1 Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.
2 For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph's:)
3 The sons, I say, of Reuben the firstborn of Israel were, Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
4 The sons of Joel; Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,
5 Micah his son, Reaia his son, Baal his son,
6 Beerah his son, whom Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria carried away captive: he was prince of the Reubenites.
7 And his brethren by their families, when the genealogy of their generations was reckoned, were the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah,
8 And Bela the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel, who dwelt in Aroer, even unto Nebo and Baalmeon:
9 And eastward he inhabited unto the entering in of the wilderness from the river Euphrates: because their cattle were multiplied in the land of Gilead.
10 And in the days of Saul they made war with the Hagarites, who fell by their hand: and they dwelt in their tents throughout all the east land of Gilead.
11 And the children of Gad dwelt over against them, in the land of Bashan unto Salcah:
12 Joel the chief, and Shapham the next, and Jaanai, and Shaphat in Bashan.
13 And their brethren of the house of their fathers were, Michael, and Meshullam, and Sheba, and Jorai, and Jachan, and Zia, and Heber, seven.
14 These are the children of Abihail the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz;
15 Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, chief of the house of their fathers.
16 And they dwelt in Gilead in Bashan, and in her towns, and in all the suburbs of Sharon, upon their borders.
17 All these were reckoned by genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.
18 The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skillful in war, were four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war.
19 And they made war with the Hagarites, with Jetur, and Nephish, and Nodab.
20 And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them: for they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them; because they put their trust in him.
21 And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men an hundred thousand.
22 For there fell down many slain, because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their steads until the captivity.
23 And the children of the half tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land: they increased from Bashan unto Baalhermon and Senir, and unto mount Hermon.
24 And these were the heads of the house of their fathers, even Epher, and Ishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremiah, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty men of valor, famous men, and heads of the house of their fathers.
25 And they transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before them.
26 And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, unto this day.
1 Now the sons H1121 of Reuben H7205 the firstborn H1060 of Israel, H3478 (for he was the firstborn; H1060 but, forasmuch as he defiled H2490 his father's H1 bed, H3326 his birthright H1062 was given H5414 unto the sons H1121 of Joseph H3130 the son H1121 of Israel: H3478 and the genealogy is not to be reckoned H3187 after the birthright. H1062
2 For Judah H3063 prevailed H1396 above his brethren, H251 and of him came the chief ruler; H5057 but the birthright H1062 was Joseph's:) H3130
3 The sons, H1121 I say, of Reuben H7205 the firstborn H1060 of Israel H3478 were, Hanoch, H2585 and Pallu, H6396 Hezron, H2696 and Carmi. H3756
4 The sons H1121 of Joel; H3100 Shemaiah H8098 his son, H1121 Gog H1463 his son, H1121 Shimei H8096 his son, H1121
5 Micah H4318 his son, H1121 Reaia H7211 his son, H1121 Baal H1168 his son, H1121
6 Beerah H880 his son, H1121 whom Tilgathpilneser H8407 king H4428 of Assyria H804 carried away H1540 captive: he was prince H5387 of the Reubenites. H7206
7 And his brethren H251 by their families, H4940 when the genealogy H3187 of their generations H8435 was reckoned, H3187 were the chief, H7218 Jeiel, H3273 and Zechariah, H2148
8 And Bela H1106 the son H1121 of Azaz, H5811 the son H1121 of Shema, H8087 the son H1121 of Joel, H3100 who dwelt H3427 in Aroer, H6177 even unto Nebo H5015 and Baalmeon: H1186
9 And eastward H4217 he inhabited H3427 unto the entering H935 in of the wilderness H4057 from the river H5104 Euphrates: H6578 because their cattle H4735 were multiplied H7235 in the land H776 of Gilead. H1568
10 And in the days H3117 of Saul H7586 they made H6213 war H4421 with the Hagarites, H1905 who fell H5307 by their hand: H3027 and they dwelt H3427 in their tents H168 throughout H6440 all the east H4217 land of Gilead. H1568
11 And the children H1121 of Gad H1410 dwelt H3427 over against them, in the land H776 of Bashan H1316 unto Salchah: H5548
12 Joel H3100 the chief, H7218 and Shapham H8223 the next, H4932 and Jaanai, H3285 and Shaphat H8202 in Bashan. H1316
13 And their brethren H251 of the house H1004 of their fathers H1 were, Michael, H4317 and Meshullam, H4918 and Sheba, H7652 and Jorai, H3140 and Jachan, H3275 and Zia, H2127 and Heber, H5677 seven. H7651
14 These are the children H1121 of Abihail H32 the son H1121 of Huri, H2359 the son H1121 of Jaroah, H3386 the son H1121 of Gilead, H1568 the son H1121 of Michael, H4317 the son H1121 of Jeshishai, H3454 the son H1121 of Jahdo, H3163 the son H1121 of Buz; H938
15 Ahi H277 the son H1121 of Abdiel, H5661 the son H1121 of Guni, H1476 chief H7218 of the house H1004 of their fathers. H1
16 And they dwelt H3427 in Gilead H1568 in Bashan, H1316 and in her towns, H1323 and in all the suburbs H4054 of Sharon, H8289 upon their borders. H8444
17 All these were reckoned by genealogies H3187 in the days H3117 of Jotham H3147 king H4428 of Judah, H3063 and in the days H3117 of Jeroboam H3379 king H4428 of Israel. H3478
18 The sons H1121 of Reuben, H7205 and the Gadites, H1425 and half H2677 the tribe H7626 of Manasseh, H4519 of valiant men, H2428 men H582 able to bear H5375 buckler H4043 and sword, H2719 and to shoot H1869 with bow, H7198 and skilful H3925 in war, H4421 were four H702 and forty H705 thousand H505 seven H7651 hundred H3967 and threescore, H8346 that went out H3318 to the war. H6635
19 And they made H6213 war H4421 with the Hagarites, H1905 with Jetur, H3195 and Nephish, H5305 and Nodab. H5114
20 And they were helped H5826 against them, and the Hagarites H1905 were delivered H5414 into their hand, H3027 and all that were with them: for they cried H2199 to God H430 in the battle, H4421 and he was intreated H6279 of them; because they put their trust H982 in him.
