I
C H R O N I C L E S
CHAP. VIII.
We
had some account given us of Benjamin in the foregoing chapter; here we have a
larger catalogue of the great men of that tribe. 1. Because of that tribe Saul
came, the first king of
Israel, to the story of whom the sacred writer is hastening, ch. x. 1.
2. Because that tribe clave to Judah, inhabited much
of Jerusalem, was one of the two tribes that went into
captivity, and returned back; and that story also he has an eye to, ch.
ix. 1. Here is, I. Some of the heads of that tribe named, ver. 1-32. II. A
more particular account of the family of Saul, ver. 33-40.
1 Now Benjamin begat Bela his firstborn, Ashbel
the second, and Aharah the third, 2 Nohah the fourth, and Rapha
the fifth. 3 And the sons of Bela were, Addar, and
Gera, and Abihud, 4 And Abishua, and
Naaman, and Ahoah, 5 And Gera, and Shephuphan, and Huram.
6 And these are the sons of Ehud: these are the heads of the fathers of
the inhabitants of Geba, and they removed them to Manahath: 7 And
Naaman, and Ahiah, and Gera, he removed them, and begat Uzza, and Ahihud.
8 And Shaharaim begat children in the country of
Moab, after he had sent them away; Hushim and Baara
were his wives. 9 And he begat of Hodesh his wife, Jobab,
and Zibia, and Mesha, and Malcham, 10 And Jeuz, and Shachia, and
Mirma. These were his sons, heads of the fathers. 11 And of
Hushim he begat Abitub, and Elpaal. 12 The sons of Elpaal; Eber,
and Misham, and Shamed, who built Ono, and Lod, with the towns thereof:
13 Beriah also, and Shema, who were heads of the fathers of the
inhabitants of Aijalon, who drove away the inhabitants of Gath: 14
And Ahio, Shashak, and Jeremoth, 15 And Zebadiah, and Arad, and
Ader, 16 And Michael, and Ispah, and Joha, the sons of Beriah;
17 And Zebadiah, and Meshullam, and Hezeki, and Heber, 18 Ishmerai
also, and Jezliah, and Jobab, the sons of Elpaal; 19 And Jakim,
and Zichri, and Zabdi, 20 And Elienai, and Zilthai, and Eliel,
21 And Adaiah, and Beraiah, and Shimrath, the sons of Shimhi; 22
And Ishpan, and Heber, and Eliel, 23 And Abdon, and Zichri, and
Hanan, 24 And Hananiah, and Elam, and Antothijah, 25
And Iphedeiah, and Penuel, the sons of Shashak; 26 And Shamsherai,
and Shehariah, and Athaliah, 27 And Jaresiah, and Eliah, and
Zichri, the sons of Jeroham. 28 These were heads of the
fathers, by their generations, chief men. These dwelt in
Jerusalem. 29 And at
Gibeon
dwelt the father of Gibeon; whose wife's name was Maachah:
30 And his firstborn son Abdon, and Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and Nadab, 31 And Gedor,
and Ahio, and Zacher. 32 And Mikloth begat Shimeah. And these also
dwelt with their brethren in Jerusalem, over against them.
There is little or nothing of history in all these verses; we have not
therefore much to observe. 1. As to the difficulties that occur in this and
the foregoing genealogies we need not perplex ourselves. I presume Ezra took
them as he found them in the books of the kings of
Israel
and
Judah
(ch. ix. 1), according as they were given in by the several tribes,
each observing what method they thought fit. Hence some ascend, others descend;
some have numbers affixed, others places; some have historical
remarks intermixed, others have not; some are shorter, others longer; some
agree with other records, others differ; some, it is likely, were torn,
erased, and blotted, others more legible. Those of Dan and Reuben were
entirely lost. This holy man wrote as he was moved by the Holy Ghost; but
there was no necessity for the making up of the defects, no, nor for the
rectifying of the mistakes, of these genealogies by inspiration. It was
sufficient that he copied them out as they came into his hand, or so much of
them as was requisite to the present purpose, which was the directing of the
returned captives to settle as nearly as they could with those of their own
family, and in the places of their former residence. We may suppose that many
things in these genealogies which to us seem intricate, abrupt, and perplexed,
were plain and easy to them then (who knew how to fill up the deficiencies)
and abundantly answered the intention of the publishing of them. 2. Many great
and mighty nations there were now in being upon earth, and many illustrious
men in them, whose names are buried in perpetual oblivion, while the names of
multitudes of the Israel of God are here carefully preserved in everlasting
remembrance. They are Jasher, Jeshurun--just ones, and the memory of
the just is blessed. Many of these we have reason to fear, came short of
everlasting honour (for even the wicked kings of Judah come into the
genealogy), yet the perpetuating of their names here was a figure of the
writing of the names of all God's spiritual Israel in the Lamb's book of life.
