1 Chronicles 1: 1 – 54
Your name sounds familiar
1 Adam, Seth, Enosh, 2 Cainan, Mahalalel, Jared, 3 Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, 4 Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 5 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 6 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Diphath, and Togarmah. 7 The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshishah, Kittim, and Rodanim. 8 The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. 9 The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raama, and Sabtecha. The sons of Raama were Sheba and Dedan. 10 Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. 11 Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 12 Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and the Caphtorim). 13 Canaan begot Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth; 14 the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite; 15 the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; 16 the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. 17 The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, Aram, Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech. 18 Arphaxad begot Shelah, and Shelah begot Eber. 19 To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. 20 Joktan begot Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 21 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 22 Ebal, Abimael, Sheba, 23 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan. 24 Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah, 25 Eber, Peleg, Reu, 26 Serug, Nahor, Terah, 27 and Abram, who is Abraham. 28 The sons of Abraham were Isaac and Ishmael. 29 These are their genealogies: The firstborn of Ishmael was Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 30 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, 31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael. 32 Now the sons born to Keturah, Abraham’s concubine, were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan. 33 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. 34 And Abraham begot Isaac. The sons of Isaac were Esau and Israel. 35 The sons of Esau were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah. 36 And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zephi, Gatam, and Kenaz; and by Timna, Amalek. 37 The sons of Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. 38 The sons of Seir were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. 39 And the sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam; Lotan’s sister was Timna. 40 The sons of Shobal were Alian, Manahath, Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. The sons of Zibeon were Ajah and Anah. 41 The son of Anah was Dishon. The sons of Dishon were Hamran, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. 42 The sons of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Jaakan. The sons of Dishan were Uz and Aran. 43 Now these were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before a king reigned over the children of Israel: Bela the son of Beor, and the name of his city was Dinhabah. 44 And when Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place. 45 When Jobab died, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. 46 And when Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who attacked Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his place. The name of his city was Avith. 47 When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place. 48 And when Samlah died, Saul of Rehoboth-by-the-River reigned in his place. 49 When Saul died, Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place. 50 And when Baal-Hanan died, Hadad reigned in his place; and the name of his city was Pai. His wife’s name was Mehetabel the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab. 51 Hadad died also. And the chiefs of Edom were Chief Timnah, Chief Aliah, Chief Jetheth, 52 Chief Aholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon, 53 Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar, 54 Chief Magdiel, and Chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom.
I want you to picture that you are now spending time with our Lord Jesus in eternity. All the things pointed out in the bible especially what we learned in the book of Revelation has come to pass. The Great White Throne Judgement has already occurred and now you are blessed to be with our Great and Good Shepherd forever. You happen to be strolling around the beautiful landscape and you come across a person walking by you. You stop for a moment and say hello and introduce yourselves. You give him your name and the person tells you his name is Enosh. You respond that his name sounds familiar to you. In fact you say that his name reminds you of a famous person from the bible. The other person face breaks out in a big smile. You have made his day. He says thank you and complements you for knowing that fact for many people his name does not ring a bell even though he says that he is the third person listed. His grandfather was Adam and his dad was Seth.
Today we are going to begin our journey through the books of Chronicles. Many people that I have come across tend to skip these two books because they consider boring and repetitive. Yet, an important thing for us to remember is that our Precious Holy Spirit put these books into His scripture, so they are important to Him and must therefore be important for us.
In the initial Hebrew text 1 & 2 Chronicles were all one book and must thus be one. It was written to the returnees from Babylon, and from similar countries, who were able to return because of the edict of Cyrus (2 Chronicles 36.23), to:
• Assure them of God’s purposes for them and give them the certainty of His ability to fulfil them, by demonstrating what He has done in the past.
• Confirm to them the validity of their religious practices, and the Temple in which they worshipped.
• Underline to them the value of the Levitical ministry as appointed by God.
• Encourage them to look forward to the coming of a greater David Who would establish a kingdom of peace and righteousness, something which David and Solomon had failed to do.
• Call to those who had not yet done so to return to the land.
With all this in view, after an initial genealogical summary which confirmed their origins, and demonstrated how God had built up and extended the nation in the past, the Book first recounts the rise and triumph of their great kings David and Solomon, who were to some extent the pattern for the coming king who would bring in the everlasting kingdom, and yet who in a number of ways came short, and secondly it outlines the subsequent history of Israel/Judah down to the Exile, explaining the deterioration of the monarchy and why the Exile happened. He wants to make clear that it was not due to the failure of YHWH, but to the failure and disobedience of His people. It then ends with a brief note of Cyrus’ intention to restore the house of God in Jerusalem and to allow the Jews to return to their homeland. This would have given a huge boost to their confidence in God. It would suggest to them that the everlasting kingdom of the Davidic house might be in sight.
