Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
1 Chronicles 7:4

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Genealogies of the remaining tribes (7:1-8:40)

Although the lists here are incomplete and in places difficult to follow, it seems that the tribes dealt with are Issachar (7:1-5), parts of Benjamin and Dan (6-12), Naphtali (13), the portion of Manasseh not listed earlier (14-19; cf. 5:23-24), Ephraim (20-29) and Asher (30-40).
Benjamin is given in greater detail, possibly because it included Jerusalem in its tribal territory. Also this was the only tribe that joined Judah in the southern kingdom, the kingdom that remained loyal to the Davidic dynasty (8:1-28). Benjamin also produced Israel’s first king, Saul, whose family details are given (29-40).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

"And of the sons of Issachar: Tolah, and Puah, Jashib, and Shimron, four. And the sons of Tolah: Uzzi, and Raphaiah, and Jeriel, and Jahmai, and Ibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their fathers' houses, to wit, of Tolah, mighty men of valor in their generations: their number in the days of David was two and twenty thousand and six hundred. And the sons of Uzzi: Izrahiah. And the sons of Izrahiah: Michael, and Obadiah, and Joel, Isshiah, five; all of them chief men. And with them, by their generations, after their fathers' houses, were bands of the host for war, six and thirty thousand; for they had many wives and sons. And their brethren among all the families of Issachar, mighty men of valor, reckoned in all by genealogy, were fourscore and seven thousand."

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 7

Now when we get to chapter seven, it moves now to Issachar, the son of Jacob, one of the twelve tribes, the tribe of Issachar and it begins to list some of those from the tribe of Issachar. Until you get to verse six, and then we deal with the descendants of Benjamin. And in verse thirteen, the descendants of Naphtali. In verse fourteen, the descendants of Manasseh. Verse twenty, of Ephraim. And then more or less filling out the chapter with the areas that Ephraim inhabited. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

5. The remaining families of Israel ch. 7

The tribes the writer listed were Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Asher. Why did he omit Dan and Zebulun? The inclusion of these tribes would have resulted in a total of 14 tribes since he had counted Levi and had dealt with both halves of Manasseh separately. Evidently to keep the whole number of tribes at 12 he omitted these. [Note: John Sailhamer, First and Second Chronicles, p. 26.] Another possibility is that perhaps the tribes of Dan and Zebulun had little influence or relevance among the Jews who made up the returned exiles. [Note: Payne, "1, 2 Chronicles," p. 357.] That there were 12 tribes seems to have been more important to the writer than how he counted them as 12. The writers of both the Old and New Testaments used many different combinations each totaling 12 in the many lists of the 12 tribes that appear in Scripture. By listing 12 tribes the Chronicler emphasized that the whole nation was intact. The term "all Israel" occurs over 40 times in Chronicles, and there are also many occurrences of the phrases "all the house of Israel" and "all the tribes of Israel."

"At a time when the northern tribes had long been in exile, the Chronicler provides a genealogical listing for all the tribes (except Zebulun and Dan); in giving such a list, the Chronicler is (1) expressing his awareness of continuity with the larger number, (2) showing his concern to include the northern tribes rather than to exclude them, (3) suggesting that he regarded the schism as neither permanent nor desirable, and (4) possibly giving some expression to an eschatological hope for a revival of the nation in its largest extent." [Note: Longman and Dillard, p. 196.]

"Individuals without lineage in the course of time took their names from the cities in which they were located, and their names were enrolled genealogically among the ancestors of Israel." [Note: Braun, 1 Chronicles, p. 109.]

In these chapters (4-7), the writer stressed the following central features of God’s covenant relationship with Israel. The leadership of Judah that even swallowed up another tribe came to a head in David and his descendants. The Transjordanian tribes experienced the results of unfaithfulness to God. The tribe of Levi enjoyed the privilege of priesthood in Israel. The writer also drew attention to the 12-tribe structure of the one Israelite nation.

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

And with them, by their generations, after the house of their fathers, were bands of soldiers for war,.... Companies of men of military courage and skill, who could and did go out to war upon occasion:

