15 And Machir H4353 took H3947 to wife H802 the sister of Huppim H2650 and Shuppim, H8206 whose sister's H269 name H8034 was Maachah;) H4601 and the name H8034 of the second H8145 was Zelophehad: H6765 and Zelophehad H6765 had daughters. H1323
And Zelophehad H6765 the son H1121 of Hepher H2660 had no sons, H1121 but daughters: H1323 and the names H8034 of the daughters H1323 of Zelophehad H6765 were Mahlah, H4244 and Noah, H5270 Hoglah, H2295 Milcah, H4435 and Tirzah. H8656
And the chief H7218 fathers H1 of the families H4940 of the children H1121 of Gilead, H1568 the son H1121 of Machir, H4353 the son H1121 of Manasseh, H4519 of the families H4940 of the sons H1121 of Joseph, H3130 came near, H7126 and spake H1696 before H6440 Moses, H4872 and before H6440 the princes, H5387 the chief H7218 fathers H1 of the children H1121 of Israel: H3478 And they said, H559 The LORD H3068 commanded H6680 my lord H113 to give H5414 the land H776 for an inheritance H5159 by lot H1486 to the children H1121 of Israel: H3478 and my lord H113 was commanded H6680 by the LORD H3068 to give H5414 the inheritance H5159 of Zelophehad H6765 our brother H251 unto his daughters. H1323 And if they be married H802 to any H259 of the sons H1121 of the other tribes H7626 of the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 then shall their inheritance H5159 be taken H1639 from the inheritance H5159 of our fathers, H1 and shall be put H3254 to the inheritance H5159 of the tribe H4294 whereunto they are received: so shall it be taken H1639 from the lot H1486 of our inheritance. H5159 And when the jubile H3104 of the children H1121 of Israel H3478 shall be, then shall their inheritance H5159 be put H3254 unto the inheritance H5159 of the tribe H4294 whereunto they are received: so shall their inheritance H5159 be taken away H1639 from the inheritance H5159 of the tribe H4294 of our fathers. H1 And Moses H4872 commanded H6680 the children H1121 of Israel H3478 according to the word H6310 of the LORD, H3068 saying, H559 The tribe H4294 of the sons H1121 of Joseph H3130 hath said H1696 well. This is the thing H1697 which the LORD H3068 doth command H6680 concerning the daughters H1323 of Zelophehad, H6765 saying, H559 Let them marry H802 to whom they think H5869 best; H2896 only to the family H4940 of the tribe H4294 of their father H1 shall they marry. H802 So shall not the inheritance H5159 of the children H1121 of Israel H3478 remove H5437 from tribe H4294 to tribe: H4294 for every one H376 of the children H1121 of Israel H3478 shall keep H1692 himself to the inheritance H5159 of the tribe H4294 of his fathers. H1 And every daughter, H1323 that possesseth H3423 an inheritance H5159 in any tribe H4294 of the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 shall be wife H802 unto one H259 of the family H4940 of the tribe H4294 of her father, H1 that the children H1121 of Israel H3478 may enjoy H3423 every man H376 the inheritance H5159 of his fathers. H1 Neither shall the inheritance H5159 remove H5437 from one tribe H4294 to another H312 tribe; H4294 but every one H376 of the tribes H4294 of the children H1121 of Israel H3478 shall keep H1692 himself to his own inheritance. H5159 Even as the LORD H3068 commanded H6680 Moses, H4872 so did H6213 the daughters H1323 of Zelophehad: H6765 For Mahlah, H4244 Tirzah, H8656 and Hoglah, H2295 and Milcah, H4435 and Noah, H5270 the daughters H1323 of Zelophehad, H6765 were married H802 unto their father's H1730 brothers' sons: H1121 And they were married H802 into the families H4940 of the sons H1121 of Manasseh H4519 the son H1121 of Joseph, H3130 and their inheritance H5159 remained in the tribe H4294 of the family H4940 of their father. H1
Then came H7126 the daughters H1323 of Zelophehad, H6765 the son H1121 of Hepher, H2660 the son H1121 of Gilead, H1568 the son H1121 of Machir, H4353 the son H1121 of Manasseh, H4519 of the families H4940 of Manasseh H4519 the son H1121 of Joseph: H3130 and these are the names H8034 of his daughters; H1323 Mahlah, H4244 Noah, H5270 and Hoglah, H2295 and Milcah, H4435 and Tirzah. H8656 And they stood H5975 before H6440 Moses, H4872 and before H6440 Eleazar H499 the priest, H3548 and before H6440 the princes H5387 and all the congregation, H5712 by the door H6607 of the tabernacle H168 of the congregation, H4150 saying, H559 Our father H1 died H4191 in the wilderness, H4057 and he was not in H8432 the company H5712 of them that gathered themselves together H3259 against the LORD H3068 in the company H5712 of Korah; H7141 but died H4191 in his own sin, H2399 and had no sons. H1121 Why should the name H8034 of our father H1 be done away H1639 from among H8432 his family, H4940 because he hath no son? H1121 Give H5414 unto us therefore a possession H272 among H8432 the brethren H251 of our father. H1 And Moses H4872 brought H7126 their cause H4941 before H6440 the LORD. H3068 And the LORD H3068 spake H559 unto Moses, H4872 saying, H559 The daughters H1323 of Zelophehad H6765 speak H1696 right: H3651 thou shalt surely H5414 give H5414 them a possession H272 of an inheritance H5159 among H8432 their father's H1 brethren; H251 and thou shalt cause the inheritance H5159 of their father H1 to pass H5674 unto them. And thou shalt speak H1696 unto the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 saying, H559 If a man H376 die, H4191 and have no son, H1121 then ye shall cause his inheritance H5159 to pass H5674 unto his daughter. H1323 And if he have no daughter, H1323 then ye shall give H5414 his inheritance H5159 unto his brethren. H251 And if he have no brethren, H251 then ye shall give H5414 his inheritance H5159 unto his father's H1 brethren. H251 And if his father H1 have no brethren, H251 then ye shall give H5414 his inheritance H5159 unto his kinsman H7607 that is next H7138 to him of his family, H4940 and he shall possess H3423 it: and it shall be unto the children H1121 of Israel H3478 a statute H2708 of judgment, H4941 as the LORD H3068 commanded H6680 Moses. H4872
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on 1 Chronicles 7
Commentary on 1 Chronicles 7 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 7
1Ch 7:1-5. Sons of Issachar.
