Matthew Poole and continuators on 1 Chronicles 7

1 NOw the sons of Issachar were, Tola, and Puah, Jashub , and Shimron, [illegible: 1+ letters]our.

called by way of contraction, Iob, Gen. 46. 13.

Marginal references: Gen. [illegible: 1 word] 1[illegible: 1+ letters]. Numb [illegible: 1 word]; Or, [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word].

2 And the sons of Tola; Uzzi, and Rephajah, and Jeriel, and Jahmai, Jibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their fathers house, to wit, of Tola: they were valiant men of might in their generations, whose number was in the days of David , two and twenty thousand and six hundred.

When he numbred the People, 2 Sam. 24. 1, &c.

Marginal references: 2 [illegible: 1 word] 1, 2.

3 And the sons of Uzzi, Izrahiah: and the sons of Izrahiah; Michael, and Obadiah, and Jo[illegible: 1+ letters]h Ishiah, five : all of them chief men.

For, the son: for he names bu[illegible: 1+ letters] one Son.

Including their father Izrahiah.

4 And with them by their generations, after the house of their fathers were bands of souldiers for war, six and thirty thousand men : for they had many wives and sons.

To wit, of the Posterity of Uzzi, as the other 22600, v. 2. were the Posterity of Tobah.

6 The sons of Benjamin; Bela, and Becher, and Jediael, three .

They were Ten, Gen. 46. 21. and five of them are named, ch. 8. 1. but here onely three are mentioned, either because these were most Eminent for Courage or Fruitfulness; or because the other Families were now extinct.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 word] 16. 21.

7 And the sons of Bela; Ezbon, and Uzzi, and Uzziel, and Jerimoth, and Iri, five; heads of the house of their fathers , mighty men of valour, and were reckoned by their genealogies, twenty and two thousand and thirty and four.

Each of them Head, or Chief, or Commander of that House or Family from which he was descended or to which he belonged. For it may seem by comparing this with ch. 8. 3, &c. that these were not the immediate sons of Belah, but his Grandchildren descended each from a several Father; and their Fathers are here omitted peradventure, because they were obscure persons, as their sons are mentioned for their Eminency.

12 Shuppim also and Huppim , the children of Ir, and Hushim, the sons of Aher .

Called Muppim and Huppim, Gen. 46. 21. also Hupham and Shupham, Numb. 26. 39.

But divers take the Hebrew word [illegible: 1 word] for a Common, not Proper, Name, and render the words thus, [illegible: 1+ letters]uther son, or the son of another Family or Tribe, to wit, of Dan, as may be gathered 1. from Gen. 46. 23. where Hushim is mentioned as the onely Son of Dan, where also the word sons is used of that one Man, as it is here. 2. From the Clause of the next Verse, the sons of Bilhah, who was Mother both to Dan and Napthali. 3. Because otherwise the Genealogy of Dan is quite left out. 4. From the word another, which is used in the Hebrew Writers to design an Abominable thing which the Writer disdained to mention; whence they call a Swine, which to him was a very unclean and loathsome Creature, another thing. And it must be remembred that the Tribe of Dan had made themselves and their Memory Infamous and Detestable by that gross Idolatry, which began first and continued longest in that Tribe, Iudg. 18. For which reason many Interpreters conceive this Tribe is omitted in the numbring of the sealed Persons, Rev. 7.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 word]. 1.; [illegible: 1 word], [illegible: 1 word], [illegible: 1 word]. 16. 18.

13 The sons of Naphtali; Jahziel, and Guni, and Jazer, and Shallum, the sons of Bilhah.

i. e. The Grandchildren: for Bilhah was Iacobs Concubine, and Mother both to Napthali, the Father of these last named Persons, and to Dan. See on v. 12.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 word]. 46. 24. [illegible: 1 word].

14 The sons of Manasseh; Ashriel, whom she bare , (but his concubine the Aramitess bare Machir the father of Gilead .

i. e. Grandehildren, as, v. 13. For both Ashriel and Zelophehad were the Grandchildren of Machir Son of Manasseh, Numb. 26. 29, &c. and 27. 1.