The central passage which illuminates the whole book is 1 Chronicles 17.1-15. These verses underline two things, first that God’s aim was to establish the house of David so as to finally bring blessing through a king who would be obedient to God’s covenant and would arise to establish the everlasting kingdom. And then, although at first seemingly at odds with what follows, that God Himself did not require a ‘house of cedar’ but preferred what He already had. His statement in this regard is crystal clear. ‘You shall not build Me a house to dwell in’. And if we ask ‘Why?’, the answer basically at this stage was that He did not need such a house, and it was not within His plan. The implication was that He already had everything that He required and needed nothing from man, even David, apart from their love and worship. All that He physically required of man, and that was for their benefit, was a Tent made according to His design, which would indicate His earthly presence among them as a Sojourner (a temporary dweller). For as His throne and His kingdom and His glory were already established, and His real home was in the Heavens, He really had no need for help or home from anyone.
It is interesting that this was something that both David and Solomon to some extent recognized, even though it did not stop them from going ahead with their own plan to build a Temple. They were unable to conceive that the building of a Temple would diminish YHWH and cause problems for true devotion, respect and love for our Great Holy Father Yahweh.
Out of His love for them God graciously guided David and gave him a pattern for the new Temple, even though it was not originally within His purpose. He did this partly because He saw the genuineness of David’s heart (we can compare how in the same way He had yielded to Israel’s desire to have a king), and partly because He recognized that they would go ahead anyway, so that it was better if they did so with guidance from Him. But His initial emphasis was not on what He wanted David and Solomon to do for Him, but on what He could do for David and mankind, and that was not to establish a Temple, but to establish the righteous rule of the coming greater King of the house of David over His people.
As we have already seen, God’s purpose was to establish the Davidic house as a dynasty who would do His will and finally establish His everlasting kingdom through the greater David yet to come. But we must remember in this regard that the Chronicler had to write sensitively. He was writing to his people as part of an Empire which had its spies everywhere and was very sensitive about any suggestion of rebellion. Thus, to speak openly of a coming world-wide kingdom ruled over by a king of Israel would have been treason. He had to be careful that while he propagated the idea of the coming Kingdom of God ruled over by the Greatest descendent of the Davidic house, and encouraged the people to look expectantly for it, he did so cautiously without arousing the suspicions of the Persian nation and its kings. It was something that had to be done without being too blatant about it. That he succeeded well comes out in that there are some, even today, who do not see it.
The way in which he went about this was to magnify the life and triumphs of David, and then of Solomon as the son of David, both in a somewhat idealistic manner, while portraying them as the ancestors of a great King yet to come. In achieving this he demonstrated how God had, on His own initiative, built up David’s powerful forces from the beginning; had defeated David’s enemies on every hand; and had established a nation built up on the two foundations of a powerful and successful army and a secure religion. Then, by interweaving with this a promise that one of David’s seed would one day rule over the everlasting kingdom he got over his point. His message was that what God had done for David in making him great, He would repeat with respect to the coming king. He too would be established in power and authority to rule the nations. That meant that all future kings were later judged in terms of David and were found wanting. It was making clear that the future King had not yet come but was nevertheless to be awaited with expectancy. This was something that their prophets had made clear.
Even the Temple itself, which was more David’s idea was made to stand as a witness to the coming of this king, for God very specifically would not allow it to be built by a warring king ‘with blood on his hands’, but demanded that it be established by a king chosen by God who ruled in peace, with the nation at rest, so that it would point forward to the coming Prince of Peace. Thus, the command for the later rebuilding of the Temple at the end of the Book would arouse in the hearts of the returnees from Babylon the expectancy of the coming of the King.
In other words, we can conclude that underlying the whole book is the firm expectancy of the coming king who will bring in the everlasting kingdom of peace. This was something firmly promised in chapter 17 and later symbolized in the Temple. David and his leading men may well for a time have expected it to follow soon after the reign of Solomon, even though the common people in the time of Solomon were probably not so expectant (they suffered under Solomon’s rule, and his magnificence was at their cost). This serves to accentuate the failure of the kings who followed. And the Chronicler built up this expectancy of a coming King without it being made too blatantly obvious. It would only be those ‘in the know’, and who were familiar with the promise of Genesis 49.10-12, and the teaching of the prophets (including Haggai and Zechariah), who would recognize what the message was. The mention of the edict for the rebuilding of the Temple at the end of the book, seen as unexpectedly brought about by God, would arouse in the Jews, not only a hope for the restoration of their land and worship, but also the hope that soon the expected king, and the kingdom of peace and prosperity, would be coming. It was also a call to the dispersion to return to their own land ready for that day.
Thus, the Chronicler makes clear to the returnees from Exile that the Temple which had been destroyed had been tainted, and that their own Temple was based on better foundations. He also makes clear that although Solomon had been given wisdom to judge and rule his people (2 Chronicles 1.11-12), he had not been given wisdom about the building of the Temple.
