1 Chronicles 8

Benjamin was the father of Bela, his oldest son. Ashbel was the second son, and Aharah the third.

1Now Benjamin begat Bela his firstborn, Ashbel the second, and Aharah the third,

NoteBenjamin was the youngest of Jacob's twelve sons, and his descendants made up one of Israel's twelve tribes. Lists like this one mattered because land, clan membership and family rights passed down through the male line; a family that could not show its line could lose its claim. This chapter follows the tribe of Benjamin down to the family of Saul, Israel's first king, who came from it.

2Nohah was the fourth son, and Rapha the fifth.

2Nohah the fourth, and Rapha the fifth.

3The sons of Bela were Addar, Gera, Abihud,

3And the sons of Bela were, Addar, and Gera, and Abihud,

4Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah,

4And Abishua, and Naaman, and Ahoah,

5Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.

5And Gera, and Shephuphan, and Huram.

6These were the sons of Ehud. They were the leaders of the families that lived in Geba, and they were taken away from their homes to Manahath:

6And these are the sons of Ehud: these are the heads of the fathers of the inhabitants of Geba, and they removed them to Manahath:

NoteThe King James phrase "heads of the fathers" is short for "heads of fathers' houses", the leaders of extended family groups, the unit that sat between a single household and a whole tribe. Geba was a town a few miles north of Jerusalem. The verb behind "removed them" is the one normally used for deporting a population; the text does not say who forced the move or why.

7They were Naaman, Ahiah, and Gera. Gera was the one who took them away, and he was the father of Uzza and Ahihud.

7And Naaman, and Ahiah, and Gera, he removed them, and begat Uzza, and Ahihud.

NoteThe Hebrew here is compressed and unclear about which man is being spoken of, so translations differ over who carried out the removal and whose sons Uzza and Ahihud were.

8Shaharaim had children in the country of Moab after he had divorced his wives Hushim and Baara.

8And Shaharaim begat children in the country of Moab, after he had sent them away; Hushim and Baara were his wives.

Note"Sent them away" is the ordinary Hebrew expression for divorcing a wife. Moab was the territory east of the Dead Sea, outside Israel, so this family line ran for a time on foreign soil.

9By his wife Hodesh he had these sons: Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcham,

9And he begat of Hodesh his wife, Jobab, and Zibia, and Mesha, and Malcham,

10Jeuz, Shachia, and Mirma. These were his sons, and they were leaders of families.

10And Jeuz, and Shachia, and Mirma. These were his sons, heads of the fathers.

11By Hushim he had Abitub and Elpaal.

11And of Hushim he begat Abitub, and Elpaal.

12The sons of Elpaal were Eber, Misham, and Shamed. Shamed built the towns of Ono and Lod, along with the villages around them.

12The sons of Elpaal; Eber, and Misham, and Shamed, who built Ono, and Lod, with the towns thereof:

NoteThe Hebrew word translated "built" covers founding a town, rebuilding one, and fortifying one, and the text does not specify which is meant. Ono and Lod stood on the coastal plain northwest of Jerusalem. The King James "towns thereof" translates a word that literally means "daughters", the smaller villages that depended on a larger town.

13There were also Beriah and Shema. They were leaders of the families that lived in Aijalon, and they drove out the people who lived in Gath.

13Beriah also, and Shema, who were heads of the fathers of the inhabitants of Aijalon, who drove away the inhabitants of Gath:

NoteAijalon lay in a valley west of Jerusalem, on the route between the hill country and the coastal plain. Gath was one of the five main cities of the Philistines, the people who controlled that coastal plain and were Israel's chief rivals in this period.

14Also Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth,

14And Ahio, Shashak, and Jeremoth,

15Zebadiah, Arad, Ader,

15And Zebadiah, and Arad, and Ader,

16Michael, Ispah, and Joha. These were the sons of Beriah.

16And Michael, and Ispah, and Joha, the sons of Beriah;

17Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hezeki, Heber,

17And Zebadiah, and Meshullam, and Hezeki, and Heber,

18Ishmerai, Jezliah, and Jobab were the sons of Elpaal.

18Ishmerai also, and Jezliah, and Jobab, the sons of Elpaal;

19Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi,

19And Jakim, and Zichri, and Zabdi,

20Elienai, Zilthai, Eliel,

20And Elienai, and Zilthai, and Eliel,

21Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath were the sons of Shimhi.

