John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.
1 Chronicles 3:1
INTRODUCTION TO 1 CHRONICLES 3
This chapter gives an account of the sons of David, born to him both in Hebron and in Jerusalem, 1Ch 3:1, and of his successors in the kingdom, to the Babylonish captivity, 1Ch 3:10, and of his family, to the coming of the Messiah, 1Ch 3:17.
Ver. 1-4 Now these were the sons of David,.... The six following born in Hebron, who are reckoned in the same order as in 2Sa 3:2, only here the second son is called Daniel, who there goes by the name of Chileab; he had two names, the reason of which see there; and here David's wife, Eglah, is said in the Targum to be Michal, Saul's daughter, See Gill on "2Sa 3:5", to which is added an account of his reign both in Hebron and Jerusalem, agreeably to 2Sa 5:5.
1 Chronicles 3:2
Ver. 2. See Gill on "1Ch 3:1".
1 Chronicles 3:3
Ver. 3. See Gill on "1Ch 3:1".
1 Chronicles 3:4
Ver. 4. See Gill on "1Ch 3:1".
1 Chronicles 3:5
Ver. 5-8. And these were born unto him in Jerusalem,.... Whose names follow, in all nine; there are but seven mentioned in 2Sa 5:14 the reason of which see in the notes there;
See Gill on "2Sa 5:14".
See Gill on "2Sa 5:15".
See Gill on "2Sa 5:16". it may be observed that Bathsheba is here called Bathshua, and her father Ammiel, whose name is Eliam in 2Sa 11:3, names of much the same signification.
1 Chronicles 3:6
Ver. 6. See Gill on "1Ch 3:5".
1 Chronicles 3:7
Ver. 7. See Gill on "1Ch 3:5".
1 Chronicles 3:8
Ver. 8. See Gill on "1Ch 3:5"
1 Chronicles 3:9
Ver. 9. These were all the sons of David,.... By his wives:
beside the sons of the concubines; who are not reckoned, and how many they were is not known; he had ten concubines at least, 2Sa 15:16 and
2Sa 20:3.
And Tamar their sister; not the sister of the sons of the concubines, but of his other sons, and only of Absalom by the mother's side, of whom see 2Sa 13:1.
1 Chronicles 3:10
Ver. 10-14. And Solomon's son was Rehoboam,.... From hence to the end of the fourteenth verse, David's successors are reckoned, according to the order of their reign, unto Josiah and his sons:
Solomon, Rehoboam, Abia, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joram, Ahaziah, Joash, Amaziah, Azariah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, in all sixteen.
1 Chronicles 3:11
Ver. 11. See Gill on "1Ch 3:10".
1 Chronicles 3:12
Ver. 12. See Gill on "1Ch 3:10".
1 Chronicles 3:13
Ver. 13. See Gill on "1Ch 3:10".
1 Chronicles 3:14
Ver. 14. See Gill on "1Ch 3:10".
1 Chronicles 3:15
Ver. 15. And the sons of Josiah were, the firstborn Johanan,.... Of whom we nowhere else read; he probably died before his father Josiah:
the second Jehoiakim: whose name was Eliakim, changed for the former by the king of Egypt, when, he deposed his younger brother, and set him on the throne, 2Ki 23:24
the third Zedekiah; whose name was Mattaniah, but changed by the king of Babylon, when he placed him on the throne in the room of his brother's son, 2Ki 24:17,
the fourth Shallum: the same with Jehoahaz, who was first made king in the room of his father; but reigning so short a time, and making so mean a figure, is mentioned last, see Jer 22:11.
1 Chronicles 3:16
Ver. 16. And the sons of Jehoiakim; Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son. This is not the Zedekiah mentioned in the preceding verse; for he was not the son but the uncle of Jeconiah, unless he should be called his son because he succeeded him in the kingdom; but he seems to be another of that name, nowhere else mentioned, and not the son of Jeconiah in any sense; he is not reckoned among them in the following verses, but of Jehoiakim.
1 Chronicles 3:17
Ver. 17. And the sons of Jeconiah,.... For though he was pronounced childless, Jer 22:30, that respects not his having no children in any sense, but none to succeed him in the kingdom:
Assir; which signifies bound, or a prisoner, because, as Kimchi thinks, he was born in a prison, his father then being a captive in Babylon; but rather it refers to Jeconiah himself, and is an appellation of him, and to be rendered,
the sons of Jeconiah the captive: which agrees best with the Hebrew accents:
Salathiel his son; the same that is called Shealtiel, Hag 1:1 who was both the proper son of Jeconiah, and who succeeded him, as some think, in the honour and dignity the king of Babylon raised him to.
1 Chronicles 3:18
Ver. 18. Malchiram also,.... That is, was a son of Jeconiah as well as Salathiel, and so the rest that follow:
and Pedaiah, and Shenazar, Jecamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah; Kimchi says these were the sons of Salathiel; but I rather think they were the sons of Jeconiah, and brethren of Salathiel, because of what follows.
1 Chronicles 3:19
Ver. 19-24. And the sons of Pedaiah were, Zerubbabel and Shimei,.... Here arises a difficulty, since elsewhere Zerubbabel is said to be the son of Shealtiel, Hag 1:1 some think this is not the same Zerubbabel here as there; so Grotius {u}; but I see no reason for that; but this difficulty may be removed by observing, that if Pedaiah was a son of Salathiel, as Kimchi thinks, then Zerubbabel, being his grandson, may be called his son, as grandsons are sometimes called sons in Scripture; or rather, Salathiel, having no children, adopted Zerubbabel, his brother's son, and made him successor in the government; so that he was the son of Pedaiah by birth, and of Salathiel by adoption; or else Salathiel dying without children, his brother Pedaiah, according to the law, married his widow, and by her had Zerubbabel, who was the proper son of Pedaiah, and the legal son of Salathiel:
and the sons of Zerubbabel; Meshullam: who is called Abiud, Mt 1:13 another son of his, with their father, is mentioned in this verse, and five more in the next. From hence to the end of the chapter, the genealogy is carried on from the captivity of Babylon, out of which Zerubbabel came, to the coming of Christ; and if Ezra was the writer of this book, as is generally thought, who was contemporary with Zerubbabel, this account must be written by another hand: and it may be observed, that it is carried on in the same number of generations as in Matthew; and here it stands thus:
Zerubbabel, Hananiah, Jesaiah, Rephaiah, Arnan, Obadiah, Shecaniah, Shemaiah, Neariah, Elioenai, Anani; in Matthew thus, "Zerubbabel, Abiud, Eliakim, Azor, Sadoc, Achim, Eliud, Eleazar, Matthan, Jacob, Joseph"; the difference in names may be accounted for by their having two names; and it is remarkable that the Targum makes Anani to be the King Messiah, who was to be revealed; which, though it makes one generation less to his time, yet plainly shows that the Jews expected the Messiah to come at the end of this genealogy, and about the time Jesus the true Messiah did. Anani is reckoned by other Jews a name of the Messiah, who is said to come in the clouds of heaven, which "Anani" signifies, See Gill on "Da 7:13".
{u} In Luc. 3.
1 Chronicles 3:20
Ver. 20. See Gill on "1Ch 3:19".
1 Chronicles 3:21
Ver. 21. See Gill on "1Ch 3:19".
1 Chronicles 3:22
Ver. 22. See Gill on "1Ch 3:19".
1 Chronicles 3:23
Ver. 23. See Gill on "1Ch 3:19".
1 Chronicles 3:24
Ver. 24. See Gill on "1Ch 3:19".
