I
C H R O N I C L E S
CHAP. VII.
In
this chapter we have some account of the genealogies, I. Of Issachar, ver.
1-5. II. Of Benjamin, ver. 6-12. III. Of Naphtali, ver. 13. IV. Of Manasseh,
ver. 14-19. V. Of Ephraim, ver. 20-29. VI. Of Asher, ver. 30-40. Here is no
account either of Zebulun or Dan. Why they only should be omitted we can
assign no reason; only it is the disgrace of the tribe of Dan that idolatry
began in that colony of the Danites which fixed in Laish, and called Dan, and
there one of the golden calves was set up by Jeroboam. Dan is omitted, Rev.
vii.
1 Now the sons of Issachar were, Tola,
and Puah, Jashub, and Shimron, four. 2 And the sons of Tola; Uzzi,
and Rephaiah, and Jeriel, and Jahmai, and Jibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their
father's house, to wit, of Tola: they were valiant men of might
in their generations; whose number was in the days of David two and
twenty thousand and six hundred. 3 And the sons of Uzzi; Izrahiah:
and the sons of Izrahiah; Michael, and Obadiah, and Joel, Ishiah, five: all of
them chief men. 4 And with them, by their generations, after the
house of their fathers, were bands of soldiers for war, six and thirty
thousand men: for they had many wives and sons. 5 And their
brethren among all the families of Issachar were valiant men of might,
reckoned in all by their genealogies fourscore and seven thousand.
6 The sons of Benjamin; Bela, and Becher, and Jediael, three.
7 And the sons of Bela; Ezbon, and Uzzi, and Uzziel, and Jerimoth, and Iri,
five; heads of the house of their fathers, mighty men of valour; and
were reckoned by their genealogies twenty and two thousand and thirty and
four. 8 And the sons of Becher; Zemira, and Joash, and Eliezer,
and Elioenai, and Omri, and Jerimoth, and Abiah, and Anathoth, and Alameth.
All these are the sons of Becher. 9 And the number of them,
after their genealogy by their generations, heads of the house of their
fathers, mighty men of valour, was twenty thousand and two
hundred. 10 The sons also of Jediael; Bilhan: and the sons of
Bilhan; Jeush, and Benjamin, and Ehud, and Chenaanah, and Zethan, and
Tharshish, and Ahishahar. 11 All these the sons of Jediael, by the
heads of their fathers, mighty men of valour, were seventeen thousand
and two hundred soldiers, fit to go out for war and
battle. 12 Shuppim also, and Huppim, the children of Ir, and
Hushim, the sons of Aher. 13 The sons of Naphtali; Jahziel, and
Guni, and Jezer, and Shallum, the sons of Bilhah. 14 The sons of
Manasseh; Ashriel, whom she bare: (but his concubine the Aramitess bare
Machir the father of Gilead: 15 And Machir took to wife the
sister of Huppim and Shuppim, whose sister's name was Maachah;) and
the name of the second was Zelophehad: and Zelophehad had
daughters. 16 And Maachah the wife of Machir bare a son, and she
called his name Peresh; and the name of his brother was Sheresh; and
his sons were Ulam and Rakem. 17 And the sons of Ulam;
Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of
Manasseh. 18 And his sister Hammoleketh bare Ishod, and Abiezer,
and Mahalah. 19 And the sons of Shemida were, Ahian, and Shechem,
and Likhi, and Aniam.
We have here a short view given us,
I. Of the tribe of Issachar, whom Jacob had compared to a strong ass,
couching between two burdens (Gen. xlix. 14), an industrious tribe, that
minded their country business very closely and rejoiced in their tents,
Deut. xxxiii. 18. And here it appears, 1. That they were a numerous tribe; for
they had many wives. So fruitful their country was that they saw no danger of
over-stocking the pasture, and so ingenious the people were that they could
find work for all hands. Let no people complain of their numbers, provided
they suffer none to be idle. 2. That they were a valiant tribe, men of
might (v. 2, 5), chief men, v. 3. Those that were
inured to labour and business were of all men the fittest to serve their
country when there was occasion, The number of the respective families, as
taken in the days of David, is here set down, amounting in the whole to above
145,000 men fit for war. The account, some think, was taken when Joab numbered
the people, 2 Sam. xxiv. But I rather think it refers to some other
computation that was made, perhaps among themselves, because it is said (1
Chron. xxvii. 24) that that account was not inserted in the chronicles of king
David, it having offended God.
