40 All these were the children H1121 of Asher, H836 heads H7218 of their father's H1 house, H1004 choice H1305 and mighty men H1368 of valour, H2428 chief H7218 of the princes. H5387 And the number H4557 throughout the genealogy H3187 of them that were apt to the war H6635 and to battle H4421 was twenty H6242 and six H8337 thousand H505 men. H582
And again H3254 the anger H639 of the LORD H3068 was kindled H2734 against Israel, H3478 and he moved H5496 David H1732 against them to say, H559 Go, H3212 number H4487 Israel H3478 and Judah. H3063 For the king H4428 said H559 to Joab H3097 the captain H8269 of the host, H2428 which was with him, Go now through H7751 all the tribes H7626 of Israel, H3478 from Dan H1835 even to Beersheba, H884 and number H6485 ye the people, H5971 that I may know H3045 the number H4557 of the people. H5971 And Joab H3097 said H559 unto the king, H4428 Now the LORD H3068 thy God H430 add H3254 unto the people, H5971 how many soever H1992 they be, an hundredfold, H3967 H6471 and that the eyes H5869 of my lord H113 the king H4428 may see H7200 it: but why doth my lord H113 the king H4428 delight H2654 in this thing? H1697 Notwithstanding the king's H4428 word H1697 prevailed H2388 against Joab, H3097 and against the captains H8269 of the host. H2428 And Joab H3097 and the captains H8269 of the host H2428 went out H3318 from the presence H6440 of the king, H4428 to number H6485 the people H5971 of Israel. H3478 And they passed over H5674 Jordan, H3383 and pitched H2583 in Aroer, H6177 on the right side H3225 of the city H5892 that lieth in the midst H8432 of the river H5158 of Gad, H1410 and toward Jazer: H3270 Then they came H935 to Gilead, H1568 and to the land H776 of Tahtimhodshi; H8483 and they came H935 to Danjaan, H1842 and about H5439 to Zidon, H6721 And came H935 to the strong hold H4013 of Tyre, H6865 and to all the cities H5892 of the Hivites, H2340 and of the Canaanites: H3669 and they went out H3318 to the south H5045 of Judah, H3063 even to Beersheba. H884 So when they had gone H7751 through all the land, H776 they came H935 to Jerusalem H3389 at the end H7097 of nine H8672 months H2320 and twenty H6242 days. H3117 And Joab H3097 gave up H5414 the sum H4557 of the number H4662 of the people H5971 unto the king: H4428 and there were in Israel H3478 eight H8083 hundred H3967 thousand H505 valiant H2428 men H376 H381 that drew H8025 the sword; H2719 and the men H376 of Judah H3063 were five H2568 hundred H3967 thousand H505 men. H376
And Satan H7854 stood up H5975 against Israel, H3478 and provoked H5496 David H1732 to number H4487 Israel. H3478 And David H1732 said H559 to Joab H3097 and to the rulers H8269 of the people, H5971 Go, H3212 number H5608 Israel H3478 from Beersheba H884 even to Dan; H1835 and bring H935 the number H4557 of them to me, that I may know H3045 it. And Joab H3097 answered, H559 The LORD H3068 make his people H5971 an hundred H3967 times H6471 so many more H3254 as they H1992 be: but, my lord H113 the king, H4428 are they not all my lord's H113 servants? H5650 why then doth my lord H113 require H1245 this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass H819 to Israel? H3478 Nevertheless the king's H4428 word H1697 prevailed H2388 against Joab. H3097 Wherefore Joab H3097 departed, H3318 and went H1980 throughout all Israel, H3478 and came H935 to Jerusalem. H3389 And Joab H3097 gave H5414 the sum H4557 of the number H4662 of the people H5971 unto David. H1732 And all they of Israel H3478 were a thousand H505 thousand H505 and an hundred H3967 thousand H505 men H376 that drew H8025 sword: H2719 and Judah H3063 was four H702 hundred H3967 threescore and ten H7657 thousand H505 men H376 that drew H8025 sword. H2719
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).