The Israelites took genealogies very seriously and maintained careful records. When the priests returned from Babylon certain of them were not allowed to serve as priests because they could not demonstrate their genealogies (Ezra 2.62), which, of course, demonstrates that the others had how they themselves could do so. Israelites were proud of their tribal origins.
But in this case the writer has a purpose in presenting these genealogies. He wants his people to remember their whole background. Thus, they divide into three parts:
• Descent from Adam, the first man, created by God.
• Descent from Noah and his three sons, from whom were derived all nations.
• Descent from Abraham and all his sons.
This purpose may be expanded as follows:
• First, he wants to make clear that all nations, including Israel, descend from the first man, Adam (1.1-27), whom God created, and that He accomplished this through Noah and his sons who survived the Flood. Each of Noah’s sons and their descendants are outlined and seen as fathering all known nations. Thus, the first word in 1 Chronicles is ADAM, and following his name is a list of the patriarchs (taken from Genesis 5) down to Noah. To a Jew of those days this would come alive. It would be underlining the fact that all mankind came from God leading on to demonstrating their place in God’s purposes.
• Second details of the descendants of Noah’s and his three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth are given, of which come all known nations. Thus, Noah is seen as a high point in God’s purposes which were universal. At this point ‘the whole world’ worshipped YHWH (Noah, his sons and their families). But as the nations developed, so they turned from YHWH to idols until the whole world had turned from YHWH, and God again decided to act in the call of Abraham.
• Third we learn of the line of descent of Abraham through Shem, leading up to the birth of Abraham (Abram), as given in Genesis 11, and again each of Abraham’s sons and those descended from them, are mentioned and outlined. Abraham is a further high point in God’s purposes.
In this regard he first outlines the descendants of the sons of Abraham, other than Isaac, that is, his descendants through Ishmael (1.29-31) and the sons of Keturah (1.32-33), together with the descendants and related tribes connected with Isaac’s son, Esau (1.34-54), in other words all the descendants of Abraham not of the line of promise. All this genealogical material is based on Genesis and indicates God’s concern for all Noah’s seed, and for all Abraham’s seed, which in the end will have their part in the covenant through the Davidic kingship.
• Lastly we are given the outline of the descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob (Israel), and does this in greater detail. Now he has come to the nation who are central in God’s purposes from whom are ‘descended’ the returnees from Exile.
So, his emphasis is on Adam, Noah and Abraham, from all of whom Israel could (to some extent in the last case) claim their descent. These were the three with whom He had entered special covenants, something which finally resulted in the birth of the twelve patriarchs, the sons of Israel (Jacob). These genealogies would give the returned Exiles an identity with the past.
The naming of these people one by one is also a reminder that He knows His own people by name one by one, and that they are never forgotten before Him. It makes clear that He has remembered them continually through the past. To us they are a possibly boring list of names. To God they were His servants, remembered and treasured. As Jesus reminded us, He knows the number of the hairs of our head. And the emphasis on the begetting of their leaders was a reminder to the returnees that God could continually raise up men to carry out His purposes when they were needed Thus the people could resettle in the land with the confidence that God was with them. It was no coincidence that when they settled again in the land, details of their genealogies were also provided in Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7 revealing God’s detailed concern for them.
Starting with Adam we are given the names of the patriarchs from Adam to Noah. It as these who indicated the advancement of God’s purposes,
1 Adam, Seth, Enosh, 2 Cainan, Mahalalel, Jared, 3 Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, 4 Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
It will be noted that these names are the names of the ten patriarchs extracted straight from Genesis 5, and this indicates that the sacred scriptures were preserved by the Jews who were taken into exile which is a pretty amazing fact when you consider them all being forced to leave their home and their country.
The line from Adam leads up to Noah and his three sons from whom ‘the whole world’ was populated. All history is presented as being in God’s hands from the beginning.
It also makes clear that he considers it important to indicate that the names which follow, through which the world was populated, were directly descended from the first man through Noah. All go back to Adam whom God created, and who was made in the image of God, and to Noah and his sons whom He redeemed. They are the products of Israel’s God, not of the gods of the nations. And their ancestors once worshipped Him.
The genealogies that follow in 1.5-23 are extracted almost word for word, although with the omission of some details, from Genesis 10.2-29. Commencing with the descendants of Japheth, they convey the information that all known nations were descended from the sons of Noah, that is, from Shem, Ham and Japheth.
First mentioned we have the names of the ‘sons’ of Japheth (the order follows Genesis 10). The descendants of Japheth are seen to have populated the ‘extreme north’, and the islands and coastlands across the Great Sea (the Mediterranean Sea).
5 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
Gomer may have been the ancestor of the Gimirrai (Cimmerians). an Aryan group which, coming from Ukraine,.
