1AdamH121, ShethH8352, EnoshH583, 2KenanH7018, MahalaleelH4111, JeredH3382, 3HenochH2585, MethuselahH4968, LamechH3929, 4NoahH5146, ShemH8035, HamH2526, and JaphethH3315. 5The sonsH1121 of JaphethH3315; GomerH1586, and MagogH4031, and MadaiH4074, and JavanH3120, and TubalH8422, and MeshechH4902, and TirasH8494. 6And the sonsH1121 of GomerH1586; AshchenazH813, and RiphathH7384, and TogarmahH8425. 7And the sonsH1121 of JavanH3120; ElishahH473, and TarshishH8659, KittimH3794, and DodanimH1721. 8The sonsH1121 of HamH2526; CushH3568, and MizraimH4714, PutH6316, and CanaanH3667. 9And the sonsH1121 of CushH3568; SebaH5434, and HavilahH2341, and SabtaH5454, and RaamahH7484, and SabtechaH5455. And the sonsH1121 of RaamahH7484; ShebaH7614, and DedanH1719. 10And CushH3568 begatH3205 NimrodH5248: he beganH2490 to be mightyH1368 upon the earthH776. 11And MizraimH4714 begatH3205 LudimH3866, and AnamimH6047, and LehabimH3853, and NaphtuhimH5320, 12And PathrusimH6625, and CasluhimH3695, of whom cameH3318 the PhilistinesH6430, and CaphthorimH3732. 13And CanaanH3667 begatH3205 ZidonH6721 his firstbornH1060, and HethH2845, 14The JebusiteH2983 also, and the AmoriteH567, and the GirgashiteH1622, 15And the HiviteH2340, and the ArkiteH6208, and the SiniteH5513, 16And the ArvaditeH721, and the ZemariteH6786, and the HamathiteH2577. 17The sonsH1121 of ShemH8035; ElamH5867, and AsshurH804, and ArphaxadH775, and LudH3865, and AramH758, and UzH5780, and HulH2343, and GetherH1666, and MeshechH4902. 18And ArphaxadH775 begatH3205 ShelahH7974, and ShelahH7974 begatH3205 EberH5677. 19And unto EberH5677 were bornH3205 twoH8147 sonsH1121: the nameH8034 of the oneH259 was PelegH6389; because in his daysH3117 the earthH776 was dividedH6385 : and his brother'sH251 nameH8034 was JoktanH3355. 20And JoktanH3355 begatH3205 AlmodadH486, and ShelephH8026, and HazarmavethH2700, and JerahH3392, 21HadoramH1913 also, and UzalH187, and DiklahH1853, 22And EbalH5858, and AbimaelH39, and ShebaH7614, 23And OphirH211, and HavilahH2341, and JobabH3103. All these were the sonsH1121 of JoktanH3355. 24ShemH8035, ArphaxadH775, ShelahH7974, 25EberH5677, PelegH6389, ReuH7466, 26SerugH8286, NahorH5152, TerahH8646, 27AbramH87; the same is AbrahamH85. 28The sonsH1121 of AbrahamH85; IsaacH3327, and IshmaelH3458. 29These are their generationsH8435: The firstbornH1060 of IshmaelH3458, NebaiothH5032; then KedarH6938, and AdbeelH110, and MibsamH4017, 30MishmaH4927, and DumahH1746, MassaH4854, HadadH2301, and TemaH8485, 31JeturH3195, NaphishH5305, and KedemahH6929. These are the sonsH1121 of IshmaelH3458. 32Now the sonsH1121 of KeturahH6989, Abraham'sH85 concubineH6370: she bareH3205 ZimranH2175, and JokshanH3370, and MedanH4091, and MidianH4080, and IshbakH3435, and ShuahH7744. And the sonsH1121 of JokshanH3370; ShebaH7614, and DedanH1719. 