To wit, his Wife, as may be thought, because his Concubine is here opposed to her. Or, whom he got; for the Hebrew Word yalad is sometimes used of Mens begetting, as, Gen. 5. 18, &c Compare Psal. 2. 7. But these and the following words may be otherwise rendred according to the Hebrew Text, whom his Concubine the Aramitess bare, who bare him (which Ellipses are very frequent in the Hebrew) for meeth, of, or by Machir: So this was a differing Ashriel from him named Numb. 26. 31. for that was Gileads Son, and this his Brother.

A Person so called, as is manifest from v. 17. & Numb. 26. 29.

15 And Machir took to wise the sister of Huppim, and Shuppim, whose sisters name was Maachah) and the name of the second was Zelophehad: and Zelophehad had daughters .

Which Word is here fitly understood out of the following Clause, where it is expressed, and she is called Maachah, who also is called the wife of Machir, v. 16.

Of the second Son or Grandson of Machir; for so Zelophehad was, Numb. 26. 29, &c. Or, Zelophehad is here called the second, because he was the younger Brother of Ashriel, who was the eldest Son of Hepher, the Son of Gilead, the Son of Machir.

i. e. Onely Daughters, and no Sons.

17 And the sons of Ulam, Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh.

To wit, Ashriel and Zelophehad named, v. 14, 15. the Relative being here referred to the remoter Antecedent; as is frequent in the Hebrew.

Marginal references: 1 Sam. 12 1[illegible: 1+ letters] ▪

18 And his sister Hammoleketh bare Ishod, and Abiezer, and Mahalah .

i. e. Gileads Sister.

Understand, and Shemida, out of the next Verse.

20 And the sons of Ephraim; Shuthelah, and Bered his son , and Tahath his son, and Eladah his son, and Tahath his son,

Either 1. the son of Shatelah; and so Tahath the son of Bered; and so the rest, which make up seven succeeding Generations. Or, 2. the son of Ephraim, and so Tahath is the son not of Bered, but of Ephraim, and so forward. And thus all these were Brethren, and Sons or Grandchildren of Ephraim living together at one time with their Father. Obj. This cannot be because then Ephraim had two sons called Shathelah, and two called Tahath. Ans. That might easily happen; either because the first Shathelah and Tahath were dead before the other two of those Names were born: or because two of them were Ephraims Sons, and two of them his Grandchildren called after their Uncles Names. For this is certain the Name of Sons is promiscuously used concerning immediate Children, and Grandchildren, and Great Grandchildren.

21 And Zabad his son, and Shutelah his son, and Ezer, and Elead, whom the men of Gath that were born in that land, slew , because they came down to take away their cattel.

This History is not recorded elsewhere in Scripture, but it is in the Ancient Hebrew Writers, though mixed with many Fables. The Philistins (one of whose Cities this Gath was) and the Egyptians were next Neighbours; and in those Ancient Times it was usual for such to make Inroads one into anothers Country, and to carry thence what Prey they could take; as we find both in Scripture and in Profane Writers. And as the Philistins had probably made such Inroads formerly into Egypt, and particularly into the Land of Goshen, which was the utmost part of Egypt bordering upon the Philistins Land; so the Israelites might requite them in the like kind: and particularly the Children of Ephraim either presuming upon their Numbers and strength; or having possibly received the greatest Injury from the Philistins in their last Invasion, might make an Attempt upon the Philistins to their own great loss; as is here related. And this seems to have happened a little before the Egyptian Persecution, and before the Reign of that new King mentioned, Exod. 1. 8. The Philistins are here called the men of Gath, either because they were Subject to the King of Gath, as afterwards that People were; or because they lived about Gath. And this Clause, that were born in that land, may be added emphatically as the motive which made them more resolute and furious in their Fight with the Ephraimites, because they fought in, and for their own Land, wherein all their wealth and concerns lay, and against those that unjustly endeavoured to turn them out of their Native Country.