‘Magog.’ In Ezekiel 38.2; 39.6 Magog is the name of a land and people. If we associate Gog of Magog, with Gugu of Lydia, this would place the land and people of Magog in Asia Minor.
‘Madai.’ Possibly an ancestor of the Medes who settled a powerful kingdom in NW Iran (now Azerbaijan with a part of Kurdistan).
‘Javan.’ Probably an ancestor of the Ionians. Isaiah 66.19 mentions them (along with Tubal), as occupying distant coastlands, and as those who would one day see YHWH’s glory, as they did on the coming of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The name is later identified with the Greeks (Daniel 8.21).
‘Tubal, and Meshech.’ (association with Tobolsk and Moscow is not philologically possible and must be discounted). Their descendants are regularly mentioned together in Scripture (Ezekiel 27.13). They are held by some to have been remnants of the old Hittite population which were gradually driven (probably by the Cimmerian invasion) to the mountainous district Southeast of the Black Sea.
‘Tiras.’ It has been suggested that his descendants were the Tursenioi, who left many traces of their ancient power in the islands and coasts of the Aegean, and who were possibly identical with the Etruscans of Italy.
6 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Diphath, and Togarmah.
These are the descendants of Gomer, the ‘son’ of Japheth indicate the people of Cyprus and Rhodes.
The name Ashkenaz occurs in Jeremiah 51.27 which suggests a people located in and around Armenia.
Josephus identifies Riphath with the Ripheans (the Paphlagonians) near the Black Sea, who were associated with the river "Rhebas". The ‘D’ and ‘R’ of Diphath/Rephath may have been interchangeable..
‘Togarmah.’ Along with Tubal, Javan and Meshech the people of Togarmah supplied horses and mules to Tyre (Ezekiel 27.14) and soldiers to the army of Gugu of Lydia (Ezekiel 38.6).
7 The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshishah, Kittim, and Rodanim.
We are now given the names of the ‘sons of’ (descendants from) Javan. Identification, at least partially, is with the inhabitants of Cyprus and Rhodes.
‘Elishah.’ In Ezekiel 27.7 the people of Elishah are described as the source from which the Tyrians obtained their purple dyes. They were exporters of copper and possibly connected with Cyprus where there were important trading centers, or with the Italian mainland.
The name Tarshish is identified with Sardinia or with Spain.
In its narrower sense the Kittim were Cypriots. In its wider sense it probably refers to the peoples of the islands of the Great Sea (Jeremiah 2.10; Ezekiel 27.6) and overseas coastlands (Daniel 11.30 uses it of the Romans.
‘Rodanim (Genesis 10 - Dodanim)’. Closely associated with the Kittim are the Rodanim, who are probably the people from the island of Rhodes. D and R are easily confused in Hebrew letters, and indeed may have been interchangeable.
As we have seen, from Japheth were descended the people to the far north, and the peoples across the sea. Now we come to the descendants of Ham who were originally found mainly South of Canaan, and to the South East, or in Canaan itself.
8 The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
Descended from Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put and Canaan. In the last analysis Cush probably referred to Northern Sudan/Nubia, Mizraim to Egypt, Put probably to Libya whilst Canaan represented the Canaanites who occupied Canaan and the land north of Canaan.
9 The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raama, and Sabtecha. The sons of Raama were Sheba and Dedan.
‘Seba.’ It will be noted that a distinction is made between Seba and Sheba, although many identify the two. They are also distinguished in Psalm 72.10. Seba is elsewhere mentioned in Isaiah 43.3 in relation to Cush and Egypt. It is to be placed in Southern Arabia but may well at one time have migrated there from North Africa. It may possibly originally have had connections with the Sabi River, which stretched from the Red Sea Coast to the Zambesi and the Limpopo.
Havilah means ‘circle’ or ‘district’. Genesis 25.18; 1 Samuel 15.7 links them with the Ishmaelites and the Amalekites having in mind the area of Sinai and North West Arabia.
Sabta has connections from this verse with the other tribes in Arabia.
Along with Sheba, Raama sold spices, precious stones and gold to Tyre (Ezekiel 27.22). They were located north of Marib in Yemen.
‘Sabteca also connects with Southern Arabia.
‘The sons of Raama: Sheba, and Dedan.’ The names together indicate a clear Arabian connection. The Sabeans are referred to as traders in gold and spices, and as inhabiting a country remote from Palestine (1 Kings 10.1), and also as slave-traders (Joel 3.8) and desert-raiders (Job 1.15; 6:19). They are best known for the visit of their queen to Solomon (1 Kings 10.1-10), probably on a trade negotiation expedition.
10 Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth
Nimrod is described as the son of Cush, grandson of Ham, and great-grandson of Noah; and as "a mighty one in the earth" and "a mighty hunter before the Lord". The "Land of Nimrod" is used as a synonym for Assyria or Mesopotamia, which is mentioned in the Book of Micah 5:6:
“And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus, shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.”