21And Adaiah, and Beraiah, and Shimrath, the sons of Shimhi;

22Ishpan, Heber, Eliel,

22And Ishpan, and Heber, and Eliel,

23Abdon, Zichri, Hanan,

23And Abdon, and Zichri, and Hanan,

24Hananiah, Elam, Antothijah,

24And Hananiah, and Elam, and Antothijah,

25Iphedeiah, and Penuel were the sons of Shashak.

25And Iphedeiah, and Penuel, the sons of Shashak;

26Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah,

26And Shamsherai, and Shehariah, and Athaliah,

27Jaresiah, Eliah, and Zichri were the sons of Jeroham.

27And Jaresiah, and Eliah, and Zichri, the sons of Jeroham.

28All of these men were leaders of families and chief men, listed by their family lines. They lived in Jerusalem.

28These were heads of the fathers, by their generations, chief men. These dwelt in Jerusalem.

NoteJerusalem sat right on the boundary between the territory of Benjamin and that of Judah, which is why Benjaminite families are recorded as living there.

29The man who founded the town of Gibeon lived in Gibeon. His wife's name was Maachah.

29And at Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon; whose wife’s name was Maachah:

Note"The father of Gibeon" means the founder or leading ancestor of the town, not the parent of a person named Gibeon; Hebrew uses "father of" this way for the originator of a settlement. The King James has no name here because it has dropped out of the text; the matching list at 1 Chronicles 9:35 calls him Jeiel. Gibeon was a town about six miles northwest of Jerusalem.

30His oldest son was Abdon. Then came Zur, Kish, Baal, and Nadab,

30And his firstborn son Abdon, and Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and Nadab,

31and Gedor, Ahio, and Zacher.

31And Gedor, and Ahio, and Zacher.

32Mikloth was the father of Shimeah. These men also lived in Jerusalem, right beside their relatives.

32And Mikloth begat Shimeah. And these also dwelt with their brethren in Jerusalem, over against them.

NoteThe King James "over against them" means facing or alongside, the sense is that these families lived close by their relatives rather than opposite them in any hostile sense.

33Ner was the father of Kish. Kish was the father of Saul. Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.

33And Ner begat Kish, and Kish begat Saul, and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal.

NoteSaul was Israel's first king. The name Eshbaal ends in baal, a word meaning "lord" or "master" that was also the name of a Canaanite god. In 2 Samuel this same son of Saul is called Ish-bosheth, with bosheth, "shame," swapped in for baal, a substitution scribes made to avoid writing the god's name. Chronicles keeps the older forms.

34The son of Jonathan was Meribbaal, and Meribbaal was the father of Micah.

34And the son of Jonathan was Meribbaal; and Meribbaal begat Micah.

NoteMeribbaal is the man called Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel, the same name with "shame" substituted for the baal ending.

35The sons of Micah were Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz.

35And the sons of Micah were, Pithon, and Melech, and Tarea, and Ahaz.

36Ahaz was the father of Jehoadah. Jehoadah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri was the father of Moza.

36And Ahaz begat Jehoadah; and Jehoadah begat Alemeth, and Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begat Moza,

37Moza was the father of Binea. Binea's son was Rapha, whose son was Eleasah, whose son was Azel.

37And Moza begat Binea: Rapha was his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son:

38Azel had six sons, and their names were Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. All of these were the sons of Azel.

38And Azel had six sons, whose names are these, Azrikam, Bocheru, and Ishmael, and Sheariah, and Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel.

39The sons of his brother Eshek were Ulam, the oldest, Jehush the second, and Eliphelet the third.

39And the sons of Eshek his brother were, Ulam his firstborn, Jehush the second, and Eliphelet the third.

40The sons of Ulam were brave fighting men and archers. They had many sons and grandsons: 150 in all. All of these men belonged to the descendants of Benjamin.

40And the sons of Ulam were mighty men of valour, archers, and had many sons, and sons’ sons, an hundred and fifty. All these are of the sons of Benjamin.

Note"Mighty men of valour" is a fixed Hebrew phrase for men fit and equipped for war, and often carries a further sense of standing and substance in the community. Benjaminite fighters had a particular reputation for skill with the bow and the sling.