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<TITLE>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible [First Chronicles, Chapter VIII].</TITLE>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1708)
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>F I R S T &nbsp; C H R O N I C L E S</B></FONT>
<BR>
<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. VIII.</FONT>
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<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
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,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ch+10:1"><I>ch.</I> x. 1</A>.
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,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ch+9:1"><I>ch.</I> ix. 1</A>.
Here is,
I. Some of the heads of that tribe named,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ch+8:1-32">ver. 1-32</A>.
II. A more particular account of the family of Saul,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ch+8:30-40">ver. 33-40</A>.</P>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Genealogies.</I></FONT></TD>
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 1660.</TD></TR>
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<FONT SIZE=+1>1 Now Benjamin begat Bela his firstborn, Ashbel the second, and
Aharah the third,
&nbsp; 2 Nohah the fourth, and Rapha the fifth.
&nbsp; 3 And the sons of Bela were, Addar, and Gera, and Abihud,
&nbsp; 4 And Abishua, and Naaman, and Ahoah,
&nbsp; 5 And Gera, and Shephuphan, and Huram.
&nbsp; 6 And these <I>are</I> the sons of Ehud: these are the heads of the
fathers of the inhabitants of Geba, and they removed them to
Manahath:
&nbsp; 7 And Naaman, and Ahiah, and Gera, he removed them, and begat
Uzza, and Ahihud.
&nbsp; 8 And Shaharaim begat <I>children</I> in the country of Moab, after
he had sent them away; Hushim and Baara <I>were</I> his wives.
&nbsp; 9 And he begat of Hodesh his wife, Jobab, and Zibia, and Mesha,
and Malcham,
&nbsp; 10 And Jeuz, and Shachia, and Mirma. These <I>were</I> his sons,
heads of the fathers.
&nbsp; 11 And of Hushim he begat Abitub, and Elpaal.
&nbsp; 12 The sons of Elpaal; Eber, and Misham, and Shamed, who built
Ono, and Lod, with the towns thereof:
&nbsp; 13 Beriah also, and Shema, who <I>were</I> heads of the fathers of
the inhabitants of Aijalon, who drove away the inhabitants of
Gath:
&nbsp; 14 And Ahio, Shashak, and Jeremoth,
&nbsp; 15 And Zebadiah, and Arad, and Ader,
&nbsp; 16 And Michael, and Ispah, and Joha, the sons of Beriah;
&nbsp; 17 And Zebadiah, and Meshullam, and Hezeki, and Heber,
&nbsp; 18 Ishmerai also, and Jezliah, and Jobab, the sons of Elpaal;
&nbsp; 19 And Jakim, and Zichri, and Zabdi,
&nbsp; 20 And Elienai, and Zilthai, and Eliel,
&nbsp; 21 And Adaiah, and Beraiah, and Shimrath, the sons of Shimhi;
&nbsp; 22 And Ishpan, and Heber, and Eliel,
&nbsp; 23 And Abdon, and Zichri, and Hanan,
&nbsp; 24 And Hananiah, and Elam, and Antothijah,
&nbsp; 25 And Iphedeiah, and Penuel, the sons of Shashak;
&nbsp; 26 And Shamsherai, and Shehariah, and Athaliah,
&nbsp; 27 And Jaresiah, and Eliah, and Zichri, the sons of Jeroham.
&nbsp; 28 These <I>were</I> heads of the fathers, by their generations,
chief <I>men.</I> These dwelt in Jerusalem.
&nbsp; 29 And at Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon; whose wife's name
<I>was</I> Maachah:
&nbsp; 30 And his firstborn son Abdon, and Zur, and Kish, and Baal,
and Nadab,
&nbsp; 31 And Gedor, and Ahio, and Zacher.
&nbsp; 32 And Mikloth begat Shimeah. And these also dwelt with their
brethren in Jerusalem, over against them.
</FONT></P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
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 <I>in the books of the kings of Israel and Judah</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ch+9:1"><I>ch.</I> ix. 1</A>),
according as they were given in by the several tribes, each observing
what method they thought fit. Hence some <I>as</I>cend, others
<I>de</I>secnd; some have <I>numbers</I> affixed, others <I>places;</I>
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 <I>Jasher,
Jeshurun--just ones,</I> and <I>the memory of the just is blessed.</I>
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
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ch+8:6"><I>v.</I> 6</A>),
in the preceding verse of one Gera
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ch+8:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>)
and
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ch+8:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>)
of one that descended from him, that <I>begat children in the country
of Moab,</I> which inclines me to think it was that Ehud who was the
second of the judges of Israel; for he is said to be <I>the son of
Gera</I> and <I>a Benjamite</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jdg+3:15">Judg. iii. 15</A>),
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 <I>drove away the
inhabitants of Gath</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ch+8:13"><I>v.</I> 13</A>),
perhaps those that had slain the Ephraimites
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ch+7:21"><I>ch.</I> vii. 21</A>)
or their posterity, by way of reprisal: and one of those that did this
piece of justice was named <I>Beriah</I> too, that name in which the
memorial of that injury was preserved.
6. Particular notice is taken of those that <I>dwelt in Jerusalem</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ch+8:28"><I>v.</I> 28</A>
and again
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ch+8:32"><I>v.</I> 32</A>),
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
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ne+11:2">Neh. xi. 2</A>)
<I>the people blessed those that willingly offered themselves to dwell
at Jerusalem,</I> 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.</P>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Genealogies.</I></FONT></TD>
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 700.</TD></TR>
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
</TABLE>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<FONT SIZE=+1>33 And Ner begat Kish, and Kish begat Saul, and Saul begat
Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Esh-baal.
&nbsp; 34 And the son of Jonathan <I>was</I> Merib-baal; and Merib-baal begat
Micah.
&nbsp; 35 And the sons of Micah <I>were,</I> Pithon, and Melech, and Tarea,
and Ahaz.
&nbsp; 36 And Ahaz begat Jehoadah; and Jehoadah begat Alemeth, and
Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begat Moza,
&nbsp; 37 And Moza begat Binea: Rapha <I>was</I> his son, Eleasah his son,
Azel his son:
&nbsp; 38 And Azel had six sons, whose names <I>are</I> these, Azrikam,
Bocheru, and Ishmael, and Sheariah, and Obadiah, and Hanan. All
these <I>were</I> the sons of Azel.
&nbsp; 39 And the sons of Eshek his brother <I>were,</I> Ulam his
firstborn, Jehush the second, and Eliphelet the third.
&nbsp; 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
<I>are</I> of the sons of Benjamin.
</FONT></P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
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,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ch+8:33"><I>v.</I> 33</A>.
His pedigree is carried higher
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Sa+9:1">1 Sam. ix. 1</A>,
only there Kish is said to be <I>the son of Abiel,</I> here <I>of
Ner.</I> He was in truth the son of Ner but the grandson of Abiel, as
appears by
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Sa+14:51">1 Sam. xiv. 51</A>,
where it is said that <I>Ner was the son of Abiel,</I> 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,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Sa+20:15,23,42">1 Sam. xx. 15, 23, 42</A>.
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 <I>mighty men of valour,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ch+8:40"><I>v.</I> 40</A>.
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.</P>
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