Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Chronicles 5:18
The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skillful in war, [were] four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war.
18 22. The War of the Trans-Jordanic Tribes against the Hagrites
18. forty and four thousand ] According to Jos 4:13 “about forty thousand” from these tribes crossed the Jordan with Joshua to aid in the Conquest.
that went out to the war ] R.V. that were able to go forth to war.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
18-22. Hagaritesor,”Hagarenes,” originally synonymous with “Ishmaelites,”but afterwards applied to a particular tribe of the Arabs (compare Ps83:6).
JeturHis descendantswere called Itureans, and the country Auranitis, from Hauran, itschief city. These, who were skilled in archery, were invaded in thetime of Joshua by a confederate army of the tribes of Reuben, Gad,and half Manasseh, who, probably incensed by the frequent raids ofthose marauding neighbors, took reprisals in men and cattle,dispossessed almost all of the original inhabitants, and colonizedthe district themselves. Divine Providence favoured, in a remarkablemanner, the Hebrew army in this just war.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh,…. These all joined together, living together on the one side of Jordan:
of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war; strong able bodied men; and not only able to bear and carry arms, sword in one hand, and shield in another; but were men of valour and courage, and had military skill, and knew how to handle their arms to advantage:
[were] four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war: that used to go out when there was occasion, and did at this time.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
War of the trans-Jordanic tribes of Israel with Arabic tribes. – As the half-tribe of Manasseh also took part in this war, we should have expected the account of it after 1Ch 5:24. Bertheau regards its position here as a result of striving after a symmetrical distribution of the historical information. “In the case of Reuben,” he says, “the historical information is in 1Ch 5:10; in the case of the half-tribe of Manasseh, in 1Ch 5:25, 1Ch 5:26; as to Gad, we have our record in 1Ch 5:18-22, which, together with the account in 1Ch 5:25, 1Ch 5:26, refers to all the trans-Jordanic Israelites.” But it is much more likely that the reason of it will be found in the character of the authorities which the author of the Chronicle made use of, in which, probably, the notes regarding this war were contained in the genealogical register of the Gadites.
1Ch 5:18 belongs to the predicate of the sentence, “They were the sons of Valour,” i.e., they belonged to the valiant warriors, “men bearing shield and sword (weapons of offence and defence), and those treading (or bending) the bow,” i.e., skilful bowmen. , people practised in war; cf. the portrayal of the warlike valour of Gad and Manasseh, 1Ch 12:8, 1Ch 12:21. “The number 44,760 must be founded upon an accurate reckoning” (Berth.); but in comparison with the number of men capable of bearing arms in those tribes in the time of Moses, it is somewhat inconsiderable: for at the first numbering under him Reuben alone had 46,500 and Gad 45,650, and at the second numbering Reuben had 43,730 and Gad 40,500 men; see on Num 1-4 (1:2, S. 192).
1Ch 5:19 “They made was with the Hagarites and Jethur, Nephish and Nodab.” So early as the time of Saul the Reubenites had victoriously made war upon the Hagarites (see 1Ch 5:10); but the war here mentioned was certainly at a later time, and has no further connection with that in 1Ch 5:10 except that both arose from similar causes. The time of the second is not given, and all we know from 1Ch 5:22 is that it had broken out before the trans-Jordanic Israelites were led captive by the Assyrians. , in Psa 83:7 contracted into , are the , whom Strabo, xvi. p. 767, introduces, on the authority of Eratosthenes, as leading a nomadic life in the great Arabico-Syrian desert, along with the Nabataeans and Chaulotaeans. Jetur, from whom the Itureans are descended, and Nephish, are Ishmaelites; cf. on Gen 25:15. Nodab, mentioned only here, is a Bedouin tribe of whom nothing more is known.
