1 Chronicles 8

This chapter lists the families of Benjamin, the youngest son of Jacob. It follows the clan leaders who settled in towns like Geba, Aijalon and Jerusalem, and then the line of King Saul down to many generations later. The long lists show that God keeps track of families, places and people across history, including those taken into exile.

1 Chronicles 8:1-2

The chronicler opens with Benjamin’s five sons, beginning with Bela, the firstborn. Benjamin was Jacob’s youngest son, born as Rachel was dying. Lists of sons in Scripture do not always agree in detail, but the point here is that this tribe has a name, an order and a place.

BSA: Benjamin (“son of the right hand, referring to the youngest son of Jacob”): His name speaks of favor and strength, a good start for a tribe that would later produce Israel’s first king.

Hebrew: בְּכֹרוֹ (bekhoro, H1060) — “his firstborn.” The word marks the son who held the place of first honor and responsibility in the household. The chronicler is careful to record who held it.

See also: Genesis 35:18; Genesis 46:21.

1 Chronicles 8:3-5

These verses name the sons of Bela. Some names repeat, such as Gera, which was common in this tribe. The chronicler is tracing branches of the family so that later readers can find their own place in the tribe.

1 Chronicles 8:6-7

Leaders of families who lived at Geba were taken away to Manahath. A man named Gera led them there. This is a hard-to-follow event, but it shows that Benjamin’s families knew forced removal from their homes long before the later exile.

BSA: exiled (“carried captive, removed”): The families were uprooted from their own town by force and set down elsewhere.

Hebrew: וַיַּגְלוּם (vayyaglum, H1540) — “and they carried them away.” It comes from the Hebrew root for going into exile, the same family of words used of Israel’s later captivity.

1 Chronicles 8:8

Shaharaim fathered children in Moab after sending away two wives. We are not told why he left Israel or why he divorced them. The Bible simply records the fact, and his family still counted as part of Benjamin.

BSA: divorced (“sent away”): The Hebrew simply means he sent them away, a plain description of the end of the marriages.

Hebrew: שִׁלְחוֹ (shilcho, H7971) — “his sending away.” This is the ordinary word for sending someone off. It is the same word used for divorce in Old Testament law.

1 Chronicles 8:9-10

Shaharaim’s sons by his wife Hodesh are listed, and these became heads of families. One name, Malcam, matches the name of an Ammonite god. It reminds us that the people of God lived among foreign nations and were sometimes shaped by them.

1 Chronicles 8:11

Hushim, one of the wives he sent away, still had two sons recorded in the family line: Abitub and Elpaal. Her children were not forgotten, and the chronicler follows Elpaal’s branch below.

See also: 1 Chronicles 8:12.

1 Chronicles 8:12

Elpaal’s son Shemed built Ono and Lod with their villages in the lowland west of Jerusalem. This family became town-builders and settled the land. Later Benjamites lived in these towns again after the exile.

BSA: built (“constructed, established”): Shemed did not just raise buildings but helped found settled communities.

Hebrew: בָּנָה (banah, H1129) — “he built.” The same root gives the Hebrew word for son, because a family is also something built up over time.

See also: Nehemiah 11:31-35.

1 Chronicles 8:13

Beriah and Shema led the families at Aijalon and drove out the people of Gath. Aijalon was a strategic valley town, and Gath was a major Philistine city. So this family helped protect the land against its enemies.

BSA: drove out (“put to flight, caused to flee”): These men did more than resist. They sent their enemies running.

Hebrew: הִבְרִיחוּ (hivrichu, H1272) — “they caused to flee.” The verb pictures enemies being chased off in flight, not just pushed back.

See also: Joshua 10:12.

1 Chronicles 8:14-16

These are the sons of Beriah. The names follow the usual pattern of Israelite naming. Michael, for example, means Who is like God? Many names here carry the name of God, as if each child were a small prayer or a declaration of faith.

1 Chronicles 8:17-18

These are the sons of Elpaal, a second list from the same man. Names like Ishmerai, ‘He keeps me,’ and Izliah, ‘whom God will preserve,’ hint at what these families hoped for. The chronicler does not explain, but the names themselves speak of trust in God.

1 Chronicles 8:19-21

These are the sons of Shimei. Some of them share names with men from other tribes, such as Zichri. That was normal, since many families used the same names. What matters here is that each person is counted by name.

BSA: Adaiah (“Jehovah has adorned Himself”): The name carries the Lord’s own name and speaks of His beauty and glory.