Genesis chapter 10 says that the "beginning of his kingdom" were the towns of "Babel, Erech, Akkad and Calneh
in the land of Shinar" (Mesopotamia). He either founded these cities, ruled over them, or both. It is unclear whether it is he or Ashur who additionally built Nineveh, Resen, Rehoboth-Ir and Calah.
Nimrod is considered the leader of those who built the Tower of Babel in the land of Shinar. Flavius Josephus believed that it was likely under his direction that the building of Babel and its tower began.
Judaic interpreters as early as Philo and Yochanan ben Zakai (1st century AD) interpreted "a mighty hunter before the Lord" as signifying "in opposition to the Lord. Some rabbinic commentators have also connected the name Nimrod with a Hebrew word meaning 'rebel'.
Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God. He was the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah, a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He persuaded them not to ascribe it to God, as if it were through his means they were happy, but to believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny, seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence on his power. He also said he would be revenged on God, if he should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters to reach. And that he would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers.
Now the multitude were very ready to follow the determination of Nimrod, and to esteem it a piece of cowardice to submit to God; and they built a tower, neither sparing any pains, nor being in any degree negligent about the work: and, by reason of the multitude of hands employed in it, it grew very high, sooner than anyone could expect; but the thickness of it was so great, and it was so strongly built, that thereby its great height seemed, upon the view, to be less than it really was. It was built of burnt brick, cemented together with mortar, made of bitumen, that it might not be liable to admit water. When God saw that they acted so madly, he did not resolve to destroy them utterly, since they were not grown wiser by the destruction of the former sinners; but he caused a tumult among them, by producing in them diverse languages, and causing that, through the multitude of those languages, they should not be able to understand one another. The place wherein they built the tower is now called Babylon, because of the confusion of that language which they readily understood before; for the Hebrews mean by the word Babel, ‘confusion’.
We are now introduced to the nation’s most nearly related to Egypt.
11 Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 12 Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and the Caphtorim).
Here the Ludim are the firstborn of Mizraim, whilst in verse 17 Lud is the fourth son of Shem. We have therefore two different nationalities of similar name.
In Jeremiah 46.9 the Ludim are spoken of, along with Cush and Put, as the allies of Egypt. They were experts with the bow. They are again spoken of in Ezekiel 27.10, where Lud is referred to, along with Persia and Put as mercenaries employed by Tyre. The association of these Ludim with North Africa is clear.
‘Anamim is grouped within Egypt.
‘Lehabim.’ Are a branch of the Libyans.
In view of the fact that Naphtuhim is followed by Pathrusim (upper Egypt) it may well be a name for lower Egypt.
‘Pathrusim.’ Is in upper Egypt.
‘Casluhim’ are linked with the Philistines.
‘Caphtorim.’ refers to Crete.
13 Canaan begot Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth; 14 the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite; 15 the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; 16 the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite.
Canaan’s firstborn was Sidon and then another son named Heth (from whom the Sidonians and Hethites were descended.
The ‘Arkites.’ Were situated some ten or twelve miles Northeast of Tripolis, Syria, and about four miles from the seashore.
‘The Sinites’ settled at the foot of Lebanon.
Arvad is modern Ruad, a small island 2 miles off the coast of Syria (Phoenicia).
‘The Zemarite’ modern name is Sumra. It lies on the Mediterranean coast north of Tripoli’s.
Hamath was a Canaanite city on the east bank of the Orontes and was on one of the main trade routes from Asia Minor.
Having dealt with the descendants of Japheth and Ham, the writer, utilizing the order in his source (Genesis), now moves on to the descendants of Shem who are placed last because they are of primary importance in that Abraham, the chosen of God, was descended from Shem. The descendants of Shem are mainly based around the Mediterranean region north of the Euphrates at its southernmost point.
The only son of Shem whose descent is outlined in detail is Arpachshad. This was because he was the forebear of Eber and Abraham. The importance of Eber is brought out in Genesis 10 by the way in which ‘all the children of Eber’ as ‘descended from Shem’ are emphasized (Genesis 10.21), although that reference is omitted here. Thus Eber and his descendants were being emphasized. Abraham’s lineage is then depicted as resulting through Eber’s ‘son’ Peleg. But prior to that we have a list of others descended from Peleg’s brother Joktan, another son of Eber (who bore ‘sons and daughters’ - Genesis 11.17). Eber is thus given a special wider importance. It is, however, questionable how far his name can be related to the word ‘Hebrew’. There is no suggestion of it in Scripture, and it is doubtful if Israel ever saw themselves as Hebrews (as distinct from them being such by foreigners who probably saw them as Habiru).
17 The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, Aram, Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech.
The first son of Shem is named Elam. They settled in the area west of Babylon, between Babylon and Persia.