II. Of the tribe of Benjamin. Some account is here given of this tribe, but
much larger in the next chapter. The militia of this tribe scarcely reached to
60,000; but they are said to be mighty men of valour, v. 7, 9,
11. Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf, Gen. xlix. 27. It was the honour of
this tribe that it produced Saul the first king, and more its honour that it
adhered to the rightful kings of the house of David when the other tribes
revolted. Here is mention (v. 12) of Hushim the sons of Aher. The sons
of Dan are said to be Hushim (Gen. xlvi. 23), and therefore some read
Aher appellatively, Hushim--the sons of another (that is,
another of Jacob's sons) or the sons of a stranger, which Israelites should
not be, but such the Danites were when they set up Micah's graven and molten
image among them.
III. Of the tribe of Naphtali, v. 13. The first fathers only of that
tribe are named, the very same that we shall find, Gen. xlvi. 24, only that Shillem
there is Shallum here. None of their descendents are named, perhaps
because their genealogies were lost.
IV. Of the tribe of Manasseh, that part of it which was seated within Jordan;
for of the other part we had some account before, ch. v. 23, &c. Of
this tribe observe, 1. That one of them married an Aramitess, that is, a
Syrian, v. 14. This was during their bondage in Egypt, so early did
they begin to mingle with the nations. 2. That, though the father married a
Syrian, Machir, the son of that marriage, perhaps seeing the inconvenience of
it in his father's house, took to wife a daughter of Benjamin, v. 15.
It is good for the children to take warning by their father's mistakes and not
stumble at the same stone. 3. Here is mention of Bedan (v. 17), who
perhaps is the same with that Bedan who is mentioned as one of Israel's
deliverers, 1 Sam. xii. 11. Jair perhaps, who was of Manasseh (Judg. x. 3),
was the man.
20 And the sons of Ephraim; Shuthelah, and
Bered his son, and Tahath his son, and Eladah his son, and Tahath his
son, 21 And Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son, and Ezer, and
Elead, whom the men of Gath that were born in that land slew,
because they came down to take away their cattle. 22 And Ephraim
their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him.
23 And when he went in to his wife, she conceived, and bare a son, and he
called his name Beriah, because it went evil with his house. 24
(And his daughter was Sherah, who built Beth-horon the nether, and the
upper, and Uzzen-sherah.) 25 And Rephah was his son, also
Resheph, and Telah his son, and Tahan his son, 26 Laadan his son,
Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, 27 Non his son, Jehoshua his
son. 28 And their possessions and habitations were, Bethel
and the towns thereof, and eastward Naaran, and westward Gezer, with the towns
thereof; Shechem also and the towns thereof, unto Gaza and the towns
thereof: 29 And by the borders of the children of Manasseh, Beth-shean
and her towns, Taanach and her towns, Megiddo and her towns, Dor and her
towns. In these dwelt the children of Joseph the son of Israel. 30
The sons of Asher; Imnah, and Isuah, and Ishuai, and Beriah, and Serah their
sister. 31 And the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel, who is
the father of Birzavith. 32 And Heber begat Japhlet, and Shomer,
and Hotham, and Shua their sister. 33 And the sons of Japhlet;
Pasach, and Bimhal, and Ashvath. These are the children of Japhlet.
34 And the sons of Shamer; Ahi, and Rohgah, Jehubbah, and Aram. 35
And the sons of his brother Helem; Zophah, and Imna, and Shelesh, and Amal.
36 The sons of Zophah; Suah, and Harnepher, and Shual, and Beri, and Imrah,
37 Bezer, and Hod, and Shamma, and Shilshah, and Ithran, and Beera.
38 And the sons of Jether; Jephunneh, and Pispah, and Ara. 39 And
the sons of Ulla; Arah, and Haniel, and Rezia. 40 All these were
the children of Asher, heads of their father's house, choice and
mighty men of valour, chief of the princes. And the number throughout the
genealogy of them that were apt to the war and to battle was
twenty and six thousand men.
We have here an account,
I.