1Ch 5:20 The Israelites, with God’s help, gained the victory. , “it was helped to them,” i.e., by God “against them” – the Hagarites and their allies. contracted from . is not an uncommon form of the perf. Niph., which would not be suitable in a continuous sentence, but the inf. absol. Niph. used instead of the third pers. perf. (cf. Gesen. Heb. Gramm. 131, 4): “and (God) was entreated of them, because they trusted in Him.” From these words we may conclude that the war was a very serious one, in which the possession of the land was at stake. As the trans-Jordanic tribes lived mainly by cattle-breeding, and the Arabian tribes on the eastern frontier of their land were also a shepherd people, quarrels could easily arise as to the possession of the pasture grounds, which might lead to a war of extermination.
1Ch 5:21 The conquerors captured a great booty in herds, 50,000 camels, 250,000 head of small cattle (sheep and goats), 2000 asses, and 100,000 persons – all round numbers; cf. the rich booty obtained in the war against the Midianites, Num 31:11, Num 31:32.
1Ch 5:22 This rich booty should not surprise us, “for there fell many slain,” i.e., the enemy had suffered a very bloody defeat. “For the war was from God,” i.e., conducted to this result: cf. 2Ch 25:20; 1Sa 17:47. “And they dwelt in their stead,” i.e., they took possession of the pasture grounds, which up to that time had belonged to the Arabs, and held them until they were carried away captive by the Assyrians; see 1Ch 5:26.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The Defeat of the Hagarites. | B. C. 750. |
18 The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war, were four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war. 19 And they made war with the Hagarites, with Jetur, and Nephish, and Nodab. 20 And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them: for they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them; because they put their trust in him. 21 And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men a hundred thousand. 22 For there fell down many slain, because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their steads until the captivity. 23 And the children of the half tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land: they increased from Bashan unto Baal-hermon and Senir, and unto mount Hermon. 24 And these were the heads of the house of their fathers, even Epher, and Ishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremiah, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty men of valour, famous men, and heads of the house of their fathers. 25 And they transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before them. 26 And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, unto this day.
The heads of the half-tribe of Manasseh, that were seated on the other side Jordan, are named here, 1Ch 5:23; 1Ch 5:24. Their lot, at first, was Bashan only; but afterwards they increased so much in wealth and power that they spread far north, even unto Hermon. Two things only are here recorded concerning these tribes on the other side Jordan, in which they were all concerned. They all shared,
I. In a glorious victory over the Hagarites, so the Ishmaelites were now called, to remind them that they were the sons of the bond-woman, that was cast out. We are not told when this victory was obtained: whether it be the same with that of the Reubenites (which is said v. 10 to be in the days of Saul), or whether that success of one of these tribes animated and excited the other two to join with them in another expedition, is not certain. It seems, though in Saul’s time the common interests of the kingdom were weak and low, some of the tribes that acted separately did well for themselves. We are here told,
1. What a brave army these frontier-tribes brought into the field against the Hagarites, 44,000 men and upwards, all strong, and brave, and skilful in war, so many effective men, that knew how to manage their weapons, v. 18. How much more considerable might Israel have been than they were in the time of the judges if all the tribes had acted in conjunction!
2. What course they took to engage God for them: They cried to God, and put their trust in him, v. 20. Now they acted as Israelites indeed. (1.) As the seed of believing Abraham, they put their trust in God. Though they had a powerful army, they relied not on that, but on the divine power. They depended on the commission they had from God to wage war with their neighbours for the enlarging of their coasts, if there was occasion, even with those that were very far off, besides the devoted nations. See Deut. xx. 15. They depended on God’s providence to give them success. (2.) As the seed of praying Jacob, they cried unto God, especially in the battle, when perhaps, at first, they were in danger of being overpowered. See the like done, 2 Chron. xiii. 14. In distress, God expects we should cry to him; he distrains upon us for this tribute, this rent. In our spiritual conflicts, we must look up to heaven for strength; and it is the believing prayer that will be the prevailing prayer.
