Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Chronicles 8:29
And at Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon; whose wife’s name [was] Maachah:
29 32 (= ch. 1Ch 9:35-38). The Genealogy of Jeiel
29. the father of Gibeon ] R.V. the father of Giboon Jeiel; cp. 1Ch 9:35, R.V.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 29. And at Gibeon] This passage to the end of the 38th verse is found with a little variety in the names, 1Ch 9:35-44.
The rabbins say that Ezra, having found two books that had these passages with a variety in the names, as they agreed in general, he thought best to insert them both, not being able to discern which was the best.
His general plan was to collate all the copies he had, and to follow the greater number when he found them to agree; those which disagreed from the majority were thrown aside as spurious; and yet, in many cases, probably the rejected copies contained the true text.
If Ezra proceeded as R. Sol. Jarchi says, he had a very imperfect notion of the rules of true criticism; and it is no wonder that he has left so many faults in his text.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The father of Gibeon, i.e. the chief or ruler of the Benjamites dwelling there.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And at Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon,…. The builder of the city, and prince of the inhabitants of it, which was in the tribe of Benjamin, Jos 18:25 whose name was Jehiel, 1Ch 9:35,
(whose wife’s name was Maachah;) of which name were many, see 1Ch 2:48.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
_ – 1Ch 8:29-38 recur in 1Ch 9:35-44 (see on that passage).
1Ch 8:29-32 The ancestors of Saul. They dwelt mainly in Gibeon, but a branch of them were settled in Jerusalem, 1Ch 8:32.f. In Gibeon, now El Jib, two hours north-west from Jerusalem (see on Jos 9:3), dwelt the father of Gibeon, with his wife and his sons. The plural is used because there dwelt there, besides the father of Gibeon, also his wife and his sons. The father, i.e., the lord and possessor of Gibeon, was called, according to 1Ch 9:35, Jehiel ( , Keth. ), and his wife Maachah, a not uncommon female name (see on 1Ch 2:48). The descent of Jehiel from Benjamin is not given. In 1Ch 8:30 eight names are given as those of his sons, while in 1Ch 9:36. ten are mentioned, the latter statement being correct; for a comparison of the two passages shows that in our verse two names have been dropped out, – Ner between Baal and Nadab, and Mikloth at the end, which must have originally stood in our register also, – for in 1Ch 8:32, 1Ch 8:33 their descendants are mentioned. is called in 1Ch 9:37 . These names are evidently those of actual sons of Jehiel who were progenitors of fathers’-houses (groups of related households), but in the case of only two is the race descended from these further noticed. In 1Ch 8:32 we have that of the youngest Mikloth, who begat Shimeah, called in 1Ch 9:38 Shimeam. These also (viz., Shimeah and his family) dwelt in Jerusalem , “before their brethren,” i.e., over against them, and , “with their brethren.” The brethren are the other Benjamites in the first clause, those dwelling outside of Jerusalem and inhabiting the neighbouring country as far as Gibeon (1Ch 8:30); in the second, those dwelling in Jerusalem (1Ch 8:28). From this it is clear that of the descendants of Abi-Gibeon only that branch which was descended from Mikloth went to Jerusalem.
1Ch 8:33 The family of Ner. Ner begat Kish, and Kish Saul. According to 1Sa 9:1 and 1Sa 14:51, Kish was a son of Abiel. this statement, on account of which Bertheau proposes to make alterations in the text, may be reconciled with that in our verses, by the simple supposition that in our verse intermediate names mentioned in 1Sa 9:1, and probably others besides, are passed over, and Ner the son of Abi-Gibeon is named only because he was the progenitor of the line by which Saul was descended from him. Saul ( ) is King Saul. Only three of his four sons, 1Sa 14:49, are mentioned-those, namely, who fell with him in the battle against the Philistines, 1Sa 31:2. The second is called, in 1Sa 14:49, Ishui, but in 1Sa 31:2 Abinadab, as in our register, whence we gather that Ishui is another name for Abinadab. The fourth, Eshbaal, is the same who is called in 2Sa 2:8, and elsewhere, Ishbosheth, who was set up as king in opposition to David by Abner (see on 2Sa 2:8).
