1 Chronicles 1

1. Adam. It is the peculiar glory of Jewish history, that, whereas the earliest accounts of all other nations are involved in obscurity and fable, this can be clearly traced along an unbroken line to the very commencement of the human race. The genealogies which occupy i.-ix. are mostly repeated from other parts of sacred history, though with considerable additions.

5 sons of Japheth. See Gen. x. and notes. The apparent discrepancies between these genealogies and other parts of Scripture seem to have arisen from the following causes. In some instances, errors or omissions have been made in transcribing; in others, grandsons and remoter descendants are mentioned as sons; in others, again, the successor of a man in his property or titles is called his son; sometimes the same person appears with names varying more or less; and sometimes the same Hebrew word has been, by the English translators of 1611, spelt differently in different places. The R.V. has removed most of these discrepancies. In some instances the Hebrew is different in the two lists, similar letters being occasionally interchanged, as 7 d and 7 r. Thus we have in many copies “Diphath” and “Rodanim” for “Riphath” and “Dodanim” (see Gen. x. 3). So in v. 41, “Amram” (or “Hamram,” R.V.) corresponds to “Hemdan,” Gen. xxvi. 26; and in v. 46 “Hadad” is “Hadar” in Gen. xxxvi. 39.

11-16. And Mizraim, etc. These verses correspond exactly with Gen. x. 13-18.

17 sons of Shem. This genealogy agrees substantially with that in Gen. x.; but the words “the children of Aram,” in Gen. x. 23 are left out here, so that Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech (Gen., Mash), grandsons of Shem, appear as his sons.

24-26. Shem, Arphaxad, etc. An abbreviation of the genealogy in Gen. xi. 10, etc.

29. These are their generations. Cp. Gen. xxv. 13-27.

32 sons of Keturah. Cp. Gen. xxv. 1-4.

35-54 sons of Esau, etc. The rest of this chapter should be compared with Gen. xxxvi.