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.
1 Chronicles 4:1
INTRODUCTION TO 1 CHRONICLES 4
In this chapter is a further account of the tribe of Judah, and of some principal families in it, 1Ch 4:1 and of the tribe of Simeon, their families, cities, and villages, 1Ch 4:24 and of the enlargement of their borders, and conquest of the Amalekites, 1Ch 4:39.
Ver. 1. The sons of Judah: Pharez,.... The posterity of Judah in the line of Pharez, for he only is mentioned:
Hezron, and Carmi, and Hur, and Shobal. Hezron was the son of Pharez, and Carmi is supposed to be Chelubai, or Caleb, the son of Hezron; and Hur the son of Caleb; and Shobal was the son of the second Caleb the son of Hur; see 1Ch 2:5.
1 Chronicles 4:2
Ver. 2. And Reaiah the son of Shobal begat Jahath,.... Reaiah is the same with Haroeh, 1Ch 2:52 the names are of the same signification:
and Jahath begat Ahumai, and Lahad. These are the families of the Zorathites; who inhabited Zoreah, as the Targum, at least part of it; see 1Ch 2:53.
1 Chronicles 4:3
Ver. 3. And these were of the father of Etam,.... Or of the prince of Etam: or, as the Targum, these are princes that dwelt in Etam, a place not far from Zorah, Jud 15:8 and is mentioned with Bethlehem and Tekoa in the tribe of Judah, 2Ch 11:6, namely, which follow:
Jezreel, and Ishma, and Idbash; these were the sons of the governor of Etam:
and the name of their sister was Hazelelponi; who, perhaps, was a person of great note in those days, though now unknown; indeed, a Jewish chronologer {w} tells us, that the mother of Samson was Hazalelponith, of the tribe of Judah.
{w} Juchasin, fol. 10. 2.
1 Chronicles 4:4
Ver. 4. And Penuel the father of Gedor,.... The prince of that place, according to some, and the same with Hareph, 1Ch 2:51,
and Ezer the father of Hushah: thought to be the same with Shuah, 1Ch 4:11,
these are the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah: Caleb's wife, 1Ch 2:19 the Targum adds, the same with Miriam; and so other Jewish writers {x} say, Miriam had two names, and one was Ephratah; though Josephus makes {y} Hur to be her husband, and not her son, as here:
who was the father of Bethlehem; of the inhabitants of that city, at least part of them, or prince of that place, as his grandson Salma also was, 1Ch 2:51.
{x} Shemot Rabba, sect. 1. fol. 90. 4. Yalkut in 1 Chron. ii. 19. {y} Antiqu. l. 3. c. 2.
1 Chronicles 4:5
Ver. 5. And Ashur the father of Tekoa,.... A son of Hezron by Abiah, 1Ch 2:24
had two wives, Helah and Naarah; as Lamech had, polygamy not being reckoned unlawful in those times.
1 Chronicles 4:6
Ver. 6. And Naarah bare him Ahuzam, and Hepher, and Temeni, and Haahashtari,.... Of whom we have no account elsewhere:
these were the sons of Naarah; the second wife of Ashur.
1 Chronicles 4:7
Ver. 7. And the sons of Helah,....] The other wife:
were Zereth, and Zoar, and Ethnan: nowhere else mentioned.
1 Chronicles 4:8
Ver. 8. And Coz,.... Another son of Helah, and brother of the before mentioned:
begat Anub, and Zobebah; of whom we nowhere else read:
and the families of Aharhel, the son of Harum; these were of the posterity of Coz; the Targum is,
"and the family of Aharhel, this is Hur, the firstborn of Miriam;''
which is not at all probable.
1 Chronicles 4:9
Ver. 9. And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren,.... The Targum adds,
"and wiser in the law than his brethren;''
or he might be a man of great wealth and riches, or of great strength and courage, all which make a man honourable; or he may be so called, because a praying man, as follows, a man of devotion and religion, a man of God, see 1Sa 9:6, but who he was is not easy to say, probably a son or brother of Harum, or however that belonged to one of the families of Aharhel, mentioned in the preceding verse; for that he was Othniel, as say the Targumist and other Jewish writers {z}, is not probable, and besides is after spoken of distinct from him, 1Ch 4:13
and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, because I bare him with sorrow; either with sorrow for her husband, being dead, or by reason of very sharp pains she endured at the birth of him; he was another Benoni.
{z} T. Bab. Temurah, fol. 16. 1.
1 Chronicles 4:10
Ver. 10. And Jabez called on the God of Israel,.... Or prayed to him, as the Targum; though some understand it as a vow, promising what he would do if God would do thus and thus for him; the Syriac and Arabic versions read in the third person, taking it to be what others, his parents and friends, wished for him,
let him bless thee,.... but they are doubtless his own words, and a supplication of his to the Lord:
saying, oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed; the Targum adds, with children; but he no doubt prayed for greater blessings than any outward or temporal ones are, even spiritual blessings, covenant blessings, the sure mercies of David, which are solid, substantial, durable, and irreversible:
and enlarge my coast; the Targum is,
"multiply my borders with disciples.''
It may be understood of an enlargement of the borders of his country, by expelling the Canaanites that might dwell in it, and of an increase of his worldly substance for good ends and purposes; or rather of a spiritual enlargement by deliverance from spiritual enemies, and of grace as to exercise; and particularly of spiritual light and knowledge, and of the affections and desires of the soul after divine things, see Ps 4:1
and that thine hand might be with me; the Targum adds, in business, prospering and succeeding him; the sense may be, that his hand of providence might be with him to protect him, of grace and love to comfort and help him in every time of need, of wisdom to direct him, and of power to keep him:
and that thou wouldest keep me from evil; from the evil of affliction, and especially from the evil of sin, and from the evil one, Satan, and from all evil men and evil company; the Targum is,
"and make me companions such as I am:''
that it may not grieve me; alluding to his name Jabez, which he had from the sorrow and grief of his mother; and nothing is more grieving to a good man than the evil of sin, so contrary to the nature and will of God, being committed against a God of infinite love, grace, and mercy, whereby the name, ways, and truths of Christ are dishonoured, and the Spirit of God grieved, and saints are bereaved of much comfort; and therefore desire to be kept from it, knowing they cannot keep themselves, but the Lord can and will, at least from the tyranny of it, and destruction by it: the Targum is,
"lest the evil figment (or corruption of nature) should move or provoke me:''
and God granted him that which he requested; as he does whatever is asked in faith, according to his will, and will make for his glory, and the good of his people; see 1Jo 5:14.
1 Chronicles 4:11
Ver. 11. And Chelub the brother of Shuah begat Mehir,.... If Shuah is the same with Hushah, 1Ch 4:4, then Chelub was the son of Ezer:
which was the father of Eshton; not the prince of a place called Eshton, as Vatablus; for it is the name of a man, the son of Mehir, and who in the next verse is said to beget sons.
1 Chronicles 4:12
Ver. 12. And Eshton begat Bethrapha,.... Or the family of Rapha:
and Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Irnahash; or the city of Nahash; Tehinnah seems to have been the prince or governor of a city, so called:
these are the men of Rechah; these sons of Eshton dwelt in a place called Rechah; the Targum, without any reason, says, these are the men of the great sanhedrim.
1 Chronicles 4:13
Ver. 13. And the sons of Kenaz,.... Who was either the son of Chelub, or of Eshton:
Othniel, and Seraiah; the first of these is he who is mentioned, Jos 15:17 and was the first judge in Israel:
and the son of Othniel, Hathath; and the next mentioned.
