1 Chronicles7

1 Chronicles 7 meticulously details the genealogies and military strengths of several Israelite tribes. It begins with Issachar, Benjamin, and Naphtali, highlighting their valiant men and numerous fighting forces. The chapter then traces the lineage of Manasseh and Ephraim, including a notable incident of Ephraim's sons being slain, before concluding with the extensive genealogies and military count of Asher.

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The Descendants of Issachar

¶ Now the sons of Issachar were, Tola, and Puah, Jashub, and Shimron, four.

And the sons of Tola; Uzzi, and Rephaiah, and Jeriel, and Jahmai, and Jibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their father's house, to wit, of Tola: they were valiant men of might in their generations; whose number was in the days of David two and twenty thousand and six hundred.

And the sons of Uzzi; Izrahiah: and the sons of Izrahiah; Michael, and Obadiah, and Joel, Ishiah, five: all of them chief men.

And with them, by their generations, after the house of their fathers, were bands of soldiers for war, six and thirty thousand men: for they had many wives and sons.

And their brethren among all the families of Issachar were valiant men of might, reckoned in all by their genealogies fourscore and seven thousand.

The Line of Benjamin

The sons of Benjamin; Bela, and Becher, and Jediael, three.

And the sons of Bela; Ezbon, and Uzzi, and Uzziel, and Jerimoth, and Iri, five; heads of the house of their fathers, mighty men of valour; and were reckoned by their genealogies twenty and two thousand and thirty and four.

And the sons of Becher; Zemira, and Joash, and Eliezer, and Elioenai, and Omri, and Jerimoth, and Abiah, and Anathoth, and Alameth. All these are the sons of Becher.

And the number of them, after their genealogy by their generations, heads of the house of their fathers, mighty men of valour, was twenty thousand and two hundred.

The sons also of Jediael; Bilhan: and the sons of Bilhan; Jeush, and Benjamin, and Ehud, and Chenaanah, and Zethan, and Tharshish, and Ahishahar.

All these the sons of Jediael, by the heads of their fathers, mighty men of valour, were seventeen thousand and two hundred soldiers, fit to go out for war and battle.

Shuppim also, and Huppim, the children of Ir, and Hushim, the sons of Aher.

The Sons of Naphtali

The sons of Naphtali; Jahziel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shallum, the sons of Bilhah.

The Families of Manasseh

The sons of Manasseh; Ashriel, whom she bare: (but his concubine the Aramitess bare Machir the father of Gilead:

And Machir took to wife the sister of Huppim and Shuppim, whose sister's name was Maachah;) and the name of the second was Zelophehad: and Zelophehad had daughters.

And Maachah the wife of Machir bare a son, and she called his name Peresh; and the name of his brother was Sheresh; and his sons were Ulam and Rakem.

And the sons of Ulam; Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh.

And his sister Hammoleketh bare Ishod, and Abiezer, and Mahalah.

And the sons of Shemida were, Ahian, and Shechem, and Likhi, and Aniam.

The Genealogy of Ephraim

¶ And the sons of Ephraim; Shuthelah, and Bered his son, and Tahath his son, and Eladah his son, and Tahath his son,

And Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son, and Ezer, and Elead, whom the men of Gath that were born in that land slew, because they came down to take away their cattle.

And Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him.

And when he went in to his wife, she conceived, and bare a son, and he called his name Beriah, because it went evil with his house.

(And his daughter was Sherah, who built Bethhoron the nether, and the upper, and Uzzensherah.)

And Rephah was his son, also Resheph, and Telah his son, and Tahan his son,

Laadan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son,

Non his son, Jehoshua his son.

And their possessions and habitations were, Bethel and the towns thereof, and eastward Naaran, and westward Gezer, with the towns thereof; Shechem also and the towns thereof, unto Gaza and the towns thereof:

And by the borders of the children of Manasseh, Bethshean and her towns, Taanach and her towns, Megiddo and her towns, Dor and her towns. In these dwelt the children of Joseph the son of Israel.