3. We are told what success they had: God was entreated of them, though need drove them to him; so ready is he to hear and answer prayer. They were helped against their enemies; for God never yet failed any that trusted in him. And then they routed the enemy’s army, though far superior in number to theirs, slew many (v. 22), took 100,000 prisoners, enriched themselves greatly with the spoil, and settled themselves in their country (1Ch 5:21; 1Ch 5:22), and all this because the war was of God, undertaken in his fear and carried on in a dependence upon him. If the battle be the Lord’s, there is reason to hope it will be successful. Then we may expect to prosper in any enterprise, and then only, when we take God along with us.
II. They shared, at length, in an inglorious captivity. Had they kept close to God and their duty, they would have continued to enjoy both their ancient lot and their new conquests; but they transgressed against the God of their fathers, v. 25. They lay upon the borders, and conversed most with the neighbouring nations, by which means they learned their idolatrous usages and transmitted the infection to the other tribes; for this God had a controversy with them. He was a husband to them, and no marvel that his jealousy burnt like fire when they went a whoring after other gods. Justly is a bill of divorce given to the adulteress. God stirred up the spirit of the kings of Assyria, first one and then another, against them, served his own purposes by the designs of those ambitious monarchs, employed them to chastise these revolters first, and, when that humbled them not, then wholly to root them out, v. 26. These tribes were first placed, and they were first displaced. They would have the best land, not considering that it lay most exposed. But those who are governed more by sense than by reason or faith in their choices may expect to fare accordingly.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Transjordanic War, Verses 18-22
Here is the only place in the Scriptures where is recorded this very significant and important event in the history of Israel. It enlightens the Bible student as to the deeds and character of the two and a half tribes who dwelled across the Jordan from the remainder of Israel. They are called valiant men and able warriors. This engagement with the desert dwelling Hagarites might be identical with that mentioned of the Reubenites back in verse 10, though not necessarily. It may have been an earlier engagement, at the time the tribes were consolidating themselves after the death of Joshua.
This army consisted of 44,760 men. They attacked. the Hagarites in their tribes, three of which are named. These were located in the eastern border area with the wilderness. No more definite identification of them is possible today. These tribes of Israel relied on the Lord (verse 20) and trusted Him for the victory, and He gave them a complete victory. The spoils of battle were great; camels numbered fifty thousand, sheep two hundred fifty thousand, donkeys two thousand, and captives a hundred thousand. This territory was occupied by these Israelitish tribes until they were carried away in captivity.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
7. THE DESCENDANTS OF REUBEN, GAD, AND MANASSEH, WAR BEYOND THE JORDAN (1Ch. 5:18-26)
TEXT
1Ch. 5:18. The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skillful in war, were forty and four thousand seven hundred and threescore, that were able to go forth to war. 19. And they made war with the Hagrites, with Jetur, and Naphish, and Nodab. 20. And they were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them; for they cried to God in the battle, and he was entreated of them, because they put their trust in him. 21. And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men a hundred thousand. 22. For there fell many slain, because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their stead until the captivity. 23. And the children of the half-tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land: they increased from Bashan unto Baal-hermon and Senir and Mount Hermon. 24. And these were the heads of their fathers houses: even Epher, and Ishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremiah, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty men of valor, famous men, heads of their fathers houses. 25. And they trespassed against the God of their fathers, and played the harlot after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God destroyed before them. 26. And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river of Gozan, unto this day.
PARAPHRASE
1Ch. 5:18. There were 44,760 armed, trained, and brave troops in the army of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 19. They declared war on the Hagrites, the Jeturites, the Naphishites, and the Nodabites. 20. They cried out to God to help them, and he did, for they trusted in him. So the Hagrites and all their allies were defeated. 21. The booty included 50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, 2,000 donkeys, and 100,000 captives. 22. A great number of the enemy also died in the battle, for God was fighting against them. So the Reubenites lived in the territory of the Hagrites until the time of the Exile. 23. The half-tribe of Manasseh spread through the land from Bashan to Baal-hermon, Senir, and Mount Hermon. They too were very numerous. 24. The chiefs of their clans were the following: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azri-el, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, Jahdi-el. Each of these men had a great reputation as a warrior and leader. 25. But they were not true to the God of their fathers; instead they worshiped the idols of the people whom God had destroyed. 26. So God caused King Pul of Assyria (also known as Tilgath-pilneser III) to invade the land and deport the men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. They took them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the Gozan River, where they remain to this day.