1 Chronicles 4:14
Ver. 14. And Meonothai,.... Another son of Othniel:
begat Ophrah; and Seraiah, the brother of Othniel, begat Joab; not David's general, but another of the same name, who lived long before him, see 1Ch 2:54
the father of the valley of Charashim: of the inhabitants of the valley, or the prince of them, called the valley of craftsmen, Ne 11:35 the reason of which is here given:
for they were craftsmen; that dwelt in it, carpenters and smiths, both which the word signifies, men that wrought in stone, wood, and iron.
1 Chronicles 4:15
Ver. 15. And the sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh,.... Jephunneh is not the same with Hezron, as the Targum, but another son of Kenaz, hence called the Kenezite, Jos 14:6 and brother of Othniel; and Caleb his son is the same that was sent one of the spies of the land of Canaan by Moses, see Nu 13:6
his sons were Iru, Elah, and Naam; of whom we nowhere else read:
and the sons of Elah, even Kenaz; another Kenaz, or rather it should be read Uknaz; so Jarchi and Kimchi.
1 Chronicles 4:16
Ver. 16. And the sons of Jehaleleel,.... Who probably was the son of Uknaz:
Ziph, and Ziphah, Tiria, and Asareel; there were two cities in the tribe of Judah of the name of Ziph, Jos 15:24, which might be called from these men, or from Ziph in 1Ch 2:42.
1 Chronicles 4:17
Ver. 17. And the sons of Ezra,.... Who was perhaps the son of Asareel, last mentioned:
Jether, and Mered, and Epher, and Jalon; only one of them, Mered, is after mentioned:
and she bare Miriam; which is not the name of a woman, but of a man, as Kimchi observes; and, according to him, his mother was the wife of Mered, which he gathers from the next verse; though she seems to be the wife of Ezra, who bare him other sons:
and Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa; a prince of a city in the tribe of Judah, so called, Jos 15:50.
1 Chronicles 4:18
Ver. 18. And his wife Jehudijah,.... Another wife of Ezra; or, according to Kimchi, of Mered; a Jewess, as the word is by some rendered, to distinguish her from another wife, an Egyptian, in the latter part of the verse:
bare Jered the father of Gedor, and Heber the father of Socho, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah; who were princes, as Jarchi seems rightly to observe; of several cities of these names in the tribe of Judah, as of Gedor, see Jos 15:58, of Socoh, Jos 15:35, of Zanoah, Jos 15:34, the Targum interprets the names of all these men of Moses, whom Pharaoh's daughter brought up; and so other Jewish writers {a}, into which mistake they were led by what follows:
and these are the sons of Bithiah, the daughter of Pharaoh, which Mered took; that is, to wife; this Mered was one of the sons of Ezra, 1Ch 4:17 the Targum, and other Jewish writers {b}, say this was Caleb, called Mered, because he rebelled against the counsel of the spies; but this contradicts their other notion of Jehudijah, or Bithiah, Pharaoh's daughter, whom he married, the one who brought up Moses, since Moses was elder than Caleb; but Bithiah, whom Mered married, was not a daughter of Pharaoh king of Egypt, but of an Israelite of this name; her sons are supposed to be those in the latter part of 1Ch 4:17.
{a} T. Bab. Megillah, fol. 13. 1. Vajikra Rabba, sect. 1. fol. 146. 3. {b} T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 19. 2. & Megillah, fol. 13. 1.
1 Chronicles 4:19
Ver. 19. And the sons of his wife Hodiah,.... Another wife of Mered. Hillerus {c} takes her to be the same with Jehudijah, 1Ch 4:18, though some {d} take Hodiah to be the name of a man, and read the words, "and the sons of the wife of Hodiah"; which wife of Hodiah was
the sister of Naham; or rather Achotnaham, we render the sister of Naham, is the name of the first son of Hodiah, as some think {e}:
the father of Keilah the Garmite; prince of the city of Keilah, in the tribe of Judah, Jos 15:44 who sprung from the family of Garmi:
and Eshtemoa the Maachathite; the father or prince of the inhabitants of Eshtemoa, another city in the same tribe, see 1Ch 4:17 who sprung from Maachah, see 1Ch 2:48.
{c} Onomastic. Sacr. p. 836. {d} Michaelis in loc. {e} Beckii Not. in Targ. 1 Chron. iv. 19.
1 Chronicles 4:20
Ver. 20. And the sons of Shimon,.... Perhaps another son of Mered by his last wife, or the same with Shammai, 1Ch 4:17 were
Amnon, and Rinnah, Benhanan, and Tilon; nowhere else mentioned:
and the sons of Ishi: who it may be was the brother of Shimon or Tilon: were
Zoheth, and Benzoheth; of whom we know no more than their names.
1 Chronicles 4:21
Ver. 21. The sons of Shelah, the son of Judah, were,.... The genealogy of the posterity of Judah, in the lines of Pharez and Zerah, being given, and very largely in that of the former, because of the honour of David, and his kingdom, which sprang from thence, as Jarchi observes, and also the King Messiah, the writer returns to give an account of his posterity by Shelah, a son he had by the daughter of Shuah, Ge 38:2 and the only one that had children: which were as follow,
Er the father of Lecah: prince of a city of this name in the tribe of Judah; Shelah gave him the name of Er, in memory of his brother, Ge 38:3,
and Laadah the father of Mareshah; prince of a city of this name in the same tribe, Jos 15:44
and the families of the house of them that wrought fine linen, of the house of Ashbea; which last clause explains what house these families were of, which sprang from Shelah, and were employed in making fine linen; the Targum adds, for the garments of kings and priests, or for the curtains of the tabernacle, as Jarchi; for not with the Egyptians and Greeks only fine linen was made, but among the Hebrews, as Pausanias {f} testifies.
{f} Eliac. 1. sive, l. 5. p. 294.
1 Chronicles 4:22
Ver. 22. And Jokim,.... The Vulgate Latin version is,
and he that made the sun to stand: as if Joshua was meant; and in the Talmud it is {g} said Jokim, this is Joshua, who confirmed the oath to the Gibeonites; and the Targum here is,
"and the prophets of the scribes that sprang from the posterity of Joshua;''
but Joshua was of the tribe of Ephraim, and not of Judah; though some interpret it of Elimelech, as Lyra observes {h}, of whom the fable is, that the sun stood still at his prayers, as it did in Joshua's time, to convert the men of Bethlehem; but Jokim is no doubt the proper name of some famous man or family that descended from Shelah:
and the men of Chozeba: which signifies a lie; and the Targum interprets it of the Gibeonites, who lied to Joshua; but those were Canaanites, and not of the posterity of Shelah, and tribe of Judah; Chezib, or Achzib, a city in the tribe of Judah, very probably is meant, as Kimchi, the very place where Shelah was born, Ge 38:5 and where dwelt some of his posterity:
and Joash and Saraph, who had the dominion in Moab; some render the word, "which married in Moab"; and so the Targum interprets it of Mahlon and Chilion, who took wives of the daughters of Moab; but rather it is to be understood of some who were governors in Moab in the times of David, when Moab was subdued by him, 2Sa 8:2 or however were such, who, at one time or another, made war with Moab, and overcame them:
and Jashubilehem: which the Targumist understands of Boaz, prince of the wise men of the school of Bethlehem, and the Talmudists {i} of Ruth, that dwelt in Bethlehem; and may be interpreted of some of the inhabitants of that place which sprang from Shelah; or rather is the name of a single man, famous in his time, though not now known:
and these are ancient things; an account of persons that lived in ancient times, and which the writer of this book gives not on his own knowledge, but by tradition, or rather by inspiration.