21 And they took away H7617 their cattle; H4735 of their camels H1581 fifty H2572 thousand, H505 and of sheep H6629 two hundred H3967 and fifty H2572 thousand, H505 and of asses H2543 two thousand, H505 and of men H120 H5315 an hundred H3967 thousand. H505
22 For there fell H5307 down many H7227 slain, H2491 because the war H4421 was of God. H430 And they dwelt H3427 in their steads until the captivity. H1473
23 And the children H1121 of the half H2677 tribe H7626 of Manasseh H4519 dwelt H3427 in the land: H776 they increased H7235 from Bashan H1316 unto Baalhermon H1179 and Senir, H8149 and unto mount H2022 Hermon. H2768
24 And these were the heads H7218 of the house H1004 of their fathers, H1 even Epher, H6081 and Ishi, H3469 and Eliel, H447 and Azriel, H5837 and Jeremiah, H3414 and Hodaviah, H1938 and Jahdiel, H3164 mighty H1368 men H582 of valour, H2428 famous H8034 men, H582 and heads H7218 of the house H1004 of their fathers. H1
25 And they transgressed H4603 against the God H430 of their fathers, H1 and went a whoring H2181 after H310 the gods H430 of the people H5971 of the land, H776 whom God H430 destroyed H8045 before H6440 them.
26 And the God H430 of Israel H3478 stirred up H5782 the spirit H7307 of Pul H6322 king H4428 of Assyria, H804 and the spirit H7307 of Tilgathpilneser H8407 king H4428 of Assyria, H804 and he carried them away, H1540 even the Reubenites, H7206 and the Gadites, H1425 and the half H2677 tribe H7626 of Manasseh, H4519 and brought H935 them unto Halah, H2477 and Habor, H2249 and Hara, H2024 and to the river H5104 Gozan, H1470 unto this day. H3117
1 And the sons of Reuben the first-born of Israel (for he was the first-born; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father's couch, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.
2 For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the prince; but the birthright was Joseph's:)
3 the sons of Reuben the first-born of Israel: Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
4 The sons of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,
5 Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son,
6 Beerah his son, whom Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria carried away captive: he was prince of the Reubenites.
7 And his brethren by their families, when the genealogy of their generations was reckoned: the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah,
8 and Bela the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel, who dwelt in Aroer, even unto Nebo and Baal-meon:
9 and eastward he dwelt even unto the entrance of the wilderness from the river Euphrates, because their cattle were multiplied in the land of Gilead.
10 And in the days of Saul, they made war with the Hagrites, who fell by their hand; and they dwelt in their tents throughout all the `land' east of Gilead.
11 And the sons of Gad dwelt over against them, in the land of Bashan unto Salecah:
12 Joel the chief, and Shapham the second, and Janai, and Shaphat in Bashan.
13 And their brethren of their fathers' houses: Michael, and Meshullam, and Sheba, and Jorai, and Jacan, and Zia, and Eber, seven.
14 These were the sons of Abihail, the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz;
15 Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, chief of their fathers' houses.
16 And they dwelt in Gilead in Bashan, and in its towns, and in all the suburbs of Sharon, as far as their borders.
17 All these were reckoned by genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.
18 The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war, were forty and four thousand seven hundred and threescore, that were able to go forth to war.
19 And they made war with the Hagrites, with Jetur, and Naphish, and Nodab.
20 And they were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them; for they cried to God in the battle, and he was entreated of them, because they put their trust in him.
21 And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men a hundred thousand.
22 For there fell many slain, because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their stead until the captivity.
23 And the children of the half-tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land: they increased from Bashan unto Baal-hermon and Senir and mount Hermon.
24 And these were the heads of their fathers' houses: even Epher, and Ishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremiah, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty men of valor, famous men, heads of their fathers' houses.
25 And they trespassed against the God of their fathers, and played the harlot after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God destroyed before them.
26 And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river of Gozan, unto this day.
1 As to sons of Reuben, first-born of Israel -- for he `is' the first-born, and on account of his profaning the couch of his father hath his birthright been given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, and `he is' not to be reckoned by genealogy for the birthright,
2 for Judah hath been mighty over his brother, and for leader above him, and the birthright `is' to Joseph.
