And the sons of Ulla ,.... Who either was the son of Ara, last mentioned, or another son of Jether: Arah, and Haniel, and Rezia ; here ends the genealogy of Asher; the last of the tribes; Dan and Zebulun not being reckoned at all. read more
Ulla. Whether in this verse we get to the eighth generation depends on who may be meant by Ulla. It is impossible to answer the question. The suggestion has been made that the name may, by some great error of copyists, stand for either Zophah's last son Beera, or, by happier conjecture, Jether's last son, Ara. But neither professes to be anything better than mere conjecture. read more
Genealogies of the remaining tribes (7:1-8:40)Although the lists here are incomplete and in places difficult to follow, it seems that the tribes dealt with are Issachar (7:1-5), parts of Benjamin and Dan (6-12), Naphtali (13), the portion of Manasseh not listed earlier (14-19; cf. 5:23-24), Ephraim (20-29) and Asher (30-40).Benjamin is given in greater detail, possibly because it included Jerusalem in its tribal territory. Also this was the only tribe that joined Judah in the southern kingdom,... read more
5. The remaining families of Israel ch. 7The tribes the writer listed were Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Asher. Why did he omit Dan and Zebulun? The inclusion of these tribes would have resulted in a total of 14 tribes since he had counted Levi and had dealt with both halves of Manasseh separately. Evidently to keep the whole number of tribes at 12 he omitted these. [Note: John Sailhamer, First and Second Chronicles, p. 26.] Another possibility is that perhaps the tribes... read more
Genealogies (continued)This chapter traces the descendants of Issachar, Benjamin (Dan), Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Asher.2. Of Tola] The numbers given in this v. are those of Tola’s descendants by his younger sons as contrasted with his descendants through his firstborn Uzzi: 1 Chronicles 7:3, 1 Chronicles 7:4.11. By the heads of their fathers] RV ’according to the heads of their fathers’ houses’: and so elsewhere. They were divided into a number of patriarchal clans. 12. Sons of Aher]... read more
(39) The sons of Ulla.—Apparently Ulla is not connected with the foregoing genealogy. But he seems to be the same as Ara (1 Chronicles 7:38). ‘Arâ’ is a very curious form, and may be due to a copyist’s eye having wandered to Be-era at the end of last verse; ‘Ullâ’ is intelligible, and probably correct. If the identification be allowed, we get a complete concatenation from 1 Chronicles 7:30-39.Arah is in Hebrew quite different from Ara. read more
Qualification and Duty 1 Chronicles 7:11 I. 'Fit.' We must be fit for whatever the times are fit. Some have lived in controversial times; they have been fit for controversy, strong in argument, defiant in spirit, intrepid and courageous in the last degree. Others have been born in times of suffering, deprivation, persecution, and yet they may, by the mercy and lovingkindness and condescension of God, have been fit; the fight has gone out of them, but the endurance has come into their blood,... read more
5. Issachar, Naphtali, half Manasseh, Ephraim, and Asher CHAPTER 7 1. Issachar (1 Chronicles 7:1-5 ) 2. Of Benjamin (1 Chronicles 7:6-12 ) 3. Naphtali (1 Chronicles 7:13 ) 4. Half Manasseh (1 Chronicles 7:14-19 ) 5. Ephraim (1 Chronicles 7:20-29 ) 6. Asher (1 Chronicles 7:30-40 ) The other tribes are given except Dan and Zebulun, which are missing. Issachar’s had the territory between the highlands and the Jordan valley. Their warriors numbered 87,000 taken most likely from... read more
GENEALOGIES AND PEDIGREES INTRODUCTION With this begins the study of those historical books of the Old Testament written shortly after the return from the Babylonian captivity, the remainder of the series including 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. “Chronicles” means “diaries” or “journal,” and the books recapitulate sacred history from the time of Adam, in which the earlier books of the Old Testament are drawn upon and occasionally supplemented. The Holy Spirit, who is the real... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Chronicles 7:20-40
We have here an account, I. Of the tribe of Ephraim. Great things we read of that tribe when it came to maturity. Here we have an account of the disasters of its infancy, while it was in Egypt as it should seem; for Ephraim himself was alive when those things were done, which yet is hard to imagine if it were, as is here computed, seven generations off. Therefore I am apt to think that either it was another Ephraim or that those who were slain were the immediate sons of that Ephraim that was... read more