1 Chronicles 8 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
Compiled around 450 to 400 BC, covering Benjamin's clans from the settlement era through Saul's reign around 1050 to 1010 BC and beyond
Location
The narrow strip of hill country just north of Jerusalem, including Gibeon, Geba, Ono and Lod, and settlements as far as Moab
Audience
Post-exile Judeans; Benjamin was the one other tribe that returned in strength alongside Judah
Situation
Benjamin gets a second and much fuller listing, ending with the household of Saul, Israel's first king, and his son Jonathan, with the family line carried on for roughly a dozen generations after them.
Key Background
Benjamin rates the extra attention because Judah and Benjamin were the two tribes that survived the exile as a community, so both were living presences in the writer's Jerusalem. Saul's ancestral town of Gibeon is named at the head of the section, tying the first king to a real place readers could walk to. Carrying Jonathan's descendants forward for generations is a deliberate courtesy toward a rival house: David displaced Saul, but Saul's family is recorded as continuing rather than erased.
fathered Bela as his Ashbel second, Aharah third,
Nohah fourth, and Rapha fifth.
Bela's sons were Addar, Gera, Abihud,
Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah,
Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.
These were Ehud's descendants — they were the of living in and they were forced to relocate to Manahath:
Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera — he led their relocation — and he fathered Uzza and Ahihud.
Shaharaim fathered children in the territory of after he his wives Hushim and Baara.
With his wife Hodesh he fathered Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam,
Jeuz, Sachia, and Mirmah. These were his sons — heads of families.
With Hushim he had fathered Abitub and Elpaal.
Elpaal's sons were Eber, Misham, and Shemed, who and with its surrounding towns.
Beriah and Shema were heads of families among those living in — they drove out the inhabitants of
Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth,
Zebadiah, Arad, Eder,
Michael, Ishpah, and Joha were Beriah's sons.
Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber,
Ishmerai, Jezliah, and Jobab were Elpaal's sons.
Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi,
Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel,
Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath were Shimei's sons.
Ishpan, Eber, Eliel,
Abdon, Zichri, Hanan,
Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah,
Iphdeiah, and Penuel were Shashak's sons.
Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah,
Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zichri were Jeroham's sons.
These were of leaders listed in their They lived in
In the father of lived — Jeiel — and his wife's name was Maacah.
His firstborn son was Abdon, then Zur, Nadab,
Gedor, Ahio, Zecher,
and Mikloth, who fathered Shimeah. They also lived near their relatives in Jerusalem, alongside their fellow clan members.
Ner fathered Kish, Kish fathered and fathered Malchi-shua, Abinadab, and
Jonathan's son was and fathered Micah.
Micah's sons were Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz.
Ahaz fathered Jehoaddah, Jehoaddah fathered Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri, and Zimri fathered Moza.
Moza fathered Binea. Raphah was his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son.
Azel had six sons, and these were their names: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. All of these were Azel's sons.
The sons of his brother Eshek: Ulam his firstborn, Jeush second, and Eliphelet third.
Ulam's sons were and they had many sons and grandsons — one hundred and fifty. All of these were of