1 Chronicles 1

1 Adam begat Seth; and Seth, Enos, [Adam, Seth, Enos,]

2 Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered,

3 Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech,

4 Noe, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

5 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, and Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.

6 Forsooth the sons of Gomer were Ashchenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.

7 And the sons of Javan were Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.

8 The sons of Ham were Cush, and Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.

9 And the sons of Cush were Seba, and Havilah, Sabta, and Raamah, and Sabtecha. And the sons of Raamah were Sheba, and Dedan.

10 And Cush begat Nimrod; this Nimrod began to be mighty in [the] earth.

11 And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,

12 and Pathrusim, and Casluhim, of which the Philistines and Caphthorim went out, or came. (and Pathrusim, and Casluhim, and Caphthorim, from whom the Philistines came.)

13 And Canaan begat Sidon, his first begotten son (his first-born son), and Heth,

14 and (the) Jebusite, and Amorite, and Girgashite,

15 and Hivite, and Arkite, and Sinite,

16 and Arvadite, and Zemarite, and Hamathite.

17 The sons of Shem were Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram. And the sons of Aram were Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Meshech.

18 And Arphaxad begat Shelah; which himself engendered Eber. (And Arphaxad begat Shelah; and Shelah begat Eber.)

19 And to Eber were born two sons; the name of [the] one was Peleg, for the land was parted in his days (for the land was divided in his days); and the name of his brother was Joktan.

20 And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,

21 and Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah,

22 Ebal, and Abimael, and Sheba,

23 and Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan.

24 Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah,

25 Eber, Peleg, Reu,

26 Serug, Nahor, Terah,

27 Abram; this is Abraham.

28 The sons of Abraham were Isaac, and Ishmael.

29 And these be the generations of them; the first begotten of Ishmael was Nebaioth, and then Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, (And these be their descendants; the first-born son of Ishmael was Nebaioth, and then Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,)

30 and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, Hadad, and Tema,

31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah; these be the sons of Ishmael.

32 And the sons of Keturah, the secondary wife of Abraham, the which she engendered, or conceived, were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. And the sons of Jokshan were Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.

33 And the sons of Midian were Ephah, and Epher, and Henoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the sons of Keturah.

34 Forsooth Abraham begat Isaac; whose sons were Esau, and Israel (whose sons were Esau, and Jacob).

35 The sons of Esau were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah.

36 The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zephi, Gatam, Kenaz, and Timna, and Amalek.

37 The sons of Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.

38 The sons of Seir were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezar, and Dishan.

39 The sons of Lotan were Hori, and Homam; soothly the sister of Lotan was Timna.

40 The sons of Shobal were Alian, and Manahath, and Ebal, and Shephi, and Onam. The sons of Zibeon were Aiah, and Anah.

41 The son of Anah was Dishon. The sons of Dishon were Amram, and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran.

42 The sons of Ezer were Bilhan, and Zavan, and Jakan. The sons of Dishan were Uz and Aran.

43 These be the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before that a king was on the sons of Israel (before that the Israelites had a king). Bela, the son of Beor; and the name of his city was Dinhabah.

44 And when Bela was dead, and Jobab (then Jobab), the son of Zerah of Bozrah, reigned for him.

45 And when Jobab was dead, Husham of the land of Temanites reigned for him.

46 And Husham died; and Hadad, the son of Bedad, that smote Midian in the land of Moab, reigned for him; and the name of the city of Hadad was Avith.

47 And when Hadad was dead, Samlah of Masrekah reigned for him.

48 But also Samlah was dead, and Saul of Rehoboth, which is set beside the river, reigned for him. (And when Samlah died, Saul of the city of Rehoboth, that is set on the banks of the river, reigned for him.)

49 Also when Saul was dead (And when Saul died), Baalhanan, the son of Achbor, reigned for him.

50 But also he was dead, and Hadad, the name of whose city was Pai, reigned for him (And when Baalhanan died, Hadad reigned for him; and his city was named Pai); and his wife was called Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.

51 And when Hadad was dead, dukes began to be in Edom for kings (And after Hadad died, the leaders of Edom, or of Idumea, were these); duke Timnah, duke Aliah, duke Jetheth,

52 duke Oholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon,

53 duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar,

54 duke Magdiel, duke Iram. These were the dukes of Edom (These were the chiefs, or the leaders, of Idumea).

1 Chronicles 1 Commentary

Chapter 1

The books of Chronicles are, in a great measure, repetitions of what is in the books of Samuel and of the Kings, yet there are some excellent useful things in them which we find not elsewhere. The FIRST BOOK traces the rise of the Jewish people from Adam, and afterward gives an account of the reign of David. In the SECOND BOOK the narrative is continued, and relates the progress and end of the kingdom of Judah; also it notices the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity. Jerome says, that whoever supposes himself to have knowledge of the Scriptures without being acquainted with the books of Chronicles, deceives himself. Historical facts passed over elsewhere, names, and the connexion of passages are to be found here, and many questions concerning the gospel are explained.

Genealogies, Adam to Abraham. (1-27) The descendants of Abraham. (28-54)

Verses 1-27 This chapter, and many that follow, repeat the genealogies, or lists of fathers and children in the Bible history, and put them together, with many added. When compared with other places, there are some differences found; yet we must not therefore stumble at the word, but bless God that the things necessary to salvation are plain enough. The original of the Jewish nation is here traced from the first man that God created, and is thereby distinguished from the obscure, fabulous, and absurd origins assigned to other nations. But the nations now are all so mingled with one another, that no one nation, nor the greatest part of any, is descended entirely from any of one nation, nor the greatest part of any, is descended entirely from any of these fountains. Only this we are sure of, that God has created of one blood all nations of men; they are all descended from one Adam, one Noah. Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us? ( Malachi 2:10 ) .

