---
title: "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible"
author: "Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown"
languages: [en]
shelf: "Commentaries"
section: 129 of 927
url: https://scriptura.si/works/jamieson-fausset-brown-commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/129/
cite: "Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, section 129. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/jamieson-fausset-brown-commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/129/"
---

# Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

*Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown*

The Victorian standard commentary, critical and practical, from Genesis to Revelation.

## 129. 1 Chronicles · 3 of 10

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/jamieson-fausset-brown-commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/129/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/jamieson-fausset-brown-commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/129/#p-N

[¶0] Jetur--His descendants were called Itureans, and the country Auranitis, from Hauran, its chief city. These, who were skilled in archery, were invaded in the time of Joshua by a confederate army of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half Manasseh, who, probably incensed by the frequent raids of those marauding neighbors, took reprisals in men and cattle, dispossessed almost all of the original inhabitants, and colonized the district themselves. Divine Providence favoured, in a remarkable manner, the Hebrew army in this just war.

[¶1] 26. the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul--the Phalluka of the Ninevite monuments (see on [2Ki 15:19]).

[¶2] and the spirit of Tilgath-pilneser--the son of the former. By them the trans-jordanic tribes, including the other half of Manasseh, settled in Galilee, were removed to Upper Media. This was the first captivity ([2Ki 15:29]).

### Chapter 6

[¶4] [1Ch 6:1-48]. Line of the Priests.

[¶5] 5. Uzzi--It is supposed that, in his days, the high priesthood was, for unrecorded reasons, transferred from Eleazar's family to Ithamar's, in which it continued for several generations.

[¶6] 10. he it is that executed the priest's office in the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem--It is doubtful whether the person in favor of whom this testimony is borne be Johanan or Azariah. If the former, he is the same as Jehoiada, who rendered important public services ([2Ki 11:1-20]); if the latter, it refers to the worthy and independent part he acted in resisting the unwarrantable encroachments of Uzziah ([2Ch 26:17]).

[¶7] in the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem--described in this particular manner to distinguish it from the second temple, which was in existence at the time when this history was written.

[¶8] 14. Azariah begat Seraiah--He filled the supreme pontifical office at the destruction of Jerusalem, and, along with his deputy and others, he was executed by Nebuchadnezzar's orders at Riblah ([2Ki 25:18], ). The line of high priests, under the first temple, which from Zadok amounted to twelve, terminated with him.

[¶9] 16-48. The sons of Levi; Gershom, &c.--This repetition (see [1Ch 6:1]) is made, as the historian here begins to trace the genealogy of the Levitical families who were not priests. The list is a long one, comprising the chiefs or heads of their several families until David's reign, who made a new and different classification of them by courses.

[¶10] 49. But Aaron and his sons offered, &c.--The office and duties of the high priests having been already described, the names of those who successively filled that important office are recorded.

[¶11] 60. thirteen cities--No more than eleven are named here; but two additional ones are mentioned ([Jos 21:16], ), which makes up the thirteen.

[¶12] 61. unto the sons of Kohath, which were left--that is, in addition to the priests belonging to the same family and tribe of Levi.

[¶13] by lot, ten cities--([Jos 21:26]). The sacred historian gives an explanation ([1Ch 6:66]). Eight of these are mentioned, but only two of them are taken out of the half tribe of Manasseh ([1Ch 6:70]). The names of the other two are given ([Jos 21:21]), where full and detailed notices of these arrangements may be found.

[¶14] 62. to the sons of Gershom--Supply "the children of Israel gave."

[¶15] 67-81. they gave unto them of the cities of refuge--The names of the cities given here are considerably different from those applied to them ([Jos 21:13-19]). In the lapse of centuries, and from the revolutions of society, changes might have been expected to take place in the form or dialectic pronunciation of the names of those cities; and this will sufficiently account for the variations that are found in the lists as enumerated here and in an earlier book. As to these cities themselves that were assigned to the Levites, they were widely remote and separated--partly in fulfilment of Jacob's prophecy ([Ge 49:7]), and partly that the various districts of the country might obtain a competent supply of teachers who might instruct the people in the knowledge, and animate them to the observance, of a law which had so important a bearing on the promotion both of their private happiness and their national prosperity.