3 Sons of Reuben, first-born of Israel: Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
4 Sons of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,
5 Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son,
6 Beerah his son, whom Tilgath-Pilneser king of Asshur removed; he `is' prince of the Reubenite.
7 And his brethren, by their families, in the genealogy of their generations, `are' heads: Jeiel, and Zechariah,
8 and Bela son of Azaz, son of Shema, son of Joel -- he is dwelling in Aroer, even unto Nebo and Baal-Meon;
9 and at the east he dwelt even unto the entering in of the wilderness, even from the river Phrat, for their cattle were multiplied in the land of Gilead.
10 And in the days of Saul they have made war with the Hagarites, who fall by their hand, and they dwell in their tents over all the face of the east of Gilead.
11 And the sons of Gad, over-against them have dwelt in the land of Bashan unto Salcah,
12 Joel the head, and Shapham the second, and Jaanai and Shaphat in Bashan;
13 and their brethren of the house of their fathers `are' Michael, and Meshullam, and Sheba, and Jorai, and Jachan, and Zia, and Heber, seven.
14 These `are' sons of Abihail son of Huri, son of Jaroah, son of Gilead, son of Michael, son of Jeshishai, son of Jahdo, son of Buz;
15 Ahi son of Abdiel, son of Guni, `is' head of the house of their fathers;
16 and they dwell in Gilead in Bashan, and in her small towns, and in all suburbs of Sharon, upon their outskirts;
17 all of them reckoned themselves by genealogy in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.
18 Sons of Reuben, and the Gadite, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh, of sons of valour, men bearing shield and sword, and treading bow, and taught in battle, `are' forty and four thousand and seven hundred and sixty, going out to the host.
19 And they make war with the Hagarites, and Jetur, and Naphish, and Nodab,
20 and they are helped against them, and the Hagarites are given into their hand, and all who `are' with them, for they cried to God in battle, and He was entreated of them, because they trusted in Him.
21 And they take captive their cattle, of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of human beings a hundred thousand;
22 for many have fallen pierced, for of God `is' the battle; and they dwell in their stead till the removal.
23 And the sons of the half of the tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land, from Bashan unto Baal-Hermon, and Senir, and mount Hermon, they have multiplied.
24 And these `are' heads of the house of their fathers, even Epher, and Ishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremiah, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, men mighty in valour, men of name, heads to the house of their fathers.
25 And they trespass against the God of their fathers, and go a-whoring after the gods of the peoples of the land whom God destroyed from their presence;
26 and stir up doth the God of Israel the spirit of Pul king of Asshur, and the spirit of Tilgath-Pilneser king of Asshur, and he removeth them -- even the Reubenite, and the Gadite, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh -- and bringeth them in to Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and the river of Gozan unto this day.
1 And the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn; but, inasmuch as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; but the genealogy is not registered according to the birthright,
2 for Judah prevailed among his brethren, and of him was the prince, but the birthright was Joseph's),
3 -- the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Enoch and Phallu, Hezron and Carmi.
4 The sons of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,
5 Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son,
6 Beerah his son, whom Tilgath-Pilneser king of Assyria carried away captive: he was prince of the Reubenites.
7 And his brethren by their families, in the genealogical register of their generations, were: the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah,
8 and Bela the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel, who dwelt in Aroer, as far as Nebo and Baal-meon;
9 and eastward he dwelt as far as the entrance to the wilderness from the river Euphrates; for their cattle were multiplied in the land of Gilead.
10 And in the days of Saul they made war with the Hagarites, who fell by their hand; and they dwelt in their tents throughout the east side of Gilead.
11 And the children of Gad dwelt over against them, in the land of Bashan, as far as Salcah:
12 Joel was the chief and Shapham the next, and Jaanai, and Shaphat in Bashan.
13 And their brethren according to their fathers' houses were Michael, and Meshullam, and Sheba, and Jorai, and Jaachan, and Zia, and Eber, seven.
14 -- These were the sons of Abihail, the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz:
15 Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, was chief of their fathers' house.
16 And they dwelt in Gilead in Bashan, and in its towns, and in all the pasture-grounds of Sharon, as far as their limits.
17 All these were registered by genealogy in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.
18 The children of Reuben and the Gadites and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men who carried shield and sword, drawing the bow and skilful in war, were forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty, able to go forth to war.
19 And they made war with the Hagarites, with Jetur, and Naphish, and Nodab;
20 and they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them; for they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them, because they put their trust in him.
21 And they took away their cattle: their camels fifty thousand, and two hundred and fifty thousand sheep, and two thousand asses, and a hundred thousand human souls.
22 For there fell down many slain, for the war was of God. And they dwelt in their stead until the captivity.
23 And the children of the half tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land, from Bashan as far as Baal-Hermon and Senir, and mount Hermon; they were many.
24 And these were the heads of their fathers' houses: Epher, and Jishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremiah, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty men of valour, famous men, heads of their fathers' houses.
25 And they transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a whoring after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.
26 And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgath-Pilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them to Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, -- unto this day.
1 The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn; but, because he defiled his father's couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.
2 For Judah prevailed above his brothers, and of him came the prince; but the birthright was Joseph's:)
3 the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
4 The sons of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,
5 Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son,
6 Beerah his son, whom Tilgath Pilneser king of Assyria carried away captive: he was prince of the Reubenites.
7 His brothers by their families, when the genealogy of their generations was reckoned: the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah,
8 and Bela the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel, who lived in Aroer, even to Nebo and Baal Meon:
9 and eastward he lived even to the entrance of the wilderness from the river Euphrates, because their cattle were multiplied in the land of Gilead.