COMMENTARY
There is no indication here as to just when Reuben, Gad and Manasseh went to war against the Hagrites and their allies. It is of interest to note that in Joshuas day when they sent warriors to help conquer Canaan; they sent 40,000 men (Jos. 4:12-13). In this later day they are able to muster 44,760 men. The Hagrites had been named in 1Ch. 5:10. Nothing more is known about Nodab. Jetur and Naphish are named in Gen. 25:15 among Ishmaels people. The name Jetur is preserved in the name Ituraea (Luk. 3:1). The Ituraeans were notorious warriors. As in all other military conflicts in which Israels cause was righteous and in which she trusted in Jehovah, God gave victory to the transjordanic Hebrew tribes in this conflict. That it was a significant event is evident from the tremendous amount of prey taken. The chronicler is concerned that the reader understand that Jehovah gave the victorythe war was of God. The land once owned by desert tribes is now possessed by the tribes of Israel. A part of the tribe of Manasseh settled the Bashan country east of the Sea of Chinnereth. Baal-hermon, Senir, and Mount Hermon all refer to the same area in the north-east corner of Palestine. The descendants of Manasseh (1Ch. 5:24) are named only here. They were men of war, as was Machir, Manassehs son. An often used phrase, played the harlot, is employed here to describe the idolatry of these Hebrew tribes. Jehovahs response to this breach of the covenant is to send Pul, Tilgath-pilneser, of Assyria, to over-run and deport the transjordanic tribes. This took place about 72221 B.C. These Israelites beyond the Jordan to the east joined their brethren from Samaria and Israel west of the Jordan in the captivity (2Ki. 17:6). They were scattered in the regions of the upper Euphrates river. Hara probably is the same as Haran in Mesopotamia.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(18-22) A war of conquest between the three tribes east of Jordan, and their Arab neighbours. The date is not given.
(18) Of valiant men.All that were valiant men, bearing shield and sword, and drawing bow, and-trained in warfare, were 44,760, going out in the host Comp. what is said in 1Ch. 12:8; 1Ch. 12:21, of the Gadites and Manassites, who joined fortunes with David. The number of the warriors of the three tribes nearly corresponds to the number (40,000) assigned in Jos. 4:13. It evidently rests upon some official census, of which the chronicler had the record or among his authorities. The data of the Pentateuch (Numbers 1, 26) are quite different,
(19) Hagarites.See 1Ch. 5:10.
Jetur, and Nephish, and Nodab.In 1Ch. 1:31, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah are the last three of the twelve tribes of Ishmael. As Nodab is mentioned nowhere else, the word may be a corruption of Kedemah, or rather Kedem. The first two letters might have been mistaken for h, the d is common to both words, and b and m are often confused in Hebrew writing. Jetur is the original of the classical name Ituraea, the modern El-Jedur.
(20) And they were helped against them.The same word recurs in 1Ch. 15:26 : And when God helped the Levites that bare the Ark. In both places strictly natural events are regarded as providential. Here the Divine hand is recognised as controlling the issues of an invasion; there as permitting the Ark to be successfully removed from its temporary resting place.
For they cried to God in the battle.No doubt the Arab warriors also cried to their gods in the fierce struggle for life; and their faith, such as it was, gave them strength for the battle. (Comp. Psa. 18:3-6 and Psa. 18:41.) The whole sentence to the end of the verse looks like a reason added to the narrative by the chronicler himself.