{g} T. Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 91. 2. {h} So Heb. in Hieron. Trad. Heb. in Paralip. fol. 81. M. {i} Ut supra. (T. Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 91. 2.)
1 Chronicles 4:23
Ver. 23. These were the potters,.... Or are the potters; the posterity of those men, who were so famous in their day, are now of mean employments: some of them made earthen pots; and some of them
dwelt among plants and hedges; or were employed in planting gardens and orchards, and making fences for them; or, as others think, "dwelt in Netaim and Gadara", cities in the tribe of Judah:
there they dwelt with the king for his work; to make pots, plant gardens, and set hedges for him; either for the king of Judah, or it may be for the king of Babylon, where they were carried captive, and now chose to remain, doing those servile works for the king, without the city, in the fields.
1 Chronicles 4:24
Ver. 24. The sons of Simeon,.... The account of whom, next to the tribe of Judah, is given before Reuben, because its inheritance lay in the tribe of Judah, Jos 19:1 his sons were Nemuel, the same with Jemuel, Ge 46:10
and Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul; who, in the place referred to, is said to be the son of a Canaanitish woman; and Jarib and Zerah are the same with Jachin and Zohar there: and Obed is here omitted, it may be because he died without issue; see Nu 26:12.
1 Chronicles 4:25
Ver. 25. Shallum his son,.... The son of Shaul, and Mibsam was the son of Shallum, and Mishma the son of Mibsam.
1 Chronicles 4:26
Ver. 26. And the sons of Mishma,.... These were Hamuel, Zacchur, and Shimei.
1 Chronicles 4:27
Ver. 27. And Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters,.... None of which are mentioned by name:
but his brethren had not many children: Hamuel and Zacchur:
neither did all their family multiply like to the children of Judah: to show the fruitfulness and great increase of which tribe, the genealogical account of it, in this and the two preceding chapters, is given.
1 Chronicles 4:28
Ver. 28. And they dwelt at Beersheba,.... posterity of Simeon; and this and the other places of their habitation are mentioned in the same order, and with very little variation of names to the end of 1Ch 4:31, as in Jos 19:2 and here, at 1Ch 4:31 it is added,
these were their cities unto the reign of David; when, according to Kimchi, and other Jewish writers, he expelled them from thence, and restored them to the tribe of Judah.
1 Chronicles 4:29
Ver. 29. See Gill on "1Ch 4:28"
1 Chronicles 4:30
Ver. 30. See Gill on "1Ch 4:28"
1 Chronicles 4:31
Ver. 31. See Gill on "1Ch 4:28"
1 Chronicles 4:32
Ver. 32. And their villages were Etam, and Ain, Rimmon, and Tochen, and Ashan, five cities. There are but four mentioned in
Jos 19:7 one might be added since, or new built, namely, Tochen; these, according to Kimchi, were all that remained for them to dwell in, in the times of David; and therefore they were obliged to seek out for new settlements for themselves and flocks, as in 1Ch 4:39, &c.
1 Chronicles 4:33
Ver. 33. And all their villages that were round about the same cities, unto Baal,.... The same with Baalathbeer, Jos 19:8
these were their habitations, and their genealogy; as before described, until the times of David.
1 Chronicles 4:34
Ver. 34-37. And Meshobab, and Jamlech,.... These, with those that follow to the end of 1Ch 4:37 were famous men in the tribe of Simeon, of rank and dignity, and eminent for courage and valour, as the latter part of the chapter testifies, though they are nowhere else taken notice of. Jamlech, as Fabritius {k} observes, is not very different from Jamblichus, the name of a famous Platonic philosopher.
{k} Bibliothec. Gr. l. 4. c. 28. p. 294.
1 Chronicles 4:35
Ver. 35. See Gill on "1Ch 4:34".
1 Chronicles 4:36
Ver. 36. See Gill on "1Ch 4:34".
1 Chronicles 4:37
Ver. 37. See Gill on "1Ch 4:34".
1 Chronicles 4:38
Ver. 38. These mentioned by [their] names [were] princes in their families,.... The principal men of them, heads of their fathers' houses:
and the house of their fathers increased greatly; by them, so that they were obliged to seek out for new habitations, as follows.
1 Chronicles 4:39
Ver. 39. And they went to the entrance of Gedor,.... There was a city of this name in the tribe of Judah, 1Ch 4:18 but this seems to be further off, and perhaps is the same with Gedaris, mentioned by Strabo {l} along with Azotus and Askelon, cities that belonged to the Philistines; since it was inhabited by the posterity of Ham, of whom the Philistines were, as in the following verse:
even unto the east side of the valley; which was near to Gedor, and a suitable place:
to seek pasture for their flocks; their sheep and goats.
{l} Geograph. l. 16. p. 522.
1 Chronicles 4:40
Ver. 40. And they found fat pasture and good,.... In or near the valley of Gedor:
and the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceable; there was room enough for them and their flocks, and they had no enemies on either side to disturb them:
for [they] of Ham had dwelt there of old; either the Canaanites who descended from Canaan the son of Ham, and had never been expelled from thence; or the Philistines, who were a colony of the Egyptians, the posterity of Ham; and these inhabitants being of this cursed race, the Simeonites scrupled not to dispossess them.
1 Chronicles 4:41
Ver. 41. And these written by name,.... Before in 1Ch 4:34,
came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; as Dr. Lightfoot {m} thinks, not within the first fourteen years of his reign, when the Syrian army was abroad, and none dost peep out, but in his last fifteen years, when the army was destroyed and gone:
and smote their tents; the tents of those who dwelt there for the sake of feeding their flocks, and whose pasturage the Simeonites wanted:
and the habitations that were found there; or the Meunaim or Maonites, which the Septuagint Version here calls Mineans, a people sometimes mentioned along with the Philistines, and others: see
Jud 10:11
and destroyed them utterly unto this day: to the writing of this book; they had not then recovered their possessions:
and dwelt in their room, because there was pasture there for their flocks; which was the thing they were in search of.
{m} Works, vol. 1. p. 111.
1 Chronicles 4:42
Ver. 42. And some of them, even of the sons of Simeon, five hundred men went to Mount Seir,.... In the land of Edom:
having for their captains Pelatiah, and Neariah, and Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi; these four captains are said, by the ancient Rabbins, to be of the tribe of Manasseh, as Kimchi observes; see 1Ch 5:24 but as the five hundred they were at the head of were of the sons of Simeon, the captains, no doubt, were of the same race.
1 Chronicles 4:43
Ver. 43. And they smote the rest of the Amalekites that were escaped,.... That escaped the sword of Saul; though, according to the Jews {n}, 100,000 of them were slain by him in one day; and of the sword of David, though he is said not to leave man or woman alive, 1Sa 27:8
and dwelt there unto this day; in the cities of the Amalekites, even of the posterity of the above; who were some of the remnant of Israel, that were not carried away by the king of Assyria, and who dwelt here after the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity, even in the times of Ezra, the writer of this book; see 2Ch 34:9.
{n} Midrash Esther, fol. 93. 4.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.
1 Chronicles 5:1
INTRODUCTION TO 1 CHRONICLES 5
This chapter relates the genealogy of the tribes that lived on the other side Jordan; of the Reubenites, 1Ch 5:1, of the Gadites, 1Ch 5:11 of the half tribe of Manasseh, 1Ch 5:23 and of their war with the Hagarites, in conjunction with each other, and their conquest of them, 1Ch 5:18 and who for their sins were all carried captive by the king of Assyria, 1Ch 5:25.