33And the sonsH1121 of MidianH4080; EphahH5891, and EpherH6081, and HenochH2585, and AbidaH28, and EldaahH420. All these are the sonsH1121 of KeturahH6989. 34And AbrahamH85 begatH3205 IsaacH3327. The sonsH1121 of IsaacH3327; EsauH6215 and IsraelH3478. 35The sonsH1121 of EsauH6215; EliphazH464, ReuelH7467, and JeushH3266, and JaalamH3281, and KorahH7141. 36The sonsH1121 of EliphazH464; TemanH8487, and OmarH201, ZephiH6825, and GatamH1609, KenazH7073, and TimnaH8555, and AmalekH6002. 37The sonsH1121 of ReuelH7467; NahathH5184, ZerahH2226, ShammahH8048, and MizzahH4199. 38And the sonsH1121 of SeirH8165; LotanH3877, and ShobalH7732, and ZibeonH6649, and AnahH6034, and DishonH1787, and EzerH687, and DishanH1789. 39And the sonsH1121 of LotanH3877; HoriH2753, and HomamH1950: and TimnaH8555 was Lotan'sH3877 sisterH269. 40The sonsH1121 of ShobalH7732; AlianH5935, and ManahathH4506, and EbalH5858, ShephiH8195, and OnamH208. And the sonsH1121 of ZibeonH6649; AiahH345, and AnahH6034. 41The sonsH1121 of AnahH6034; DishonH1787. And the sonsH1121 of DishonH1787; AmramH2566, and EshbanH790, and IthranH3506, and CheranH3763. 42The sonsH1121 of EzerH687; BilhanH1092, and ZavanH2190, and JakanH3292. The sonsH1121 of DishanH1789; UzH5780, and AranH765. 43Now these are the kingsH4428 that reignedH4427 in the landH776 of EdomH123 beforeH6440 any kingH4428 reignedH4427 over the childrenH1121 of IsraelH3478; BelaH1106 the sonH1121 of BeorH1160: and the nameH8034 of his cityH5892 was DinhabahH1838. 44And when BelaH1106 was deadH4191, JobabH3103 the sonH1121 of ZerahH2226 of BozrahH1224 reignedH4427 in his stead. 45And when JobabH3103 was deadH4191, HushamH2367 of the landH776 of the TemanitesH8489 reignedH4427 in his stead. 46And when HushamH2367 was deadH4191, HadadH1908 the sonH1121 of BedadH911, which smoteH5221 MidianH4080 in the fieldH7704 of MoabH4124, reignedH4427 in his stead: and the nameH8034 of his cityH5892 was AvithH5762. 47And when HadadH1908 was deadH4191, SamlahH8072 of MasrekahH4957 reignedH4427 in his stead. 48And when SamlahH8072 was deadH4191, ShaulH7586 of RehobothH7344 by the riverH5104 reignedH4427 in his stead. 49And when ShaulH7586 was deadH4191, BaalhananH1177 the sonH1121 of AchborH5907 reignedH4427 in his stead. 50And when BaalhananH1177 was deadH4191, HadadH1908 reignedH4427 in his stead: and the nameH8034 of his cityH5892 was PaiH6464; and his wife'sH802 nameH8034 was MehetabelH4105, the daughterH1323 of MatredH4308, the daughterH1323 of MezahabH4314. 51HadadH1908 diedH4191 also. And the dukesH441 of EdomH123 were; dukeH441 TimnahH8555, dukeH441 AliahH5933, dukeH441 JethethH3509, 52DukeH441 AholibamahH173, dukeH441 ElahH425, dukeH441 PinonH6373, 53DukeH441 KenazH7073, dukeH441 TemanH8487, dukeH441 MibzarH4014, 54DukeH441 MagdielH4025, dukeH441 IramH5902. These are the dukesH441 of EdomH123.
