11 And the children of Gad dwelt over against them, in the land of Bashan unto Salcah:
12 Joel the chief, and Shapham the next, and Jaanai, and Shaphat in Bashan.
13 And their brethren of the house of their fathers were, Michael, and Meshullam, and Sheba, and Jorai, and Jachan, and Zia, and Heber, seven.
14 These are the children of Abihail the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz;
15 Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, chief of the house of their fathers.
16 And they dwelt in Gilead in Bashan, and in her towns, and in all the suburbs of Sharon, upon their borders.
17 All these were reckoned by genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.
18 The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skillful in war, were four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war.
19 And they made war with the Hagarites, with Jetur, and Nephish, and Nodab.
20 And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them: for they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them; because they put their trust in him.
21 And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men an hundred thousand.
22 For there fell down many slain, because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their steads until the captivity.
23 And the children of the half tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land: they increased from Bashan unto Baalhermon and Senir, and unto mount Hermon.
24 And these were the heads of the house of their fathers, even Epher, and Ishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremiah, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty men of valor, famous men, and heads of the house of their fathers.
25 And they transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before them.
11 And the children H1121 of Gad H1410 dwelt H3427 over against them, in the land H776 of Bashan H1316 unto Salchah: H5548
12 Joel H3100 the chief, H7218 and Shapham H8223 the next, H4932 and Jaanai, H3285 and Shaphat H8202 in Bashan. H1316
13 And their brethren H251 of the house H1004 of their fathers H1 were, Michael, H4317 and Meshullam, H4918 and Sheba, H7652 and Jorai, H3140 and Jachan, H3275 and Zia, H2127 and Heber, H5677 seven. H7651
14 These are the children H1121 of Abihail H32 the son H1121 of Huri, H2359 the son H1121 of Jaroah, H3386 the son H1121 of Gilead, H1568 the son H1121 of Michael, H4317 the son H1121 of Jeshishai, H3454 the son H1121 of Jahdo, H3163 the son H1121 of Buz; H938
15 Ahi H277 the son H1121 of Abdiel, H5661 the son H1121 of Guni, H1476 chief H7218 of the house H1004 of their fathers. H1
16 And they dwelt H3427 in Gilead H1568 in Bashan, H1316 and in her towns, H1323 and in all the suburbs H4054 of Sharon, H8289 upon their borders. H8444
17 All these were reckoned by genealogies H3187 in the days H3117 of Jotham H3147 king H4428 of Judah, H3063 and in the days H3117 of Jeroboam H3379 king H4428 of Israel. H3478
18 The sons H1121 of Reuben, H7205 and the Gadites, H1425 and half H2677 the tribe H7626 of Manasseh, H4519 of valiant men, H2428 men H582 able to bear H5375 buckler H4043 and sword, H2719 and to shoot H1869 with bow, H7198 and skilful H3925 in war, H4421 were four H702 and forty H705 thousand H505 seven H7651 hundred H3967 and threescore, H8346 that went out H3318 to the war. H6635
19 And they made H6213 war H4421 with the Hagarites, H1905 with Jetur, H3195 and Nephish, H5305 and Nodab. H5114
20 And they were helped H5826 against them, and the Hagarites H1905 were delivered H5414 into their hand, H3027 and all that were with them: for they cried H2199 to God H430 in the battle, H4421 and he was intreated H6279 of them; because they put their trust H982 in him.
