1 Chronicles 1

1 Adam was the father of Seth, Seth was the father of Enosh, Enosh the father of Kenan,

2 Kenan the father of Mahalalel, Mahalalel the father of Jared.

3 Jared was the father of Enoch, who was the father of Methuselah; Methuselah was the father of Lamech,

4 who was the father of Noah. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

5 The sons of Japheth - Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras - were the ancestors of the peoples who bear their names.

6 The descendants of Gomer were the people of Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.

7 The descendants of Javan were the people of Elishah, Spain, Cyprus, and Rhodes.

8 The sons of Ham - Cush, Egypt, Libya, and Canaan - were the ancestors of the peoples who bear their names.

9 The descendants of Cush were the people of Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The descendants of Raamah were the people of Sheba and Dedan

10 (Cush had a son named Nimrod, who became the world's first great conqueror.)

11 The descendants of Egypt were the people of Lydia, Anam, Lehab, Naphtuh,

12 Pathrus, Casluh, and of Crete (from whom the Philistines were descended).

13 Canaan's sons - Sidon, the oldest, and Heth - were the ancestors of the peoples who bear their names.

14 Canaan was also the ancestor of the Jebusites, the Amorites, Girgashites,

15 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites,

16 Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites.

17 Shem's sons - Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, Aram, Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshek - were the ancestors of the peoples who bear their names.

18 Arpachshad was the father of Shelah, who was the father of Eber.

19 Eber had two sons; one was named Peleg, ^[a] because during his time the people of the world were divided, and the other was named Joktan.

20 The descendants of Joktan were the people of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,

21 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,

22 Ebal, Abimael, Sheba,

23 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab.

24 The family line from Shem to Abram is as follows: Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah,

25 Eber, Peleg, Reu,

26 Serug, Nahor, Terah,

27 and Abram (also known as Abraham).

28 Abraham had two sons, Isaac and Ishmael.

29 The sons of Ishmael became the heads of twelve tribes: Nebaioth (from the name of Ishmael's oldest son), Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

30 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema,

31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.

32 Abraham had a concubine named Keturah, who bore him six sons: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan had two sons: Sheba and Dedan.

33 Midian had five sons: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah.

34 Abraham's son Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob.

35 Esau's sons were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

36 Eliphaz became the ancestor of the following tribes: Teman, Omar, Zephi, Gatam, Kenaz, Timna, and Amalek.

37 And Reuel became the ancestor of the tribes of Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.

38 The original inhabitants of Edom were descended from the following sons of Seir: Lotan, who was the ancestor of the clans of Hori and Homam. (Lotan had a sister named Timna.) Shobal, who was the ancestor of the clans of Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. Zibeon, who had two sons, Aiah and Anah. Anah was the father of Dishon, and Dishon was the ancestor of the clans of Hamran, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. Ezer, who was the ancestor of the clans of Bilhan, Zaavan, and Jaakan. Dishan, who was the ancestor of the clans of Uz and Aran.

43 The following kings ruled the land of Edom one after the other, in the time before there were any kings in Israel: Bela son of Beor from Dinhabah Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah Husham from the region of Teman Hadad son of Bedad from Avith (he defeated the Midianites in a battle in the country of Moab) Samlah from Masrekah Shaul from Rehoboth-on-the-River Baal Hanan son of Achbor Hadad from Pau (his wife was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred and granddaughter of Mezahab)

51 The people of Edom were divided into the following tribes: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth,

52 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon,

53 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar,

54 Magdiel, and Iram.

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.

Footnotes

• [a]. peleg: [This name sounds like the Hebrew for "divide."]

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