Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
1 Chronicles 1:4

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

1:1-9:34 GENEALOGIES OF THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL

The long lists of names that characterize Chronicles may not make interesting reading for us today, but they were important to the original readers. First, these genealogies proved to those who returned that they were a true continuation of the former kingdom. Second, they indicated who among the people had to carry out various religious duties and who among them were of the royal family of David. The lists recorded the origin and development of each tribe in some detail, so that people would know the tribe to which they belonged.

All the tribes came from a common ancestor, Jacob, and through him from Abraham. Abraham was the true father of the nation and a key figure in God’s purposes for the human race (cf. Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 13:14-17; Matthew 1:2-16).

The origins of Israel (1:1-54)

As in many of the genealogies of the Bible, the genealogy here is simplified. That is, it does not list the name of every person descended from one ancestor, but selects certain people and certain generations according to the purpose of the writer. In this genealogy the writer is concerned mainly with only one line of descent from Adam.
To begin with, the writer records the line of descent from Adam to Noah (1:1-4). Although he records the descendants of Noah’s three sons (5-23), he is particularly concerned with the line through Shem that produced Abraham (24-27). The nation Israel was descended from Abraham through his son Isaac and grandson Jacob, but before dealing with Israel, the writer lists people descended from Abraham’s other children (28-33) and from Isaac’s other son (34-54).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

I. THE GENEALOGIES (1 Chronicles 1-9)

"Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Mathuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth."

Smith's Bible Commentary

Shall we turn now to First Chronicles, chapter one, and let's see what. You know, we used to say to our kids they could get juice out of anything when they ate. They could make a cracker so juicy that when they were through it was all over the place. But we'll pray that the Holy Spirit will help us to draw some juice out of First Chronicles and the listing of all of these genealogies.

Now the list begins where it should, of course, with,

Adam [And then his sons], Sheth and Enosh ( 1 Chronicles 1:1 ).

And gives the names of the sons, the descendants down to Japheth who was one of Noah's sons. And then it's interesting as you watch it, it will take off and give you just a few descendants of Japheth and it drops Japheth. It will give you a few descendants of Ham, but it's going to drop Ham. And then it centers in on the descendants of Seth, because it is from the descendants of Seth that Abraham came. From Abraham whom David came. From David who Christ came. And that's the genealogy really that the Scripture is interested in and really following. And so we get a few of the sons of Japheth, and as we read the names of the sons of Japheth, immediately we're aware of the fact that the descendants of Japheth were actually the Europeans and the Russians. And so Gomer, Magog and so forth, those that went north and west were the descendants of Japheth.

As we read the descendants of Ham, beginning with verse eight, we realize that they are those who went south from Israel down into the African continent, and they populated the area of the African continent. And so that leaves Shem with the children of Israel and those towards the east from Israel.

Now in verse nineteen of chapter one, it mentions this fellow

Peleg; and it was in his days that the earth was divided: and his brother's name was Joktan ( 1 Chronicles 1:19 ).

Now just what is meant by "the earth is divided" is a matter of speculation. It could be that it is a reference to the time of the tower of Babel when the people were separated and went out from there with the confusion of tongues and really the beginning of nationality groups. Or there are some who believe that this is a reference to some great cataclysmic event in which the continents were divided. They are talking now of the continental drifts and that the possibility at one time they were all together, and so, if that indeed be so, who knows? But an interesting phrase at least.

Now we take in verse twenty-four to twenty-eight, you have a direct line now from Shem to Abraham. And as we read these in the book of Genesis, we find that Abraham actually was still alive, or was born when Shem was still alive. And then we move to Ishmael's sons in verse twenty-nine. And then, of course, to the sons of Abraham by Keturah, his concubine. And then we come to Isaac and Esau and Israel in verse thirty-four.

Then we follow for a little while the sons of Esau, who became the Edomites. And then when we get into chapter two, we take Esau's twin brother Jacob. "

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

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Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      1 Adam, Sheth, Enosh,   2 Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered,   3 Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech,   4 Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.   5 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.   6 And the sons of Gomer; Ashchenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.   7 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.   8 The sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.   9 And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabta, and Raamah, and Sabtecha. And the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.   10 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be mighty upon the earth.   11 And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,   12 And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (of whom came the Philistines,) and Caphthorim.   13 And Canaan begat Zidon his firstborn, and Heth,   14 The Jebusite also, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite,   15 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,   16 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite.   17 The sons of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram, and Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Meshech.   18 And Arphaxad begat Shelah, and Shelah begat Eber.   19 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg; because in his days the earth was divided: and his brother's name was Joktan.   20 And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,   21 Hadoram also, and Uzal, and Diklah,   22 And Ebal, and Abimael, and Sheba,   23 And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.   24 Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah,   25 Eber, Peleg, Reu,   26 Serug, Nahor, Terah,   27 Abram; the same is Abraham.

