Exposition of the Whole Bible

The Firft Book of the CHRONICLES.

HIS, aldthe-foll@wing Bods g were reckoned. by the Jer as one book, as appears by EQS the Ma/oretic note at the end

“We is affirmed by Origen * and aes Jerom*’s and they were by

: as they are by us; but ‘they are different from the book of the Chronicles of the kings of J/rael and Fudab, fo often mentioned in the preceding books, feeing feveral things there referred to, as in them, are not to be found here; though no doubt many things here recorded were taken from thence under a divine direction. In the Greek verfion, and fo in the Vulgate Latin verfion after that, they are called Paralipomena, that is, things pafied over or omitted, becaufe they contain feveral anecdotes, which are not to be found in the books of Samuel and’Kings. The Hebrew title of them is, Dibre hayamim, words of days, day-books or diaries, and what the Greeks call Epbemerides; though as yamim tometimes fignifies years, they may be named annals; and fo the Arabic infcription is, ‘* the books of annals;” and becaufe they chiefly refpect the kings of Judab, the Syriac in{cription is, ‘* the book of the things that were done in the times of the kings of Fudab,”’ The Targum is, “ the book of genealogies, the words of days, which were from the days of the world;” becaufe the firft 10 chapters confilt of genealogies beginning from Adam. The infpired penman of thefe books muft live after the return of the Jews from the Babylonifh captivity, fince he carries down the genealogy of the kings and princes of Fudah beyond that time, 1 Chroz. iii. 17-19, fee ch. ix. x. It is generally thought by the Jews and Chriftians, that Ezra was the writer of them, with which agrees the age in which he lived; and as it may feem from the laft of thefe books, ending with the fame words, with which that under his name begins: fo the Talmudifis* fay, that Ezra wrote jcles’ unto his own, or unto Velo, and of the fecond: book, and a:| his own book, and the genealogy of the chroni- 1 be had brethren, 2 Chron. xxi. 2. and Farchi affirms, that he wrote them by the hand, or means of Haggai, Zechariab and Malachi, in{pired prophets; though fome Fewifh writers * fuppofe they were written, partly by him, and partly by Nebemiab; that all to 2 Chron. xxi. 2. were written by Ezra, and the ref{t by Nebemiah. Kimchi thinks, that, £zra was not the firft author and writer of thefe books, but that the books of chronicles¥and.annals of the kings of Judah, and of the kings of J/rael, were feparately written before him; but that he only revifed them, and with the men of the great fynagogue added the genealogies, and put them into the canon of the fcriptures*. Spinefa * fancies, they were written after Zudas Maccabeus had reftored the temple, fince the hiftorian tells what families dwelt in Zerufalem in the times of Ezra, 1 Chron.ix. and peaks of the porters, ¥.17. two of which are mentioned, Ned. xi. 19. as if Ezra could not d rie the families that lived when he did, or name_the porters of the»temple, fince it was finifhed and dedicated in his time, Ezra vi. 15. but however there, is no doubt to be made of the authenticity of thefe books; fince not only they have always been acknowledged by the Hews as.a part of the canonical

|{cripture, and by ancient chriltians, as appears by the catalogues of Melito* and Origen’, but there are plain references to them in the New Teftament. The genealogy of Chrift, by the evangelifts,. is formed out of them; the doxology in Rev. v. 12. as fome have obferved, comes very near to what is ufed by David, 1 Chron. xxix. 11. and the paffages in Adis vii. 48. and xvil. 24. contain the fenfe of what is expreffed in 2 Chron. il. 5, 6. and vi. 18. The ufe and defign of thefe books are chiefly to give a larger account of the kingdom of Fudab, efpecially after the divifion of it from the ten tribes, and of the kings thereof, than what is given in the preceding books, as in the aft of thefe books; and particularly they afcertain the genea~

’ A:: % logy of Chrift, that it might be cl what tribe and family the Meffiah ear and plain of | 4ylon. The firft of thefe books reaches, oh came, that he}ing to Hottinger*, to A.M. 2985, and the latter defcended from the tribe of Fudah, and from the kings of the houfe of David, as in this firft book. is a hiftory of 472 years. According to _: U/her *, the; i contains a courfe of 2990 years,

They both contain anh ory from Adam, to the deliverance of the ews from their capuivity, in Baand the lat of. 478- atin ee = = seth ae * oA akg taps

35—42. and of the kings and dukes that reigned|of J aac; his pofterity are named in this and the v2

HIS chapter gives us the genealogy of the; his firft-born, and his.patriarchs from Adam to Noah, ¥. 1—4. of turah +. and the fons of Noah, and their pofterity to Abrabam,