10 In the days of Saul, they made war with the Hagrites, who fell by their hand; and they lived in their tents throughout all the [land] east of Gilead.
11 The sons of Gad lived over against them, in the land of Bashan to Salecah:
12 Joel the chief, and Shapham the second, and Janai, and Shaphat in Bashan.
13 Their brothers of their fathers' houses: Michael, and Meshullam, and Sheba, and Jorai, and Jacan, and Zia, and Eber, seven.
14 These were the sons of Abihail, the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz;
15 Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, chief of their fathers' houses.
16 They lived in Gilead in Bashan, and in its towns, and in all the suburbs of Sharon, as far as their borders.
17 All these were reckoned by genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.
18 The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skillful in war, were forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty, that were able to go forth to war.
19 They made war with the Hagrites, with Jetur, and Naphish, and Nodab.
20 They were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, and all who were with them; for they cried to God in the battle, and he was entreated of them, because they put their trust in him.
21 They took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred fifty thousand, and of donkeys two thousand, and of men one hundred thousand.
22 For there fell many slain, because the war was of God. They lived in their place until the captivity.
23 The children of the half-tribe of Manasseh lived in the land: they increased from Bashan to Baal Hermon and Senir and Mount Hermon.
24 These were the heads of their fathers' houses: even Epher, and Ishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremiah, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty men of valor, famous men, heads of their fathers' houses.
25 They trespassed against the God of their fathers, and played the prostitute after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God destroyed before them.
26 The God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgath Pilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them to Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river of Gozan, to this day.
1 And the sons of Reuben, the oldest son of Israel, (for he was the oldest son, but, because he made his father's bride-bed unclean, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel; but he is not to be given the place of the oldest.
2 Though Judah became stronger than his brothers, and from him came the ruler, the birthright was Joseph's:)
3 The sons of Reuben, the oldest son of Israel: Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi.
4 The sons of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,
5 Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son,
6 Beerah his son, whom Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, took away as a prisoner: he was chief of the Reubenites.
7 And his brothers by their families, when the list of their generations was made up: the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah,
8 And Bela, the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel, who was living in Aroer, as far as Nebo and Baal-meon;
9 And to the east his limits went as far as the starting point of the waste land, ending at the river Euphrates, because their cattle were increased in number in the land of Gilead.
10 And in the days of Saul they made war on the Hagarites, and overcame them; and they put up their tents through all the land east of Gilead.
11 And the sons of Gad were living opposite to them, in the land of Bashan as far as Salecah:
12 Joel the chief, and Shapham the second, and Janai and Shaphat in Bashan;
13 And their brothers, the men of their family: Michael and Meshullam and Sheba and Jorai and Jacan and Zia and Eber, seven of them.
14 These were the sons of Abihail, the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz;
15 Ahi, the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, head of their families.
16 And they were living in Gilead in Bashan, in its small towns and in all the grass-land of Sirion as far as its limits.
17 All these were listed under the names of their families, in the time of Jotham, king of Judah, and in the time of Jeroboam, king of Israel.
18 There were forty-four thousand, seven hundred and sixty of the sons of Reuben and of the Gadites and of the half-tribe of Manasseh, all strong men, expert in the use of the body-cover, the sword, and the bow, and in the art of war, all able to take up arms.
19 And they went to war against the Hagarites, with Jetur and Naphish and Nodab.
20 And they were helped against them, so that the Hagarites, and those with them, were given into their power. For they sent up prayers to God in the fight, and he gave ear to them, because they put their faith in him.
21 And they took away their cattle: fifty thousand camels, two hundred and fifty thousand sheep, and two thousand asses, and a hundred thousand men.
22 And a very great number went to their death, because the war was God's purpose. And they went on living in their place till they were taken away as prisoners.
23 And the men of the half-tribe of Manasseh were living in the land: and their numbers were increased till all the land from Bashan to Baal-hermon and Senir and the mountain Hermon was theirs.
24 And these were the heads of their families: Epher and Ishi and Eliel and Azriel and Jeremiah and Hodaviah and Jahdiel, men of war, of great name, heads of families.
25 And they did evil against the God of their fathers, worshipping the gods of the people of the land, whom God had put to destruction before them.
26 And the God of Israel put an impulse into the heart of Pul, king of Assyria, and of Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, who took them away as prisoners, all the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, to Halah and Habor and Hara and to the river of Gozan, to this day.