22 And Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him.

Either 1. that Ephraim of whom he speaks v. 20 whose sons are here named. But that to many seems hard, especially if these several sons named v. 20, 21. be understood successively so as each Man be the Son of him who is named next and immediately before him, which seems most probable for so here are 7 successive Generations of Ephraim; which it is not likely that [illegible: 1 word] lived [illegible: 1+ letters]o see; for then he must have been near 200 years old. Although it is not necessary that the Persons here said to be slain, should be that Generation which was last mentioned, but the Particle whom may belong to the other Sons of Ephraim of the Fourth, or Fifth, or Sixth Generation. Nor is the word, whom, in the Hebrew Text, which runs thus, and the men of Gath—slew them, i. e. the Sons of Ephraim in the general as they are expressed in the beginning of v. 20. without respect to this or that particular Generation. And the relative Particle, them, may be referred not unto the Persons last named, but unto some of the other and more remote persons: this being a common Observation of Hebricians, that the Relative oft belongs to the remoter Antecedent. Or, 2. Zabad the Father of the three Persons and Families last named, who might possibly have two Names, and be called both Zabad and Ephraim. Or rather the Name of Ephraim may be put patronymically (as the Learned speak) for the Son and Successor of Ephraim; who being now in Ephraims stead, the Head of the Tribe, as old Ephraim was in his Time, might well be called by the same Name. Thus Isaac is put for his Son Iacob or▪ Israel, Amos 7. 9. and Moses for the Sons of Moses, Psal. 90. Title▪ and David for his Son Rehoboam, 1 King. 12. 6. and for Christ, Ier. 30. 9. Ezek. 34. 23. and (as many think) Abraham for Iacob Abrahams Grandchild, Act. 7. 16. And these words, their father, seem to be added by way of distinction, to shew that he meant not this of the old Ephraim, but of another, who was Father to the three Persons said to be slain, v. 21. For if he had understood this of the first Ephraim, having called these the sons of Ephraim, it might seem superfluous and tautological to tell us that Ephraim was their father.

i. e. his Kinsmen, as that word is frequently used.

24 (And his daughter was Sherah, who built , Beth-horon the nether, and the upper, and Uzzensherah.)

i. e. His Grandchild or Great Grandchild; for such are oft called sons or daughters in Scripture.

i. e. Rebuilt or repaired: which possibly she did in Ioshua's time. And this work may be [illegible: 1+ letters] scribed to her, because these works were done either by her design or contrivance; or by her instigation and influence upon her Husband and Brethren who did it.

26 Laadan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son,

The Head of the Tribe of Ephraim in the Wilderness, Num. 1. 10.

28 And their possessions and habitations were Beth▪el , and the towns thereof, and east-ward Naaran, and west-ward Gezer, with the towns thereof, Shechem also and the towns thereof, unto Gaza and the towns thereof.

i. e. The Portion allotted to the Tribe of Ephraim.

Which stood in the Border of Benjamin, but belonged to Ephraim.

Not that of the Philistins, which belonged to another Tribe and was remote from Ephraim, but another of the same Name. Or rather Ad-azza, as it is in the Margent of our Bible; the Particle, ad, here rendred unto, being a part of the Name; for why should unto be put to this Town which is not put to any of the other?

Marginal references: Heb. daughters.; Josh. 16. 7.; Heb. daughters.; Or, Ad-azza.

29 And by the borders of the children of Manasseh, Beth shean and her towns, Tannach and her towns, Megiddo and her towns, Dor and her towns. In these dwelt the children of Joseph , the son of Israel.

i. e. Of Ephraim, Iosephs eldest Son, who is sometimes called Ioseph, as hath been noted before.

Marginal references: Josh. 17. 7.; Josh. 17. 11.

35 And the sons of his brother , Helem, Zophah, and Imnah, and Shelesh, and Amal.

Brother either of Shamer the eldest, namely Hotham: or of Aram last mentioned.

39 And the sons of Ulla ; Arah, and Haniel, and Reziah.

Another Son of Iether, as may be gathered by the course of the Genealogy, though he be not expressed with his Brethren, v. 38. See the like defect v. 18, & 34.