‘Asshur’ is known to us as the Assyrians, who controlled most of the Fertile Crescent from about 840 BC to 612 BC. The descendants of Asshur were situated to the north west of Babylon (north east of Israel). They established a widespread empire, including Babylon, and are known to us as the first permanent conquerors of Israel.
Arpachshad is of outstanding importance as the ancestor of Eber and Abraham. They settled in Mesopotamia.
Josephus refers this name ‘Lud’ to the Lydians in Asia Minor, at the extreme of Israel’s known world. In Isaiah 66.19 they are characterized by their use of the bow.
Aram was later the name for the kingdom of Syria, with Damascus as its capital.
‘Uz’ refers to an early tribe/nation in Mesopotamia.
‘Hul, and Gether’ are both identified with Mesopotamia.
‘Meshech’ indicates the widespread nature of the Arameans.
Up to this point the emphasis has been on the birth of nations known to Israel, although that is not to deny that many of the names are also the personal names of those from whom those nations sprang. The idea has been to indicate that all the nations known to Israel are under God’s surveillance and control (they are ‘named’ by Him and their descent has been noted by Him). As we have seen this included the Japhethites (the people of the far north and those of the isles and coastlands across the sea), the Hamites (the North Africans, Egyptians, Arabians and Canaanites), and the Semites in Mesopotamia. This would remind the returnees from Babylon that they and their future were safe in his hands, for He Is God over all. Now as we approach the birth of Abraham, we begin to get detailed genealogies.
18 Arphaxad begot Shelah, and Shelah begot Eber. 19 To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan.
Eber had two sons, one named Peleg, (which means ‘water-course, divided) and the other named Joktan. It will be Joktan’s descent that will be given first, leaving the way clear for emphasis on the descendants of Peleg. (Modern Arabs claim descent from Joktan). The ‘division’ does not refer to the scattering of Genesis 11.1-9 (the word ‘divide’ is not used in Genesis 11). It is a word used in relation to making irrigation canals, and probably refers to Peleg’s activity (along with others) in building irrigation channels, possibly sourced by the Euphrates and Tigris and their branches and was something so important that it was ever remembered. It would result in increased fruitfulness, more in-depth settlement (men settled where there were abundant water supplies), and the establishment of nations. They did for Mesopotamia what the Nile did for Egypt.
20 Joktan begot Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 21 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 22 Ebal, Abimael, Sheba, 23 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.
The names of Joktan’s descendants are now given. They can be related to tribes in Southern Arabia.
‘Almodad.’ The name means ‘God is beloved’ and may indicate Joktan’s deep faith.
Sheleph is the name of a Yemenite tribe or district and located in Southern Arabia.
‘Hazarmaveth’ was related to the kingdom of Hadramaut in Southern Arabia.
In Hebrew the word ‘Jerach’ means ‘moon’, and moon worship was common in Southern Arabia. It was also, however, prominent in Haran, and Terah, Abraham’s father, was probably a moon worshipper. Haran was a center for moon worship.
Hadoram was the name of a prince of Hamath (1 Chronicles 18.10). So we can discern that these people came from the same area of the tribes on the list.
‘Uzal’ Is connected with ‘Azal, said to be the ancient name for San‘a in Yemen.
‘Diklah.’ Made his family home in the ‘Place of palms.
‘Ebal (or Obal).’ the name of a descendant of Esau (Genesis 36.23).
‘Abimael’ settled in this same area and his name means ‘God Is my Father’.
‘Sheba’ means ‘seven’. It has an Arabian ring, and here may indicate intermarriage or fusion between Semites and Hamites. Compare Saba in Yemen. The Sabeans (or people of Saba or Sheba), are referred to as traders in gold and spices, and as inhabiting a country remote from Palestine (1 Kings 10.1), and also as slave-traders (Joel 3.8) and desert-raiders (Job 1.15). in the book of Ezekiel 27.22-23 we read about two Shebas, one centered in Mesopotamia and Syria, associated with Haran, Canneh, Edom and Asshur, and the other in Arabia associated with Dedan, Arabia, Kedar and Raamah.
‘Ophir’ settlement is reported as lying between Saba in Yemen, and Hawilah.
Hawilah means ‘circle’ or ‘district’. A ‘Hawilah’ is mentioned in verse 9 as a descendant of Ham and Cush. There also it relates to Seba. This suggests the combining of two tribes either by marriage or absorption or amalgamation. In both cases it suggests an area in Southern Arabia.
Jobab was also the name of an Edomite king (Genesis 36.33-34). This group of people appears to be from Southern Arabian tribes, indicating a distant relationship between certain Arabs and the Israelites. It parallels the similar indication in the descendants of Ishmael and Isaac.