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Commentary on 1 Chronicles 5 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
The families of the tribe of Reuben. - 1 Chronicles 5:1, 1 Chronicles 5:2. Reuben is called the first-born of Israel, because he was the first-born of Jacob, although, owing to his having defiled his father's bed (Genesis 49:4), his birthright, i.e., its privileges, were transferred to the sons of Joseph, who were not, however, entered in the family register of the house of Israel according to the birthright, i.e., as first-born sons. The inf. התיחשׂ with ל expresses “shall” or “must,” cf. Ew. §237, e., “he was not to register,” i.e., “he was not to be registered.” The subject is Joseph, as the Rabbins, e.g., Kimchi, have perceived. The clauses after הוּא כּי form a parenthesis, containing the reason of Reuben's being called ישׂראל בּכור , which is still further established by its being shown (in 1 Chronicles 5:2) how it happened that Joseph, although the birthright was given to him, according to the disposition made by the patriarch (Genesis 48:5.), yet was not entered in the family registers as first-born. The reason of this was, “for Judah was strong among his brethren, and (one) from him became the Prince;” scil. on the strength of the patriarchal blessing (Genesis 49:8-12), and by means of the historic fulfilment of this blessing. The “prevailing” of Judah among his brethren showed itself even under Moses at the numbering of the people, when the tribe of Judah considerably outnumbered all the other tribes (cf. t. i. 2, S. 192). Then, again, it appeared after the division of the land of Canaan among the tribes of Israel, Judah being called by a declaration of the divine will to be the vanguard of the army in the war against the Canaanites (Judges 1:1.); and it was finally made manifest by the נגיד over Israel being chosen by God from the tribe of Judah, in the person of David (cf. 1 Chronicles 28:4 with 1 Samuel 13:14; 1 Samuel 25:30). From this we gather that the short, and from its brevity obscure, sentence ממּנוּ וּלנגיד bears the signification we have given it. “But the birthright was Joseph's;” i.e., the rights of the progenitor were transferred to or remained with him, for two tribal domains were assigned to his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh, according to the law of the first-born (Deuteronomy 21:15-17).
After this parenthetic explanation, the words “the sons of Reuben, the first-born of Israel,” 1 Chronicles 5:1, are again taken up in 1 Chronicles 5:3, and the sons are enumerated. The names of the four sons correspond to those given in Genesis 46:9; Exodus 6:14, and Numbers 26:5-7.
From one of these sons descended Joel, whose family is traced down through seven generations, to the time of the Assyrian deportation of the Israelites. But we are neither informed here, nor can we ascertain from any information elsewhere given in the Old Testament, from which of the four sons Joel was descended. For although many of the names in 1 Chronicles 5:4-6 frequently occur, yet they are nowhere met with in connection with the family whose members are here registered. The last-named, Beerah, was לראוּבני נשׂיא , a prince of the Reubenites, not a prince of the tribe of Reuben, but a prince of a family of the Reubenites. This is expressed by ל being used instead of the stat. constr. ; cf. Ew. §292, a . In reference to the leading away of the trans-Jordanic tribes into captivity by Tiglath-pilneser, cf. on 2 Kings 15:29. The name of this king as it appears in the Chronicles is always Tiglath-pilneser, but its meaning has not yet been certainly ascertained. According to Oppert's interpretation, it = תּגלת־פּלּא־סחר , i.e., “worship of the son of the Zodiac” (i.e., the Assyrian Hercules); vid., Delitzsch on Isaiah, Introd.
“And his brothers,” (each) according to his families in the registration, according to their descent (properly their generations; vide for תּולדות on Genesis 2:4), are (were) the head (the first) Jeiel and Zechariah, and Bela, ... the son of Joel,” probably the Joel already mentioned in 1 Chronicles 5:4. “His (i.e., Beerah's) brothers” are the families related to the family of Beerah, which were descended from the brothers of Joel. That they were not, however, properly “brothers,” is clear from the fact that Bela's descent is traced back to Joel as the third of the preceding members of his family; and the conclusion would be the same, even if this Joel be another than the one mentioned in 1 Chronicles 5:4. The singular suffix with למשׁפּחתיו is to be taken distributively or אישׁ may be supplied before it in thought; cf. Numbers 2:34; Numbers 11:10. The word ראשׁ , “head,” for the first-born, stands here before the name, as in 1 Chronicles 12:3; 1 Chronicles 23:8; elsewhere it stands after the name, e.g., 1 Chronicles 5:12 and 1 Chronicles 9:17. The dwelling-places of Bela and his family are then given in 1 Chronicles 5:8 , 1 Chronicles 5:9. “He dwelt in Aroer,” on the banks of the brook Arnon (Joshua 13:9; Joshua 12:2), now the ruin Araayr on the northern bank of the Mojeb ( vide on Numbers 32:34). “Until Nebo and Baal-meon” westward. Nebo, a village on the hill of the same name in the mountains of Abarim, opposite Jericho (cf. on Numbers 32:38). Baal-meon is probably identical with the ruin Myun, three-quarters of an hour south-east from Heshbon.
“Eastward to the coming to the desert (i.e., till towards the desert) from the river Euphrates,” i.e., to the great Arabico-Syrian desert, which stretches from the Euphrates to the eastern frontier of Perea, or from Gilead to the Euphrates. Bela's family had spread themselves so far abroad, “for their herds were numerous in the land of Gilead,” i.e., Perea, the whole trans-Jordanic domain of the Israelites.
