The first nine chapters of this book deal mainly with genealogies. I will go through and make observations as I can and add any interesting comments that I may glean from research.
This quote from the introduction to 1Chronicles from William MacDonald’s Believer’s Bible Commentary tells us why these genealogies are so important.
“Genealogies were very important to the Jews in seeking to maintain their tribal distinctions. After the confusion of the captivity, it was also important to establish the kingly and priestly lines once more.”
It was interesting to note that the Chronicles were originally the last books in the canon of scripture in light of the fact that Matthew begins with the genealogy of Jesus through David and Solomon to his adoptive father Joseph.
1Chronicles 1:1 ¶ Adam, Sheth, Enosh,
1Chronicles 1:2 Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered,
1Chronicles 1:3 Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech,
According to Archbishop Ussher, The Annals of the World, this covers the first 1600+ years of human history; he notes that Methuselah died in the 1,656th year from creation. It is to be noted that the writer only focuses on the descendants of Adam through Seth since it is through him that Noah is descended.
1Chronicles 1:4 Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
It was through Noah and his three sons that the LORD made a new beginning with man after the flood. All people on earth are descendants of Adam through this family. Every person born on earth descends from the godly heritage of Noah. From the beginning, all had knowledge of God, but that knowledge became corrupted through the choices of wicked men to rebel against Him.
Research indicates that the sons of Japheth founded the people of Europe and northern Asia. The sons of Ham founded the people of Africa and the Far East. The sons of Shem founded the people of west-central Asia.
1Chronicles 1:5 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.
1Chronicles 1:6 And the sons of Gomer; Ashchenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.
1Chronicles 1:7 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
1Chronicles 1:8 The sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
1Chronicles 1:9 And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabta, and Raamah, and Sabtecha. And the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.
Some of these names stand out to me because of their significance in prophecy. Magog will be the leading nation in a future war against Israel as prophesied by Ezekiel. Gomer, Meshech, Tubal and Togarmah all figure prominently as allies of Magog. Sheba, Dedan and Tarshish are noted for staying out of the conflict. (See my journal on Ezekiel 38 for more detail.)
Ezekiel 38:1–6 “And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal….Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.”
Ezekiel 38:13 “Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?”
1Chronicles 1:10 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be mighty upon the earth.
Following is from my research on Nimrod when going through Genesis: He encouraged the people to believe that they could be self-sufficient without God. He eventually established himself as God (the Babylonian god Marduk). The building of the tower of Babel was in direct defiance of God’s command to “fill the earth.” Their intent was to make a name for themselves (pride). Nimrod was the first ruler of Babylon. He introduced quite gradually and deceptively the worship of the creature and the creation rather than the Creator. In Revelation, Babylon is called the “mother of harlots” (false religions) and is destined for permanent destruction for that very reason.
It was because of Nimrod’s leadership that the LORD decided to confuse the languages of the people (Genesis 11).
Revelation 17:5 “And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
Isaiah 13:9 & 19-20 “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it…. And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.”
1Chronicles 1:11 And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,
1Chronicles 1:12 And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (of whom came the Philistines,) and Caphthorim.
1Chronicles 1:13 And Canaan begat Zidon his firstborn, and Heth,
1Chronicles 1:14 The Jebusite also, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite,
1Chronicles 1:15 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,
1Chronicles 1:16 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite.
Mizraim is the Hebrew word for Egypt. Canaan’s descendants were the ones from whom the LORD took the land that He promised to give Abraham’s descendants through Jacob.
1Chronicles 1:17 The sons of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram, and Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Meshech.
1Chronicles 1:18 And Arphaxad begat Shelah, and Shelah begat Eber.
1Chronicles 1:19 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg; because in his days the earth was divided: and his brother’s name was Joktan.
1Chronicles 1:20 And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,
1Chronicles 1:21 Hadoram also, and Uzal, and Diklah,
1Chronicles 1:22 And Ebal, and Abimael, and Sheba,
1Chronicles 1:23 And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.
Elam was the father of the Persians, Asshur of the Assyrians and Aram of the Syrians.
Special note is made again, as it was in Genesis, that the earth was divided in the days of Peleg. I believe this is when the continents were separated. Maybe it occurred at the same time as the division of languages.
1Chronicles 1:24 Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah,
1Chronicles 1:25 Eber, Peleg, Reu,
1Chronicles 1:26 Serug, Nahor, Terah,
1Chronicles 1:27 Abram; the same is Abraham.
This section of verses emphasizes that it was through Shem, that Abraham, the founding father of the nation of Israel, was descended.
1Chronicles 1:28 ¶ The sons of Abraham; Isaac, and Ishmael.
1Chronicles 1:29 These are their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; then Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
1Chronicles 1:30 Mishma, and Dumah, Massa, Hadad, and Tema,
1Chronicles 1:31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael.
1Chronicles 1:32 Now the sons of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine: she bare Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. And the sons of Jokshan; Sheba, and Dedan.
