And his brethren by their families ,.... Either the brethren of Beerah, or the rest of the posterity of Reuben: (when the genealogy of their generations was reckoned;) either in the times of Jotham and Jeroboam, 1 Chronicles 5:17 or at the time of their captivity, as in the preceding verse: were the chief, Jehiel, and Zechariah ; these were the principals or heads of their families. read more
EXPOSITION THE SONS OF REUBEN . The tribe of Reuben is now taken third in order by the compiler, though Reuben was the first of all the sons of Israel. The distinct statements of 1 Chronicles 5:1 and 1 Chronicles 5:2 , respecting the degradation of Reuben and his loss of the rights of primogeniture, are not to be understood, however, as mentioned in any way to account for his standing third here. That Judah takes in any genealogy the first place needs no other apology than... read more
Of Jeiel, Zechariah, Bela , and Asaz nothing further is known. Shema and Joel may be those of verse 4, as above. The expression, his brethren, i.e. the brethren of Beerah, must be read generally. The intimation, when the genealogy of their generations was reckoned , is probably explained by the contents of verse 17 (of which hereafter). Aroer ( עֲרֹעֵר or עְרוֹעֵר ); a place east of the Jordan, overhanging the torrent of Arnon, which was a boundary between Moab and the... read more
1 Chronicles 5:7-8. And his brethren The other sons of Reuben, and their posterity. Were the chief Hebrew, the head: each was the head of his family. Who dwelt in Aroer, even, &c. Namely, the Reubenites, all those here before mentioned, as appears, both by the following verses, which relate to the whole tribe, and by the agreement of this description of their inheritance with that Joshua 13:15-16. read more
The eastern tribes (5:1-26)At the beginning of this section, the writer gives the reason why he listed the genealogy of Judah before that of Reuben, the firstborn. Reuben had lost his rights as the firstborn (see Genesis 35:22), so the ruling power in Israel was given to Judah instead. The firstborn’s double portion of the inheritance went to Joseph, who received two tribes in Israel (Ephraim and Manasseh). The descendants of Reuben, along with those of Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh, dwelt... read more
3. The families of Transjordan ch. 5Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh settled east of the Jordan River. Reuben would have normally been the son of Jacob through whom the greatest blessing would come since he was the first-born. However, because of his sin (1 Chronicles 5:1), God passed him over. God blessed Joseph with the double portion of the birthright. He did this by elevating Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, to equality among Jacob’s other sons, Joseph’s brothers. God’s... read more
Genealogies (continued)This chapter gives lists of the descendants of Reuben, the families of Gad, and the families of the eastern division of Manasseh.1. His birthright] This was a portion of the inheritance, twice as great as that given to each of the other sons. The two children of Joseph together received the share which, in right of birth, should have been Reuben’s, each being placed on a level with their uncles, the sons of Jacob: cp. Genesis 48:5. And the genealogy] Joseph, though... read more
(7) And his brethren by their families.—“And his fellow-tribesmen, each after his clan (Numbers 2:34), in the registration after their pedigrees, were the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah.” Jeiel was the chief of the second Reubenite clan, as Beerah of the first. Zechariah and Bela were heads of the other chief houses. It appears that these four chieftains correspond to the four divisions of Reuben mentioned in 1 Chronicles 5:3.Numbers 26:7; Numbers 26:7 says expressly that “the Hanochite, the... read more
3. Simeon, Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh CHAPTERS 4:24-5:26 1. The sons of Simeon (1 Chronicles 4:24-43 ) 2. The sons of Reuben (1 Chronicles 5:1-10 ) 3. The children of Gad and half Manasseh (1 Chronicles 5:11-26 ) The account of the Simeonites is interesting. Some of their families had increased so much that they had no pasture for their flocks. Some went then to Gedor and found fat pasture and quietness. Others went to Mount Seir, and five hundred of them smote the Amalekites. Reuben was... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Chronicles 5:1-17
We have here an extract out of the genealogies, I. Of the tribe of Reuben, where we have, 1. The reason why this tribe is thus postponed. It is confessed that Reuben was the first-born of Israel, and, upon that account, might challenge the precedency; but he forfeited his birthright by defiling his father's concubine, and was, for that, sentenced not to excel, Gen. 49:4. Sin lessens men, thrusts them down from their excellency. Seventh-commandment sins especially leave an indelible stain upon... read more