six and thirty thousand [men]; besides the 22,600 Tolaites, 1 Chronicles 7:2,

for they had many wives and sons; having many wives, they had many sons; polygamy was the cause of their large numbers; and that they gave into for the sake of the multiplication of Abraham's seed, according to the divine promise.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      1 Now the sons of Issachar were, Tola, and Puah, Jashub, and Shimron, four.   2 And the sons of Tola; Uzzi, and Rephaiah, and Jeriel, and Jahmai, and Jibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their father's 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.   3 And the sons of Uzzi; Izrahiah: and the sons of Izrahiah; Michael, and Obadiah, and Joel, Ishiah, five: all of them chief men.   4 And with them, by their generations, after the house of their fathers, were bands of soldiers for war, six and thirty thousand men: for they had many wives and sons.   5 And their brethren among all the families of Issachar were valiant men of might, reckoned in all by their genealogies fourscore and seven thousand.   6 The sons of Benjamin; Bela, and Becher, and Jediael, three.   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.   8 And the sons of Becher; Zemira, and Joash, and Eliezer, and Elioenai, and Omri, and Jerimoth, and Abiah, and Anathoth, and Alameth. All these are the sons of Becher.   9 And the number of them, after their genealogy by their generations, heads of the house of their fathers, mighty men of valour, was twenty thousand and two hundred.   10 The sons also of Jediael; Bilhan: and the sons of Bilhan; Jeush, and Benjamin, and Ehud, and Chenaanah, and Zethan, and Tharshish, and Ahishahar.   11 All these the sons of Jediael, by the heads of their fathers, mighty men of valour, were seventeen thousand and two hundred soldiers, fit to go out for war and battle.   12 Shuppim also, and Huppim, the children of Ir, and Hushim, the sons of Aher.   13 The sons of Naphtali; Jahziel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shallum, the sons of Bilhah.   14 The sons of Manasseh; Ashriel, whom she bare: (but his concubine the Aramitess bare Machir the father of Gilead:   15 And Machir took to wife the sister of Huppim and Shuppim, whose sister's name was Maachah;) and the name of the second was Zelophehad: and Zelophehad had daughters.   16 And Maachah the wife of Machir bare a son, and she called his name Peresh; and the name of his brother was Sheresh; and his sons were Ulam and Rakem.   17 And the sons of Ulam; Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh.   18 And his sister Hammoleketh bare Ishod, and Abiezer, and Mahalah.   19 And the sons of Shemida were, Ahian, and Shechem, and Likhi, and Aniam.

      We have here a short view given us,

      I. Of the tribe of Issachar, whom Jacob had compared to a strong ass, couching between two burdens (Genesis 49:14), an industrious tribe, that minded their country business very closely and rejoiced in their tents,Deuteronomy 33:18. And here it appears, 1. That they were a numerous tribe; for they had many wives. So fruitful their country was that they saw no danger of over-stocking the pasture, and so ingenious the people were that they could find work for all hands. Let no people complain of their numbers, provided they suffer none to be idle. 2. That they were a valiant tribe, men of might (1 Chronicles 7:2; 1 Chronicles 7:5), chief men,1 Chronicles 7:3; 1 Chronicles 7:3. Those that were inured to labour and business were of all men the fittest to serve their country when there was occasion, The number of the respective families, as taken in the days of David, is here set down, amounting in the whole to above 145,000 men fit for war. The account, some think, was taken when Joab numbered the people, 2 Samuel 24:1-25 But I rather think it refers to some other computation that was made, perhaps among themselves, because it is said (1 Chronicles 27:24) that that account was not inserted in the chronicles of king David, it having offended God.

      II. Of the tribe of Benjamin. Some account is here given of this tribe, but much larger in the next chapter. The militia of this tribe scarcely reached to 60,000; but they are said to be mighty men of valour,1 Chronicles 7:7; 1 Chronicles 7:9; 1 Chronicles 7:11. Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf,Genesis 49:27. It was the honour of this tribe that it produced Saul the first king, and more its honour that it adhered to the rightful kings of the house of David when the other tribes revolted. Here is mention (1 Chronicles 7:12; 1 Chronicles 7:12) of Hushim the sons of Aher. The sons of Dan are said to be Hushim (Genesis 46:23), and therefore some read Aher appellatively, Hushim--the sons of another (that is, another of Jacob's sons) or the sons of a stranger, which Israelites should not be, but such the Danites were when they set up Micah's graven and molten image among them.

      III. Of the tribe of Naphtali, 1 Chronicles 7:13; 1 Chronicles 7:13. The first fathers only of that tribe are named, the very same that we shall find, Genesis 46:24, only that Shillem there is Shallum here. None of their descendents are named, perhaps because their genealogies were lost.

      IV. Of the tribe of Manasseh, that part of it which was seated within Jordan; for of the other part we had some account before, 1 Chronicles 5:23-26; 1 Chronicles 5:23-26, c. Of this tribe observe, 1. That one of them married an Aramitess, that is, a Syrian, 1 Chronicles 7:14; 1 Chronicles 7:14. This was during their bondage in Egypt, so early did they begin to mingle with the nations. 2. That, though the father married a Syrian, Machir, the son of that marriage, perhaps seeing the inconvenience of it in his father's house, took to wife a daughter of Benjamin, 1 Chronicles 7:15; 1 Chronicles 7:15. It is good for the children to take warning by their father's mistakes and not stumble at the same stone. 3. Here is mention of Bedan (1 Chronicles 7:17; 1 Chronicles 7:17), who perhaps is the same with that Bedan who is mentioned as one of Israel's deliverers, 1 Samuel 12:11. Jair perhaps, who was of Manasseh (Judges 10:3), was the man.