Richard Challoner — Commentary on Scripture

Adam, Sheth, Enosh,

These Books are called by the Greek interpreters, Paralipomenon, that is, of things left out, or omitted; because they are a kind of a supplement of such things as were passed over in the books of the Kings. The Hebrews call them Dibre Haijamim, that is, The words of the days, or The Chronicles.--Not that they are the books which are so often quoted in the Kings, under the title of the words of the days of the kings of Israel, and of the kings of Juda: for the books of Paralipomenon were written after the books of Kings: but because in all probability they have been abridged from those ancient words of the days, by Esdras or some other sacred writer.

Enos, means “man,” or “despairing,” or “violent.” Seth, means “placing,” “settling,” “he has placed.” Adam, who means “man,” or “of the earth,” or “needy.” Which is “man,” or “of the earth,” or “needy.”

1 Chronicles 1:2

Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered,

Jared, means descending or “holding together.” Malaleleel, means “the praised of God,” or “praising God.” Cainan means “lamentation,” or “their possession.”

1 Chronicles 1:3

Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech,

Lambech means “humility, or striking, or struck, or humble.” Who was the son of Mathusalem, means “the sending forth of death,” or “he died,” also “he asked.” Enoch is interpreted “dedication.”

1 Chronicles 1:4

Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Sem, means “a name,” or being “named.” Who was the son of Noah, means “rest.”

1 Chronicles 1:5

The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.

To Japheth the son of Noah were born seven sons who occupied land in Asia from Amanus and Taurus of Coele-Syria and the mountains of Cilicia as far as the river Don. Then in Europe they occupied land as far as Gadira, leaving behind names for places and peoples, most of which were afterwards changed: others remain as they were. So Gomer actually refers to the Galatians; Magog to the Scythians; Madai to the Medes; Javan to the Ionians who are also the Greeks (from which we get 'the Ionian Sea'); and Thubal to the Iberians who are also the Spaniards from whom derive the Celtiberians, although certain people suppose them to be the Italians. Mosoch refers to the Cappadocians, so that among themselves up to the present day their city is also called Mazeca; Thiras refers to the Thracians, whose name has not been much changed. I know that a certain man has referred Gog and Magog, both as regards the present verse and in Ezekiel, to the account of the Goths who were recently raging in our land: whether this is true is shown by the outcome of the actual battle [recorded in Ezekiel 38-9]. But…

To Japheth the son of Noah were born seven sons who occupied land in Asia from Amanus and Taurus of Coele-Syria and the mountains of Cilicia as far as the river Don. Then in Europe they occupied land as far as Gadira, leaving behind names for places and peoples, most of which were afterwards changed: others remain as they were. So Gomer actually refers to the Galatians; Magog to the Scythians; Madai to the Medes; Javan to the Ionians who are also the Greeks (from which we get 'the Ionian Sea'); and Thubal to the Iberians who are also the Spaniards from whom derive the Celtiberians, although certain people suppose them to be the Italians. Mosoch refers to the Cappadocians, so that among themselves up to the present day their city is also called Mazeca; Thiras refers to the Thracians, whose name has not been much changed. I know that a certain man has referred Gog and Magog, both as regards the present verse and in Ezekiel, to the account of the Goths who were recently raging in our land: whether this is true is shown by the outcome of the actual battle [recorded in Ezekiel 38-9]. But in fact all learned men in the past had certainly been accustomed to calling the Goths Getae rather than Gog and Magog. So these seven nations, which I have related as coming from the stock of Japheth, live in the region of the north. From the Ionians, that is from the Greeks, were born the Elisaei who are called the descendants of Aeolus; whence also the fifth language of Greece is called aeolis, which they themselves call pemptēn dialekton. Josephus thinks that Tharsis refers to the Cilicians, alleging that the aspirated letter theta has been badly corrupted into the letter tau by later individuals: consequently, their mother-city is called Tarsus, famous for the Apostle Paul. Cethim refers to the Citii, from whom the city of Citium in Cyprus is named up to the present. Dodanim are the inhabitants of Rhodes.