¥. 5—27. of the fons of Abrabam, and their is given irom Rents gabihs end of ¥. 44. entire po-jagreeing with that in Gen. xXV. a potterity 3 of his for Jfeae and his fons, ai

¥. 35. The fons of Efau, &c.] The firft-born two following verfes, as in Gen. xxxvi. only it~ fhould be obferved, that Timua, y. 36. is not the verfes exaétly agree with the aecount of the 4utediluvian patriarchs in Gen. v. the firft letter in Adam is larger than ufual, as a memorial, as Buxphaz, the eldeft fon of Ejaw, and the “mother | of dmalek, Gen. xxxvi. 12. and fo in the Arabic” verfion it is, read, ‘* and Zimna, which was the — cs author had undertaken to write. —

_torf™ obferves, of the firft and only man, from concubine of Eiiphaz, the fon of Efau, bare him whence mankind had their beginning, and whofe Amalek af?

and fo the Alexandrian copy of the Sep-

This man and begins the genealogy of the fons of Noah after the flood. of the fons of Fapbet the elder, in this and the two following verfes; next of the fons of Ham the younger brother, ¥. 8—16.

whofe pofterity are mentioned laft, becaufe from him, in the line of Heder, fprang Abraham, the his pofterity were not of the race SB ad, bat are mentioned becaufe they were a-family into which — #/au, and a fon of his, married, and wh fe poflefthen of Shem, fions he and his obtained. The account from hence, to the end of y. 42. tis the fame with Gem xxxvi, 20—28. with fome little variation of n anceftor of the Fewi/h nation, of whom the Mef-

es. 7. y. 43. Now thefe are the kings that reigned in the

fiah was to come, for whofe fake this genealogy is given, ¥. 1727-8 The whole is the fame with| £ /and of Edom, &c.| “Which had its name from aw, who was fo called, Gen. xxv. 30. From the account in Gem. x. and>xi.

. 28. The fons of Abraham, &c.] The famous and well-known anceftor of the Yews; of [/bmael given of the kings and dukes of Adem, in the order as in Gen. xxx. 31—43.

Tfrael or Facob, y. 1, 2. then reckons the fons of Fudah, the fourth fon of Facob, ¥. 3, 4. then the pofterity of Pharez and Zerab, fons of Judah, ¥. 5—8. next the fons of Hezron, a fon of Pharez, y. 9. particularly the pofterity of Rem,

‘a fon of Hezron, from whom fprung Fefé and his hence, to the end of the chapter, an account is fame nae:

7 ‘lle 7. FiIS chapter begins with the twelve fons of y.3. The fons of Fudab, &c.] The genealogy begins with him, though the fourth fon of Facob; becaufe, as Kimchi fays, this book treats chiefly of the kings of Fadab; but rather not only becanfe% a and David fprang from him, but alfo the kin Méffiah:. Er, and Onan, and Shelah, which three ‘were born unto bim of the eughier of Shua the Ca-

Hezron, ¥.18—24. and next of Ferahmeel, the firftborn of Hezron, y.25—33. and particularly the potterity of She/han, a defcendant of his, ¥.34—a1. and then other fons of Ca/ed, with their pofterity, are reckoned, ¥. 42—54. and the chapter is clofed with the families of the Scribes in Zabe/b,, the fame with the Kenites, ¥. 5 5.8

_y. 1,2. Thefe are the fons of Ifrael, &c.) Or Facob, the other fon of I/aae, who had the name of J/rael given him, becaufe of his power with God, Gen. xxxil. 28. whofe twelve fons are here mentioned by name; the firft four according to their birth of Leah, Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Fudab; then the two fons of Zilpab, Leah's. handmaid, [achar and Zebulun; and between Dan and Napbtali, the fons of Bilbah, Rachel’s handmaid, are placed Fo/eph and Benjamin, the fons of Rachel.;

born of Fudab, was evil in the fight of the Lord; becaufe he did that which was evil: and be flew him; he died by the immediate hand of God, a fo his brother Ozan, being wicked alfo, Gen. xxxviii. 7 10. aD) Lae: ene, t ¥. 4. And Tamar bis daughter-in-law bare him Pharez and Zerab, &c.] Through inceft; they were twins, Gen. Xxxviil. 27—30. all the fo Judab were five; who are before «mentior

¥. 5. The fous of Pharez, con Or above twins, born to Judah: Hezron, mal % fee Gen.xlvi. 12. Lier ons ¥. 6, And the fons of Zerab, ——, twin of Judah: Zimri, and Ethan, Some

