1 Chronicles 7

NOw the sons of Issachar were, Tola, and Puah, Jashub called by way of contraction, Iob, Gen. 46. 13., and Shimron,... our.

And the sons of Tola; Uzzi, and Rephajah, and Jeriel, and Jahmai, Jibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their fathers house, to wit, of Tola: they were valiant men of might in their generations, whose number was in the days of David When he numbred the People, 2 Sam. 24. 1, &c., two and twenty thousand and six hundred.

And the sons For, the son: for he names bu... one Son. of Uzzi, Izrahiah: and the sons of Izrahiah; Michael, and Obadiah, and Jo... h Ishiah, five Including their father Izrahiah.: all of them chief men.

And with them by their generations, after the house of their fathers were bands of souldiers for war, six and thirty thousand men To wit, of the Posterity of Uzzi, as the other 22600, v. 2. were the Posterity of Tobah.: for they had many wives and sons.

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

The sons of Benjamin; Bela, and Becher, and Jediael, three They were Ten, Gen. 46. 21. and five of them are named, ch. 8. 1. but here only three are mentioned, either because these were most Eminent for Courage or Fruitfulness; or because the other Families were now extinct..

And the sons of Bela; Ezbon, and Uzzi, and Uzziel, and Jerimoth, and Iri, five; heads of the house of their fathers Each of them Head, or Chief, or Commander of that House or Family from which he was descended or to which he belonged. For it may seem by comparing this with ch. 8. 3, &c. that these were not the immediate sons of Belah, but his Grandchildren descended each from a several Father; and their Fathers are here omitted peradventure, because they were obscure persons, as their sons are mentioned for their Eminency., 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 Tarshish, and Ahishahar.

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

Shuppim also and Huppim Called Muppim and Huppim, Gen. 46. 21. also Hupham and Shupham, Numb. 26. 39., the children of Ir, and Hushim, the sons of Aher But divers take the Hebrew word for a Common, not Proper, Name, and render the words thus,... uther son, or the son of another Family or Tribe, to wit, of Dan, as may be gathered 1. from Gen. 46. 23. where Hushim is mentioned as the only Son of Dan, where also the word sons is used of that one Man, as it is here. 2. From the Clause of the next Verse, the sons of Bilhah, who was Mother both to Dan and Napthali. 3. Because otherwise the Genealogy of Dan is quite left out. 4. From the word another, which is used in the Hebrew Writers to design an Abominable thing which the Writer disdained to mention; whence they call a Swine, which to him was a very unclean and loathsome Creature, another thing. And it must be remembred that the Tribe of Dan had made themselves and their Memory Infamous and Detestable by that gross Idolatry, which began first and continued longest in that Tribe, Iudg. 18. For which reason many Interpreters conceive this Tribe is omitted in the numbring of the sealed Persons, Rev. 7..

The sons of Naphtali; Jahziel, and Guni, and Jazer, and Shallum, the sons i. e. The Grandchildren: for Bilhah was Iacobs Concubine, and Mother both to Napthali, the Father of these last named Persons, and to Dan. See on v. 12. of Bilhah.

The sons i. e. Grandehildren, as, v. 13. For both Ashriel and Zelophehad were the Grandchildren of Machir Son of Manasseh, Numb. 26. 29, &c. and 27. 1. of Manasseh; Ashriel, whom she bare To wit, his Wife, as may be thought, because his Concubine is here opposed to her. Or, whom he got; for the Hebrew Word yalad is sometimes used of Mens begetting, as, Gen. 5. 18, &c Compare Psal. 2. 7. But these and the following words may be otherwise rendred according to the Hebrew Text, whom his Concubine the Aramitess bare, who bare him (which Ellipses are very frequent in the Hebrew) for meeth, of, or by Machir: So this was a differing Ashriel from him named Numb. 26. 31. for that was Gileads Son, and this his Brother., (but his concubine the Aramitess bare Machir the father of Gilead A Person so called, as is manifest from v. 17. & Numb. 26. 29..

And Machir took to wise the sister Which Word is here fitly understood out of the following Clause, where it is expressed, and she is called Maachah, who also is called the wife of Machir, v. 16. of Huppim, and Shuppim, whose sisters name was Maachah) and the name of the second Of the second Son or Grandson of Machir; for so Zelophehad was, Numb. 26. 29, &c. Or, Zelophehad is here called the second, because he was the younger Brother of Ashriel, who was the eldest Son of Hepher, the Son of Gilead, the Son of Machir. was Zelophehad: and Zelophehad had daughters i. e. Only Daughters, and no Sons..

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 To wit, Ashriel and Zelophehad named, v. 14, 15. the Relative being here referred to the remoter Antecedent; as is frequent in the Hebrew. were the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh.

And his sister i. e. Gileads Sister. Hammoleketh bare Ishod, and Abiezer, and Mahalah Understand, and Shemida, out of the next Verse..