So, we come to an end of the table of nations which were descended from the sons of Noah, revealing them all as named by God and as therefore God controlled. All has led up to what now follows, the descent from Shem, Arpachshad and Eber of Abram. Abram, God’s chosen servant, the man of God (Isaiah 41.2-8), the father of Israel, is now to be brought to the forefront. All that has been detailed in between has had in mind the coming of Abram, the one through whom God would reach out to the nations. He is by this represented as God’s chosen one, and it is through his ‘descendants’ (those literally descended from him, together with the much larger number who have attached themselves to his family) that He will reach out to the world. The thought that what was happening to them was within God’s purposes would give great strength and faith to the people who had returned from Exile.
24 Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah, 25 Eber, Peleg, Reu, 26 Serug, Nahor, Terah, 27 and Abram, who is Abraham.
The first five names are taken from Genesis 11. The line led down to Abraham.
28 The sons of Abraham were Isaac and Ishmael. 29 These are their genealogies: The firstborn of Ishmael was Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 30 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, 31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael.
What is to follow are the family histories of Isaac and Ishmael, along with those of the sons of Keturah, and of Esau. Isaac and Ishmael are the heads of the families descended from Abraham.
The descendants of Ishmael were important to God because they were Abraham’s seed with whom He had made a special covenant (Genesis 17.20). He had promised him that twelve princes would be descended from him, and these are now outlined as an indication that God always fulfils His covenant. Some of their tribes became connected with Arabia, but it is a gross error to see the Arabs as descended from Ishmael. Ishmael's seed intermingled and intermarried with Arabians, some of whom were descended from Ham (1.9). Overall then Ishmael’s descendants can be seen as princes of Arabian tribes. They probably intermingled and inter-married with other Arabian tribes as mentioned in verse 9.
32 Now the sons born to Keturah, Abraham’s concubine, were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan.
‘Zimran’ and ‘Jokshan’ are connected with Arabia.
‘Medan’ is listed by the Ishmaelite/Midianite traders who purchased Joseph (Genesis 37.27-28) and sold him in Egypt.
‘Ishbak and Shuah’ settled in this same area and did not do anything noticeable about their existence. Nothing is known about them apart from their names.
Sheba and Dedan have already been named as Hamites, and as fathers of tribes (1.9).
33 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.
Ephah is mentioned along with Midian as coming on camels from Sheba (Isaiah 60.6).
34 And Abraham begot Isaac. The sons of Isaac were Esau and Israel.
All that has gone before has been leading up to this, the begetting of Isaac, for it is through him that the promises will be fulfilled. Once more his importance is brought out by the fact that the descendants of both his sons are detailed. First is his descendants through Esau, with information drawn from Genesis 36.9 and then his descendants through Jacob/Israel.
35 The sons of Esau were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah.
The purpose of giving all this information about Esau was to demonstrate how God had blessed him as a son of Abraham. The purposes of the God of Abraham were going forward, and none of Abraham’s connections were overlooked. In joining with him in Edom they would also be ‘begotten’ by Esau, for ‘Esau is Edom’ (Genesis 36.8). They were thus his ‘sons’. This in the same way as nations mentioned above were ‘begotten’.
36 And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zephi, Gatam, and Kenaz; and by Timna, Amalek.
The five sons of Eliphaz by his full wife are named first. They may also represent family tribes.
Teman is mentioned in Genesis 36.15, 42 as an Edomite chieftain. Teman is the name of what was clearly an important district, town or tribe in north Edom (Jeremiah 49.20). Its inhabitants were renowned for their wisdom (Jeremiah 49.7).
The names of the other sons were ‘chieftains’ of Edom.
Timna was Eliphaz’ concubine and produced for him a son named Amalek. It may well be this Amalek who established the family tribe which became the Amalekites (Exodus 17.8). A son who was not seen as part of the family may well have founded a roving people.
37 The sons of Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
We have here listed the sons of Reuel, and therefore grandsons of Esau. All were chieftains of Edom (Genesis 36.17).
There was clearly an interconnection between Esau and the family of Seir the Horite. The Horites were in Seir before Esau was born (Genesis 14.6), but Esau established himself there with a small army (Genesis 32.3, 6), and married one of the granddaughters of Seir (Genesis 36.25). The two groups joined, for the land became known as Edom, and ‘Esau was Edom’ (36.1, 8) and ‘the father of the Edomites’ (Genesis 36.43). Thus, the descendants of Seir were Esau’s ‘sons.’ God had made Esau a great nation out of deference to Abraham.
38 The sons of Seir were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan.
We are now informed concerning the names of the seven sons of Seir. In Genesis 36.21, 29-30 the sons of Seir are called ‘chieftains’.
39 And the sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam; Lotan’s sister was Timna.
Lotan was the firstborn of Seir. The names of Lotan’s two sons are now given, and the name of (one of) his sister(s). Timna was clearly a prominent woman especially remembered
40 The sons of Shobal were Alian, Manahath, Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. The sons of Zibeon were Ajah and Anah.