Calcol, and Dara: five of them in al, them governors, and adds, on ‘ prophecy dwelt; and in the Fewib ch are faid'to prophefy in Egypt; a was Yetber the Ihmaelite; he is called an /raelite,

fuppofed to be the fame with thofe in 1 Kings iv. 31. fee the note there. ‘ _ ¥. 7. And the fons of Carmi, &c.) The Targum adds, this is Zimri; but in Fo. vii. r. Carmi is faid to be the fon of Zeédi, who feems to be the fame with Zimri, and fome fupply the word here, and read °, the fons of Zimri, Carmi, Achar, who was the grandfon of Zimri; his proper name.was Achan, Fofb. vii. t. but called Achar here by way of reproach, as archi and others obferve; being, as it follows, the treubler of Ifrael, as Achat fignifies: who tranfgreffed in the thing accurfed, devoted to the Londeiyge ine it away for his own ufe, fee Fofe. vi. t7» and vii. 2t. hence the valley in'which he was put to death, was called Achor, ¥. 26..

“¥. 8. And ihe fons of Ethan; Azariab.|. Indluding his pofterity, fee Gen. xlvi. 23. and y¥. 31. the pofterity of the other three fons of Zerab are not mentioned, either becaufe the writer could not find the genealogy of them, as Kimchi; or rather, as he thinks, he cuts fhort the genealogy of Zerab, becaufe the kingdom did not proceed from him, and returns to the genealogy of Hezron, from whence it did, or perhaps they had no children.

¥.9. The fons alfo of Hezron, that were born unto bim, &c.] The Targum adds, in Timnath; but moft likely in Bgypt: Ferabmeel, and Ram, and Chelubai; ‘afterwards called Caleb. aia Rem is the fame with Aram, Matt. i. 3, 4. the genealogy is carried down from him to 7ef in the fame order as there, and in Ruth iv. 19 —22. only here Nahjbon the fon of Amminadad is called the prince of tbe children of Judah; which Kimchi and Farchi fay is written for the honour of David, who defeended from him; and Salmon his‘ fon is here called Salma. i

¥. 13, 14,15. And Feffe begat his frft-born Eliab, and Abinadab the fecond, and Shitnma the third, Na~ thaneel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, QOzem the fixth, David the feventh.| But Feffe had eight fons, 1 Sam. xvi. 10, 11. and xvii. 12. one of them therefore is not reckonégy cither becaufe he was by another woman, and the writer only mentions thofe that. were of the fame mother with David; this is \the opinion of 4ven Ezra and Kimchi; fome fay he was, dead before David came to the kingdom; Kimchi mentions a Midrafb, or expofition of theirs, according to which his name was Elihu, and was younger than David, who is thentioned in ch. xxvil. 18. and archi oblerves, that the writer, having found the pearl, (David) reckons not the 8th fon Abu, though the Syriac and Arabic verfions have inferted bim in this order, Eijhu the 7th, David the 8th; fome take the 8th to be a grandfon of Feffe, Jonathan the fon of Shimea, 2 Sam. xxi. 21. the third fon of Feffe, here called Shimma, as heis Shammab, 1 Sam. xvi. g. and xvii. 13.

¥. 16. Woofe fiers were Zeruiah and Abigail, &c.] That is, filiers of David: and the fons of Zeruiah; Abifhai, and Foab, and Afabel, three, all valiant men, and captains in David's army; their father’s name is no where mentioned..

y¥. 17. And Abigail bare Amafa,.8&c.| Who was Av/alom’s general, afterwards reconciled to David, and defigned to be made general of his army, but was flain by Jaad, fee 2 Sam. xvii. 25, and xix. 13. and xx. 10. and the father of Amafa

2 Sam. xvii. 25. and fo in the Targum here, he being either a profelyte; or elfé he was an J raclite by birth, but called an Jbmaelite, because he had dwelt among the Jmaelites fome time, as Oded: Edom is called. the Gitte for the like reafon; fo JFarchi and Kimchi interpret it. x. ca And Caleb the fon of Hezron, &c.\ The fame that is called Chelubai,. but notthe fame with Caleb the fon of Fepbunneb,. made mention of in the books of Numbers, Fofbua, and Judges: he» begat children of Azubab his wife, and of Ferioth who were both his wives; or it may be rather, fince Azubab is fo particularly called his wife, Ferioth might be a concubine: or of Azubab he begat Ferioth 5 fo the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and-Arabic verfions; though it feems beft with Hillerus * to interpret thefe names of the fame perfon, and render the Jaft claufe, that is, of Ferioth, of her. whofe name alfo was Ferioth, dzubah having two names; and the rather, fince only the children of one are mentioned, as follows: ber fons are thefe; Jefeer, and Shagab, and Ardon of whom we read no where elfe; the Targum fays, Azubah was fo called, becauie fhe was barren and defpifed, which this claufe contradicts.