1Chronicles 1:33 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Henoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these are the sons of Keturah.
This section identifies all the sons of Abraham. Isaac is given preeminence as the child of promise through Sarah. Ishmael was born of Sarah’s handmaid, Hagar, and is the father of the Arab people.
After listing the descendants of Ishmael, the historian records the sons of Abraham by Keturah. These sons founded the people of Arabia and Yemen.
1Chronicles 1:34 And Abraham begat Isaac. The sons of Isaac; Esau and Israel.
1Chronicles 1:35 The sons of Esau; Eliphaz, Reuel, and Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah.
1Chronicles 1:36 The sons of Eliphaz; Teman, and Omar, Zephi, and Gatam, Kenaz, and Timna, and Amalek.
1Chronicles 1:37 The sons of Reuel; Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
1Chronicles 1:38 And the sons of Seir; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah, and Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan.
1Chronicles 1:39 And the sons of Lotan; Hori, and Homam: and Timna was Lotan’s sister.
1Chronicles 1:40 The sons of Shobal; Alian, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. And the sons of Zibeon; Aiah, and Anah.
1Chronicles 1:41 The sons of Anah; Dishon. And the sons of Dishon; Amram, and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran.
1Chronicles 1:42 The sons of Ezer; Bilhan, and Zavan, and Jakan. The sons of Dishan; Uz, and Aran.
The focus turns to the sons of Isaac, Esau and Jacob/Israel. This section focuses on the sons of Esau.
V42 “Uz” – Job is noted as being from the land of Uz and could possibly even be a descendant of Esau.
Job 1:1 “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job….”
1Chronicles 1:43 Now these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel; Bela the son of Beor: and the name of his city was Dinhabah.
1Chronicles 1:44 And when Bela was dead, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead.
1Chronicles 1:45 And when Jobab was dead, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his stead.
1Chronicles 1:46 And when Husham was dead, Hadad the son of Bedad, which smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Avith.
1Chronicles 1:47 And when Hadad was dead, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead.
1Chronicles 1:48 And when Samlah was dead, Shaul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his stead.
1Chronicles 1:49 And when Shaul was dead, Baalhanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead.
1Chronicles 1:50 And when Baalhanan was dead, Hadad reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Pai; and his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.
1Chronicles 1:51 Hadad died also. And the dukes of Edom were; duke Timnah, duke Aliah, duke Jetheth,
1Chronicles 1:52 Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon,
1Chronicles 1:53 Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar,
1Chronicles 1:54 Duke Magdiel, duke Iram. These are the dukes of Edom.
Edom (also known as Seir) is a reference to the land God gave Esau and his descendants in the land today known as Arabia.
Deuteronomy 2:5 “Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.”
This section lists all the rulers of Edom. Some commentators note that Jobab is the same as Job.
1Chronicles 2:1 ¶ These are the sons of Israel; Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun,
1Chronicles 2:2 Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
This is a listing of the sons of Israel/Jacob that were the founding fathers of the 12 tribes of Israel. The number of tribes increased to 13 regarding allocation of the land because Joseph was given a double portion that fell to his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. The tribe of Levi was set apart in service to the LORD and were given no land inheritance.
1Chronicles 2:3 The sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah: which three were born unto him of the daughter of Shua the Canaanitess. And Er, the firstborn of Judah, was evil in the sight of the LORD; and he slew him.
1Chronicles 2:4 And Tamar his daughter in law bare him Pharez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five.
1Chronicles 2:5 The sons of Pharez; Hezron, and Hamul.
1Chronicles 2:6 And the sons of Zerah; Zimri, and Ethan, and Heman, and Calcol, and Dara: five of them in all.
1Chronicles 2:7 And the sons of Carmi; Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed.
1Chronicles 2:8 And the sons of Ethan; Azariah.
1Chronicles 2:9 The sons also of Hezron, that were born unto him; Jerahmeel, and Ram, and Chelubai.
1Chronicles 2:10 And Ram begat Amminadab; and Amminadab begat Nahshon, prince of the children of Judah;
These verses provide a listing of the descendants of Judah, the tribe that would produce the royal line of kings and eventually the Messiah.
1Chronicles 2:11 And Nahshon begat Salma, and Salma begat Boaz,
1Chronicles 2:12 And Boaz begat Obed, and Obed begat Jesse,
1Chronicles 2:13 And Jesse begat his firstborn Eliab, and Abinadab the second, and Shimma the third,
1Chronicles 2:14 Nethaneel the fourth, Raddai the fifth,
1Chronicles 2:15 Ozem the sixth, David the seventh:
I separated these verses because they zero in on the names of the family of King David, beginning with his great-great-great-grandfather. We recognize Boaz, David’s great-grandfather, from the beautiful story of Ruth in scripture. It is here we also learn the names of David’s older brothers.
1Chronicles 2:16 Whose sisters were Zeruiah, and Abigail. And the sons of Zeruiah; Abishai, and Joab, and Asahel, three.
