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1 Chronicles 8

KJV · Chapter 8/29

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

2Nohah the fourth, and Rapha the fifth.

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

4And Abishua, and Naaman, and Ahoah,

5And Gera, and Shephuphan, and Huram.

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:

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

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

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

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

11And of Hushim he begat Abitub, and Elpaal.

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

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

14And Ahio, Shashak, and Jeremoth,

15And Zebadiah, and Arad, and Ader,

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

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

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

19And Jakim, and Zichri, and Zabdi,

20And Elienai, and Zilthai, and Eliel,

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

22And Ishpan, and Heber, and Eliel,

23And Abdon, and Zichri, and Hanan,

24And Hananiah, and Elam, and Antothijah,

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

26And Shamsherai, and Shehariah, and Athaliah,

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

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

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

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

31And Gedor, and Ahio, and Zacher.

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

33And Ner begat Kish, and Kish begat Saul, and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchi–shua, and Abinadab, and Esh–baal.

34And the son of Jonathan was Merib–baal; and Merib–baal begat Micah.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

The genealogy of the tribe of Benjamin is detailed, with special attention to the line that leads to King Saul, the first king of Israel.

Explanation

The tribe of Benjamin receives detailed attention partly because Israel's first king, Saul, came from it — his tragic story will be revisited in the very next chapter. The chronicler carefully documents this line, including Saul's sons and their descendants, laying the groundwork for the transfer of power to David, who will be the central focus of the rest of the book. This care in detailing even the family of the king rejected by God shows the chronicler's intent to tell the complete and honest story, without simply erasing characters who met difficult ends.