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary 1 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 (
Roma 4:11,
Roma 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 (
1Chr 1:4,
1Chr 1:24), contain the sacred line of Christ from Adam to Abraham, and are inserted in his pedigree,
Luke 3:34-
Luke 3:38, 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 (1Chr: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 (
1Chr 1:11,
1Chr 1:12), and of Canaan, (1Chr:1:13-16). See at what a rate God valued Israel when he gave
Egypt for their ransom (
Isa 43:3), and cast out all these nations before them,
Pss 80:8. 3. He then gives an account of those that were the ancestors and allies of the church, the posterity of Shem, (1Chr: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? Mal 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. 28 All nations but the seed of Abraham are already shaken off from this genealogy: they have no part nor lot in this matter.
The Lord's portion is his people. Of them he keeps an account, knows them by name; but those who are strangers to him he beholds afar off. Not that we are to conclude that therefore no particular persons of any other nation but the seed of Abraham found favour with God. It was a truth, before Peter perceived it,
that in every nation he that feared God and wrought righteousness was accepted of him. Multitudes will be brought to heaven out of
all nations (
Revel 7:9), and we are willing to hope there were many, very many, good people in the world, that lay out of the pale of God's covenant of peculiarity with Abraham, whose names were in the book of life, though not descended from any of the following families written in this book.
The Lord knows those that are his. But Israel was a chosen nation, elect in type; and no other nation, in its national capacity, was so dignified and privileged as the Jewish nation was. That is the holy nation which is the subject of the sacred story; and therefore we are next to shake off all the seed of Abraham but the posterity of Jacob only, which were all incorporated into one nation and joined to the Lord, while the other descendants from Abraham, for aught that appears, were estranged both from God and from one another.
I. We shall have little to say of the
Ishmaelites. They were the sons of the bondwoman, that were to be cast out and not to be heirs with the child of the promise; and their case was to represent that of the unbelieving Jews, who were rejected (
Galat 4:22, etc.), and therefore there is little notice taken of that nation. Ishmael's twelve sons are just named here (1Chr:1:29-31), to show the performance of the promise God made to Abraham, in answer to his prayer for him, that, for Abraham's sake, he should become a great nation, and particularly that he should beget twelve princes,
Gen 17:20.
II. We shall have little to say of the
Midianites, who descended from Abraham's children by Keturah. They were
children of the east (probably Job was one of them), and were separated from Isaac, the heir of the promise (
Gen 25:6), and therefore they are only named here,
1Chr 1:32. The sons of Jokshan, the son of Keturah, are named also, and the sons of Midian (
1Chr 1:32,
1Chr 1:33), who became most eminent, and perhaps gave denomination to all these families, as Judah to the Jews.
III. We shall not have much to say of the
Edomites. They had an inveterate enmity to God's Israel; yet because they descended from Esau, the son of Isaac, we have here an account of their families, and the names of some of their famous men,
1Chr 1:35 to the end. Some slight differences there are between some of the names here, and as we had them in Gen. 36, whence this whole account is taken. Three of four names that were written with a
Vau there are written with a
Jod here, probably the pronunciation being altered, as is usual in other languages. we now write many words very differently from what they were written but 200 years ago. Let us take occasion, from the reading of these genealogies, to think, 1. Of the multitudes that have gone through this world, have acted their part in it, and then quitted it. Job, even in his early day, saw not only
every man drawing after him, but
innumerable before him, Job 21:33. All these, and all theirs, had their day; many of them made a mighty noise and figure in the world; but their day came to fall, and their place knew them no more. The paths of death are trodden paths, but
vestigia nulla retrorsum -
none can retrace their steps. 2. Of the providence of God, which keeps up the generations of men, and so preserves that degenerate race, though guilty and obnoxious, in being upon earth. How easily could he cut it off without either a deluge or a conflagration! Write but all the children of men childless, as some are, and in a few years the earth will be eased of the burden under which it groans; but the divine patience lets the trees that cumber the ground not only grow, but propagate. As one generation, even of sinful men, passes away, another comes (
Qoh 1:4;
Num 32:14), and will do so while the earth remains.
Destroy it not, for a blessing is in it.