And the sons of Ephraim ,.... A son of Joseph, and father of a tribe of this name, whose genealogy through five generations follows: Shuthelah, Bered, Tahath, Eladah, Tahath; the second. read more
The chief difficulty of this passage lies in reconciling the points of chronology which it forces to the surface. 1 Chronicles 7:20 , 1 Chronicles 7:21 , purport to contain the line of descent from Ephraim through his son Shu-thelah to the seventh generation, viz. to another Shuthelah. The remaining two names, Ezer and Elead, may perhaps be two brothers of the first Shuthelah, i.e. own sons of Ephraim. If it be so, these two must not be supposed to correspond with Becher and Tahan,... read more
The sons of Ephraim - The genealogy is difficult. It is perhaps best to consider Ezer and Elead 1 Chronicles 7:21 as not sons of Zabad and brothers of the second Shuthelah, but natural sons of Ephraim. The passage would then run thusly:“And the sons of Ephraim, Shuthelah (and Bered was his son, and Tahath his son and Eladah his son, and Tahath his son, and Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son) and Ezer and Elead, whom the men of Gath slew” (i. e. the settled inhabitants, as contrasted with the... 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
"And the sons of Ephraim: Shuthelah, and Bered his son, and Tahath his son, and Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son, and Ezer, and Elead, whom the men of Gath that were born in the land slew, because they came down to take away their cattle. And Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him. And he went in to his wife, and she conceived, and bare a son, and he called his name Beriah, because it went evil with his house. And his daughter was Sheerah, who built... 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
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
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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