1Ch 8:34-39 Jonathan’s sons and grandsons. His son is called here and in 1Ch 9:40 Meribbaal, while in 2Sa 4:4; 2Sa 9:6; 2Sa 16:1., 2Sa 19:25, he is called Mephibosheth, because the name “striver with Baal” has been changed into , exterminans idolum . This Meribbaal, who was lame in his feet (cf. 2Sa 4:4), had a son Micha ( , in 2Sa 9:12 written ), of whom came a numerous race. He had four sons (1Ch 8:35), and the family of the last-named of these (Ahaz) is traced down, in 1Ch 8:36-40, through ten generations to the great-grandson of Eshek. First it is traced from Ahaz to Alemeth (1Ch 8:36); then through Zimri, brother of this latter, to Binea, by ; then further by (hisson) to Azel, of whom in 1Ch 8:38 six sons are enumerated; and finally, in 1Ch 8:39, the sons of his brother Eshek are named, and the sons and grandsons of the first-born of this latter are then enumerated. The last two verses are wanting after 1Ch 9:44. The names in the two registers correspond, except at one point, where we cannot get rid of the discrepancy that for (1Ch 8:36) there stands in 1Ch 9:42 both times, probably through an error of transcription, by which out of the shortened form there arose , and being interchanged. Besides this, instead of the of 1Ch 8:35, we have in 1Ch 9:41, according to the harder pronunciation of the gutturals, ; and for , 1Ch 8:37, we have in 1Ch 9:41 the longer original form . Now since Ahaz, whose posterity is traced down to the tenth generation, was descended from Jonathan in the third generation, and his grandfather Mephibosheth was a boy of five years of age at the death of Saul and Jonathan (2Sa 4:4), the grandsons of Ulam, mentioned in 1Ch 8:40, will be the thirteenth generation of Jonathan’s descendants. Now Jonathan fell along with Saul in the year 1055 b.c., and consequently this thirteenth generation of Jonathan’s descendants lived probably about 700 b.c., i.e., about 100 years before the Babylonian exile; for, according to the analogy of the royal race of David, we cannot reckon more than twenty-five years on an average for each generation.
(Note: Bertheau holds a contrary opinion to that given in the text, and thinks that by the numerous sons and grandsons of Ulam the son of Eshek we are brought down to post-exilic times, seeing that if Saul lived about 1080 b.c., and thirty years are reckoned to each one of the thirteen generations (Eshek being a descendant of Saul in the thirteenth generation), Azel and Eshek must have lived about 690 b.c. But this estimate is too high, for we cannot reckon sixty years to Saul and Jonathan from 1080 onwards, since Jonathan fell along with Saul in 1055, and his son Meribbaal was then hardly five years old, and must consequently have been born in 1060. For the following generations, moreover, not more than twenty-five years on an average should be reckoned. That being the case, the children ‘ s children of Ulam ‘ s sons, who were the twelfth generation of Micha ‘ s descendants, may have lived from 760 b.c. onwards, and during this period, from 760 to 700, may have increased to the troop of blooming grandchildren of Ulam mentioned in 1Ch 8:40. But even supposing that thirty years should be reckoned for each generation, the last-named generation of 150 grandsons and great-grandsons of Ulam would have lived in the period from 660 to 600, i.e., before the exile, or at least before the first great deportation of the people with Jehoiakim in the year 599 b.c.)
1Ch 8:40 The sons of Ulam are called valiant heroes and archers, and must have shown the same capability for war by which the tribe of Benjamin had been distinguished at an earlier time; cf. Jdg 20:16, and for , cf. 1Ch 5:16. The subscription refers back to the superscription in 1Ch 8:1, and binds all the names in our chapter together.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Saul’s Family, Comments on 1Ch 8:29-40 AND 1Ch 9:35-44
The two passages now under study are almost identical, axcept for verses 39-40, of chapter eight. They are a special enumeration of Benjamite descendants which includes the lineage of Saul, the first king of Israel (particularly verses 1Ch 8:33-39; 1Ch 9:39-44). Their purpose seems to have been to show the tribal progenitors of the first king, with his descendants down to the composition of the Chronicles. It is significant that David swore to Saul and Jonathan that he would not cut off their posterity when he became king (1Sa 20:12-17; 1Sa 24:17-22), and this shows that he had kept his word.
Saul’s four sons are named; Jonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal. Malchi-shua is called Ishui in other places, while Esh-baal is better known as Ish-bosheth. Esh-baal is the only son of Saul to survive the Battle of Mt Gilboa with the Philistines. For some unknown reason he was not in the battle. Abner, Saul’s captain of the host, took him and made him king in opposition to David. He was murdered in his bed by two of his servants (see 2Sa 2:8 through 4:12).
1Ch 8:39-40 gives the lineage of Eshek and Ulam, two notable men of Benjamin, about whom nothing further is known. They were also probably descended from Saul and prominent in the late kingdom period.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
THE FAMILIES OF GIBEON, ESPECIALLY THE ROYAL HOUSE OF SAUL
(1Ch. 8:29-40).
1Ch. 8:29-38 recur at 1Ch. 9:35-44.
