Verse 9
Seba, and Havilah - "Sindi and Hindi, and Semadaei, and Libyes and the Zingitae; but the sons of the Mauritanians, Demargad and Mesag." - T.
Verse 10
He began to be mighty upon the earth - "He began to be bold in sin, a murderer of the innocent, and a rebel before the Lord." - T.
Verse 11
Ludim, etc. - "The Nivitaei, the Mariotaei, the Libakaei, and the Pentaskenaei." - T.
Verse 12
Caphthorim - "The Cappadocians." - T.
Verse 13
Canaan begat Zidon - "Canaan begat Bothniam, his first-born, who built Sidon." - T.
Verse 19
The name of the one was Peleg - "Because in his days the inhabitants of the earth were divided according to their languages. And the name of his brother was Joktan, because in his days the years of men began to be shortened, on account of their iniquities." - T.
Verse 20
Joktan begat Almodad - "He divided and measured the earth by lines. Sheleph; he assigned rivers to be boundaries. Hazarmaveth; he prepared a place of snares to kill by the highways. Jerah; he built inns, and when any person came to eat and drink, he gave him deadly poison, and so took his property." - T.
According to these traditions, the two first were geographers; the third, a public robber; and the fourth, an unprincipled innkeeper, who gave poison to his rich guests, that he might get their property. Such things have been done even in modern times.
Verse 23
And Ophir - "Whence gold is brought." And Havilah; "whence pearls are brought." - T.
Verse 24
Shem - "The great priest." - T.
Verse 32
Keturah, Abraham's concubine - Abraham's pilegesh, or wife of the second rank; she was neither whore, harlot, nor concubine, in our sense of these words.
Verse 43
Before any king reigned over - Israel - See [Gen 36:31] (note), etc., where the same verses occur, as I have supposed borrowed from this place; and see the notes there.
Bela the son of Beor - "Balaam the impious son of Beor, the same as Laban the Syrian, who formed a confederacy with the sons of Esau, to destroy Jacob and his children; and he studied to destroy them utterly. Afterwards he reigned in Sodom; and the name of his royal city was Dinhabah, because it was undeservedly given to him." - T.
Verse 44
Bela was dead - "Being killed by Phineas, in the wilderness." - T.
Jobab the son of Zerah - Supposed by some to be the same as Job, whose book forms a part of the canon of Scripture. But in their names there is no similarity; Job being written איוב aiyob; Jobab, יובב yobab. See the notes on Job, and the parallel place in Genesis.
Verse 46
Smote Midian - Nothing is known of this war.
Verse 48
By the river - "Shaul of Plathiutha, a great city, built on the banks of the Euphrates." - T.
Verse 50
Daughter of Mezahab - This word מי זהב mey zahab, is literally the golden waters; or What is gold? The Targumist paraphrases thus: "Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, was so earnest and diligent in business that she became immensely rich; but when she was converted, she said, What is this silver, and What is this gold? That is, They are of no real worth.
Verse 51
Hadad died - "And his kingdom ended; for his land was subdued by the children of Esau, and the dukes of Edom ruled in the land of Gebala." - T.
For various particulars in this chapter, see Genesis 10 (note) and Genesis 36 (note), and the parallel places.
Introduction
The twelve sons of Jacob, [1Chr 2:1], [1Chr 2:2]. The posterity of Judah down to David, [1Chr 2:3-15]. The posterity of the children of Jesse and Caleb, vv. 16-55.
Verse 1
These are the sons of Israel - For this genealogy see the parallel places at [Gen 29:32]; [Gen 30:5]; [Gen 35:18], [Gen 35:22]; [Gen 46:8], etc.
Verse 6
Five of them in all - "These were all chief men; and on them the spirit of prophecy rested." - T.
Verse 17
Jether the Ishmeelite - "They called him Jether, because he girded himself with his sword, that he might assist David with the Arabians, when Abner was endeavoring to destroy David and the whole race of Jesse, as being unfit to enter into the congregation of the Lord, on account of Ruth the Moabitess." - T.