1 Chronicles 1:8

The sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.

Up to the present day, Ethiopia is called Chus by the Hebrews, Egypt is called Mesraim, and the Libyans Phuth. So it is, then, that up to the present day the river of Mauretania is called Phut, and all the Libyan territory round about it is called Phuthensis. Many writers, both Greek and Latin, are witnesses to this fact. Finally, Chanaan held the land which the Jews later possessed after the Chanaanites had been expelled. (St. Jerome on Hebrew Names)

1 Chronicles 1:9

And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabta, and Raamah, and Sabtecha. And the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.

The sons of Chus were Saba and Aevila, Sabatha, Regma, and Sabathaca: Saba is where the Sabaeans come from, of whom Virgil says: The incense tree belongs to the Sabaeans alone, and, elsewhere, And a hundred altars are warm with Sabaean incense. Aevila refers to the Gaetuli who are in the more distant parts of Africa and stay close to the desert. Sabatha: from this derive the Sabatheni, who are nowadays called the Astabari. But Regma and Sabathaca have little by little lost their old names, and it is not known what names they now have instead of their ancient ones. (St. Jerome on Hebrew Names)

1 Chronicles 1:10

And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be mighty upon the earth.

The sons of Regma were Saba and Dadan: Here Saba is written with the letter sin; but above it was written with samech, and we have said that because of this the Sabaeans were so called. But in the present verse Saba refers to Arabia. For in the seventy-first Psalm where we have The kings of the Arabs and Saba shall offer gifts, there is written in the Hebrew: The kings of Saba and Saba, the first word with sin, the second with samech. Dadan is a people in the western region of Ethiopia. Nimrod son of Chus was the first to seize despotic rule over the people, which men were not yet accustomed to; and he reigned in Babylon which was called Babel, because the languages of those building the tower were thrown into confusion there. For Babel signifies confusion. Then he also reigned in Arach, that is in Edissa; and in Achad, which is now called Nisibis; and in Chalanne, which was later called Seleucia after King Seleucus when its name had been changed, and which is now in actual fact called Ktēsiphōn, Ctesiphon. (St. Jerome on Hebrew Names)

1 Chronicles 1:11 · 2 passages

And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,

This prophecy partly relates to Solomon: but much more to Christ, who is called the son of David in Scripture, and who is the builder of the true temple, which is the Church, his everlasting kingdom, which shall never fail.

With the exception of the Laabim, from whom the Libyans were later given their name (they were at first called Phuthaei), and the Chasloim, who were later called Philistines (in debased form we speak of them as Palestinians), the six other nations are unknown to us, because they were overthrown in the Ethiopian war, and reached the stage where their former names were forgotten. They occupied the land from Gaza to the furthest borders of Egypt. (St. Jerome on Hebrew Names)

1 Chronicles 1:13

And Canaan begat Zidon his firstborn, and Heth,

The first-born son of Chanaan was Sidon, from whom the city in Phoenicia is named Sidon. Then there was Aracaeus, who founded Arcas, a town situated over against Tripolis at the foot of Mount Lebanon. Not far away from this was another city, Sinus by name, which was overthrown later in various chances of war and preserves the original name only as the name of the place. The Aradians are those who occupied the island of Aradus, separated by a narrow strait from the Phoenician shore. To the Samaraeans belongs Emissa, a noble city of Coele-Syria. Up to our own time Amath is still called both by Syrians and by Hebrews what it had been called by the ancients: the Macedonians, who ruled in the east after Alexander, called this city Epiphania. Some people think that it was called Antiochia. Others, although not correctly, none the less support their conjecture with a word like the right one and think that it was called Emas, the first stopping-place from Antioch for those continuing the journey to Edessa; and they think that it is the same place which was called Emath by the ancients. (St…