Verses 28-54 The genealogy is from hence confined to the posterity of Abraham. Let us take occasion from reading these lists of names, to think of the multitudes that have gone through this world, have done their parts in it, and then quitted it. As one generation, even of sinful men, passes away, another comes. Ec. 1:4 ; Nu. 32:14 , and will do so while the earth remains. Short is our passage through time into eternity. May we be distinguished as the Lord's people.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 CHRONICLES

This and the following book were reckoned by the Jews as one book, as appears by the Masoretic note at the end of the second book, and as is affirmed by Origen {a} and Jerom {b}; and they were by the ancients {c} called Chronicles, as they are by us; but they are different from the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel and Judah, so often mentioned in the preceding books, seeing several things there referred to, as in them, are not to be found here; though no doubt many things here recorded were taken from thence under a divine direction. In the Greek version, and so in the Vulgate Latin version after that, they are called "Paralipomena", that is, things passed over or omitted, because they contain several anecdotes which are not to be found in the books of Samuel and Kings. The Hebrew title of them is, "Dibre Hayamim", words of days, day books or diaries, and what the Greeks call "Ephemerides"; though, as "yamim" sometimes signifies years, they may be named "annals"; and so the Arabic inscription is,

``the Books of Annals;''

and because they chiefly respect the kings of Judah, the Syriac inscription is,

``the Book of the Things that were done in the Times of the Kings of Judah.''

The Targum is,

``the Book of Genealogies, the Words of Days, which were from the Days of the World;''

because the first ten chapters consist of genealogies beginning from Adam. The inspired penman of these books must live after the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity, since he carries down the genealogy of the kings and princes of Judah beyond that time, 1Ch 3:17-19, 9:1. It is generally thought by the Jews and Christians that Ezra was the writer of them, with which agrees the age in which he lived; and as it may seem, from the last of these books ending with the same words with which that under his name begins: so the Talmudists {d} say, that Ezra wrote his own book, and the genealogy of the chronicles unto his own, or unto Velo, "and he had brethren", 2Ch 21:2 and Jarchi affirms that he wrote them by the hand or means of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, inspired prophets; though some Jewish writers {e} suppose they were written partly by him, and partly by Nehemiah; that all to 2Ch 21:2 were written by Ezra, and the rest by Nehemiah. Kimchi thinks that Ezra was not the first author and writer of these books, but that the books of Chronicles and Annals of the kings of Judah, and of the kings of Israel, were separately written before him; but that he only revised them, and with the men of the great synagogue added the genealogies, and put them into the canon of the Scriptures {f}. Spinosa {g} fancies they were written after Judas Maccabaeus had restored the temple, since the historian tells what families dwelt in Jerusalem in the times of Ezra, 1Ch 9:1 and speaks of the porters, 1Ch 9:17 two of which are mentioned, Ne 11:19 as if Ezra could not describe the families that lived when he did, or name the porters of the temple, since it was finished and dedicated in his time, Ezr 6:15, but however there is no doubt to be made of the authenticity of these books, since not only they have always been acknowledged by the Jews as a part of the canonical Scripture, and by ancient Christians, as appears by the catalogues of Melito {h} and Origen {i}; but there are plain references to them in the New Testament. The genealogy of Christ, by the evangelists, is formed out of them; the doxology in Re 5:12 as some have observed, comes very near to what is used by David, 1Ch 29:11 and the passages in Ac 7:48, 17:24 contain the sense of what is expressed in 2Ch 2:5,6, 6:18. The use and design of these books are chiefly to give a larger account of the kingdom of Judah, especially after the division of it from the ten tribes, and of the kings thereof, than what is given in the preceding books, as in the last of these books; and particularly they ascertain the genealogy of Christ, that it might be clear and plain of what tribe and family the Messiah came, that he descended from the tribe of Judah, and from the kings of the house of David, as in this first book. They both contain an history from Adam, to the deliverance of the Jews from their captivity in Babylon. The first of these books reaches, according to Hottinger {k}, to A. M. 2985, and the latter is an history of four hundred and seventy two years. According to Bishop Usher {l} the former contains a course of 2990 years, and the latter of four hundred and seventy eight.

{a} Apud Eusch. Eccl. Hist. l. 6. c. 25. {b} Ad Dominionem, tom. 3. fol. 7. C. {c} Hieron. Praefat. in lib. Reg. tom. 3. fol. 6. B. {d} T. Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 15. 1. {e} Shalssalet Hakabala, Abarbinel in Josuam, fol. 3. 3. {f} Vid. Buxtorf. de Punct. Antiqu. par. 1. p. 182. {g} Tract. Theolog. Politic. c. 10. p. 184. {h} Apud Euseb. Eccl. Hist. l. 4. c. 26. {i} Apud ib. l. 6. c. 25. {k} Thesaur. Philolog. l. 2. c. 1. p. 514, 515. {l} Annal. Vet. Test. p. 56. {m} Tiberias, c. 14.

\\INTRODUCTION TO 1 CHRONICLES 1\\

This chapter gives us the genealogy of the patriarchs from Adam to Noah, 1Ch 1:1-4 of the sons of Noah, and their posterity, to Abraham, 1Ch 1:5-27 of the sons of Abraham and their posterity, 1Ch 1:28-34 and of the sons of Esau, 1Ch 1:35-42 and of the kings and dukes that reigned in Edom, 1Ch 1:43-54.

with the account of the antediluvian patriarchs in Ge 5:1-32, the first letter in Adam is larger than usual, as a memorial, as Buxtorf {m} observes, of the first and only man, from whence mankind had their beginning, and whose history the author had undertaken to write. 18212-941228-1235-1Ch1.2