“In the days of Saul they made war upon the Hagarites, and they fill into their hands, and they dwelt in their tents over the whole east side of Gilead.” The subject is not determined, so that the words may be referred either to the whole tribe of Reuben or to the family of Bela (1 Chronicles 5:8). The circumstance that in 1 Chronicles 5:8 and 1 Chronicles 5:9 Bela is spoken of in the singular ( יושׁב הוּא and ישׁב ), while here the plural is used in reference to the war, is not sufficient to show that the words do not refer to Bela's family, for the narrative has already fallen into the plural in the last clause of 1 Chronicles 5:9. We therefore think it better to refer 1 Chronicles 5:10 to the family of Bela, seeing that the wide spread of this family, which is mentioned in 1 Chronicles 5:9, as far as the desert to the east of the inhabited land, presupposes the driving out of the Hagarites dwelling on the eastern plain of Gilead. The notice of this war, moreover, is clearly inserted here for the purpose of explaining the wide spread of the Belaites even to the Euphrates desert, and there is nothing which can be adduced against that reference. The אחיו in 1 Chronicles 5:7 does not, as Bertheau thinks probable, denote that Bela was a contemporary of Beerah, even if the circumstance that from Bela to Joel only three generations are enumerated, could be reconciled with this supposition. The spread of Bela's family over the whole of the Reubenite Gilead, which has just been narrated, proves decisively that they were not contemporaries. If Bela lived at the time of the invasion of Gilead by Tiglath-pileser, when the prince Beerah was carried away into exile, it is certainly possible that he might have escaped the Assyrians; but he could neither have had at that time a family “which inhabited all the east land,” nor could he himself have extended his domain from “Aroer and Nebo towards the wilderness,” as the words יושׁב הוּא , 1 Chronicles 5:8, distinctly state. We therefore hold that Bela was much older than Beerah, for he is introduced as a great-grandson of Joel, so that his family might have been as widely distributed as 1 Chronicles 5:8, 1 Chronicles 5:9 state, and have undertaken and carried out the war of conquest against the Hagarites, referred to in 1 Chronicles 5:10, as early as the time of Saul. Thus, too, we can most easily explain the fact that Bela and his brothers Jeiel and Zechariah are not mentioned. As to הגרעים , cf. on 1 Chronicles 5:19.
The families of the tribe of Gad, and their dwelling-places. - 1 Chronicles 5:11. In connection with the preceding statement as to the dwelling-places of the Reubenites, the enumeration of the families of Gad begins with a statement as to their dwelling-places: “Over against them (the Reubenites) dwelt the Gadites in Bashan unto Salcah.” Bashan is used here in its wider signification of the dominion of King Og, which embraced the northern half of Gilead, i.e., the part of that district which lay on the north side of the Jabbok, and the whole district of Bashan; cf. on Deuteronomy 3:10. Salcah formed the boundary towards the east, and is now Szalchad, about six hours eastward from Bosra (see on Deuteronomy 3:10).
1 Chronicles 5:12-14
The sons of Gad (Genesis 46:16) are not named here, because the enumeration of the families of Gad had been already introduced by 1 Chronicles 5:11, and the genealogical connection of the families enumerated in 1 Chronicles 5:12., with the sons of the tribal ancestor, had not been handed down. In 1 Chronicles 5:12 four names are mentioned, which are clearly those of heads of families or fathers'-houses, with the addition “in Bashan,” i.e., dwelling, for ישׁבוּ is to be repeated or supplied from the preceding verse. - In 1 Chronicles 5:13 seven other names occur, the bearers of which are introduced as brothers of those mentioned (1 Chronicles 5:12), according to their fathers'-houses. They are therefore heads of fathers'-houses, but the district in which they dwelt is not given; whence Bertheau concludes, but wrongly, that the place where they dwelt is not given in the text. The statement which is here omitted follows in 1 Chronicles 5:16 at a fitting place; for in 1 Chronicles 5:14 and 1 Chronicles 5:15 their genealogy, which rightly goes before the mention of their dwelling-place, is given. אלּה , 1 Chronicles 5:14, is not to be referred, as Bertheau thinks, to the four Gadites mentioned in 1 Chronicles 5:12 and 1 Chronicles 5:13, but only to those mentioned in 1 Chronicles 5:13. Nothing more was known of those four (1 Chronicles 5:12) but that they dwelt in Bashan, while the genealogy of the seven is traced up through eight generations to a certain Buz, of whom nothing further is known, as the name בּוּז occurs nowhere else, except in Genesis 22:21 as that of a son of Nahor. The names of his ancestors also are not found elsewhere among the Gadites.
1 Chronicles 5:15
The head of their fathers'-houses (i.e., of those mentioned in 1 Chronicles 5:13) as Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, who is conjectured to have lived in the time of King Jotham of Judah, or of Jeroboam II of Israel, when, according to 1 Chronicles 5:17, genealogical registers of the Gadites were made up.