Ver. 1. Now the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel,.... Are as follow in 1Ch 5:3 where the account begins; for what comes between this and that is in a parenthesis:
for he was the firstborn; of Jacob by his wife Leah; that must be owned, and Jacob allows it, Ge 49:3 and yet the genealogy in this book begins not with him, as might on that account be expected; the reason follows:
but forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed: by lying with Bilhah his concubine:
his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; his beloved son by his beloved wife Rachel and so had a double portion given him; his two sons being equally ranked with the other sons of Jacob, and became distinct tribes, and each had their lot in the land of Canaan, see Ge 48:5 compared with De 21:17
and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright; or, "but the genealogy", &c. {o}; neither after the birthright of Reuben, which he had by nature, being Jacob's firstborn; nor after the birthright of Joseph, which be had by his father's gift, as it might be thought it should; the reason of which follows.
{o} "Nee tamen", Tigurine version.
1 Chronicles 5:2
Ver. 2. For Judah prevailed above his brethren,.... That is, the tribe of Judah prevailed above the rest in number, in valour, and courage, and in dignity; wherefore the genealogy is not reckoned according to birthright, but dignity and dominion; hence this genealogical account began with Judah,
[because] of him [came] the chief ruler; David and the kings of Judah, his successors; and above all, from him the Prince Messiah was to spring, and did, according to Ge 49:10 so both the Syriac and Arabic versions read,
"out of Judah should go forth the King Messiah:''
but the birthright [was] Joseph's or "though" {p} it was; yet Judah having the dominion and dignity, that tribe is first genealogized.
{p} Licet, ibid. (Tigurine version)
1 Chronicles 5:3
Ver. 3. The sons, [I say], of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, were, Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. As in Ge 46:9.
1 Chronicles 5:4
Ver. 4,5. The sons of Joel,.... Who was either the son of Carmi last mentioned, or rather of Hanoch, Reuben's firstborn, since the descendants of him were the princes of the tribe: his posterity in succession were, Shemaiah, Cog, Shimei, Micah, Reaia, Baal, Beerah; of whom we know no more than their names, and by these the descent is carried down to the captivity by Tiglathpileser, as follows.
1 Chronicles 5:5
Ver. 5. See Gill on "1Ch 5:4".
1 Chronicles 5:6
Ver. 6. Beerah his son,.... The last of Joel's posterity, who, according to the Targum and other Jewish writers {q} was a prophet, and the father of Hosea, see Ho 1:1 but neither the name, title, time, nor tribe, agree:
whom Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria carried away captive; the same with Tiglathpileser by a transposition of letters, 2Ki 15:29 and is read the same here in the Greek, Syriac, and Arabic versions:
he [was] prince of the Reubenites; at that time; that is, Beerah was.
{q} Aben Ezra in Hos. i. 1. Pesikta apud Abarbinel. in ib.
1 Chronicles 5:7
Ver. 7. 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, 1Ch 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.
1 Chronicles 5:8
Ver. 8. And Bela the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel,.... The pedigree of Bela, another principal man in the tribe of Reuben, is traced up to Joel the father of Shema; the same with Shemaiah, according to Kimchi and Ben Melech, 1Ch 5:4
who dwelt in Aroer; which belonged to the tribe of Gad, and was rebuilt by them, Nu 32:34 wherefore Kimchi observes, it may be interpreted, either from Aroer, or on the border of it, Bela dwelt:
even unto Nebo, and Baalmeon; of which See Gill on "Nu 32:38".
1 Chronicles 5:9
Ver. 9. And eastward he inhabited,.... Either Bela, or the tribe of Reuben:
unto the entering in of the wilderness; the wilderness of Kedemoth, which was near to Sihon king of Heshbon, whose land the Reubenites inhabited, De 2:26
from the river Euphrates; a learned man {r} thinks that this river Phrat was different from the Euphrates near Babylon, which was northward, since this was to the east or southeast:
because their cattle were multiplied in the land of Gilead; therefore their habitation was extended further, even to the river Euphrates, as in the days of David and Solomon, 2Sa 8:3.
{r} Texelii Phoenix, l. 3. c. 7. p. 272.
1 Chronicles 5:10
Ver. 10. And in the days of Saul they made war with the Hagarites,.... Not with the Hungarians, as the Targum, a people not then in being; but the Ishmaelites, so called because they descended from Hagar {s}, Sarah's maid; the same that are placed by Pliny {t} and Ptolemy {u} in Arabia, near the Batanaeans, or inhabitants of Bashan; with those the Reubenites made war, in conjunction with the Gadites and half tribe of Manasseh, 1Ch 5:18, perhaps this war might be much about the time Saul relieved Jabeshgilead, and beat the Ammonites, 1Sa 11:1 by which the tribes on that side Jordan might be encouraged to it:
who fell by their hand; were worsted and conquered by them:
and they dwelt in their tents; in which the Arabians used to dwell, because of their flocks; hence some of them were called Scenites:
throughout all the east [land] of Gilead; or rather throughout all the land of the Hagarites, which lay to the east of Gilead, as the Vulgate Latin version; or otherwise the land of Gilead itself was their original possession.
{s} So David de Pomis, Lexic. fol. 45. 4. {t} Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 28. {u} Geograph. l. 5. c. 19.
1 Chronicles 5:11
Ver. 11. And the children of Gad dwelt over against them,.... Or by them, the Reubenites; and one part of Gilead was given them between them, and the other to the half tribe of Manasseh:
in the land of Bashan, unto Salcah; for though all Bashan is said to be given to the half tribe of Manasseh, De 3:13 yet that is to be understood of the greater part of it; all of that which belonged to Og, but what did not, the Gadites, either from the first, or in later times, inhabited even as far as Salcah, which was one of the cities of Og, De 3:10 and which Benjamin of Tudela {w} makes mention of, being called by the same name in his days.
{w} Itinerar. p. 57.
1 Chronicles 5:12
Ver. 12. Joel the chief,.... In this and the following verse are reckoned up the principal men in the tribe of Gad, and the chief of all was Joel, another from him in the tribe of Reuben, 1Ch 5:4
and Shapham the next; the second chief man, from whom, Reland {x} conjectures, Shophan, a city in the tribe of Gad, had its name, Nu 32:35
and Jaanai; from whom Danjaan might be called, as Michaelis intimates, 2Sa 24:6
and Shaphat in Bashan; not Shaphat the father of Elisha, according to a tradition of the Jews, mentioned by Kimchi; which is not at all probable.
{x} Palestin. Illustrat. par. 2. p. 602.
1 Chronicles 5:13
Ver. 13. And their brethren of the house of their fathers,.... Who were also men of eminence and note in them:
were, Michael, and Meshullam, and Shebai, and Jorai, and Jachan, and Zia, and Heber, seven; so they are as here mentioned by name.
1 Chronicles 5:14
Ver. 14. These are the children of Abihail the son of Huri,.... That is, the seven before mentioned; they were the posterity of Abihail, whose pedigree is traced from his father Huri to Buz, the intermediate progenitors being Jaroah, Gilead, Michael, Jeshishai, Jahdo.
1 Chronicles 5:15
Ver. 15. Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, chief of the house of their fathers. Which Ahi was a principal man in the families the seven above men belonged to; besides them, or those three, were everyone of them heads of families.