(29) At Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon.His name (Jehiel) has been accidentally omitted. (See 1Ch. 9:35.) The verb dwelt is plural, they dwelt; a sufficient indication that the father of Gibeon merely represents the original population of that place under a collective name. Maachah would be a place in the neighbourhood.
Gibeon.Now el-Jib, about eight miles north-west of Jerusalem.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
1Ch 8:29 And at Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon; whose wife’s name [was] Maachah:
Ver. 29. Whose wife’s name was Maachah.] Who was surely an honour to her husband, with whom she is therefore once and again memorised. See 1Ch 7:15-16 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
at Gibson. Repeated in 1Ch 9:35-44.
father = lord, chief, or ruler. Compare 1Ch 9:35. Called Jehiel there.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
1Ch 8:29-40
1Ch 8:29-40
“And in Gibeon there dwelt the father of Gibeon, Jeiel, whose wife’s name was Maacah; and his first-born son Abdon, and Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and Nadab; and Gedor, and Ahio, and Zecher. And Mikloth begat Shimeah. And they dwelt with their brethren in Jerusalem, over against their brethren. And Ner begat Kish, and Kish begat Saul; and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malcashua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal. And the son of Jonahtan was Meribbaal; and Meribbaal begat Micah. And the sons of Micah: Pithon, and Melech, and Tarea, and Ahaz. And Ahaz begat Jehoaddah; and Jehoaddah begat Alemeth, and Azmaveth, and Zimri, and Zimri begat Moza. And Moza begat Binea; and Raphah was his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son. And Azel had six sons, whose names are these: Azrikam, Bocheru, and Ishmael, and Sheariah, and Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel. And the sons of Eshek his brother: Ulam his first-born, Jeush the second, and Eliphelet the third. And the sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor, archers, and had many sons, and sons’ sons, a hundred and fifty. All these were of the sons of Benjamin.”
“The very full details given here as contrasted with most of the other tribes should not be put down as due to the availability of more information, but should be regarded as a tribute to Benjamin’s loyalty to David and his dynasty.” Also it appears that special attention was given to the line of David’s friend Jonathan.
It is impossible to harmonize this with the parallel list in 1Ch 7:6-12; and some scholars have believed that list to be a “corrupted genealogy of Zebulun and Dan.”
All of the names given thus far in Chronicles belonged to persons of pre-exilic Israel, “The first verse of the following chapter (1Ch 9:1) states that what has gone before pertains only to the official register of the families … when they were exiled. This clause separates the foregoing from what follows.” Payne did not agree with this interpretation. See further comment under 1Ch 9:1.
“Ono and Lod” (1Ch 8:12). These cities were not mentioned in Joshua as part of Palestine originally assigned to Benjamin; but, “These places were built later. There is little doubt that Lod is the Lydda of Act 9:22.”
Curtis and Madsen disagreed with Myers (quoted above) by affirming the lists of this chapter as post-exilic; but the disagreement of scholars regarding such questions can be of little interest, since it really makes no difference at all exactly when the people of any of these lists actually lived.
Elmslie in The Interpreter’s Bible devoted only sixteen lines to this whole chapter.
There are many things in this chapter and in the entire O.T. that must forever remain in the realm of the mysterious and the unknown as far as modern men are concerned. For example, “Nothing is known about the exile mentioned in 1Ch 8:6. We do not know who exiled whom.” It is appropriate to remember in this connection that “The hidden things belong to God.”
E.M. Zerr:
1Ch 8:29. Father of Gibeon means the founder of the city, and that he lived in the city he founded. His name was Jehiel according to 1Ch 9:35.
Verses 30-32. The preceding paragraph showed us that Jehiel was the man last referred to; and the one meant by the pronoun “his.” He had a son named Kish, but he was not the father of Saul.
1Ch 8:33. The importance of this verse is evident. According to 1Sa 14:51, Ner was the father of Abner, the captain under Saul. This verse shows him to have been also the father of Kish. Since Abner and Kish his uncle as his chief military head. The three brothers of Jonathan are named, but only Jonathan became noted in the later activities of the family.
1Ch 8:34. Dissimilarity of names of the same man may be as confusing as similar names for different men. Here is Merib-baal which refers to Mephibosheth, who is connected with the movements of David. (1Sa 4:4.)
1Ch 8:35-39. These are descendants of Jonathan, and among them are a few names familiar in form but it is just another coincidence.
1Ch 8:40. Archers means men who were able with the bow, which was one form of weapons used in those days. The men named were descended from Jonathan who was an expert in that form of action. See 2Sa 1:18; 2Sa 1:22. The last sentence uses these to mean the chapter as a whole, since Saul was of that tribe being considered.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
the father: 1Ch 9:35, 1Ch 9:36, Jehiel
Reciprocal: 1Ch 2:42 – the father of Hebron