1 Chronicles 5:16
The families descended from Buz “dwelt in Gilead,” in the part of that district lying to the south of the Jabbok, which Moses had given to the Gadites and Reubenites (Deuteronomy 3:12); “In Bashan and her daughters,” that is, in the villages belonging to the cities of Bashan and Gilead inhabited by them (for the suffix in בּבנותיה is to be referred distributively to both districts, or the cities in them). “And in all the pasture grounds ( מגרשׁ , cf. on Numbers 35:2) of Sharon unto their outgoings.” שׁרון , Sharon, lay not in Perea, but is a great plain on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from Carmel to near Joppa, famed for its great fertility and its rich growth of flowers (Song of Solomon 2:1; Isaiah 33:9; Isaiah 35:2; Isaiah 55:10). “ A Caesarea Palaestinae usque ad oppidum Joppe omnis terra, quae cernitur, dicitur Saronas .” Jerome in Onom. ; cf. v. Raumer, Pal. S. 50, and Robins. Phys. Geog. S. 123. It is this plain which is here meant, and the supposition of the older commentators that there was a second Sharon in the east-Jordan land is without foundation, as Reland, Palestina illustr. p. 370f., has correctly remarked. For it is not said that the Gadites possessed cities in Sharon, but only pastures of Sharon are spoken of, which the Gadites may have sought out for their herds even on the coast of the Mediterranean; more especially as the domain of the cis-Jordanic half-tribe of Manasseh stretched into the plain of Sharon, and it is probable that at all times there was intercourse between the cis-and trans-Jordanic Manassites, in which the Gadites may also have taken part. תּוצאותם are the outgoings of the pastures to the sea, cf. Joshua 17:9.
1 Chronicles 5:17
“And these ( כּלּם , all the families of Gad, not merely those mentioned in 1 Chronicles 5:13.) were registered in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.” These two kings did not reign contemporaneously, for Jotham ascended the throne in Judah twenty-five years after the death of Jeroboam of Israel. Here, therefore, two different registrations must be referred to, and that carried on under Jotham is mentioned first, because Judah had the legitimate kingship. That set on foot by Jeroboam was probably undertaken after that king had restored all the ancient boundaries of the kingdom of Israel, 2 Kings 14:25. King Jotham of Judah could prepare a register of the Gadites only if a part of the trans-Jordanic tribes had come temporarily under his dominion. As to any such event, indeed, we have no accurate information, but the thing in itself is not unlikely. For as the death of Jeroboam II was followed by complete anarchy in the kingdom of the ten tribes, and one ruler overthrew the other, until at last Pekah succeeded in holding the crown for ten years, while in Judah until Pekah ascended the throne of Israel Uzziah reigned, and raised his kingdom to greater power and prosperity, the southern part of the trans-Jordanic land might very well have come for a time under the sway of Judah. At such a time Jotham may have carried out an assessment and registration of the Gadites, until his contemporary Pekah succeeded, with the help of the Syrian king Rezin, in taking from the king of Judah the dominion over Gilead, and in humbling the kingdom of Judah in the reign of Ahaz.
War of the trans-Jordanic tribes of Israel with Arabic tribes. - As the half-tribe of Manasseh also took part in this war, we should have expected the account of it after 1 Chronicles 5:24. Bertheau regards its position here as a result of striving after a symmetrical distribution of the historical information. “In the case of Reuben,” he says, “the historical information is in 1 Chronicles 5:10; in the case of the half-tribe of Manasseh, in 1 Chronicles 5:25, 1 Chronicles 5:26; as to Gad, we have our record in 1 Chronicles 5:18-22, which, together with the account in 1 Chronicles 5:25, 1 Chronicles 5:26, refers to all the trans-Jordanic Israelites.” But it is much more likely that the reason of it will be found in the character of the authorities which the author of the Chronicle made use of, in which, probably, the notes regarding this war were contained in the genealogical register of the Gadites.
1 Chronicles 5:18
חיל מן־בּני belongs to the predicate of the sentence, “They were the sons of Valour,” i.e., they belonged to the valiant warriors, “men bearing shield and sword (weapons of offence and defence), and those treading (or bending) the bow,” i.e., skilful bowmen. מלחמה למוּדי , people practised in war; cf. the portrayal of the warlike valour of Gad and Manasseh, 1 Chronicles 12:8, 1 Chronicles 12:21. “The number 44,760 must be founded upon an accurate reckoning” (Berth.); but in comparison with the number of men capable of bearing arms in those tribes in the time of Moses, it is somewhat inconsiderable: for at the first numbering under him Reuben alone had 46,500 and Gad 45,650, and at the second numbering Reuben had 43,730 and Gad 40,500 men; see on Num 1-4 (1:2, S. 192).
1 Chronicles 5:19
“They made was with the Hagarites and Jethur, Nephish and Nodab.” So early as the time of Saul the Reubenites had victoriously made war upon the Hagarites (see 1 Chronicles 5:10); but the war here mentioned was certainly at a later time, and has no further connection with that in 1 Chronicles 5:10 except that both arose from similar causes. The time of the second is not given, and all we know from 1 Chronicles 5:22 is that it had broken out before the trans-Jordanic Israelites were led captive by the Assyrians. הגריאים , in Psalms 83:7 contracted into הגרים , are the Ἀγραῖοι , whom Strabo, xvi. p. 767, introduces, on the authority of Eratosthenes, as leading a nomadic life in the great Arabico-Syrian desert, along with the Nabataeans and Chaulotaeans. Jetur, from whom the Itureans are descended, and Nephish, are Ishmaelites; cf. on Genesis 25:15. Nodab, mentioned only here, is a Bedouin tribe of whom nothing more is known.