The first-born son of Chanaan was Sidon, from whom the city in Phoenicia is named Sidon. Then there was Aracaeus, who founded Arcas, a town situated over against Tripolis at the foot of Mount Lebanon. Not far away from this was another city, Sinus by name, which was overthrown later in various chances of war and preserves the original name only as the name of the place. The Aradians are those who occupied the island of Aradus, separated by a narrow strait from the Phoenician shore. To the Samaraeans belongs Emissa, a noble city of Coele-Syria. Up to our own time Amath is still called both by Syrians and by Hebrews what it had been called by the ancients: the Macedonians, who ruled in the east after Alexander, called this city Epiphania. Some people think that it was called Antiochia. Others, although not correctly, none the less support their conjecture with a word like the right one and think that it was called Emas, the first stopping-place from Antioch for those continuing the journey to Edessa; and they think that it is the same place which was called Emath by the ancients. (St. Jerome on Hebrew Names)

1 Chronicles 1:17

The sons of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram, and Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Meshech.

These people occupy the part of Asia from the river Euphrates to the Indian Ocean. Moreover, Elam is the one from whom the Elamite princes of Persia come. It has already been remarked before about Assur that he founded the city of Ninus. Arphaxad is the one from whom derive the Chaldeans, Lud from whom come the Lydians, and Aram from whom come the Syrians, whose mother-city is Damascus. Us, the founder of Trachonitis and Damascus, held sway between Palestine and Coele-Syria: as a result of this, the Septuagint in the book of job, where in Hebrew is written the land of Us, have translated the territory Ausitis or Usitis. Ul is the one from whom the Armenians come, and Gether the one from whom derive the Acarnanii or Carians. Finally Mes, instead of which the Septuagint have specified Mosoch, are nowadays called the Maeones. (St. Jerome on Hebrew Names)

1 Chronicles 1:18

And Arphaxad begat Shelah, and Shelah begat Eber.

Arphaxad beget Sale: Notwithstanding the veneration due to the Latin Vulgate, which is to be esteemed authentic, Cornelius a Lapide calls it a chronological problem, whether the word Cainan as found in the Septuagint and Gospel of Luke be the true reading, or whether it has slipt into the text. It is true Cainan is found in the Septuagint Genesis 10:24., Genesis 11:44., and 1 Chronicles 1:18; though, in this last place, Cornelius a Lapide says, it is wanting in one edition of the Septuagint by Sixtus V.; at least it is not read in all those places, neither in the Hebrew, nor Latin Vulgate. Some say that here in St. Luke's text, is found Cainan, because his citations are conformable to the Septuagint. Others conjecture that Cainan and Sale were only different names of one and the same person, so that the sense may be, who was of Sale, who is also Cainan.

1 Chronicles 1:19

And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg; because in his days the earth was divided: and his brother's name was Joktan.

Heber, from whom the Hebrews descended, because of a prophecy gave his son the name Phaleg which means 'division', on account of the fact that in his days the languages were divided up in Babylon. (St. Jerome On Hebrew Names)

1 Chronicles 1:32

Now the sons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine: she bare Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. And the sons of Jokshan; Sheba, and Dedan.

concubine: She was his lawful wife, but of an inferior degree.

1 Chronicles 2:1

These are the sons of Israel; Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun,

Israel: That is Jacob.

1 Chronicles 2:7

And the sons of Carmi; Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed.

Achar: Alias Achan. Jos. 7.
The anathema: The thing devoted or accursed, viz., the spoils of Jericho.

1 Chronicles 2:10

And Ram begat Amminadab; and Amminadab begat Nahshon, prince of the children of Judah;

Ram: He is commonly called Aram. But it is to be observed here, once for all, that it was a common thing among the Hebrews for the same persons to have different names: and that it is not impossible among so many proper names, as here occur in the first nine chapters of this book, that the transcribers of the ancient Hebrew copies may have made some slips in the orthography.

1 Chronicles 2:52

And Shobal the father of Kirjathjearim had sons; Haroeh, and half of the Manahethites.

He that saw: The Latin interpreter seems to have given us here, instead of the proper names, the meaning of those names in the Hebrew. He has done in like manner, ver. 55.