### Chapter 7

[¶17] [1Ch 7:1-5]. Sons of Issachar.

[¶18] 1. Jashub--or Job ([Ge 46:13]).

[¶19] 2. whose number was in the days of David two and twenty thousand and six hundred--Although a census was taken in the reign of David by order of that monarch, it is not certain that the sacred historian had it in mind, since we find here the tribe of Benjamin enumerated [1Ch 7:6-12], which was not taken in David's time; and there are other points of dissimilarity.

[¶20] 3. five: all of them chief men--Four only are mentioned; so that as they are stated to be five, in this number the father, Izrahiah, must be considered as included; otherwise one of the names must have dropped out of the text. They were each at the head of a numerous and influential division of their tribe.

[¶21] 5. fourscore and seven thousand--exclusive of the 58,600 men which the Tola branch had produced ([1Ch 7:24]), so that in the days of David the tribe would have contained a population of 45,600. This large increase was owing to the practice of polygamy, as well as the fruitfulness of the women. A plurality of wives, though tolerated among the Hebrews, was confined chiefly to the great and wealthy; but it seems to have been generally esteemed a privilege by the tribe of Issachar, "for they had many wives and sons" [1Ch 7:4].

[¶22] [1Ch 7:6-12]. Of Benjamin.

[¶23] 6. The sons of Benjamin--Ten are named in [Ge 46:21], but only five later ([1Ch 8:1]; [Nu 26:38]). Perhaps five of them were distinguished as chiefs of illustrious families, but two having fallen in the bloody wars waged against Benjamin ([Jud 20:46]), there remained only three branches of this tribe, and these only are enumerated.

[¶24] Jediael--Or Asbel (Genesis 46. 21).

[¶25] 7. the sons of Bela--Each of them was chief or leader of the family to which he belonged. In an earlier period seven great families of Benjamin are mentioned ([Nu 26:38]), five of them being headed by these five sons of Benjamin, and two descended from Bela. Here five families of Bela are specified, whence we are led to conclude that time or the ravages of war had greatly changed the condition of Benjamin, or that the five families of Bela were subordinate to the other great divisions that sprang directly from the five sons of the patriarch.

[¶26] 12. Shuppim also, and Huppim--They are called Muppim and Huppim ([Ge 46:21]) and Hupham and Shupham ([Nu 26:39]). They were the children of Ir, or Iri ([1Ch 7:7]).

[¶27] and Hushim, the sons--"son."

[¶28] of Aher--"Aher" signifies "another," and some eminent critics, taking "Aher" as a common noun, render the passage thus, "and Hushim, another son." Shuppim, Muppim, and Hushim are plural words, and therefore denote not individuals, but the heads of their respective families; and as they were not comprised in the above enumeration ([1Ch 7:7], ) they are inserted here in the form of an appendix. Some render the passage, "Hushim, the son of another," that is, tribe or family. The name occurs among the sons of Dan ([Ge 46:23]), and it is a presumption in favor of this being the true rendering, that after having recorded the genealogy of Naphtali ([1Ch 7:13]) the sacred historian adds, "the sons of Bilhah, the handmaid, who was the mother of Dan and Naphtali." We naturally expect, therefore, that these two will be noticed together, but Dan is not mentioned at all, if not in this passage.

[¶29] [1Ch 7:13]. Of Naphtali.

[¶30] 13. Shallum--or Shillem ([Ge 46:24]).

[¶31] sons of Bilhah--As Dan and Naphtali were her sons, Hushim, as well as these enumerated in [1Ch 7:13], were her grandsons.

[¶32] [1Ch 7:14-40]. Of Manasseh.

[¶33] 14-15. The sons of Manasseh--or descendants; for Ashriel was a grandson, and Zelophehad was a generation farther removed in descent ([Nu 26:33]). The text, as it stands, is so confused and complicated that it is exceedingly difficult to trace the genealogical thread, and a great variety of conjectures have been made with a view to clear away the obscurity. The passage [1Ch 7:14, 15] should probably be rendered thus: "The sons of Manasseh were Ashriel, whom his Syrian concubine bare to him, and Machir, the father of Gilead (whom his wife bare to him). Machir took for a wife Maachah, sister to Huppim and Shuppim."

