The First Book of the Chronicles
1 Chronicles 1
Chapter I · Vol. II, pp. 807–808
1 Adam's line to Noah and his sons. 5 The sons of Japheth. 8 The sons of Ham. 17 The sons of Shem. 24 Shem's line to Abraham and his sons. 29 Ishmael's sons. 32 The sons of Keturah. 34 The posterity of Abraham by Esau. 43 The kings of Edom. 51 The dukes of Edom.
b Ge.5.10-18. Lu.3.37.
3 Henoch,c Methuselah, Lamech,
c Ge.5.18-25. Lu.3.36,37.
7 And the gsons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.5
g Ge.10.4. Eze.27.7,12,25. Is.66.19. From Japheth sprang the Gomerians, Tartars, Turks, Medes, Greeks, Italians, &c.
5 Or, Rodanim. [The words terminating in im denote tribes.—Davidson.]
9 And ithe sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabta, and Raamah, and Sabtecha. And the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.
i Ge.10.7.
10 And Cush kbegat Nimrod; he began to be mighty upon the earth.7
k Ge.10.8-10.
7 B.C. 2311. [See Genesis x. xxv. xxxvi., which contain a similar genealogy. The difference of the names may have arisen merely from the mutation of certain Hebrew letters, from the want of uniformity in the rendering of the original by our translators, and from the same person being known by two or more names.—Davidson.]
13 And nCanaan begat Zidon his first-born, and Heth,9
n Ge.10.15-19; 15.18-21. From Ham sprang the Cushites, Egyptians, and other Africans, and the Canaanites.
9 B.C. 2346.
14 The Jebusite also, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite,
15 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,
16 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite.
17 The osons of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram, and Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and pMeshech.
19 And unto rEber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg,1 (because in his days2 the earth was divided,) and his brother's name was Joktan.3
r Ge.10.25.
1 That is, division.
2 B.C. 2247.
3 The Arabs call Joktan Kachtan, and in their traditions also he is the son of Eber. After the confusion of tongues, and the dispersion of Noah's posterity, he is said to have settled in Yemen (Arabia Felix), and to have been the first that wore a diadem.—I.
20 And sJoktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,
s Ge.10.26-30.
21 Hadoram also, and Uzal, and Diklah,
22 And Ebal, and Abimael, and Sheba,
23 And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.4
A.M. 2247. B.C. 1757.
4 These settled in the south and east of Arabia.
5 The genealogy returns to Shem, because from him the Jews were descended, and from them our Lord.—C.
u Ge.11.14-18. Lu.3.35.
x Ge.11.20-24. Lu.3.34.
29 These are their generations: aThe first-born of Ishmael,7 Nebaioth; then Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,8
a Ge.25.13-17. ch.5.19.
7 These are particularized to mark the fulfilment of the divine promise, Ge. 17. 20. The descendants of Ishmael still constitute 'a great nation,' occupying a principal place in the still unconquered Arabia.—C.
8 B.C. 1870.
31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael.
32 Now the csons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine: she bare Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.9 And the sons of Jokshan; Sheba, and Dedan.
33 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Henoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these are the sons of Keturah.1
1 These, and the Ishmaelites, settled in the north and east parts of Arabia, and became great nations.
35 The sons of eEsau; Eliphaz, Reuel, and Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah.
e Ge.36.9,20. They settled on the south-east border of Canaan.
36 The sons of Eliphaz; Teman, and Omar, Zephi,f and Gatam, Kenaz, and Timna,3 and Amalek.4
f Or, Zepho, Ge.36.11.
3 We learn from Ge. 36. 12 that Timna was the name of the mother of Amalek. But this will not authorize us to follow the Arabic or Alexandrine copy of the Septuagint, and suppose this Timna to be the concubine and not the son of Eliphaz. The mother and the son might both be called by the same name. C.——Timna was not a son of Eliphaz, but his concubine, and mother of Amalek, Ge. 36. 12, with which the Arabic and Wechelius' edition of the Septuagint agree here. The Codex 495 of Kennicott omits Timnah.—I.