3. This tribe of Benjamin was once brought to a very low ebb, in the time of
the judges, upon the occasion of the iniquity of Gibeah, when only 600 men
escaped the sword of justice; and yet, in these genealogies, it makes as good
a figure as almost any of the tribes: for it is the honour of God to help the
weakest and raise up those that are most diminished and abased. 4. Here is
mention of one Ehud (v. 6), in the preceding verse of one Gera (v.
5) and (v. 8) of one that descended from him, that begat children in
the country of Moab, which inclines me to think it was that Ehud who was
the second of the judges of Israel; for he is said to be the son of Gera
and a Benjamite (Judg. iii. 15), and he delivered Israel from the
oppression of the Moabites by killing the king of Moab, which might give him a
greater sway in the country of Moab than we find evidence of in his history
and might occasion some of his posterity to settle there. 5. Here is mention
of some of the Benjamites that drove away the inhabitants of
Gath
(v. 13), perhaps those that had slain the Ephraimites (ch. vii.
21) or their posterity, by way of reprisal: and one of those that did this
piece of justice was named Beriah too, that name in which the memorial
of that injury was preserved. 6. Particular notice is taken of those that dwelt
in Jerusalem (v. 28 and again v. 32), that those whose
ancestors had had their residence there might thereby be induced, at their
return from captivity, to settle there too, which, for aught that appears, few
were willing to do, because it was the post of danger: and therefore we find (Neh.
xi. 2) the people blessed those that willingly offered themselves to dwell
at Jerusalem, the greater part being inclined to prefer the cities of
Judah. Those whose godly parents had their conversation in the new Jerusalem
should thereby be engaged to set their faces thitherward and pursue the way
thither, whatever it cost them.
33 And Ner begat Kish, and
Kish
begat Saul, and Saul begat Jonathan, and
Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Esh-baal. 34 And the son of Jonathan
was Merib-baal; and Merib-baal begat Micah. 35 And the sons
of Micah were, Pithon, and Melech, and Tarea, and Ahaz. 36
And Ahaz begat Jehoadah; and Jehoadah begat Alemeth, and Azmaveth, and Zimri;
and Zimri begat Moza, 37 And Moza begat Binea: Rapha was
his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son: 38 And Azel had six sons,
whose names are these, Azrikam, Bocheru, and Ishmael, and Sheariah, and
Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel. 39 And
the sons of Eshek his brother were, Ulam his firstborn, Jehush the
second, and Eliphelet the third. 40 And the sons of Ulam were
mighty men of valour, archers, and had many sons, and sons' sons, a hundred
and fifty. All these are of the sons of Benjamin.
It is observable that among all the genealogies of the tribes there is no
mention of any of the kings of Israel after the defection from the house of
David, much less of their families; not a word of Jeroboam's house or Baasha's,
of Umri's or Jehu's; for they were all idolaters. But of the family of Saul,
which was the royal family before the elevation of David, we have here a
particular account. 1. Before Saul, Kish and Ner only are named, his father
and grandfather, v. 33. His pedigree is carried higher 1 Sam. ix. 1,
only there Kish is said to be the son of Abiel, here of Ner. He
was in truth the son of Ner but the grandson of Abiel, as appears by 1 Sam.
xiv. 51, where it is said that Ner was the son of Abiel, and that Abner,
who was the son of Ner, was Saul's uncle (that is, his father's brother);
therefore his father was also the son of Ner. It is common in all languages to
put sons for grandsons and other descendents, much more in the scanty language
of the Hebrews. 2. After Saul, divers of his sons are named, but the posterity
of none of them, save Jonathan only, who was blessed with numerous issue and
those honoured with a place in the sacred genealogies for the sake of his
sincere kindness to David. The line of Jonathan is drawn down here for about
ten generations. Perhaps David was, in a particular manner, careful to
preserve that, and assigned it a page by itself, because of the covenant made
between his seed and Jonathan's seed forever, 1 Sam. xx. 15, 23, 42. This
genealogy ends in Ulam, whose family became famous in the tribe of Benjamin
for the number of its valiant men. Of that one man's posterity there were, as
it should seem, at one time, 150 archers brought into the field of battle,
that were mighty men of valour, v. 40. That is taken notice of
concerning them which is more a man's praise than his pomp or wealth is, that
they were qualified to serve their country.
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