1Chronicles 2:17 And Abigail bare Amasa: and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmeelite.
We learn that David had two sisters, Zeruiah and Abigail. Their sons were prominent military leaders that served under David.
The rest of this chapter focuses on descendants of Judah that were not part of the lineage of David. I have no further comments.
1Chronicles 2:18 ¶ And Caleb the son of Hezron begat children of Azubah his wife, and of Jerioth: her sons are these; Jesher, and Shobab, and Ardon.
1Chronicles 2:19 And when Azubah was dead, Caleb took unto him Ephrath, which bare him Hur.
1Chronicles 2:20 And Hur begat Uri, and Uri begat Bezaleel.
1Chronicles 2:21 And afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead, whom he married when he was threescore years old; and she bare him Segub.
1Chronicles 2:22 And Segub begat Jair, who had three and twenty cities in the land of Gilead.
1Chronicles 2:23 And he took Geshur, and Aram, with the towns of Jair, from them, with Kenath, and the towns thereof, even threescore cities. All these belonged to the sons of Machir the father of Gilead.
1Chronicles 2:24 And after that Hezron was dead in Calebephratah, then Abiah Hezron’s wife bare him Ashur the father of Tekoa.
1Chronicles 2:25 And the sons of Jerahmeel the firstborn of Hezron were, Ram the firstborn, and Bunah, and Oren, and Ozem, and Ahijah.
1Chronicles 2:26 Jerahmeel had also another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam.
1Chronicles 2:27 And the sons of Ram the firstborn of Jerahmeel were, Maaz, and Jamin, and Eker.
1Chronicles 2:28 And the sons of Onam were, Shammai, and Jada. And the sons of Shammai; Nadab, and Abishur.
1Chronicles 2:29 And the name of the wife of Abishur was Abihail, and she bare him Ahban, and Molid.
1Chronicles 2:30 And the sons of Nadab; Seled, and Appaim: but Seled died without children.
1Chronicles 2:31 And the sons of Appaim; Ishi. And the sons of Ishi; Sheshan. And the children of Sheshan; Ahlai.
1Chronicles 2:32 And the sons of Jada the brother of Shammai; Jether, and Jonathan: and Jether died without children.
1Chronicles 2:33 And the sons of Jonathan; Peleth, and Zaza. These were the sons of Jerahmeel.
1Chronicles 2:34 Now Sheshan had no sons, but daughters. And Sheshan had a servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Jarha.
1Chronicles 2:35 And Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant to wife; and she bare him Attai.
1Chronicles 2:36 And Attai begat Nathan, and Nathan begat Zabad,
1Chronicles 2:37 And Zabad begat Ephlal, and Ephlal begat Obed,
1Chronicles 2:38 And Obed begat Jehu, and Jehu begat Azariah,
1Chronicles 2:39 And Azariah begat Helez, and Helez begat Eleasah,
1Chronicles 2:40 And Eleasah begat Sisamai, and Sisamai begat Shallum,
1Chronicles 2:41 And Shallum begat Jekamiah, and Jekamiah begat Elishama.
1Chronicles 2:42 Now the sons of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel were, Mesha his firstborn, which was the father of Ziph; and the sons of Mareshah the father of Hebron.
1Chronicles 2:43 And the sons of Hebron; Korah, and Tappuah, and Rekem, and Shema.
1Chronicles 2:44 And Shema begat Raham, the father of Jorkoam: and Rekem begat Shammai.
1Chronicles 2:45 And the son of Shammai was Maon: and Maon was the father of Bethzur.
1Chronicles 2:46 And Ephah, Caleb’s concubine, bare Haran, and Moza, and Gazez: and Haran begat Gazez.
1Chronicles 2:47 And the sons of Jahdai; Regem, and Jotham, and Geshan, and Pelet, and Ephah, and Shaaph.
1Chronicles 2:48 Maachah, Caleb’s concubine, bare Sheber, and Tirhanah.
1Chronicles 2:49 She bare also Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbenah, and the father of Gibea: and the daughter of Caleb was Achsah.
1Chronicles 2:50 These were the sons of Caleb the son of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah; Shobal the father of Kirjathjearim,
1Chronicles 2:51 Salma the father of Bethlehem, Hareph the father of Bethgader.
1Chronicles 2:52 And Shobal the father of Kirjathjearim had sons; Haroeh, and half of the Manahethites.
1Chronicles 2:53 And the families of Kirjathjearim; the Ithrites, and the Puhites, and the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; of them came the Zareathites, and the Eshtaulites.
1Chronicles 2:54 The sons of Salma; Bethlehem, and the Netophathites, Ataroth, the house of Joab, and half of the Manahethites, the Zorites.
1Chronicles 2:55 And the families of the scribes which dwelt at Jabez; the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and Suchathites. These are the Kenites that came of Hemath, the father of the house of Rechab.