21 And they took away H7617 their cattle; H4735 of their camels H1581 fifty H2572 thousand, H505 and of sheep H6629 two hundred H3967 and fifty H2572 thousand, H505 and of asses H2543 two thousand, H505 and of men H120 H5315 an hundred H3967 thousand. H505
22 For there fell H5307 down many H7227 slain, H2491 because the war H4421 was of God. H430 And they dwelt H3427 in their steads until the captivity. H1473
23 And the children H1121 of the half H2677 tribe H7626 of Manasseh H4519 dwelt H3427 in the land: H776 they increased H7235 from Bashan H1316 unto Baalhermon H1179 and Senir, H8149 and unto mount H2022 Hermon. H2768
24 And these were the heads H7218 of the house H1004 of their fathers, H1 even Epher, H6081 and Ishi, H3469 and Eliel, H447 and Azriel, H5837 and Jeremiah, H3414 and Hodaviah, H1938 and Jahdiel, H3164 mighty H1368 men H582 of valour, H2428 famous H8034 men, H582 and heads H7218 of the house H1004 of their fathers. H1
25 And they transgressed H4603 against the God H430 of their fathers, H1 and went a whoring H2181 after H310 the gods H430 of the people H5971 of the land, H776 whom God H430 destroyed H8045 before H6440 them.
11 And the sons of Gad dwelt over against them, in the land of Bashan unto Salecah:
12 Joel the chief, and Shapham the second, and Janai, and Shaphat in Bashan.
13 And their brethren of their fathers' houses: Michael, and Meshullam, and Sheba, and Jorai, and Jacan, and Zia, and Eber, seven.
14 These were the sons of Abihail, the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz;
15 Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, chief of their fathers' houses.
16 And they dwelt in Gilead in Bashan, and in its towns, and in all the suburbs of Sharon, as far as their borders.
17 All these were reckoned by genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.
18 The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war, were forty and four thousand seven hundred and threescore, that were able to go forth to war.
19 And they made war with the Hagrites, with Jetur, and Naphish, and Nodab.
20 And they were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them; for they cried to God in the battle, and he was entreated of them, because they put their trust in him.
21 And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men a hundred thousand.
22 For there fell many slain, because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their stead until the captivity.
23 And the children of the half-tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land: they increased from Bashan unto Baal-hermon and Senir and mount Hermon.
24 And these were the heads of their fathers' houses: even Epher, and Ishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremiah, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty men of valor, famous men, heads of their fathers' houses.
25 And they trespassed against the God of their fathers, and played the harlot after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God destroyed before them.
11 And the sons of Gad, over-against them have dwelt in the land of Bashan unto Salcah,
12 Joel the head, and Shapham the second, and Jaanai and Shaphat in Bashan;
13 and their brethren of the house of their fathers `are' Michael, and Meshullam, and Sheba, and Jorai, and Jachan, and Zia, and Heber, seven.
14 These `are' sons of Abihail son of Huri, son of Jaroah, son of Gilead, son of Michael, son of Jeshishai, son of Jahdo, son of Buz;
15 Ahi son of Abdiel, son of Guni, `is' head of the house of their fathers;
16 and they dwell in Gilead in Bashan, and in her small towns, and in all suburbs of Sharon, upon their outskirts;
17 all of them reckoned themselves by genealogy in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.
18 Sons of Reuben, and the Gadite, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh, of sons of valour, men bearing shield and sword, and treading bow, and taught in battle, `are' forty and four thousand and seven hundred and sixty, going out to the host.
19 And they make war with the Hagarites, and Jetur, and Naphish, and Nodab,
20 and they are helped against them, and the Hagarites are given into their hand, and all who `are' with them, for they cried to God in battle, and He was entreated of them, because they trusted in Him.
21 And they take captive their cattle, of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of human beings a hundred thousand;
22 for many have fallen pierced, for of God `is' the battle; and they dwell in their stead till the removal.
23 And the sons of the half of the tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land, from Bashan unto Baal-Hermon, and Senir, and mount Hermon, they have multiplied.
24 And these `are' heads of the house of their fathers, even Epher, and Ishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremiah, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, men mighty in valour, men of name, heads to the house of their fathers.
25 And they trespass against the God of their fathers, and go a-whoring after the gods of the peoples of the land whom God destroyed from their presence;
11 And the children of Gad dwelt over against them, in the land of Bashan, as far as Salcah:
12 Joel was the chief and Shapham the next, and Jaanai, and Shaphat in Bashan.
13 And their brethren according to their fathers' houses were Michael, and Meshullam, and Sheba, and Jorai, and Jaachan, and Zia, and Eber, seven.
