1 Chronicles Chapter 7
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1 Chronicles Chapter 7 Verses 1-40: This chapter primarily covers the northern tribes of Israel, completing the national picture. 1 Chronicles 7:1 "Now the sons of Issachar [were], Tola, and Puah, Jashub, and Shimrom, four." The same number is given (Gen. 46:13), with a small variation of two of their names. There called Phuvah and Job, from whence so many families sprang, mentioned in (Num. 26:23), where the names are the same as here. These genealogies are dealing with one tribe at a time. Some of them have more to do with the direct genealogy that leads to Jesus than others. "Issachar" means hire, or he is hired. Issachar was Jacobs’s fifth son by Leah. Puah is called Phuvah elsewhere, and Jashub is sometimes called Job. The number of fighting men of Tola in David's time were 22,600. This shows this was not an insignificant family. There is nothing more than what we read here known about Puah. The Jashubites were started by Jashub. The Shimronites were from Shimrom, here. 1 Chronicles 7:2 "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." The eldest son of Issachar, whose posterity are only reckoned by name. "Uzzi, and Rephaiah, and Jeriel, and Jahmai, and Jibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their father's house, to wit, of Tola”: The principal man of his family. "They were valiant men of might in their generations": Famous for their courage and military exploits, though they sprang from Tola, whose name signifies "a worm"; and which name Bochart conjectures was given him by his parents, because he was so weakly that they had no hopes of raising him. And yet from him sprung such mighty men, and from them such a numerous race, as follows. "Whose number was, in the days of David, two and twenty thousand and six hundred”: Besides those of the posterity of Uzzi, afterwards mentioned. This was at the time Joab took the number of Israel, by the order of David (1 Chron. 21:5). Tola seemed to be the most prominent of Issachar's children, as far as their involvement with the other tribes. (In 2 Samuel chapter 24 verses 1 through 17), there is a little more information on the sons of Tola. 1 Chronicles 7:3 "And the sons of Uzzi; Izrahiah: and the sons of Izrahiah; Michael, and Obadiah, and Joel, Ishiah, five: all of them chief men." 1 Including his posterity. "And the sons of Izrahiah; Michael, and Obadiah, and Joel, Ishiah, five”: Together with their father, all reckoned the sons of Uzzi": “All of them chief men": In their father's house, heads of families. Izrahiah and his four children are all included in the five. This just means that Izrahiah was a chief man, as well as his sons. "Izrahiah" means Jehovah will bring forth. Verses 4-5: “Issachar’s” warriors were known for their strength and military prowess (compare Gen. 49:14; Judges 5:15), and prudence (Deut. 33:19; 1 Chron. 12:32). 1 Chronicles 7:4 "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." Companies of men of military courage and skill, who could and did go out to war upon occasion. "Six and thirty thousand men": Besides the 22,600 Tolaites (1 Chron. 7:2). "For they had many wives and sons": Having many wives, they had many sons. Polygamy was the cause of their large numbers; and that they gave into for the sake of the multiplication of Abraham's seed, according to the divine promise. These 36,000 men were in addition to the men of Tola. These are from the family of Uzzi. The explanation of why they had more soldiers, is in the verse above itself. They had more wives and children than Tola did. 1 Chronicles 7:5 "And their brethren among all the families of Issachar [were] valiant men of might, reckoned in all by their genealogies fourscore and seven thousand." As those of Puah, Jashub, and Shimron (1 Chron. 7:1). "Were men of might": Valiant and courageous. "Reckoned in all, by their genealogies, fourscore and seven thousand": That is, including with these those of Tola and Uzzi before given. All of the other sons, along with the sons of Tola and Uzzi, had 87,000 men. This is a little more than 1/10 of all the troops mentioned (in 2 Samuel 24:8-9). For our spiritual study here, it is not important just exactly how many they were. It is important to know that they grew and became a strong tribe. 2 Verses 6-12: Five “sons of Benjamin” are listed (in Num. 26:38-41; compare 8:1-2). Two of Benjamin’s grandsons (Num. 26:40), are listed among the 10 sons (descendants), of Benjamin (in Gen. 46:21). The list here contains still other differences. Biblical genealogies are extremely selective and recorded for various reasons. They are not intended to be complete. Thus, chronologies of the Bible based strictly upon genealogical lists are hazardous at best. 1 Chronicles 7:6 "[The sons] of Benjamin; Bela, and Becher, and Jediael, three." “Bela, and Becher, and Jediael, three”: Benjamin had ten sons, but three only are mentioned first; the latter of these seems to be the same with Ashbel (Gen. 46:21). Benjamin was the son of Jacob and Rachel. He was the younger brother of Joseph. Bela, the first son of Benjamin. Becher was one of the sons that came down to Egypt with his family. It is believed that he married an heiress of the Ephraimites, and began to be counted of Ephraim. "Jediael" means known of God. The tribe of “Benjamin, while not a northern tribe, is introduced here. Chapter 8 gives a more detailed description of this important tribe of Benjamin. The biblical listings of his “sons” vary. This list contains three names (8:1 lists five names; 10 names are recorded in Num. 26:38-39). Rather than indicating textual inaccuracy, such variations suggest that each list served a different function and came from a different source. This list, for example, seems to be related to military purposes. 1 Chronicles 7:7 "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 valor; and were reckoned by their genealogies twenty and two thousand and thirty and four." These are thought by some to be the grandsons of Bela, because of the different names in (1 Chron. 8:3). "Heads of the house of their fathers, mighty men of valor": Principal men in their tribe and families, and of great courage. "And were reckoned by their genealogies twenty and two thousand and thirty and four": Who sprung from these men. We find that the valor of the men, spoken of in all of these verses, seems to pertain to their ability to fight. Benjamin's tribe is spoken of as siding in with Judah, instead of the other ten, when the ten tribes break away from the twelve. Some believe that these were not all actual sons, but leaders of the families. That is not an issue here. We will not belabor the point. We will just assume they are sons who are heads of the families, and go on. 3 1 Chronicles 7:8 "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." Another son of Benjamin (1 Chron. 7:6). "Zemira, and Joash, and Eliezer and Elioenai, and Omri, and Jerimoth, and Abiah, and Anathoth, and Alameth": The two last of these, according to Kimchi, gave names to two cities in Benjamin, built by them. Anathoth, the native place of Jeremiah the prophet, and Alameth, the same with Bahurim (2 Sam. 16:5). "All these are the sons of Becher": before named. 1 Chronicles 7:9 "And the number of them, after their genealogy by their generations, heads of the house of their fathers, mighty men of valor, [was] twenty thousand and two hundred." Of the posterity of the sons of Becher. "After their genealogy by their generations, heads of the house of their fathers, mighty men of valor": As they increased in succeeding ages, and at the time of David. It was not unusual for a man to have 9 sons in the day that this was speaking of. Sometimes they were by one wife, but in many cases, they were by many wives. Twenty thousand two hundred speaks of a large number of men of fighting age. This means the entire family would be three to four times that many. 1 Chronicles 7:10 "The sons also of Jediael; Bilhan: and the sons of Bilhan; Jeush, and Benjamin, and Ehud, and Chenaanah, and Zethan, and Tharshish, and Ahishahar." The third son of Benjamin before mentioned (1 Chron. 7:6). "Bilhan, including his posterity, as follows: "And the sons of Bilhan; Jeush, and Benjamin": Called so after his great grandfather. "And Ehud": Who was the second judge in Israel (Judges 3:15). "And Chenaanah, and Zethan, and Tharshish, and Ahishahar": Of whom we nowhere else read.