      This paragraph has Adam for its first word and Abraham for its last. Between the creation of the former and the birth of the latter were 2000 years, almost the one-half of which time Adam himself lived. Adam was the common father of our flesh, Abraham the common father of the faithful. By the breach which the former made of the covenant of innocency, we were all made miserable; by the covenant of grace made with the latter, we all are, or may be, made happy. We all are, by nature, the seed of Adam, branches of that wild olive. Let us see to it that, by faith, we become the seed of Abraham (Romans 4:11; Romans 4:12), that we be grafted into the good olive and partake of its root and fatness.

      I. The first four verses of this paragraph, and the last four, which are linked together by Shem (1 Chronicles 1:4; 1 Chronicles 1:24), contain the sacred line of Christ from Adam to Abraham, and are inserted in his pedigree, Luke 3:34-38, the order ascending as here it descends. This genealogy proves the falsehood of that reproach, As for this man, we know not whence he is. Bishop Patrick well observes here that, a genealogy being to be drawn of the families of the Jews, this appears as the peculiar glory of the Jewish nation, that they alone were able to derive their pedigree from the first man that God created, which no other nation pretended to, but abused themselves and their posterity with fabulous accounts of their originals, the Arcadians fancying that they were before the moon, the people of Thessaly that they sprang from stones, the Athenians that they grew out of the earth, much like the vain imaginations which some of the philosophers had of the origin of the universe. The account which the holy scripture gives both of the creation of the world and of the rise of nations carries with it as clear evidences of its own truth as those idle traditions do of their own vanity and falsehood.

      II. All the verses between repeat the account of the replenishing of the earth by the sons of Noah after the flood. 1. The historian begins with those who were strangers to the church, the sons of Japhet, who were planted in the isles of the Gentiles, those western parts of the world, the countries of Europe. Of these he gives a short account (1 Chronicles 1:5-7; 1 Chronicles 1:5-7), because with these the Jews had hitherto had little or no dealings. 2. He proceeds to those who had many of them been enemies to the church, the sons of Ham, who moved southward towards Africa and those parts of Asia which lay that way. Nimrod the son of Cush began to be an oppressor, probably to the people of God in his time. But Mizraim, from whom came the Egyptians, and Canaan, from whom came the Canaanites, are both of them names of great note in the Jewish story; for with their descendants the Israel of God had severe struggles to get out of the land of Egypt and into the land of Canaan; and therefore the branches of Mizraim are particularly recorded (1 Chronicles 1:11; 1 Chronicles 1:12), and of Canaan, 1 Chronicles 1:13-16; 1 Chronicles 1:13-16. See at what a rate God valued Israel when he gave Egypt for their ransom (Isaiah 43:3), and cast out all these nations before them, Psalms 70:8. 3. He then gives an account of those that were the ancestors and allies of the church, the posterity of Shem, 1 Chronicles 1:17-23; 1 Chronicles 1:17-23. These peopled Asia, and spread themselves eastward. The Assyrians, Syrians, Chaldeans, Persians, and Arabians, descended from these. At first the originals of the respective nations were known; but at this day, we have reason to think, the nations are so mingled with one another, by the enlargement of commerce and dominion, the transplanting of colonies, the carrying away of captives, and many other circumstances, that no one nation, no, nor the greatest part of any, is descended entire from any one of these fountains. Only this we are sure of, that God has created of one blood all nations of men; they have all descended from one Adam, one Noah. Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us?Malachi 2:10. Our register hastens to the line of Abraham, breaking off abruptly from all the other families of the sons of Noah but that of Arphaxad, from whom Christ was to come. The great promise of the Messiah (says bishop Patrick) was translated from Adam to Seth, from him to Shem, from him to Eber, and so to the Hebrew nation, who were entrusted, above all nations, with that sacred treasure, till the promise was performed and the Messiah had come, and then that nation was made not a people.