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

And the sons of Ephraim; Shuthelah, and Bered his son Either 1. the son of Shatelah; and so Tahath the son of Bered; and so the rest, which make up seven succeeding Generations. Or, 2. the son of Ephraim, and so Tahath is the son not of Bered, but of Ephraim, and so forward. And thus all these were Brethren, and Sons or Grandchildren of Ephraim living together at one time with their Father. Obj. This cannot be because then Ephraim had two sons called Shathelah, and two called Tahath. Ans. That might easily happen; either because the first Shathelah and Tahath were dead before the other two of those Names were born: or because two of them were Ephraims Sons, and two of them his Grandchildren called after their Uncles Names. For this is certain the Name of Sons is promiscuously used concerning immediate Children, and Grandchildren, and Great Grandchildren., and Tahath his son, and Eladah his son, and Tahath his son,

And Zabad his son, and Shutelah his son, and Ezer, and Elead, whom the men of Gath that were born in that land, slew This History is not recorded elsewhere in Scripture, but it is in the Ancient Hebrew Writers, though mixed with many Fables. The Philistins (one of whose Cities this Gath was) and the Egyptians were next Neighbours; and in those Ancient Times it was usual for such to make Inroads one into anothers Country, and to carry thence what Prey they could take; as we find both in Scripture and in Profane Writers. And as the Philistins had probably made such Inroads formerly into Egypt, and particularly into the Land of Goshen, which was the utmost part of Egypt bordering upon the Philistins Land; so the Israelites might requite them in the like kind: and particularly the Children of Ephraim either presuming upon their Numbers and strength; or having possibly received the greatest Injury from the Philistins in their last Invasion, might make an Attempt upon the Philistins to their own great loss; as is here related. And this seems to have happened a little before the Egyptian Persecution, and before the Reign of that new King mentioned, Exod. 1. 8. The Philistins are here called the men of Gath, either because they were Subject to the King of Gath, as afterwards that People were; or because they lived about Gath. And this Clause, that were born in that land, may be added emphatically as the motive which made them more resolute and furious in their Fight with the Ephraimites, because they fought in, and for their own Land, wherein all their wealth and concerns lay, and against those that unjustly endeavoured to turn them out of their Native Country., because they came down to take away their cattel.

And Ephraim their father Either 1. that Ephraim of whom he speaks v. 20 whose sons are here named. But that to many seems hard, especially if these several sons named v. 20, 21. be understood successively so as each Man be the Son of him who is named next and immediately before him, which seems most probable for so here are 7 successive Generations of Ephraim; which it is not likely that lived... o see; for then he must have been near 200 years old. Although it is not necessary that the Persons here said to be slain, should be that Generation which was last mentioned, but the Particle whom may belong to the other Sons of Ephraim of the Fourth, or Fifth, or Sixth Generation. Nor is the word, whom, in the Hebrew Text, which runs thus, and the men of Gath—slew them, i. e. the Sons of Ephraim in the general as they are expressed in the beginning of v. 20. without respect to this or that particular Generation. And the relative Particle, them, may be referred not unto the Persons last named, but unto some of the other and more remote persons: this being a common Observation of Hebricians, that the Relative oft belongs to the remoter Antecedent. Or, 2. Zabad the Father of the three Persons and Families last named, who might possibly have two Names, and be called both Zabad and Ephraim. Or rather the Name of Ephraim may be put patronymically (as the Learned speak) for the Son and Successor of Ephraim; who being now in Ephraims stead, the Head of the Tribe, as old Ephraim was in his Time, might well be called by the same Name. Thus Isaac is put for his Son Iacob or Israel, Amos 7. 9. and Moses for the Sons of Moses, Psal. 90. Title and David for his Son Rehoboam, 1 King. 12. 6. and for Christ, Ier. 30. 9. Ezek. 34. 23. and (as many think) Abraham for Iacob Abrahams Grandchild, Act. 7. 16. And these words, their father, seem to be added by way of distinction, to show that he meant not this of the old Ephraim, but of another, who was Father to the three Persons said to be slain, v. 21. For if he had understood this of the first Ephraim, having called these the sons of Ephraim, it might seem superfluous and tautological to tell us that Ephraim was their father. mourned many days, and his brethren i. e. his Kinsmen, as that word is frequently used. 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 i. e. His Grandchild or Great Grandchild; for such are oft called sons or daughters in Scripture. was Sherah, who built i. e. Rebuilt or repaired: which possibly she did in Ioshua's time. And this work may be... scribed to her, because these works were done either by her design or contrivance; or by her instigation and influence upon her Husband and Brethren who did it., Beth-horon the nether, and the upper, and Uzzensherah.)

And Rephah was his son, also Rezeph, and Telah his son, and Tahan his son.

Laadan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama The Head of the Tribe of Ephraim in the Wilderness, Num. 1. 10. his son,

Non his son, Jehoshuah his son.

And their possessions i. e. The Portion allotted to the Tribe of Ephraim. and habitations were Beth el Which stood in the Border of Benjamin, but belonged to Ephraim., and the towns thereof, and east-ward Naaran, and west-ward Gezer, with the towns thereof, Shechem also and the towns thereof, unto Gaza Not that of the Philistins, which belonged to another Tribe and was remote from Ephraim, but another of the same Name. Or rather Ad-azza, as it is in the Margent of our Bible; the Particle, ad, here rendred unto, being a part of the Name; for why should unto be put to this Town which is not put to any of the other? and the towns thereof.

And by the borders of the children of Manasseh, Beth shean and her towns, Tannach and her towns, Megiddo and her towns, Dor and her towns. In these dwelt the children of Joseph i. e. Of Ephraim, Iosephs eldest Son, who is sometimes called Ioseph, as has been noted before., the son of Israel.

The sons of Asher: Imnah, and Ishuah, 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 Shuah 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 Brother either of Shamer the eldest, namely Hotham: or of Aram last mentioned., Helem, Zophah, and Imnah, 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 Arah.

And the sons of Ulla Another Son of Iether, as may be gathered by the course of the Genealogy, though he be not expressed with his Brethren, v. 38. See the like defect v. 18, & 34.; Arah, and Haniel, and Reziah.

All these were the children of Asher; heads of their fathers 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 battel, was twenty and six thousand men.