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1 Chronicles 8

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The Immediate Sons of Benjamin 1–5

1
And Benjamin begat Bela his first-born, Ashbel the second, and Aharah the third, ​
2
Nohah the fourth, and Rapha the fifth.
3
And Bela had sons: Addar, and Gera, and Abihud,
4
and Abishua, and Naaman, and Ahoah,
5
and Gera, and Shephuphan, and Huram.

Families Settled in Benjaminite Territory 6–27

6
And these are the sons of Ehud: these are the heads of fathers’ houses of the inhabitants of Geba, and they carried them captive to Manahath: ​
7
and Naaman, and Ahijah, and Gera, he carried them captive; and he begat Uzza and Ahihud.
8
And Shaharaim begat children in the field of Moab, after he had sent them away; Hushim and Baara were his wives. ​
9
And he begat of Hodesh his wife, Jobab, and Zibia, and Mesha, and Malcam,
10
and Jeuz, and Shachia, and Mirmah. These were his sons, heads of fathers’ houses.
11
And of Hushim he begat Abitub and Elpaal.
12
And the sons of Elpaal: Eber, and Misham, and Shemed, who built Ono and Lod, with the towns thereof; ​
13
and Beriah, and Shema, who were heads of fathers’ houses of the inhabitants of Aijalon, who put to flight the inhabitants of Gath; ​
14
and Ahio, Shashak, and Jeremoth,
15
and Zebadiah, and Arad, and Eder,
16
and Michael, and Ishpah, and Joha, the sons of Beriah,
17
and Zebadiah, and Meshullam, and Hizki, and Heber,
18
and Ishmerai, and Izliah, and Jobab, the sons of Elpaal,
19
and Jakim, and Zichri, and Zabdi,
20
and Elienai, and Zillethai, and Eliel,
21
and Adaiah, and Beraiah, and Shimrath, the sons of Shimei,
22
and Ishpan, and Eber, and Eliel,
23
and Abdon, and Zichri, and Hanan,
24
and Hananiah, and Elam, and Anthothijah,
25
and Iphdeiah, and Penuel, the sons of Shashak,
26
and Shamsherai, and Shehariah, and Athaliah,
27
and Jaareshiah, and Elijah, and Zichri, the sons of Jeroham.

Benjamite Chiefs Dwelling in Jerusalem 28–32

28
These were heads of fathers’ houses throughout their generations, chief men: these dwelt in Jerusalem. ​
29
And in Gibeon there dwelt the father of Gibeon, Jeiel, whose wife’s name was Maacah; ​
30
and his first-born son Abdon, and Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and Nadab,
31
and Gedor, and Ahio, and Zecher.
32
And Mikloth begat Shimeah. And they also dwelt with their brethren in Jerusalem, over against their brethren.

The Genealogy of King Saul 33–40

33
And Ner begat Kish; and Kish begat Saul; and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchi-shua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal. ​
34
And the son of Jonathan was Merib-baal; and Merib-baal begat Micah. ​
35
And the sons of Micah: Pithon, and Melech, and Tarea, and Ahaz.
36
And Ahaz begat Jehoaddah; and Jehoaddah begat Alemeth, and Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begat Moza.
37
And Moza begat Binea; Raphah was his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son.
38
And Azel had six sons, whose names are these: Azrikam, Bocheru, and Ishmael, and Sheariah, and Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel.
39
And the sons of Eshek his brother: Ulam his first-born, Jeush the second, and Eliphelet the third.
40
And the sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor, archers, and had many sons, and sons’ sons, a hundred and fifty. All these were of the sons of Benjamin. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for 1 Chronicles 8

Verse 1

Bela his firstborn — 'Benjamin' (Binyamin, 'son of the right hand') is the name his father gave him in place of Benoni (Gen 35:18). Bela is named first in 1 Chr 7:6 as well, and in Gen 46:21 as 'Belah'. The ordinals run on into v.2, five sons in all: Bela, Ashbel, Aharah, Nohah and Rapha.

Verse 6

heads of the fathers — The sons of Ehud led the households of Geba, a town of Benjamin (Josh 21:17). 'Removed' is galah, the verb used of exile, here for a move to Manahath; v.7 names Gera as the one who 'removed them'. A Benjamite Ehud, 'the son of Gera', is the deliverer of Judg 3:15, but this verse does not say they are the same man.

Verse 8

the country of Moab — The phrase is the one Ruth 1:1 uses of the man of Bethlehem who went 'to sojourn in the country of Moab'. Shaharaim's wives Hushim and Baara are named here, Hodesh in v.9, and v.11 gives Hushim's sons, Abitub and Elpaal, whose sons are the builders of v.12.

Verse 12

built Ono, and Lod — The sons of Elpaal, himself a son of Hushim (v.11), are credited with building the two towns 'with the towns thereof'. Both stand among Benjamin's places after the return (Neh 11:35, 'Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen'; Ezra 2:33). Lod is the Lydda of Acts 9:32, where Peter healed Aeneas.

Verse 13

drove away the inhabitants of Gath — Beriah and Shema were heads of the households of Aijalon, the valley named in Joshua's prayer, 'Moon, in the valley of Ajalon' (Josh 10:12). Barach is to make flee. Gath was the Philistine city of Goliath (1 Sam 17:4); the verse does not say when the driving out took place.

Verse 28

heads of the fathers… chief men — 'Heads' and 'chief' are the same Hebrew word, rosh, and 'generations' is toledah, descent. They 'dwelt in Jerusalem', a city where Benjamin's children had long lived beside the Jebusites (Judg 1:21), and where, in Nehemiah's day, 'the rulers of the people dwelt' (Neh 11:1).

Verse 29

the father of Gibeon — The Hebrew sets 'father' and the town's name together as one title, Abi-Gibeon; 9:35 names him: 'Jehiel, whose wife's name was Maachah'. Gibeon was given out of Benjamin (Josh 21:17) and later held 'the high place that was at Gibeon', where the tabernacle of the LORD stood (1 Chr 16:39).

Verse 33

Eshbaal — Saul's four sons are Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab and Eshbaal; the first three were slain by the Philistines (1 Sam 31:2). The fourth appears in 2 Sam 2:8 as Ishbosheth, whom Abner took and 'brought… over to Mahanaim'. Where baal stands here, Samuel has bosheth, 'shame'. The line is repeated in 9:39.

Verse 34

Meribbaal — The son of Jonathan is called Mephibosheth in 2 Sam 4:4, where he is five years old and made lame by a fall as he was carried away. As with Eshbaal and Ishbosheth, the names differ in baal and bosheth. David restored Saul's land to him and set him at his table (2 Sam 9:7); Micah is the 'Micha' of 2 Sam 9:12.

Verse 40

archers — This is darak, to tread, with qesheth, bow: a bow was strung by treading on it, so the word means those who bend the bow. Benjamin was a tribe of bowmen, who 'could use both the right hand and the left' (1 Chr 12:2). The sons of Ulam are counted at 'an hundred and fifty', sons and sons' sons.