1 Chronicles 5:16
Ver. 16. And they dwelt in Gilead,.... In that part of it which belonged to the tribe of Gad:
in Bashan, and in her towns; See Gill on "1Ch 5:11",
and in all the suburbs of Sharon, upon their borders; there were two Sharons, one to the west of the land of Israel near the Mediterranean sea, which is mentioned in Ac 9:35 as near Lydda and Joppa; and the other to the east or northeast, beyond Jordan, which is here meant.
1 Chronicles 5:17
Ver. 17. All these were reckoned by genealogies,.... All before mentioned:
in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel; not that those two kings reigned at the same time, and one and the same reckoning is meant; but, as Dr. Lightfoot {y} observes, there were two reckonings; his words are,
"in the days of Jotham there was an account taken of the families of Reuben, Gad, and half Manasseh, 1Ch 5:17 and so had there been in the days of Jeroboam the second; then at their restoring by Jeroboam out of the hands of Hamath and Syria, and now at their arming against the Assyrian, under whom they fell in the time of Pekah, and are never again restored to Israel.''
{y} Works, vol. 1. p. 100.
1 Chronicles 5:18
Ver. 18. The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh,.... These all joined together, living together on the one side of Jordan:
of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war; strong able bodied men; and not only able to bear and carry arms, sword in one hand, and shield in another; but were men of valour and courage, and had military skill, and knew how to handle their arms to advantage:
[were] four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war: that used to go out when there was occasion, and did at this time.
1 Chronicles 5:19
Ver. 19. And they made war with the Hagarites,.... Before mentioned, 1Ch 5:19
with Jetur, and Nephish: with the posterity of these men, who were sons of Ishmael, Ge 25:15 and so was Nodab; perhaps the same with Kedemah, mentioned along with the other two there; so Hillerus {z} thinks.
{z} Onomastic. Sacr. p. 554.
1 Chronicles 5:20
Ver. 20. And they were helped against them,.... The Israelites were helped against the Ishmaelites, to fight with them, and overcome them; either by their brethren of the house of Israel, as the Targum, those on this side Jordan; or rather by the Lord, to whom they cried, and who was entreated by them as follows:
and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that [were] with them; they and their confederates and auxiliaries, the Ituraeans, &c.
for they cried to God in the battle; which at first seems to have gone against them; and they prayed to God, as the Targum, while they were fighting, that he would appear for them, and give them victory:
and he was entreated of them; he received their prayer, as the same paraphrase; he heard them, and answered them:
because they put their trust in him; in his power and providence, and not in their own strength, courage, and military skill; the Targum is,
"because they trusted in his word.''
1 Chronicles 5:21
Ver. 21. And they took away their cattle,.... Which they brought with them, and they found in their camp when they fled, or in their fields:
of their camels fifty thousand; with which Arabia abounded, and were fit to travel with in those hot and desert countries, being strong to carry burdens, and able to bear much thirst. The Arabians, as Diodorus Siculus {a} reports, brought up camels, for almost all the uses of life; as for the sake of their milk and flesh to feed upon, as well as for carrying burdens in common; and which in time of war they loaded with provisions for the army, and fought upon, one of them carrying two archers with their backs to each other, the one to meet the enemy in front, the other to annoy those that pursued them; and so the Parthians made use of camels both to fight on, and to carry provisions for their soldiers {b}:
and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand; which these Hagarites kept both for food and clothing, and some of them might be now taken with them to supply their army; the Spartans carried sheep with them in their expeditions, as sacrifices to their gods {c}; but it need not be supposed that these creatures, and those that follow, were in such large numbers with the Hagarites in the battle, but were afterwards found, partly in their camp, and partly in the places inhabited by them:
and of asses two thousand; used to ride on, and carry loads, and also to plough with; and in all these lay the wealth of men in those times and countries, see Job 1:1
and of men one hundred thousand; so that they took captive above as many more as their army consisted of.
{a} Bibliothec. l. 2. p. 137. & l. 3. p. 178. Vid. Plin. l. 8. c. l8. {b} Tacit. Annal. l. 15. c. 12. Herodian. l. 4. c. 28, 30. {c} Pausan. Boeotica, sive, l. 9. p. 561.
1 Chronicles 5:22
Ver. 22. For there fell down many slain,.... Many were killed in the battle, besides the great number of prisoners made, so that the army the Ishmaelites brought into the field was very great:
because the war was of God; or from the Word of the Lord, as the Targum; he stirred up the Israelites to it, directed, assisted, and succeeded them, that vengeance might be taken on this wicked and idolatrous people:
and they dwelt in their stead until the captivity; the Targum adds, of Sennacherib king of Assyria; but this captivity of the tribes referred to was not by him, but by Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria, 1Ch 5:26 and they dwelt not in the country of the Arab-hagarites, or Ishmaelites in their stead there, but in Gilead, as in 1Ch 5:10 which belonged to the Gadites and Reubenites originally, but had been dispossessed of it, or however distressed in it by these Hagarites, which they now drove out, and dwelt in their stead; for as for the Scenite-arabs or Ishmaelites, they never were conquered and brought into subjection by any people, but always maintained their independency {d}; and lived upon the plunder of their neighbours, pitching their tents here and there for their convenience, which in these parts were at this time spoiled.
{d} See the notes on Gen. xvi. 12. and Dan. xi. 41. and a dissertation upon the independency of the Arabs, at the end of the Universal History, vol. 20. See Gill on "Ge 16:12".
See Gill on "Da 11:41".
1 Chronicles 5:23
Ver. 23. And the children of the half tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land,.... Not in the land of the Hagarites, but in the land of Gilead and Bashan beyond Jordan, given them by Moses. The writer, having reckoned the genealogies of some of the principal men of Reuben and Gad, proceeds to give a short account of some principal men in this half tribe:
they increased from Bashan; where they first settled, and extended their possessions:
unto Baalhermon and Senir, and unto Mount Hermon; mountains which lay to the north of the land of Canaan, and are what geographers call Antilibanus.
1 Chronicles 5:24
Ver. 24. And these were the heads of the house of their fathers,.... Some of the principal men of this half tribe:
even Epher, and Ishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremiah, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel; but of none of these we read elsewhere, excepting Hepher and Azriel, Nu 26:31
mighty men of valour, famous men, and heads of the house of their fathers; men that obtained a name for their strength, courage, and valour, and military exploits, and were the chiefs of the families in this half tribe, and by whom they were denominated; so from Hepher were the family of the Hepherites, and from Azriel the family of the Azrielites, as in the place before quoted.
1 Chronicles 5:25
Ver. 25. And they transgressed against the God their fathers,.... Against his law, will, word, and ordinances, not only the half tribe of Manasseh, hut the Reubenites and Gadites also:
and went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before them; that is, committed idolatry, which is spiritual fornication or whoredom; worshipped the idols either of the Amorites, who were destroyed by the Lord to make way for their first settlement; or of the Ishmaelites, whom they conquered, and whose land they dwelt in to the captivity.
1 Chronicles 5:26
Ver. 26. And the God of Israel,.... The Targum is,
"the word of the God of Israel:''
stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria: in the times of Menahem king of Israel:
and the spirit of Tilgathpilneser; in the times of Pekah king of Israel, to invade the land, and make war in it:
and he carried them away: not the former, but the latter:
even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh; these entirely together, with some other parts of the land, see
2Ki 15:29
and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan; to the very same places where afterwards Salmaneser carried the ten tribes, or what remained of them, see 2Ki 17:6
unto this day; the times of Ezra, the writer of this book, after the tribe of Judah returned from the captivity of Babylon; but the ten tribes remained where they were carried, and have not returned even to this day.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.