Fun facts

  • Benjamin was the smallest of the tribes of Israel, yet it produced the nation's first king (Saul), and later, in the New Testament, the apostle Paul also identified himself as belonging to this tribe.
  • The city of Gibeah, mentioned as the home of several descendants of Benjamin, was the site both of King Saul's capital and of a dark episode of violence recorded in Judges 19-21.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 1 Chronicles 8:1The whole chapter is devoted only to the tribe of Benjamin, beginning with the five direct sons: Bela, the firstborn, Ashbel, and Aharah.
  2. 1 Chronicles 8:2Benjamin’s five sons are rounded out with Nohah and Rapha — a short list before the genealogy goes deep into Bela’s line, which dominates the rest of the chapter.
  3. 1 Chronicles 8:3Bela’s sons begin — Addar, Gera, Abihud — the first of three verses that together add up to nine names from this generation alone.
  4. 1 Chronicles 8:4Three more sons of Bela, Abishua, Naaman, and Ahoah — Benjamin’s family branches out quickly, already by the second generation.
  5. 1 Chronicles 8:5Bela’s nine sons are closed out with another Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram — ending this first big batch of names before the text focuses on a specific clan.
  6. 1 Chronicles 8:6Ehud’s descendants were the heads of the inhabitants of Geba, but the text records that they were forcibly removed to Manahath — a population displacement that the list preserves as fact, without explaining the reason.
  7. 1 Chronicles 8:7Three more names tied to this same forced removal, and the leader who took them also fathers two more sons, Uzza and Ahihud — family life continues even after the move.
  8. 1 Chronicles 8:8Shaharaim moves to the land of Moab after sending away his wives, and there fathers children with two other wives, Hushim and Baara — a fresh start in life outside the territory of Israel.
  9. 1 Chronicles 8:9By his wife Hodesh, Shaharaim has five more sons — Benjamin’s genealogy keeps spreading even into families living outside the promised land.
  10. 1 Chronicles 8:10Hodesh’s sons are closed out with three more names, all described as “heads of the fathers” — a title of leadership within the clan.
  11. 1 Chronicles 8:11By his other wife, Hushim, Shaharaim has two sons, Abitub and Elpaal — the latter will open up an important new branch right in the next verse.
  12. 1 Chronicles 8:12One of Elpaal’s sons, Shamed, is remembered as the builder of the cities of Ono and Lod — another example of a family name turning into a city founder within these lists.
  13. 1 Chronicles 8:13Beriah and Shema, heads of the inhabitants of Aijalon, stand out for a concrete military feat: they drove away the inhabitants of Gath, the Philistine city — a victory recorded amid a sea of plain names.
  14. 1 Chronicles 8:14Beriah’s sons begin — Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth — the hero who drove out the inhabitants of Gath has a large family detailed in the next few verses.
  15. 1 Chronicles 8:15Three more sons of Beriah, Zebadiah, Arad, and Ader, continuing the list of descendants of the man who confronted Gath.
  16. 1 Chronicles 8:16Beriah’s sons are closed out with Michael, Ispah, and Joha — ending this part before the text returns to Elpaal’s family.
  17. 1 Chronicles 8:17Elpaal’s sons return — Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hezeki, Heber — another branch of Benjamin’s family tree that had already been building since the start of the chapter.
  18. 1 Chronicles 8:18Elpaal’s sons are closed out with Ishmerai, Jezliah, and Jobab — three names that complete this family before the list shifts focus again.
  19. 1 Chronicles 8:19Shimhi’s sons begin — Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi — another clan within Benjamin’s great family tree.
  20. 1 Chronicles 8:20Three more sons of Shimhi, Elienai, Zilthai, and Eliel, continuing this part of the genealogy with no story attached.
  21. 1 Chronicles 8:21Shimhi’s sons are closed out with Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath — ending this family before the text moves on to another clan.
  22. 1 Chronicles 8:22Shashak’s sons begin — Ishpan, Heber, Eliel — names that will add up to an even larger group over the next two verses.
  23. 1 Chronicles 8:23Three more sons of Shashak, Abdon, Zichri, and Hanan, continuing this extensive family list within the tribe of Benjamin.
  24. 1 Chronicles 8:24Three more sons of Shashak follow — Hananiah, Elam, and Antothijah — this family is among the largest recorded in the chapter.
  25. 1 Chronicles 8:25Shashak’s sons are closed out with Iphedeiah and Penuel — ending one of the longest branches of Benjamin’s family tree so far.
  26. 1 Chronicles 8:26Jeroham’s sons begin — Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah — another clan that rounds out the overall picture of Benjamin’s leaders.
  27. 1 Chronicles 8:27Jeroham’s sons are closed out with Jaresiah, Eliah, and Zichri — the last group of names before the summary that ends this part of the chapter.
  28. 1 Chronicles 8:28A summary closes out this whole section: these men were heads of families, and they lived in Jerusalem — an important detail, since Benjamin sits right on the border with that city.
  29. 1 Chronicles 8:29The scene shifts to Gibeon: one of Benjamin’s leaders lives there, married to a woman named Maachah — here begins a genealogy that will flow into one of the best-known characters in the Bible.
  30. 1 Chronicles 8:30The sons of this Gibeon resident include Abdon, the firstborn, and Kish — a name that will reappear shortly as the father of a king.
  31. 1 Chronicles 8:31This first batch of sons is closed out with Gedor, Ahio, and Zacher — the list is building, step by step, the family tree that leads to Saul.
  32. 1 Chronicles 8:32Mikloth fathers Shimeah, and the text notes that this family also lived in Jerusalem, alongside their relatives — the same geographic detail repeated from before.
  33. 1 Chronicles 8:33Preserving Saul’s line down to his grandson Merib-baal (the same Mephibosheth of Samuel) shows the Chronicler’s care not to erase the story of the first dynasty, even though the kingdom had already belonged to the house of David for generations. It’s this same lineage that explains why David treats Mephibosheth with such kindness later on in the narrative of Samuel.
  34. 1 Chronicles 8:34Jonathan’s son, Merib-baal, is the same man called Mephibosheth in Samuel — Saul’s lame grandson, whom David treats with kindness because of his friendship with Jonathan, sparing him even though he belongs to the family of the former rival king.
  35. 1 Chronicles 8:35The four sons of Micah, Mephibosheth’s grandson, show that Saul’s line continues firmly even after the throne passes for good to David’s family.
  36. 1 Chronicles 8:36Saul’s line continues for four more generations, from Ahaz to Moza — the Chronicler treats the first king’s family with the same genealogical care he gives David’s family.
  37. 1 Chronicles 8:37Four more generations of Saul’s lineage, ending in Azel — just as David’s line is recorded all the way past the exile in chapter 3, Saul’s line is likewise preserved well beyond the end of his reign.
  38. 1 Chronicles 8:38Azel has six sons named one by one — a great deal of genealogical care for a family that had no more connection to the throne, generations later.
  39. 1 Chronicles 8:39The three sons of Eshek, Azel’s brother, close out another branch of Saul’s family that continues to be documented well after the dynasty’s fall.
  40. 1 Chronicles 8:40The chapter closes praising the sons of Ulam as mighty men of valor and skilled archers, with a hundred and fifty descendants in all — a portrait of strength for a small but historically important tribe.

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