1. Jashub—or Job (Ge 46:13).
2. whose number was in the days of David two and twenty thousand and six hundred—Although a census was taken in the reign of David by order of that monarch, it is not certain that the sacred historian had it in mind, since we find here the tribe of Benjamin enumerated [1Ch 7:6-12], which was not taken in David's time; and there are other points of dissimilarity.
3. five: all of them chief men—Four only are mentioned; so that as they are stated to be five, in this number the father, Izrahiah, must be considered as included; otherwise one of the names must have dropped out of the text. They were each at the head of a numerous and influential division of their tribe.
5. fourscore and seven thousand—exclusive of the 58,600 men which the Tola branch had produced (1Ch 7:24), so that in the days of David the tribe would have contained a population of 45,600. This large increase was owing to the practice of polygamy, as well as the fruitfulness of the women. A plurality of wives, though tolerated among the Hebrews, was confined chiefly to the great and wealthy; but it seems to have been generally esteemed a privilege by the tribe of Issachar, "for they had many wives and sons" [1Ch 7:4].
1Ch 7:6-12. Of Benjamin.
6. The sons of Benjamin—Ten are named in Ge 46:21, but only five later (1Ch 8:1; Nu 26:38). Perhaps five of them were distinguished as chiefs of illustrious families, but two having fallen in the bloody wars waged against Benjamin (Jud 20:46), there remained only three branches of this tribe, and these only are enumerated.
Jediael—Or Asbel (Genesis 46. 21).
7. the sons of Bela—Each of them was chief or leader of the family to which he belonged. In an earlier period seven great families of Benjamin are mentioned (Nu 26:38), five of them being headed by these five sons of Benjamin, and two descended from Bela. Here five families of Bela are specified, whence we are led to conclude that time or the ravages of war had greatly changed the condition of Benjamin, or that the five families of Bela were subordinate to the other great divisions that sprang directly from the five sons of the patriarch.
12. Shuppim also, and Huppim—They are called Muppim and Huppim (Ge 46:21) and Hupham and Shupham (Nu 26:39). They were the children of Ir, or Iri (1Ch 7:7).
and Hushim, the sons—"son."
of Aher—"Aher" signifies "another," and some eminent critics, taking "Aher" as a common noun, render the passage thus, "and Hushim, another son." Shuppim, Muppim, and Hushim are plural words, and therefore denote not individuals, but the heads of their respective families; and as they were not comprised in the above enumeration (1Ch 7:7, 9) they are inserted here in the form of an appendix. Some render the passage, "Hushim, the son of another," that is, tribe or family. The name occurs among the sons of Dan (Ge 46:23), and it is a presumption in favor of this being the true rendering, that after having recorded the genealogy of Naphtali (1Ch 7:13) the sacred historian adds, "the sons of Bilhah, the handmaid, who was the mother of Dan and Naphtali." We naturally expect, therefore, that these two will be noticed together, but Dan is not mentioned at all, if not in this passage.
1Ch 7:13. Of Naphtali.
13. Shallum—or Shillem (Ge 46:24).
sons of Bilhah—As Dan and Naphtali were her sons, Hushim, as well as these enumerated in 1Ch 7:13, were her grandsons.
1Ch 7:14-40. Of Manasseh.
14, 15. The sons of Manasseh—or descendants; for Ashriel was a grandson, and Zelophehad was a generation farther removed in descent (Nu 26:33). The text, as it stands, is so confused and complicated that it is exceedingly difficult to trace the genealogical thread, and a great variety of conjectures have been made with a view to clear away the obscurity. The passage [1Ch 7:14, 15] should probably be rendered thus: "The sons of Manasseh were Ashriel, whom his Syrian concubine bare to him, and Machir, the father of Gilead (whom his wife bare to him). Machir took for a wife Maachah, sister to Huppim and Shuppim."
21. whom the men of Gath … slew, &c.—This interesting little episode gives us a glimpse of the state of Hebrew society in Egypt; for the occurrence narrated seems to have taken place before the Israelites left that country. The patriarch Ephraim was then alive, though he must have arrived at a very advanced age; and the Hebrew people, at all events those of them who were his descendants, still retained their pastoral character. It was in perfect consistency with the ideas and habits of Oriental shepherds that they should have made a raid on the neighboring tribe of the Philistines for the purpose of plundering their flocks. For nothing is more common among them than hostile incursions on the inhabitants of towns, or on other nomad tribes with whom they have no league of amity. But a different view of the incident is brought out, if, instead of "because," we render the Hebrew particle "when" they came down to take their cattle, for the tenor of the context leads rather to the conclusion that "the men of Gath" were the aggressors, who, making a sudden foray on the Ephraimite flocks, killed the shepherds including several of the sons of Ephraim. The calamity spread a deep gloom around the tent of their aged father, and was the occasion of his receiving visits of condolence from his distant relatives, according to the custom of the East, which is remarkably exemplified in the history of Job (Job 2:11; compare Joh 11:19).