14 -- These were the sons of Abihail, the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz:
15 Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, was chief of their fathers' house.
16 And they dwelt in Gilead in Bashan, and in its towns, and in all the pasture-grounds of Sharon, as far as their limits.
17 All these were registered by genealogy in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.
18 The children of Reuben and the Gadites and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men who carried shield and sword, drawing the bow and skilful in war, were forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty, able to go forth to war.
19 And they made war with the Hagarites, with Jetur, and Naphish, and Nodab;
20 and they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them; for they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them, because they put their trust in him.
21 And they took away their cattle: their camels fifty thousand, and two hundred and fifty thousand sheep, and two thousand asses, and a hundred thousand human souls.
22 For there fell down many slain, for the war was of God. And they dwelt in their stead until the captivity.
23 And the children of the half tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land, from Bashan as far as Baal-Hermon and Senir, and mount Hermon; they were many.
24 And these were the heads of their fathers' houses: Epher, and Jishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremiah, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty men of valour, famous men, heads of their fathers' houses.
25 And they transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a whoring after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.
11 The sons of Gad lived over against them, in the land of Bashan to Salecah:
12 Joel the chief, and Shapham the second, and Janai, and Shaphat in Bashan.
13 Their brothers of their fathers' houses: Michael, and Meshullam, and Sheba, and Jorai, and Jacan, and Zia, and Eber, seven.
14 These were the sons of Abihail, the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz;
15 Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, chief of their fathers' houses.
16 They lived in Gilead in Bashan, and in its towns, and in all the suburbs of Sharon, as far as their borders.
17 All these were reckoned by genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.
18 The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skillful in war, were forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty, that were able to go forth to war.
19 They made war with the Hagrites, with Jetur, and Naphish, and Nodab.
20 They were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, and all who were with them; for they cried to God in the battle, and he was entreated of them, because they put their trust in him.
21 They took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred fifty thousand, and of donkeys two thousand, and of men one hundred thousand.
22 For there fell many slain, because the war was of God. They lived in their place until the captivity.
23 The children of the half-tribe of Manasseh lived in the land: they increased from Bashan to Baal Hermon and Senir and Mount Hermon.
24 These were the heads of their fathers' houses: even Epher, and Ishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremiah, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty men of valor, famous men, heads of their fathers' houses.
25 They trespassed against the God of their fathers, and played the prostitute after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God destroyed before them.
11 And the sons of Gad were living opposite to them, in the land of Bashan as far as Salecah:
12 Joel the chief, and Shapham the second, and Janai and Shaphat in Bashan;
13 And their brothers, the men of their family: Michael and Meshullam and Sheba and Jorai and Jacan and Zia and Eber, seven of them.
14 These were the sons of Abihail, the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz;
15 Ahi, the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, head of their families.
16 And they were living in Gilead in Bashan, in its small towns and in all the grass-land of Sirion as far as its limits.
17 All these were listed under the names of their families, in the time of Jotham, king of Judah, and in the time of Jeroboam, king of Israel.
18 There were forty-four thousand, seven hundred and sixty of the sons of Reuben and of the Gadites and of the half-tribe of Manasseh, all strong men, expert in the use of the body-cover, the sword, and the bow, and in the art of war, all able to take up arms.
19 And they went to war against the Hagarites, with Jetur and Naphish and Nodab.
20 And they were helped against them, so that the Hagarites, and those with them, were given into their power. For they sent up prayers to God in the fight, and he gave ear to them, because they put their faith in him.
21 And they took away their cattle: fifty thousand camels, two hundred and fifty thousand sheep, and two thousand asses, and a hundred thousand men.
22 And a very great number went to their death, because the war was God's purpose. And they went on living in their place till they were taken away as prisoners.
23 And the men of the half-tribe of Manasseh were living in the land: and their numbers were increased till all the land from Bashan to Baal-hermon and Senir and the mountain Hermon was theirs.
24 And these were the heads of their families: Epher and Ishi and Eliel and Azriel and Jeremiah and Hodaviah and Jahdiel, men of war, of great name, heads of families.