[¶34] 21. whom the men of Gath ... slew, &c.--This interesting little episode gives us a glimpse of the state of Hebrew society in Egypt; for the occurrence narrated seems to have taken place before the Israelites left that country. The patriarch Ephraim was then alive, though he must have arrived at a very advanced age; and the Hebrew people, at all events those of them who were his descendants, still retained their pastoral character. It was in perfect consistency with the ideas and habits of Oriental shepherds that they should have made a raid on the neighboring tribe of the Philistines for the purpose of plundering their flocks. For nothing is more common among them than hostile incursions on the inhabitants of towns, or on other nomad tribes with whom they have no league of amity. But a different view of the incident is brought out, if, instead of "because," we render the Hebrew particle "when" they came down to take their cattle, for the tenor of the context leads rather to the conclusion that "the men of Gath" were the aggressors, who, making a sudden foray on the Ephraimite flocks, killed the shepherds including several of the sons of Ephraim. The calamity spread a deep gloom around the tent of their aged father, and was the occasion of his receiving visits of condolence from his distant relatives, according to the custom of the East, which is remarkably exemplified in the history of Job ([Job 2:11]; compare [Joh 11:19]).

### Chapter 8

[¶36] [1Ch 8:1-32]. Sons and Chief Men of Benjamin.

[¶37] 1. Now Benjamin begat, &c.--This chapter contains some supplementary particulars in addition to what has been already said regarding the tribe of Benjamin (see on [1Ch 7:6]). The names of many of the persons mentioned are different from those given by Moses--a diversity which may be accounted for in part on grounds formerly stated, namely, either that the persons had more than one name, or that the word "sons" is used in a loose sense for grandsons or descendants. But there are other circumstances to be taken into account in considering the details of this chapter; namely, first, that the genealogies of the Benjamites were disordered or destroyed by the almost total extermination of this tribe ([Jud 20:11-48]); secondly, that a great number of Benjamites, born in Assyria, are mentioned here, who returned from the long captivity in Babylon, and established themselves--some in Jerusalem, others in different parts of Judea. There were more returned from Babylon of the families belonging to this tribe than to any other except Judah; and hence many strange names are here introduced; some of which will be found in the list of the restored exiles (compare [Ezr 2:1-70]).

[¶38] 6. these are the sons of Ehud--most probably the judge of Israel ([Jud 3:15]). His descendants, who had at first been established in Geba in Benjamin, emigrated in a body under the direction of Gera ([1Ch 8:7]) to Manahath, where their increased numbers would find more ample accommodation. Manahath was within the territory of Judah.

[¶39] 8. Shaharaim begat children in the country of Moab--He had probably been driven to take refuge in that foreign land on the same calamitous occasion that forced Elimelech to emigrate thither ([Ru 1:1]). But, destitute of natural affection, he forsook or divorced his two wives, and in the land of his sojourn married a third, by whom he had several sons. But there is another explanation given of the conduct of this Benjamite polygamist. His children by Hushim are mentioned ([1Ch 8:11]), while his other wife is unnoticed. Hence it has been thought probable that it is Baara who is mentioned under the name of Hodesh, so called because her husband, after long desertion, returned and cohabited with her as before.

[¶40] 28. These dwelt in Jerusalem--The ordinary and stated inhabitants of Jerusalem were Judahites, Benjamites, and Levites. But at the time referred to here, the chiefs or heads of the principal families who are enumerated ([1Ch 8:14-27]) established themselves in the city after their return from the captivity.

[¶41] [1Ch 8:33-40]. Stock of Saul and Jonathan.

[¶42] 33. Ner begat Kish--The father of Ner, though not mentioned here, is stated ([1Ch 9:35]) to have been Jehiel. Moreover, the father of Kish is said ([1Sa 9:1]) to have been Abiel, the son of Zeror, whence it would seem that Abiel and Ner were names of the same person.

[¶43] Abinadab--the same as Ishui ([1Sa 14:49]).

[¶44] Esh-baal--that is, Ish-bosheth.