1 Chronicles 6:1
INTRODUCTION TO 1 CHRONICLES 6
This chapter begins with the fathers and heads of the tribe of Levi, 1Ch 6:1, and reckons up the high priests in the line of Eleazar, to the Babylonish captivity, 1Ch 6:4 gives an account of the families of the sons of Levi, 1Ch 6:16 and of those Levites that were employed as singers, and in other ministrations in the sanctuary in the times of David and Solomon, 1Ch 6:31, then follows a repetition of the sons of Aaron in the line of Eleazar, to the said times, 1Ch 6:50, and a recital of the dwelling places of the Levites in the several tribes, 1Ch 6:54.
Ver. 1. The sons of Levi,.... After an account of the chief of the tribes of Judah and Simeon, of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, follows that of Levi, and his posterity; the kingdom being given to Judah, the birthright to Joseph, and the priesthood to Levi: the immediate sons of Levi were
Gershon, Kohath, and Merari; as in Ge 46:11, from these sprung the three families of the Levites.
1 Chronicles 6:2
Ver. 2. And the sons of Kohath; Amram, Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel,.... Given in the same order as in Ex 6:18,
See Gill on "Ex 6:18".
1 Chronicles 6:3
Ver. 3. And the children of Amram, Aaron, and Moses, and Miriam,.... Very memorable persons: Aaron was the high priest, Moses the prophet and lawgiver, and Miriam a prophetess, see Mic 6:4,
the sons also of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar; the two first were destroyed by fire from heaven for offering strange fire, Le 10:1 and the third succeeded his father in the high priesthood; the line of which is drawn from Aaron through him unto the Babylonish captivity, from hence to the end of the fifteenth verse, where it ends: Jehozadak is the same with Josedech, Hag 1:1 who went young into Babylon, and whose son Joshua, born in the captivity, came out of it on the proclamation of Cyrus, Ezr 2:2. According to Josephus {e}, and other Jewish writers {f}, in the times of Uzzi, 1Ch 6:6 the priesthood was translated into the family of Ithamar, of which Eli was the first high priest; where it continued to the times of Solomon, when it was restored to Zadok, of the line of Eleazar. It is particularly observed of Azariah, 1Ch 6:10 that he it was that executed the priest's office in the temple built by Solomon; not that he was the first that officiated in it, that was Zadok; but this seems to be Azariah, who was the high priest in the times of Uzziah, who opposed him when he would have offered incense in the temple, 2Ch 26:17, which may be the reason why he is so particularly taken notice of here; though some think this is to be understood of Johanan, the father of Azariah, supposed to the same with Jehoiada, who, in the times of Athaliah, was the instrument of preserving both church and state, 2Ki 11:4, the temple in which he ministered is described as built by Solomon, because at the time of the writing of this there was another temple built, or building, by Zerubbabel.
{e} Antiqu. l. 5. c. 11. sect. 5. {f} Juchasin, fol. 136. 1.
1 Chronicles 6:4
Ver. 4. See Gill on "1Ch 6:3".
1 Chronicles 6:5
Ver. 5. See Gill on "1Ch 6:3".
1 Chronicles 6:6
Ver. 6. See Gill on "1Ch 6:3".
1 Chronicles 6:7
Ver. 7. See Gill on "1Ch 6:3".
1 Chronicles 6:8
Ver. 8. See Gill on "1Ch 6:3".
1 Chronicles 6:9
Ver. 9. See Gill on "1Ch 6:3".
1 Chronicles 6:10
Ver. 10. See Gill on "1Ch 6:3".
1 Chronicles 6:11
Ver. 11. See Gill on "1Ch 6:3".
1 Chronicles 6:12
Ver. 12. See Gill on "1Ch 6:3".
1 Chronicles 6:13
Ver. 13. See Gill on "1Ch 6:3".
1 Chronicles 6:14
Ver. 14. See Gill on "1Ch 6:3".
1 Chronicles 6:15
Ver. 15. See Gill on "1Ch 6:3".
1 Chronicles 6:16
Ver. 16. The sons of Levi, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Which is repeated from 1Ch 6:1 for the sake of their posterity, whose names are given in the three following verses, in the same manner as in Ex 6:17.
1 Chronicles 6:17
Ver. 17. See Gill on "1Ch 6:16"
1 Chronicles 6:18
Ver. 18. See Gill on "1Ch 6:16"
1 Chronicles 6:19
Ver. 19. See Gill on "1Ch 6:16"
1 Chronicles 6:20
Ver. 20,21. Of Gershon, Libni his son,.... Whose genealogy runs thus, Jahath, called Jehiel, 1Ch 23:8. Zimmah, between whom was Shimei, 1Ch 6:42. Joah, the same with Ethan, 1Ch 6:42. Iddo, called Adaiah, 1Ch 6:41. Zerah, Jeaterai, whose name was also Ethni, 1Ch 6:41, the posterity of Shimei, the brother of Libni, are omitted.
1 Chronicles 6:21
Ver. 21 See Gill on "1Ch 6:20".
1 Chronicles 6:22
Ver. 22-28. The sons of Kohath, Amminadab,.... The same with Izhar, 1Ch 6:2 the posterity of his brethren, Amram, Hebron, and Uzziel, are omitted; and his genealogy is carried to a considerable length, for the sake of Samuel the prophet, who sprang from him: it stands thus, Korah, Assir, Elkanah, Ebiasaph, Assir, Tahath, Uriel, called Zephaniah, 1Ch 6:36 Uzziah, the same with Azariah, 1Ch 6:36. Shaul, whose name is Joel, 1Ch 6:36 then through the sons of Elkanah, before mentioned, Amasai, Ahimoth, called Mahath, 1Ch 6:35 another Elkanah, Zophai, or Zuph, 1Ch 6:35. Nahath, the same with Toah, 1Ch 6:34 and Tohu, 1Sa 1:1, Eliab, called Eliel, 1Ch 6:34, and Elihu, 1Sa 1:1, Jeroham, another Elkanah, the father of Samuel the prophet, whose firstborn was Vashni, and whose name also was Joel, 1Ch 6:33 and so here it is read in the Syriac and Arabic versions:
and his second son Abiah.
1 Chronicles 6:23
Ver. 23. See Gill on "1Ch 6:22".
1 Chronicles 6:24
Ver. 24. See Gill on "1Ch 6:22".
1 Chronicles 6:25
Ver. 25. See Gill on "1Ch 6:22".
1 Chronicles 6:26
Ver. 26. See Gill on "1Ch 6:22".
1 Chronicles 6:27
Ver. 27. See Gill on "1Ch 6:22".
1 Chronicles 6:28
Ver. 28. See Gill on "1Ch 6:22".
1 Chronicles 6:29
Ver. 29,30. The sons of Merari; Mahli,.... The posterity of his brother Mushi are omitted; his genealogy is drawn thus, Libni, Shimei, Uzza, Shimea, Haggiah, Asaiah.
1 Chronicles 6:30
Ver. 30. See Gill on "1Ch 6:29".
