1 Chronicles 6

Notes on the verses

Chap. VI. Ver. 1. Sons of Levi, Gershow.—Or Gershom, ver. 16. Compare this Genealogy with (Genesis 46:11). (Exodus 6:16). (Numbers 26:57). and (1 Chronicles 23:5), of this book. ° x Ver. 10. Johanan.—{Johanan is supposed to be the same as Jehoiada, as he would otherwise not be mentioned.}—Bagster. Ver. 14. Seraiah.—{Seraiah was carried to Riblah, and there put to death by order of Nebuchadnezzar; so that with him ended the succession of high priests in the first temple.}—Bagster. Ver. 8. The first-born Vashni.—(It appears that the word Joel is here lost out of the text; and that Vashni, which signifies and the second, and which is made into a proper name. The Syriac and Arabic read as er.) 50. Sons of Aaron.—{We have already had a list of these, very extensive; and it is a proof that the writer of this book had several before him, from which he borrowed as he judged proper.}—Bagster.

i Ver. 54. Theirs was the lot.—That is, the first lot.—Syriac and Arabic. x. Called by their names.—That is, each family gave its own name to the city it acquired. sy 5 Ver. 49. Ajalon.—Two cities are here omitted; see (Joshua 21:23). Compare with this account (Joshua 14)xv. xx. xxi. where, says Dr. Clarke, “many of the cities have other names.” Ver. 70. Aner.—(Aner is probably another name of Tanach, which was a city of the half tribe of Manasseh, west of Jordan; and Eusebius, Jerome, and Procopius of Gaza, say that it was in their time a considerable place, three miles from Legio.)|——Bileam.—Bileam is here called Bileam by a transposition of letters common to all languages. Many of these cities or their names have been Joshua; but, as it has been well observed, Salop and Salisbury, are as different names as an E live in their vicinity are not at all confused by egy a cities also are It is evident, however, that changed since the time of rewsbury, Salom and in these catalogues; yet those who to Ephraim, which in Joshua are spoken of as nere mentioned as belonging cities of Dan; but various changes in such matters would occur in a course of ages.

]—Bagster. (1 Chronicles 7)—With this chapter compare (Genesis 46:13), &c., (Numbers 26:23), &c. Ver. 2. Whose number.—(This was probably the number returned by Joab and his assistants, when he made that census of the people with which God was so much displeased. We find that the effective men of Issachar amounted to 87,000, (ver. 5;) 22,600 of whom descended from Tola his eldest son; but whether the 36,000 (ver. 4.) were descendants of Tola by Uzzi; and the 22,600, his descendants by Tola’s other sons; or whether another of Issachar’s sons be intended, does not clearly appear; though the former seems the more obvious meaning.)—Bagster. Ver. 3. Five.—{There are, however, only four names in the text; and instead of five, the Syriac and Arabic read four.

If five be the true reading, then it is probable that Izrahiah is reckoned with his four sons.}—Bagster. Ver. 6 Sons.—{In the parallel place of Genesis, ten sons of Benjamin are reckoned, Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard; and in Numbers, five only are mentioned, Bela, Ashbel, Ahiram, Shupham, and Hupham; and Ard and Naaman are said to be the sons of Bela, and consequently Benjamin’s grandsons. In the beginning of the following chapter also five are only mentioned, Bela, Ashbel, Aharah, Nohah, and Rapha: and Addar, Gera, Abihud, Abishua, Naaman, Ahoha, another Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram, are all represented as grandsons, not sons of Benjamin: hence we see that, in many cases, grandsons are called sons.

and bath, are often confounded in the genealogical tables. It seems also, that the persons mentioned in the following verses were neither sons nor grandsons of Bela and Becher, but distinguished persons among their descendants.}—Bagster. Ver. 14. Sons of Manasseh.—[The text in these two verses seems to be strangely corrupted; and, as it stands, is scarcely intelligible. Probably it should be rendered, “The sons of Manasseh were Ashriel, whom his Syrian concubine bore to him; and Machir the father of Gilead, whom (his wife) bore to him. Machir took for a wife Maachah, sister to Huppim and Shuppim.” —This is nearly the version of Dr. Geddes.]—Bagster. Ver. 15. Zelophehad.—[It is certain that Zelophehad was not a son, but a descendant of Manasseh’s, three generations having intervened; for he was the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh.

“How this fragment got in here,” says Dr. Geddes, “it is impossible to say; but this is not surely its place: nor does it appear to be connected with any part of the genealogy.”]—Bagster. Ver. 21. Because they came down.—(Or rather, “when they came down to take away their cattle;” for it does not appear that the sons of Ephraim were the aggressors, but the men of Gath, who appear to have been born in Egypt. This is the only place in the Sacred Writings where this piece of history is mentioned, and the transaction seems to have happened before the Israelites came out of Egypt; for it appears, from the following verse, that Ephraim was alive when these children of his were slain.)—Bagster. Ver.

23. Beriah.—That is, “in evil,” because, &c. This incident is not elsewhere mentioned. Ver. 28. Naaran.—(Naaran, or Naarath, Eusebius says, was a town in