1 Chronicles 7:14–27

1 Chronicles 7 gives the remaining tribes with the chief men among them. The two things of divine importance are the throne and the temple, and these have been given with care and detail. The other tribes were not as closely connected with them as Judah was with the throne and Levi with the temple, so the record passes over them very briefly.

For the omission of the subject of "bore," see 1 Kings 1:6 and 1 Chronicles 7:14, whatever the difficulty connected with it; compare Exodus 6:16-20.

Manasseh comes next — that is, the half-tribe beyond the Jordan. Here, as elsewhere in these genealogies, women are mentioned again and again. That is one more proof that someone put these lists together only after the captivity, in the disorder that marked Israel's ruin. The female line gave markers for tracing a family back, while in normal times no one would have needed such mentions. Thirteen women appear in these few verses (vv. 14-19), including the five daughters of Zelophehad.

We cannot say often enough that the value of the genealogies here depends on the care families took to preserve them during the captivity. Naphtali is like the dried remnant of a plant that was once green and flourishing, while Issachar, Benjamin, and Asher keep intact the deposit God had entrusted to them.

Machir the family seems to be the "firstborn of Manasseh," since Machir the man is the father of them all. Keil takes "father of Gilead" here to mean ruler of the land of Gilead. This weaving together of names must have its reason. It should help us see that names count for something all through the history.

Even the women of Manasseh show the courage of faith, and gain an inheritance along with their brothers. Their story is repeated here, to their praise. We do well to long for the portion God has given us.

Manasseh, the natural firstborn of Joseph, we have read elsewhere as the first principle of spiritual "increase": "forgetting that which is behind," says the apostle, "I press on." But Manasseh has a son, Machir, who is the father of Gilead. His name comes as close to his father's as possible, and it means "one who recollects." Spiritually there is no clash in this contrast. We forget what is behind so as to keep our goal in mind, and so one springs out of the other. "The memorial heap" also, as Fausset well observes, "marked the crisis in Jacob's life, when he became cut off from his Syrian relatives, and from then on was a stranger in Canaan and its heir."

Notice that Stephen speaks of seventy-five souls, where the Hebrew has seventy. He quotes here, as elsewhere, the Greek version of the Old Testament... In fact both the original and the Greek version may be true. The Greek counts in five sons of Manasseh and Ephraim born in Egypt (1 Chr. 7:14-27), following a freedom of form that is common enough in such lists.

Stealing from the Canaanites to enrich themselves, while leaving them alive, was not the same as destroying them. Here the men of Gath carried out on Ephraim the judgment that Ephraim had not carried out on them. "The men of Gath born in the land killed them, because they came down to take their cattle."

This happened during Ephraim's life, perhaps before the Egyptian king who did not know Joseph came to power. The land of Goshen bordered on the land of Gath, the Philistines' land, and no doubt the people of each land raided the other… After this, Ephraim had a son named Beriah. The name kept the memory of their death, "because it went evil with his house." There was blessing in his daughter Sherah, and he had other sons as well. This was a healing of the breach.

Apparently the daughter of Ephraim: she built Beth-horon the lower and the upper, and Uzzen-sherah.

If we simply follow what the text says, there is no great difficulty… The passage speaks of two other sons of Ephraim, Ezer and Elead, who made a raid against Gath and were killed. Then comes another son of Ephraim, which is quite natural, and his genealogy is given. His daughter Sherah is simply a descendant of his.

Two towns called the 'upper' and the 'lower,' though also spoken of as one, on the boundary between Benjamin and Ephraim. They were allotted to Ephraim, and given to the Kohathites. The district is memorable as the place where Joshua conquered the Amorites, and near it God struck them with hailstones… 1 Chr. 7:24 says that Sherah, apparently the granddaughter of Ephraim, built these towns. Solomon also built or rebuilt them.

City in Ephraim. 1 Chr. 7:24. Identified with Beit Sira, 31 53' N, 35 2' E.

Here, as elsewhere in these genealogies, women come up again and again. That is one more proof that these lists were put together only after the captivity, in the middle of the disorder that marked Israel's ruin. The female line of descent could supply markers for tracing a genealogy back, while normal times would not have called for such mentions.

It is sweet, and it builds up the soul, to trace the brief notices of what divine grace had worked in one person and another, as they walked their often lowly ways, with faith in exercise and the conscience active. If this were only a human book, those notices would seem so out of place among the long lists of names… God does not forget Zelophehad either. He had no sons to inherit after him, but he claimed a portion for his daughters, and learned that the strength of the Lord is made perfect in weakness.

Following the pattern that runs through Chronicles, God does not stop with the evil this man had deserved. The account given to us ends with the name of Joshua, a picture of Christ, leading His people to conquer their inheritance. So it is for God's people today. We must accept that evil is in the house through our own fault. But we must never doubt for a moment that He who alone is worthy to enter Canaan will give us a share in it.