The Clans of Asher

The sons of Asher; Imnah, and Isuah, and Ishuai, and Beriah, and Serah their sister.

And the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel, who is the father of Birzavith.

And Heber begat Japhlet, and Shomer, and Hotham, and Shua their sister.

And the sons of Japhlet; Pasach, and Bimhal, and Ashvath. These are the children of Japhlet.

And the sons of Shamer; Ahi, and Rohgah, Jehubbah, and Aram.

And the sons of his brother Helem; Zophah, and Imna, and Shelesh, and Amal.

The sons of Zophah; Suah, and Harnepher, and Shual, and Beri, and Imrah,

Bezer, and Hod, and Shamma, and Shilshah, and Ithran, and Beera.

And the sons of Jether; Jephunneh, and Pispah, and Ara.

And the sons of Ulla; Arah, and Haniel, and Rezia.

All these were the children of Asher, heads of their father's house, choice and mighty men of valour, chief of the princes. And the number throughout the genealogy of them that were apt to the war and to battle was twenty and six thousand men.

Study Notes for 1 Chronicles 7

Verse 2

The Chronicler frequently emphasizes the military strength of the tribes (valiant men of might), linking the people’s vitality to their capacity for warfare and defense, a key concern for the post-exilic audience.

Verse 4

The large population and military size of Issachar are attributed directly to their fertility ('many wives and sons'), demonstrating the biblical value placed on large, effective families as the basis of national strength.

Verse 6

This list of Benjamin’s sons (Bela, Becher, Jediael) differs significantly from the list in Genesis 46:21. The Chronicler often focuses on the main clans that survived and were politically relevant in the post-exilic period, omitting others.

Verse 12

Shuppim and Huppim are difficult to place here; they appear elsewhere as sons of Benjamin (Gen. 46:21) or associated with Dan (Num. 26:42). The reference to 'Aher' (meaning 'another') may indicate a fragmented or uncertain lineage appended to the Benjamin list.

Verse 13

The genealogy of Naphtali is notably brief, listing only the four founding fathers. This brevity suggests that detailed records for this northern tribe may have been scarce or less relevant to the Chronicler's primary focus on the southern kingdom.

Verse 14

Manasseh is presented through the line of Machir, who was born to an Aramitess concubine. Machir is pivotal because he is the 'father of Gilead,' highlighting the importance of the Manassite settlement in Transjordan.

Verse 21

This passage recounts an unusual tragedy, likely referring to an early, ill-fated raid by Ephraimite clans into the coastal plain near Philistine Gath, pre-dating the main conquest. This detail emphasizes suffering within the tribal history.

Verse 23

The name Beriah means 'in trouble' or 'with evil,' serving as a memorial name commemorating the disaster where his brothers were killed (v. 21). This illustrates how clan names often served as historical markers of significant events.

Verse 24

Sherah is an important figure, credited with founding significant cities (Upper and Nether Beth-horon), which became strategic locations. The inclusion of a daughter as a city-builder is rare and highlights female leadership in this clan history.

Verse 27

This genealogy is crucial because Non is the father of Jehoshua (Joshua). The Chronicler thus embeds the greatest leader of the conquest period within the detailed lineage of the tribe of Ephraim.

Verse 28

This geographical summary emphasizes the vast and central territory held by Ephraim, ranging from Bethel in the south to Shechem and the towns around Gaza (though control over Gaza itself was temporary), defining the core of the Joseph tribes.

Verse 40

The chapter concludes by stressing the high military readiness of Asher (26,000 fighting men). The Chronicler consistently emphasizes the military capability of the northern tribes, integrating them into the unified strength of Israel.

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1 Chronicles7

The Descendants of Issachar

The Line of Benjamin

The Sons of Naphtali

The Families of Manasseh

The Genealogy of Ephraim

The Clans of Asher

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