These are the five sons of Shobal.
Zibeon had two sons. Genesis 36.24 tells us that the second son, Anah, ‘found the hot springs in the wilderness and fed the donkeys of Zibeon his father’.
41 The son of Anah was Dishon. The sons of Dishon were Hamran, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.
Anah had one son called Dishon (named after Anah’s brother). We learn in Genesis 36.25 that Oholibamah was his daughter, and that she married Esau (Genesis 36.14), cementing the connection between the two groups.
42 The sons of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Jaakan. The sons of Dishan were Uz and Aran.
Ezer, son of Seir, had three sons. Dishan had two sons. The name Uz connects with areas in and around Edom (Jeremiah 25.20).
We are now given the names of the first eight successive kings of Edom. While not necessarily descended from Esau they were ‘sons’ of Esau. These details are taken from Genesis 36.31-39. They are stated to have succeeded one another but came from different cities and areas. It is clear therefore that when a king died the next war leader was chosen on the strength of his military prowess and leadership capabilities.
The list that follows was completed in the days of Hadad, the final king named. It would be a great encouragement to the returned Exiles to recognize God’s power to establish nationhood among those whom He blessed as they looked forward to the coming, one day, of God’s promised king, the greater David.
43 Now these were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before a king reigned over the children of Israel: Bela the son of Beor, and the name of his city was Dinhabah.
We have no indication when Bela was set up as the first king apart from the fact that it was well before any king reigned over Israel (Numbers 22.5), but there is no good reason to identify them. The city of Dinhabah may have been a small fortress city.
44 And when Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place.
Bela died and was followed by Jobab, the son of Zerah of Bozrah. These kings would appear to have been chosen out from their fellows because of their prowess in warfare. They formed no dynasty.
This Zerah may well be the grandson of Esau mentioned in 1.37. If so Bela came not long after Esau and may indeed have known him. Zerah was associated with Bozrah, depicted elsewhere as the place where God inflicted judgment on Edom Isaiah 34.6). It may well now be modern Buseira, a fortified city situated on a crag and overlooking the King’s Highway, 30 miles SSE of the Dead Sea, from which no doubt raids were made on caravans. It may have been this city which blocked the progress of Israel on the way to Canaan (Numbers 20.17).
45 When Jobab died, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.
On the death of Jobab the next Edomite king/ war leader chosen was Husham ‘of the land of the Temanites’ (Amos 1.12). ‘The land of the Temanites’ may represent a large part of North Edom. He is not connected with any city because like Esau he may have been leader of a band of warriors, seen as a suitable successor to Jobab.
46 And when Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who attacked Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his place. The name of his city was Avith.
On Husham’s death Hadad the son of Bedad succeeded him. It may well have been his defeat of the Midianites in the ‘field of Moab’ which sealed his kingship. He may have been repelling a large raiding party (Judges 6.3). He came from the city of Avith.
47 When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place.
Samlah of Masrekah succeeded Hadad. Again, his father is not mentioned. He was seemingly of common stock.
48 And when Samlah died, Saul of Rehoboth-by-the-River reigned in his place.
Samlah was succeeded by Shaul of ‘Rehoboth by the River’. The ‘river’ mentioned is probably that between Edom and Moab (the Wadi el-Hesli). Rehoboth may have guarded the border.
49 When Saul died, Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place.
When Shaul died he was succeeded by a man from a more important family. This was Baal-hanan the son of Achbor. Baal-hanan means ‘the Lord (or Baal) is gracious’. But he is the only one of the eight associated with no city or area, perhaps because his family was so well known.
50 And when Baal-Hanan died, Hadad reigned in his place; and the name of his city was Pai. His wife’s name was Mehetabel the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.
On Baal-hanan’s death he was succeeded by Hadad who came from the city of Pai (or Pau). He was not of noble family, but he clearly married well. His wife’s name was Mehetabel.
In Genesis 36.40-43 these are described as ‘the chieftains (of Edom) who came of Esau’. They are also described as being ‘according to their habitations in the land of their possessions’. Thus, the names of the chieftains would appear to be the names of the city/area that they represented, e.g. ‘the chief of Timna, the chief of Aliah, the chief of Jetheth, the chief of Oholibamah, etc.’
52 Chief Aholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon, 53 Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar, 54 Chief Magdiel, and Chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom.
This might be a division of Edom into eleven districts, each with its chieftain. Along with the king that would then make twelve.
So the God-given glory of Esau is revealed to us, stressing that he had become a mighty nation. And it revealed that what God had done before, He could do again, for this proves His faithfulness towards those who look to Him.
Bless you for reviewing this chapter with me. Our Holy Spirit in His Majestic Wisdom wanted this information to be listed for all time. May you be blessed by Him for fully studying all His Word.