(21) And they took away their cattle.The numbers are large, but not at all incredible. Flocks and herds naturally constituted the chief wealth of these nomade tribes. Comp. the annual tribute in kind paid by Mesha, king of Moab, to Ahab of Israel (2Ki. 3:4): a hundred thousand lambs, and a hundred thousand rams in fleeces.
Sheep.The Heb. word denotes both sheep and goats; pecora.
Of men an hundred thousand.And persons (soul of man, a collective expression) a hundred thousand. In Num. 31:32-35 the booty taken from Midian is far greater, but only 32,000 virgins were saved from the general slaughter of the vanquished. The number here may be corrupt, but we do not know enough about the numerical strength of the Arabian peoples to be able to decide. The captives would be valuable as slaves. Sennacherib boasts that he took 200,150 persons small and great, male and female, from the cities of Judah.
(22) There fell down many slain.Hence the richness of the plunder. The warriors of the Arabian allies were probably exterminated.
The war was of God.Comp. 2Ch. 25:20. This accounts for the completeness of the Arabian overthrow. It is a human instinct to see tokens of Divine activity in great national catastrophes, as well as in the more awful phenomena of nature. In prophetic language, a day of the Lord had overtaken the sons of Hagar and their kindred.
And they dwelt in their steads until the captivity.When they were carried away to Assyria by Tiglath-Pileser, 1Ch. 5:6; 1Ch. 5:26.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
We have here a short account of the blessing of God upon the Reubenites and the Gadites. How undeserving soever in themselves, the Lord accepted them in the covenant, and wrought deliverance for them, for his great name’s sake.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
1Ch 5:18 The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war, [were] four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war.
Ver. 18. Men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow. ] These weapons were much in use till guns were invented; to the destruction, not of the inventor only – who was therefore hanged they say – but of many other brave marshals.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
valiant men = sons of valour.
men. Hebrew. ‘enosh. App-14. These two and a half tribes, east of Jordan, chose their own portions, but were nearest to the enemy, and were the first to be carried away. Compare Lot, Gen 13:10, Gen 13:11, and Gen 14:11, Gen 14:12. Better to have our “lot” chosen for us by Jehovah (Gen 13:14, Gen 13:15).
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
1Ch 5:18-22
1Ch 5:18-22
“The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilled in war, were forty and four thousand seven hundred and threescore, that were able to go forth to war. And they made war with the Hagrites, with Jetur, and with Naphish, and Nodab. And they were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them; for they cried to God in the battle, and he was entreated of them, because they put their trust in him. And they took away their cattle; and of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men a hundred thousand. And there fell many slain, because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their stead until the captivity.”
E.M. Zerr:
1Ch 5:18. The two and a half tribes named here are the same whose request is recorded in Numbers 32. This request was granted, but they were expected to fight for the territory. Their military strength for doing so is described in this paragraph.
1Ch 5:19-22. Some of this territory had been taken by Moses as the children of Israel were coming from Egypt. (Num 21:35; Num 32:33). While it was given to them, there was some resistance from part of the natives and they had to be fought. But God was with his people and caused the battle to be a success. They obtained the territory and kept it until the Assyrian captivity.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Reuben: 1Ch 12:37, Gen 29:32, 2Ki 10:33
Gadites: Deu 3:12
Manasseh: Gen 41:51
valiant men: Heb. sons of valour, 1Sa 18:17, *marg. 2Sa 2:7, *marg.
to shoot: 1Ch 8:40, 2Ch 14:8, Psa 7:13
four and forty: Jos 4:12, Jos 4:13
that went: Num 1:3
Reciprocal: Num 32:33 – half the Deu 33:20 – he dwelleth
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Ch 5:18-20. The sons of Reuben, &c. These three tribes, or at least so many of them as made a great army, joined their forces together, consisting of their best soldiers, to invade the country of the Hagarites. They were helped against them Against the Hagarites, who, it seems, fought stoutly; but God assisted the Israelites, enduing them with extraordinary courage and success, in consequence of their crying to him, and putting their trust in him, in his power, mercy, and faithfulness to his promise.