4 B.C. 1700.
37 The sons of Reuel; Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
38 And the sons of gSeir; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah, and Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan.
g Ge.36.20-30. They dwelt in Mount Seir, and intermingled with the offspring of Esau.
39 And the sons of Lotan; Hori, and hHomam:5 and Timna6 was Lotan's sister.
h Or, Heman, Ge.36.22.
5 cir. 1900.
6 This is most probably that Timna who was the concubine of Eliphaz, and mother of Amalek.—C.
40 The sons of Shobal; iAlian, and Manahath, and Ebal, kShephi, and Onam. And the sons of Zibeon; Aiah, and Anah.
41 The sons of Anah; Dishon. And the sons of Dishon; lAmram, and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran.
l Or, Hemdan, Ge.36.25,26.
42 The sons of Ezer; Bilhan, and Zavan, and Jakan.m The sons of Dishan; Uz, and Aran.
m Or, Achan, Ge.36.27,28.
43 Now these are the kings nthat reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel;7 Bela8 the son of Beor:9 and the name of his city was Dinhabah.
n Ge.36.31-39.
7 That is, any king of their own nation, of whom Saul was the first. Previously they had been ruled by patriarchs, as Abraham, &c.; by a foreign king, as Pharaoh; by Moses and Aaron by direct commission from God; by Joshua as a military leader, but with Mosaic authority; and then by an intermixture of foreign conquerors and native judges.—C.
8 These kings probably all reigned before the Hebrews came out of Egypt, and perhaps were Horites, who reigned before the posterity of Esau took possession of the country from them.
9 About 1900 or 1670.
44 And when Bela was dead, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead.
45 And when Jobab was dead, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his stead,
46 And when Husham was dead, Hadad the son of Bedad (which smote Midian in the field of Moab) reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Avith.
47 And when Hadad was dead, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead.
48 And when Samlah was dead, nShaul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his stead.
A.M. cir. 2504. B.C. cir. 1500.
n Ge.36.37.
49 And when Shaul was dead, Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead.
50 And when Baal-hanan was dead, oHadad reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was pPai; and his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.
51 Hadad died also.1 And the qdukes2 of Edom were; duke Timnah, duke Aliah, duke Jetheth,
1 About 1500.
q Ge.36.40-43. Ex.15.15.
2 These rulers are not well represented by the modern idea attached to the word 'duke.' Perhaps the nearest approach is 'chieftain,' head or leader of a family or clan, and nearly allied to the patriarchal rulers of the Scottish Highlanders.—C.
52 Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon,
53 Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar,
54 Duke Magdiel, duke Iram.r These are the dukes of Edom.3
r Ge.36.41,43.
3 Several difficulties in these genealogies have arisen from errors or omissions in transcribing. It is in this way that various readings and apparent contradictions have originated, particularly in this and the following chapter. They are, however, of no moment except as matters of criticism. In some cases (as Chileab, 2 Sa. 3. 3, called Daniel, 1 Ch. 3. 1) the person probably had two names, and in others the pronunciation might be altered. We know that changes occur in every language during the lapse of several hundred years. Grandsons and remote descendants are often mentioned as sons. The marginal readings remove many of the seeming discrepancies.—I.
Notes
Reflections.—What ground have all men to be humble, when they are sprung of Adam, who disobeyed God! and it is necessary to love all as our neighbours and brethren, since God has made of one blood all nations of the earth. How contemptible and short the years of all generations appear before the everlasting God! Quickly men post into death and eternity: and scarcely are they born, in God's reckoning, when they die. How marvellous is the providence of God in keeping up the degenerate race of mankind in the world, and in such equality between the sexes, amidst such a multitude of changes! Remarkably trodden are the paths of death, though still unknown. What multitudes have gone before us, as there are innumerable that follow: and how great and awful will be that assembly in which all the dead, small and great, shall stand before God! Not one existing, from the foundation of the world till Christ's second coming, shall then be missing! But of little account with God are all nations in respect of his loving people and church. Their genealogy comes in merely as incidental to that of his blessed family.