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.
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Commentary on 1 Chronicles 5 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 5
1Ch 5:1-10. The Line of Reuben.
1. Now the sons of Reuben—In proceeding to give this genealogy, the sacred historian states, in a parenthesis (1Ch 5:1, 2), the reason why it was not placed first, as Reuben was the oldest son of Jacob. The birthright, which by a foul crime he had forfeited, implied not only dominion, but a double portion (De 21:17); and both of these were transferred to Joseph, whose two sons having been adopted as the children of Jacob (Ge 48:5), received each an allotted portion, as forming two distinct tribes in Israel. Joseph then was entitled to the precedency; and yet, as his posterity was not mentioned first, the sacred historian judged it necessary to explain that "the genealogy was not to be reckoned after the birthright," but with a reference to a superior honor and privilege that had been conferred on Judah—not the man, but the tribe, whereby it was invested with the pre-eminence over all the other tribes, and out of it was to spring David with his royal lineage, and especially the great Messiah (Heb 7:14). These were the two reasons why, in the order of enumeration, the genealogy of Judah is introduced before that of Reuben.
9. Eastward he inhabited unto the entering in of the wilderness from the river Euphrates—The settlement was on the east of Jordan, and the history of this tribe, which never took any part in the public affairs or movements of the nation, is comprised in "the multiplication of their cattle in the land of Gilead," in their wars with the Bedouin sons of Hagar, and in the simple labors of pastoral life. They had the right of pasture over an extensive mountain range—the great wilderness of Kedemoth (De 2:26) and the Euphrates being a security against their enemies.
1Ch 5:11-26. The Line of Gad.
11-15. the children of Gad dwelt over against them—The genealogy of the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh (1Ch 5:24) is given along with that of the Reubenites, as these three were associated in a separate colony.
16. Sharon—The term "Sharon" was applied as descriptive of any place of extraordinary beauty and productiveness. There were three places in Palestine so called. This Sharon lay east of the Jordan.
upon their borders—that is, of Gilead and Bashan: Gilead proper, or at least the largest part, belonged to the Reubenites; and Bashan, the greatest portion of it, belonged to the Manassites. The Gadites occupied an intermediate settlement on the land which lay upon their borders.
17. All these were reckoned … in the days of Jotham—His long reign and freedom from foreign wars as well as intestine troubles were favorable for taking a census of the people.
and in the days of Jeroboam—the second of that name.
18-22. Hagarites—or, "Hagarenes," originally synonymous with "Ishmaelites," but afterwards applied to a particular tribe of the Arabs (compare Ps 83:6).
Jetur—His descendants were called Itureans, and the country Auranitis, from Hauran, its chief city. These, who were skilled in archery, were invaded in the time of Joshua by a confederate army of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half Manasseh, who, probably incensed by the frequent raids of those marauding neighbors, took reprisals in men and cattle, dispossessed almost all of the original inhabitants, and colonized the district themselves. Divine Providence favoured, in a remarkable manner, the Hebrew army in this just war.
26. the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul—the Phalluka of the Ninevite monuments (see on 2Ki 15:19).
and the spirit of Tilgath-pilneser—the son of the former. By them the trans-jordanic tribes, including the other half of Manasseh, settled in Galilee, were removed to Upper Media. This was the first captivity (2Ki 15:29).