25 And they did evil against the God of their fathers, worshipping the gods of the people of the land, whom God had put to destruction before them.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » John Gill's Exposition of the Bible » Commentary on 1 Chronicles 5
Commentary on 1 Chronicles 5 John Gill's Exposition of the Bible
INTRODUCTION TO 1 CHRONICLES 5
This chapter relates the genealogy of the tribes that lived on the other side Jordan; of the Reubenites, 1 Chronicles 5:1, of the Gadites, 1 Chronicles 5:11 of the half tribe of Manasseh, 1 Chronicles 5:23 and of their war with the Hagarites, in conjunction with each other, and their conquest of them, 1 Chronicles 5:18 and who for their sins were all carried captive by the king of Assyria, 1 Chronicles 5:25.
Now the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel,.... Are as follow in 1 Chronicles 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, Genesis 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 Genesis 48:5 compared with Deuteronomy 21:17.
and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright; or, "but the genealogy", &c.F15"Nee tamen", Tigurine version. ; 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.
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 Genesis 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"F16Licet, ibid. (Tigurine version) it was; yet Judah having the dominion and dignity, that tribe is first genealogized.
The sons, I say, of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, were, Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. As in Genesis 46:9.
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.
Beerah his son,.... The last of Joel's posterity, who, according to the Targum and other Jewish writersF17Aben Ezra in Hos. i. 1. Pesikta apud Abarbinel. in ib. was a prophet, and the father of Hosea, see Hosea 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, 2 Kings 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.
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.
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, 1 Chronicles 5:4
who dwelt in Aroer; which belonged to the tribe of Gad, and was rebuilt by them, Numbers 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 Numbers 32:38.
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, Deuteronomy 2:26.
from the river Euphrates; a learned manF18Texelii Phoenix, l. 3. c. 7. p. 272. 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, 2 Samuel 8:3.
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 HagarF19So David de Pomis, Lexic. fol. 45. 4. , Sarah's maid; the same that are placed by PlinyF20Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 28. and PtolemyF21Geograph. l. 5. c. 19. 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, 1 Chronicles 5:18, perhaps this war might be much about the time Saul relieved Jabeshgilead, and beat the Ammonites, 1 Samuel 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.
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, Deuteronomy 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, Deuteronomy 3:10 and which Benjamin of TudelaF23Itinerar. p. 57. makes mention of, being called by the same name in his days.
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, 1 Chronicles 5:4.
and Shapham the next; the second chief man, from whom, RelandF24Palestin. Illustrat. par. 2. p. 602. conjectures, Shophan, a city in the tribe of Gad, had its name, Numbers 32:35.
and Jaanai; from whom Danjaan might be called, as Michaelis intimates, 2 Samuel 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 1 Chronicles 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 Acts 9:35 as near Lydda and Joppa; and the other to the east or northeast, beyond Jordan, which is here meant.
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. LightfootF25Works, vol. 1. p. 100. 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, 1 Chronicles 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.'
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.
And they made war with the Hagarites,.... Before mentioned, 1 Chronicles 5:19.
with Jetur, and Nephish: with the posterity of these men, who were sons of Ishmael, Genesis 25:15 and so was Nodab; perhaps the same with Kedemah, mentioned along with the other two there; so HillerusF26Onomastic. Sacr. p. 554. thinks.
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.'
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 SiculusF1Bibliothec. l. 2. p. 137. & l. 3. p. 178. Vid. Plin. l. 8. c. l8. 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 soldiersF2Tacit. Annal. l. 15. c. 12. Herodian. l. 4. c. 28, 30. :
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 godsF3Pausan. Boeotica, sive, l. 9. p. 561. ; 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.
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, 1 Chronicles 5:26 and they dwelt not in the country of the Arab-hagarites, or Ishmaelites in their stead there, but in Gilead, as in 1 Chronicles 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 independencyF4See 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 Genesis 16:12. See Gill on Daniel 11:41. ; 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.
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.
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, Numbers 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.
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.
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 2 Kings 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 2 Kings 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.