1 Chronicles 8

begun before in the foregoing chapter, ver. 6.) and gives a larger account of it, because it was entirely joined to the tribe of Judah; and likewise, that he might make way for the following history, and touch upon the generations of Saul; and shew how this tribe was increased again, after that great calamity which befel them in the time of the judges. Ashbel the second son, and Aharali the third.’] His firstbora, Bela, is expressly so called by Moses, Gen. xlvi. 21. but all the rest are called by very different names. Therefore, either these were his grand-children (who are frequently called soils), or they had two names, which I shewed before was not unusual. (See chap. iii. 1.)

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J\ OW Benjamin begat Beta his first-bom. He goes over the genealogy of this tribe again, (which he had

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Noah the fourth, and Rapha the fifth.

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And the sons of Bela. were Addar, and Gera, and Abihud.

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And Abishiia, and Naaman, andAhoah.

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And Gem. It is likely this was the son of the forenamed, and so grandson to Bela. And Shephuphan, and Huram.

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And these are the sons of EJiud. Who is not named before; unless he be the third son of Bela, called Abihud, ver. 3. And some think the three persons last named to have been his sons. Tfiese are the heads of the fathers of the inhabitants of Geba.] Where their first settlement was. And they removed them to Manahath.] That is, Gera removed them, as it follows, ver. 7. to a place mentioned before in the second chapter of this book, ver. 52. 54. Geba being too narrow for them, Avhen they were multiplied: or, this other place being a more commodious habitation.

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And Naaman, and Ahiah, and Gera, he removed them, and begat Uzza andAhihud. After his removal.

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And Shaharaim begat children in the country of Moab, after he had sent them away; Hushim and Baara were his wives. After the removal beforementioned, this person took two wives of the country of Moab: whose names are here set down. To shew (say some of the Jews) that though a Moabite was excluded from the congregation of the Lord, yet a Moabitess was not; as appears by the example of Ruth. r

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And he begat ofHodesh his wife. The Jews think she is the same with Baara: who was called Hodesh, that is new, because he renewed the example of marrying a Moabitish woman: which was first practised in Ruth. But this is an odd fancy of theirs, who misplace the time of Ruth. Jobab, and Zibia, and Mesha, and Malcham.

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And Jeuz, and Shachia, and Minna. These were his sons, heads of the fathers. Chief men in their families.

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And of Hushim he begat Ahitub and Elpaal. On this verse the Jews ground what they say of Hodesh, that she was the same with Baara, mentioned ver. 8. with Hushim as his other wife.

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Tlie sons of Elpaal; Eber, and Misham, and Shamed, who built Ono and Lod, with the towns thereof. These two, Ono and Lodj are joined together in other places, being neighbouring cities. (See Ezra ii. 33. Nchem. vi. 37. if. 33.) They were but three miles distant one from the other, as Dr. Lightfoot computes in his Chorographical Decats before St. Mark, chap. 9. sect. nit. where he shews theTalmudists say, that Ono was a walled city from the days of Joshua; but in the war against Gibcah it was burnt with fire, as other cities were; and rebuilt by this Elpaal: who also re-edified Lod, which is the same with Lydda in the New Testament, as the same^Dr. Lightfoot observes in his Chorographical Century before St. Matthew. Where he observes, the author of the maps of the land of Canaan hath placed Lydda not far from Jordan, and Lod near the Mediterranean: whereas they are one and the same place, as he shews at large. And in the other place mentioned before, he shews it was also called Laodicea: for sometimes they speak of the martyrs in Lod, and in other places call them the martyrs in Laodicea.

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Beriah also, and Shema, who were heads of the fathers of the inhabitants of Aijalon. That is, of the fields that lay about Aijalon: for the town itself belonged to the tribe of Dan, (Josh. xix. 42.) Who’drove away the.inhabitants of Gath.] In revenge (as Pellicanus thinks) of the slaughter they made long ago of their brethren the Ephraimites: (chap. vii. 21.) or, finding the men of Gath had possessed themselves of this place, they drove them out after their return from the captivity of Babylon. But we read of no war after their return till the time of the Maccabees: and, therefore, this belongs (as a most judicious friend of mine, Dr. Alix,. observes) to what was done in ancienter times, viz/ after the division of the country by Joshua.'

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AndAhio, Shashak, and Jeremoth.

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And Zebadiah, and Arad, and Ader.

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And Michael, and Ispah, and Joha, the. sons of Beriah. Mentioned before, ver. 13.

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And Zebadiah, and Meshullam, and Hezeki, and JTeber.

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Ishmerai also, and Jezliah, and Jobab, the sons of Elpaal. Of whom we had an account before, (ver. 11, 12.)

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And Jakim, and Zichri, and Zabdi.

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And Elienai, and Zilthai, and Eliel.

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And Adaiah, and Beraiah, and Shimrath, the sons of Shimhi. It is likely that this Shimhi as the same with him who is called Shema,

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And Ishpan, and Heber, and Eliel.

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And Abdon, and Zichri, and Hanan,

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And Hananiah, and Elam, and Antothijah.

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And Iphedeiah, and Penuel, the sons of Shashak. This Shashak was an eminent person, mentioned ver. 14.

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AndShamsherai,and Shehariah, andAthaliah. Here is another instance of the same name, being common to men and women.

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And Jaresiah, and Eliah, and Zichri, the sons of Jeroham. He is the same with Jeremoth, mentioned ver. 14. next to Shashak.

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These were heads of the fathers, by their generations, chief men. These dwelt in Jerusalem^. It is probable that all these mentioned from ver. 14. dwelt at Jerusalem (one part of which belonged to the tribe of Benjamin), as they that are forenamed did at Aij.alon. Ver. 21). And at Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon, tvhose wife’s name was Maachah.] Perhaps Gibeon built this city, and gave his name to it, as Kimchi conjectures. But his proper name was Jehicl (as we read chap. ix. 35. where this genealogy is repeated); and he is called the father of Gibeon, because he was the chief ruler or governor of the Benjamites, who inhabited that place*.

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And his first-born son Abdon, and Zzir, and