1 Chronicles 5:20
The Israelites, with God's help, gained the victory. יעזרוּ , “it was helped to them,” i.e., by God “against them” - the Hagarites and their allies. שׁעמּהם contracted from עמּהם אשׁר . נעתּור is not an uncommon form of the perf. Niph., which would not be suitable in a continuous sentence, but the inf. absol. Niph. used instead of the third pers. perf. (cf. Gesen. Heb. Gramm. §131, 4): “and (God) was entreated of them, because they trusted in Him.” From these words we may conclude that the war was a very serious one, in which the possession of the land was at stake. As the trans-Jordanic tribes lived mainly by cattle-breeding, and the Arabian tribes on the eastern frontier of their land were also a shepherd people, quarrels could easily arise as to the possession of the pasture grounds, which might lead to a war of extermination.
1 Chronicles 5:21
The conquerors captured a great booty in herds, 50,000 camels, 250,000 head of small cattle (sheep and goats), 2000 asses, and 100,000 persons - all round numbers; cf. the rich booty obtained in the war against the Midianites, Numbers 31:11, Numbers 31:32.
1 Chronicles 5:22
This rich booty should not surprise us, “for there fell many slain,” i.e., the enemy had suffered a very bloody defeat. “For the war was from God,” i.e., conducted to this result: cf. 2 Chronicles 25:20; 1 Samuel 17:47. “And they dwelt in their stead,” i.e., they took possession of the pasture grounds, which up to that time had belonged to the Arabs, and held them until they were carried away captive by the Assyrians; see 1 Chronicles 5:26.
The families of the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, and the leading away of the East-Jordan Israelites into the Assyrian exile. - 1 Chronicles 5:23. The half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan was very numerous ( רבוּ המּה ), “and they dwelt in the land of Bashan (i.e., the Bashan inhabited by Gad, 1 Chronicles 5:12) (northwards) to Baal Hermon,” - i.e., according to the more accurate designation of the place in Joshua 12:7 and Joshua 13:5, in the valley of Lebanon under Mount Hermon, probably the present Bânjas, at the foot of Hermon (see on Numbers 34:8), - “and Senir and Mount Hermon.” שׂניר , which according to Deuteronomy 3:9 was the name of Hermon or Antilibanus in use among the Amorites, is here and in Ezekiel 27:5 the name of a part of those mountains ( vide on Deuteronomy 3:9), just as “mount Hermon” is the name of another part of this range.
1 Chronicles 5:24
Seven heads of fathers'-houses of the half-tribe of Manasseh are enumerated, and characterized as valiant heroes and famous men. The enumeration of the names begins strangely with ו ( ואפר ); perhaps a name has fallen out before it. Nothing has been handed down as to any of these names.
1 Chronicles 5:25-26
1 Chronicles 5:25 and 1 Chronicles 5:26 form the conclusion of the register of the two and a half trans-Jordanic tribes. The sons of Manasseh are not the subject to ויּמעלוּ , but the Reubenites and Manassites, as is clear from 1 Chronicles 5:26. These fell away faithlessly from the God of their fathers, and went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land, whom God had destroyed before them, i.e., the Amorites or Canaanites. “And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of the Assyrian kings Pul and Tiglath-pilneser, and he (this latter) led them away captives to Halah and Habor,” etc. את־רוּח ויּער , Lavater has rightly rendered, “ in mentem illis dedit, movit eos, ut expeditionem facerent contra illos; ” cf. 2 Chronicles 21:16. Pul is mentioned as being the first Assyrian king who attacked the land of Israel, cf. 2 Kings 15:19. The deportation began, however, only with Tiglath-pileser, who led the East-Jordan tribes into exile, 2 Kings 15:29. To him ויּגלם sing. refers. The suffix is defined by the following acc., וגו לרעוּבני ; ל is, according to the later usage, nota acc. ; cf. Ew. §277, e. So also before the name חלח , “to Halah,” i.e., probably the district Καλαχήνη (in Strabo) on the east side of the Tigris near Adiabene, to the north of Nineveh, on the frontier of Armenia (cf. on 2 Kings 17:6). In the second book of Kings (1 Chronicles 15:29) the district to which the two and a half tribes were sent as exiles is not accurately determined, being only called in general Asshur (Assyria). The names in our verse are there (2 Kings 17:6) the names of the districts to which Shalmaneser sent the remainder of the ten tribes after the destruction of the kingdom of Israel. It is therefore questionable whether the author of the Chronicle took his account from an authority used by him, or if he names these districts only according to general recollection, in which the times of Shalmaneser and of Tiglath-pileser are not very accurately distinguished (Berth.). We consider the first supposition the more probable, not merely because he inverts the order of the names, but mainly because he gives the name הרא instead of “the cities of Media,” as it is in Kings, and that name he could only have obtained from his authorities. חבור is not the river Chaboras in Mesopotamia, which falls into the Euphrates near Circesium, for that river is called in Ezekiel כּבר , but is a district in northern Assyria, where Jakut mentions that there is both a mountain Χαβώρας on the frontier of Assyria and Media (Ptolem. vi. 1), and a river Khabur Chasaniae, which still bears the old name Khâbur, rising in the neighbourhood of the upper Zab, near Amadijeh, and falling into the Tigris below Jezirah. This Khâbur is the river of Gozan ( vide on 2 Kings 17:6). The word הרא appears to be the Aramaic form of the Hebrew הר , mountains, and the vernacular designation usual in the mouths of the people of the mountain land of Media, which is called also in Arabic el Jebâl (the mountains). This name can therefore only have been handed down from the exiles who dwelt there.