD was tribal prince or Emir of Ephraim in the time of Moses (Numbers 7:47).... [ Continue Reading ]
NON. — Everywhere else Nun, the father of Joshua the servant and successor of Moses. 1 Chronicles 7:25 trace his ancestry, as it would seem, through seven or eight generations to Rephah, son of Beriah or Ephraim. At 1 Chronicles 6:1 only two names are given between Levi, uncle of Ephraim, and Moses,... [ Continue Reading ]
THE BOUNDS OF EPHRAIM AND WEST MANASSEH (1 Chronicles 7:28). Comp. 1 Chronicles 6:54, sqq., where a list of the cities of the Levites is similarly added to their tribal registers. (28) AND THEIR POSSESSIONS. — Heb., _and their domain and their seats were Bethel and her daughters;_ “their domain,”... [ Continue Reading ]
THE TRIBE OF ASHER (1 Chronicles 7:30). (30, 31) THE SONS OF ASHER; IMNAH.... MALCHIEL. — This is a literal transcript of Genesis 46:17. Comp. also Numbers 26:44, where the clan (_mishpahath_) of each eponym is assigned; but the name of Isaah (Heb., _Yishwâh_) does not appear. BERIAH. — Also the n... [ Continue Reading ]
(32-34) The race of Heber (spelt differently from Heber, Abraham’s ancestor). Nothing is known of any of these families. The name Japhleti (the Japhletite) occurs as a clan (Joshua 16:3), but far away from the bounds of Asher.... [ Continue Reading ]
SHAMER (pausai form of Shemer) probably identical with Shomer, the second son of Heber (1 Chronicles 7:32). JEHUBBAH. — Heb. margin has _we-Hubbah_, “and Hubbah,” which is correct according to the prevailing form of this list (_and_ before each name). ARAM is the ordinary name of the Syrians east... [ Continue Reading ]
The branches of Helem through Zophah the elder house. Eleven names of the sons of Zophah. The second, “Harnepher,” has a name which looks like pure Egyptian: _Har nefer, “_the beauteous Horus,” or morning sun. Comp. the case of the Egyptian slave Jarha 34), and the marriage of Mered with “Pharaoh’s... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SONS OF JETHER. — Jether and Ithran (1 Chronicles 7:37) are virtually the same name, and perhaps to be identified here. This will connect 1 Chronicles 7:38 with the preceding line of the sons of Zophah. JEPHUNNEH. — The name of the father of Caleb the Kenizzite.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SONS OF ULLA. — Apparently Ulla is not connected with the foregoing genealogy. But he seems to be the same as _Ara_ (1 Chronicles 7:38). _‘Arâ’_ is a very curious form, and may be due to a copyist’s eye having wandered to _Be-era_ at the end of last verse; ‘_Ullâ_’ is intelligible, and probably... [ Continue Reading ]
The summing up of the list. “All these were sons of Asher, picked chiefs of the father-houses, valiant warriors, chiefs of the princes.” This declares that the names in the foregoing series are those of the chiefs of the different Asherite clans. They are called “choice,” picked men, _eximii,_ and c... [ Continue Reading ]