Of the tribe of Ephraim. Great things we read of that tribe when it came to
maturity. Here we have an account of the disasters of its infancy, while it
was in
Egypt
as it should seem; for Ephraim himself was alive when those things were done,
which yet is hard to imagine if it were, as is here computed, seven
generations off. Therefore I am apt to think that either it was another
Ephraim or that those who were slain were the immediate sons of that Ephraim
that was the son of Joseph. In this passage, which is related here only, we
have, 1. The great breach that was made upon the family of Ephraim. The men of
Gath, Philistines, giants, slew many of the sons of that family, because
they came down to take away their cattle, v. 21. It is uncertain
who were the aggressors here. Some make the men of Gath the aggressors, men born
in the land of Egypt, but now resident in Gath, supposing that they came
down into the land of Goshen, to drive away the Ephraimites' cattle, and slew
the owners, because they stood up in the defence of them. Many a man's life
has been exposed and betrayed by his wealth; so far is it from being a strong
city. Others think that the Ephraimites made a descent upon the men of Gath to
plunder them, presuming that the time had come when they should be put in
possession of Canaan; but they paid dearly for their rashness and
precipitation. Those that will not wait God's time cannot expect God's
blessing. I rather think that the men of Gath came down upon the Ephraimites,
because the Israelites in Egypt were shepherds, not soldiers, abounded in
cattle of their own, and therefore were not likely to venture their lives for
their neighbours' cattle: and the words may be read, The men of Gath slew
them, for they came down to take away their cattle. Zabad the son of
Ephraim, and Shuthelah, and Ezer, and Elead (his grandchildren), were, as Dr.
Lightfoot thinks, the men that were slain. Jacob had foretold that the seed of
Ephraim should become a multitude of nations (Gen. xlviii. 19), and yet
that plant is thus nipped in the bud. God's providences often seem to
contradict his promises; but, when they do so, they really magnify the
promise, and make the performance of it, notwithstanding, so much more
illustrious. The Ephraimites were the posterity of Joseph, and yet his power
could not protect them, though some think he was yet living. The sword devours
one as well as another. 2. The great grief which oppressed the father of the
family hereupon: Ephraim mourned many days. Nothing brings the aged to
the grave with more sorrow than their following the young that descend from
them to the grave first, especially if in blood. It is often the burden of
those that live to be old that they see those go before them of whom they
said, These same shall comfort us. It was a brotherly friendly office
which his brethren did, when they came to comfort him under this great
affliction, to express their sympathy with him and concern for him, and to
suggest that to him which would support and quiet him under this sad
providence. Probably they reminded him of the promise of increase which Jacob
had blessed him when he laid his right hand upon his head. Although his house
was not so with God as he hoped, but a house of mourning, a shattered family,
yet that promise was sure, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. 3. The repair of this breach, in
some measure, by addition of another son to his family in his old age (v.
23), like Seth, another seed instead of that of Abel whom Cain slew,
Gen. iv. 25. When God thus restores comfort to his mourners, makes glad
according to the days wherein he afflicted, setting the mercies over
against the crosses, we ought therein to take notice of the kindness and
tenderness of divine Providence; it is as if it repented God concerning his
servants, Ps. xc. 13, 15. Yet joy that a man was born into his family
could not make him forget his grief; for he gives a melancholy name to his
son, Beriah--in trouble, for he was born when the family was in
mourning, when it went evil with his house. It is good to have in
remembrance the affliction and the misery, the wormwood and the gall, that our
souls may be humbled within us, Lam. iii. 19, 20. What name more proper
for man that is born of a woman than Beriah, because born into a
troublesome world? It is added, as a further honour to the house of Ephraim,
(1.) That a daughter of that tribe, Sherah by name, at the time of
Israel's setting in Canaan, built some cities, either at her own charge or by
her own care; one of them bore her name, Uzzen-sherah, v. 24. A
virtuous woman may be as great an honour and blessing to a family as a mighty
man. (2.) That a son of that tribe was employed in the conquest of Canaan, Joshua
the son of Nun, v. 27. In this also the breach made on Ephraim's
family was further repaired; and perhaps the resentment of this injury
formerly done by the Canaanites to the Ephraimites might make him more
vigorous in the war.
II. Of the tribe of Asher. Some men of note of that tribe are here named.
Their militia was not numerous in comparison with some other tribes, only
26,000 men in all; but their princes were choice and mighty men of valour,
chief of the princes (v. 40), and perhaps it was their wisdom that
they coveted not to make their trained bands numerous, but rather to have a
few, and those apt to the war and serviceable men.
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