1 Chronicles 8:22-25

These are the sons of Shashak. Names like Hananiah, ‘God has favored,’ and Penuel, ‘facing God,’ reflect a faith that passed from parent to child. Even in a list this plain, a family’s trust in God is recorded.

BSA: Penuel (“facing God”): The name recalls the place where Jacob wrestled and met God face to face.

See also: Genesis 32:30.

1 Chronicles 8:26-27

These are the sons of Jeroham. Again many of the names point to God, and Elijah, ‘my God is Jehovah,’ is a statement of faith in a single name. The chronicler wants every family head remembered.

1 Chronicles 8:28

All these men were heads of families and lived in Jerusalem. After the exile, Jerusalem needed people to resettle it, and Benjamites were among them. The city that David made his capital was again being filled by families of the tribes.

BSA: heads (“leaders, princes”): These men were responsible leaders of their households, not just names on a list.

Hebrew: רָאשִׁים (rashim, H7218) — “heads.” The word means literally heads, as with the head of a body, giving a picture of leadership and responsibility.

See also: Nehemiah 11:1-9.

1 Chronicles 8:29-32

Jeiel, called the father of Gibeon, lived in that town with his wife Maacah and their sons. Father here means founder or leader of the town. Some of the family lived near their relatives in Jerusalem. A son named Baal simply carries an old word for lord and was a common name before it became tied to a false god.

BSA: alongside (“with, together, over against”): These relatives lived close by one another and shared life as one family.

See also: 1 Chronicles 9:35-38.

1 Chronicles 8:33

Here the line narrows to King Saul: Ner, Kish, Saul, then his sons. Saul was Israel’s first king, and his family comes from Benjamin. His son Esh-baal has a name using Baal, ’lord,’ which other books record in a different form.

BSA: Saul (“Shaul, meaning ‘desired’”): His name means asked for, as Israel had asked for a king.

Hebrew: אֶשְׁבַּעַל (Eshba’al, H792) — “Esh-baal, a name containing Baal.” Baal first meant lord or master. In Samuel the same man is called by a different name, Ish-bosheth, which uses the word for shame.

See also: 1 Samuel 9:1-2; 1 Samuel 14:49-51.

1 Chronicles 8:34

Jonathan, Saul’s son and David’s close friend, had a son named Merib-baal, who is also called Mephibosheth. David showed him kindness for Jonathan’s sake. Through his son Micah, Saul’s family line continued.

BSA: Jonathan (“Jehovah has given”): His name shows that he was seen as a gift from the Lord.

See also: 2 Samuel 9:6-10.

1 Chronicles 8:35-37

The family tree continues from Micah through Ahaz, Jehoaddah, Zimri and Moza down to Azel. These are Saul’s descendants, and they did not vanish with Saul’s fall. God’s people are remembered long after the great events that shaped them.

BSA: Moza (“fountain, source of life”): The name means a spring, a picture of something giving life to a family.

1 Chronicles 8:38

Azel had six sons, each named. The names include Obadiah, ‘servant of God,’ and Ishmael, ‘God will hear.’ The chronicler takes the trouble to name every one, showing that none of them was beneath notice.

BSA: Obadiah (“servant of God”): The name describes the whole aim of a faithful life, serving the Lord.

Hebrew: שִׁשָּׁה (shishah, H8337) — “six.” The list gives exactly six names, and the verse closes by confirming that all six belonged to Azel.

See also: 1 Chronicles 9:44.

1 Chronicles 8:39

Eshek, Azel’s brother, also had sons: Ulam his firstborn, then Jeush and Eliphelet. The family is traced through both brothers, so the line is not lost. Eliphelet’s name means ‘God is deliverance.’.

BSA: firstborn (“the first in a sequence, holding a special status”): Ulam held first place in the family, with its honors and duties.

1 Chronicles 8:40

The chapter ends on a note of strength. Ulam’s sons were brave warriors and skilled archers, and they had a hundred and fifty sons and grandsons. Benjamin had begun as the smallest tribe, yet it ended with large, capable families.

BSA: archers (“bowmen, skilled marksmen”): These were men trained in the bow, a skill Benjamites were known for.

Hebrew: דֹּרְכֵי קֶשֶׁת (dorekhei qeshet, H1869) — “bow-benders.” The phrase pictures men treading or bending the bow to string it. It points to hard, trained strength.

See also: 1 Chronicles 12:2.