1 Chronicles 6:31
Ver. 31. And these are they,.... Who follow; the account of whom begins 1Ch 6:33,
whom David set over the service of the song in the house of the Lord: whom he appointed chief musicians, and masters of the chorus, to manage and conduct that part of divine service in the sanctuary, singing the praises of God, both with vocal and instrumental music:
after the ark had rest; which was when it was brought from the house of Obededom to the city of David, and was placed in a tabernacle he provided for it, 2Sa 6:12, where it remained until the temple was built, when and which was the only time it was removed, whereas before it had been removed from place to place, and so till now had no rest; though some understand this of the ceasing or silence of the oracle over the ark, which was neither consulted by Solomon and his successors, nor any of the high priests afterwards {g}.
{g} Vid. Marsham. Canon. Chron. Setul. 14. p. 365.
1 Chronicles 6:32
Ver. 32. And they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacles of the congregation with singing,.... Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; this service they performed before the ark, which was in a tent or tabernacle David pitched for it; and which the Targum here calls the tabernacle of time, or a temporary tabernacle:
until Solomon had built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem; the temple there:
and then they waited on their office according to their order; performed it in the manner prescribed by David, see 1Ch 25:1.
1 Chronicles 6:33
Ver. 33-38. And these are they that waited with their children,.... They and their posterity, who officiated in the service of singing psalms in the sanctuary: the three heads of them were of the three families of the Levites, as follow:
of the sons of the Kohathites, Heman a singer; the chief of the singers, and who composed psalms and hymns, which are in the book of Psalms:
the son of Joel, the son of Shemuel; or Samuel. This Heman was grandson of Samuel the prophet; for whose sake his genealogy is traced up to Jacob or Israel in the following verses, and stands thus; after Samuel, Elkanah, Jeroham, Eliel, Toah, Zuph, Elkanah, Mahath, Amasai, Elkanah, Joel, Azariah, Zephaniah, Tahath, Assir, Ebiasaph, Korah, Izhar, Kohath, Levi, Israel.
1 Chronicles 6:34
Ver. 34. See Gill on "1Ch 6:33".
1 Chronicles 6:35
Ver. 35. See Gill on "1Ch 6:33".
1 Chronicles 6:36
Ver. 36. See Gill on "1Ch 6:33".
1 Chronicles 6:37
Ver. 37. See Gill on "1Ch 6:33".
1 Chronicles 6:38
Ver. 38. See Gill on "1Ch 6:33".
1 Chronicles 6:39
Ver. 39-43. And his brother Asaph,.... That is, Heman's brother; so Asaph was, as he was a descendant from the same original ancestor Levi, yet in the line of Gershon; and as being of the same office, a precentor, or chief singer:
who stood on his right hand; he was next to Heman; Heman stood in the middle, which was the most honourable {h}, and Asaph on his right hand, and Ethan, after mentioned, on his left; even Asaph, whose name is often met with in the book of Psalms; and his genealogy here stands thus, as traced up to Levi, viz. Berechiah, Shimea, Michael, Baaseiah, Malchiah, Ethni, Zerah, Adaiah, Ethan, Zimmah, Shimei, Jahath, Gershon, Levi.
{h} "Alecto stetit in mediis----", Claudian in Rufin. l. 1. ver. 41. Vid. Barthii Animadv. in ib.
1 Chronicles 6:40
Ver. 40. See Gill on "1Ch 6:39".
1 Chronicles 6:41
Ver. 41. See Gill on "1Ch 6:39".
1 Chronicles 6:42
Ver. 42. See Gill on "1Ch 6:39".
1 Chronicles 6:43
Ver. 43. See Gill on "1Ch 6:39".
1 Chronicles 6:44
Ver. 44-47. And their brethren, the sons of Merari,.... Who were the brethren of the Kohathites and Gershonites, descending from the same ancestor Levi: stood
on the left hand; that is, of Heman, see 1Ch 6:39, the chief of whom was Ethan, sometimes called Jeduthun, 1Ch 16:41 and often in the book of Psalms; his genealogy is traced up to Levi thus; Kishi, called Kushaiah, 1Ch 15:17 Abdi, Malluch, Hashabiah, Amaziah, Hilkiah, Amzi, Bani, Shamer, Mahli, Mushi, Merari, Levi.
1 Chronicles 6:45
Ver. 45. See Gill on "1Ch 6:44".
1 Chronicles 6:46
Ver. 46. See Gill on "1Ch 6:44".
1 Chronicles 6:47
Ver. 47. See Gill on "1Ch 6:44".
1 Chronicles 6:48
Ver. 48. Their brethren also the Levites,.... Who were not skilled in singing, and employed in that service, even the rest of the Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites:
were appointed unto all manner of service of the tabernacle of the house of God; some were porters at the gates; others had the care of the vessels; others slew the beasts for sacrifices, flayed them, and cut them up, and brought the pieces to the altar of burnt offerings, for the priests to offer.
1 Chronicles 6:49
Ver. 49-53. But Aaron and his sons,.... Those that descended from him, though of the same tribe of Levi were all priests:
and they offered upon the altar of burnt offerings; the daily sacrifice, and all the offerings of the people brought to them:
and on the altar of incense; they burnt incense night and morning: and were appointed
for all the work of the place most holy; such as were high priests of the line of Eleazar, whose work it was to go into the most holy place once a year:
to make atonement for all Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God commanded; in Le 16:1 which see; and on mention of this, a list of the high priests from Aaron, in the line of Eleazar, is given, to the times of Solomon, in the four following verses, just in the same order as in 1Ch 6:4.
1 Chronicles 6:50
Ver. 50. See Gill on "1Ch 6:49".
1 Chronicles 6:51
Ver. 51. See Gill on "1Ch 6:49".
1 Chronicles 6:52
Ver. 52. See Gill on "1Ch 6:49".
1 Chronicles 6:53
Ver. 53. See Gill on "1Ch 6:49".
1 Chronicles 6:54
Ver. 54-81. Now these are their dwelling places,.... The dwelling places of the priests and Levites, assigned and given to them in the several tribes of Israel; and the account of them agrees with that in
Jos 21:1 with some few variations of names of places, which have been there observed: see the notes there; only in 1Ch 6:57 two cities are omitted, Juttah and Gibeon, through want of care in transcribing, since they are said to be "thirteen", as they should be, whereas eleven only are mentioned. The Jews say {h}, the cities of the suburbs (those here mentioned) ceased from the time the first temple was destroyed; and yet Ezra, who lived after the captivity, and the building the second temple, here gives a very particular account of them; the suburbs belonging to every city, which he particularly mentions, were 2000 cubits, both to the cities of refuge, and the rest, Nu 35:5 Hebron, the first city mentioned in the next verse, was a city of refuge, and had suburbs of such a space; and it is remarkable, that some of the temples with the Heathens, which were asylums, or places of refuge, had the space of 2000 paces assigned them for the same sanctity and privilege {i}.
{h} T. Bab. Sotah, fol. 48. 2. {i} Tacit. Annal. l. 3. c. 62.
1 Chronicles 6:55
Ver. 55. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:56
Ver. 56. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:57
Ver. 57. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:58
Ver. 58. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:59
Ver. 59. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:60
Ver. 60. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:61
Ver. 61. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:62
Ver. 62. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:63
Ver. 63. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:64
Ver. 64. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:65
Ver. 65. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:66
Ver. 66. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:67
Ver. 67. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:68
Ver. 68. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:69
Ver. 69. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:70
Ver. 70. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:71
Ver. 71. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:72
Ver. 72. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:73
Ver. 73. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:74
Ver. 74. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:75
Ver. 75. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:76
Ver. 76. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:77
Ver. 77. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:78
Ver. 78. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:79
Ver. 79. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:80
Ver. 80. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
1 Chronicles 6:81
Ver. 81. See Gill on "1Ch 6:54".
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.