¥. 19. And when Azubab was dead, Caleb took unto bim Epbrathy &c.\| The Targum is, ** Miriam, who was called Epbrath; but, according to Fofephus %, it was his fon Hur that was the hufband.

of Miriam the filter of Mofes: which bare him Hur; y¥. 10, tr, 12° And Ram begat Amminadab, &ce.)} fee the note on Exod, xvii. 10.

¥. 20. And Hur begat Uri, and Uri begat Bexa-. leel.| Who yet is not thought to be the fame Bexaleel we read of in Exod. xxxi, 2. though the fathers and grandfathers of both have the fame names, and were of the fame’tribe.. ©

W.21. And afterward Hezron went into the daughter of Machir, the father of Gilead, &c.| Which Machir was the fon of Manaffeb, and Gilead was his grandfon, Numb. xxvii. 29. the Targum is, ‘« but he enticed a virgin, the daughter of Machir;’? which fuggefts, that he committed fornication with her, though he afterwards married her; her name is not mentioned; to me it feems to be Abiah, ¥. 24. and whom the Zargum there calls the daughter of Machir: whom he married when he was 60 years old; the Targum is 66; this feems to be his laft wife: and fhe bare him Segué; the fame name with the youngeft fon of Hie/, who rebuilt Jericho,

1 Kings xvi. 34.? y. 22. And Segub begat Fair, who bad 23 cities in the land of Gilead.) Which, according to Kim-' ‘chi, he inherited in right of bis wife, which, he fays, he took out of the land of Gilead; but they feem to be rather what he took by force of arms from ‘the former inhabitants; fee Numb. xxxii. 41. ¥. 23. And he took Gefhur, and Aram, with the towns of Fair, from them, &c.] Cities or countries which the Gefhurites and Arameans, or Syrians, be~_ fore inhabited; and which he took from them, together with other towns, which, being taken by him, were called after his name; the Targum is, the Gefburites and Arameans took the villages of Fair from them; that is, from the fons of Jair in after-times; fee Yof>. xii. 5. and xiii, 13. with Kenath and the towns thereof, which Fair took by Nobab his general, and called it after his name, Numb. xxxii. 42. even 60 cities; fee Deut. iii. 4—14. Jofb. xiii. 30. all thefe belonged to the fons ¢ of Machir, the father of Gilead, being given him by Mofes, Numb. xxxii. 49. Deut. iii. 15. ¥. 24. And after that Hezron was dead in Calebepbratah, &c.) Suppofed to be the fame with, ~— Bethlebem;

Bethlebems and was fo called, both from Caled the fon of Hezron, and Epbrath his wife, ¥. 19. then Abiah Hezron’s wife bare him Afour the father of Tekoa; being left with child by him at his death 5 the whole verfe is paraphrafed thus in the Targum, & and after Hezron died in the houfe of Caleb his fon in Epbrath, the wife of Hezron the daughter of ‘Machir was left with child, and fhe bare to him after his death Afbur the prince of the Tekoites;” whofe fon gave name very probably to the city of Tekoa, 2 Sam. Xiv. 2.

‘. 25. And the Sons of Ferabmeel the firft-born of Hezron were, Ram the firft-born, 8c.) So called by his father after the name of his brother, fee ¥. 9. and Bunab, and Oren, and Ozem, and Abyah; or of Abijab, as fome “render it, this being the name of his wife, who bare him the fons betore-named, fince mention is made of another wife im the next verfe..

¥. 26. Ferabmeel had alfo another wife, whofe name was Atarah, &c.] Dittind from his wife ‘before-named; or another woman, which is a phrafe for an harlot or concubine, Fudg. xi. 2. which fhe might be, as Kimchi obferves; though the former feems beft: jhe was the mother of Onam, and perhaps was the only fon fhe bore to Yerahmeel, of whofe fons, fee ¥. 28., y.29. And the fons of Ram the firft-born of Fevabmeel, &c.] By his firft wife: were Maaz, an Yamin, and Ekar; of whom no other notice is taken; perhaps they left no children.

y¥. 28. Aud the fons of Onam, &c.] The fon of Ferahmeel by his other wife: were Shammat and ada. And the fons of Shammai, Nadab, and Abifour; whofe pofterity are mentioned in the two following veries.

¥.29. And the name of the wife of Abifbur was Abibail, &c.] Of the fame name was a wife of Rehoboam, a daughter of his grandfather Davia’s eldeft brother, Eliad, 2 Chron. xi. 18. and fhe bare him Abban, and Molid; which are no more mentioned, they perhaps leaving no pofterity.

¥. 30. And the fons of Nadab, &c.|} The eldeft fon of Shammai, y. 28. Seled and Appaim: but Seled died without, children, and therefore we hear no more of him.

y¥.31. And the fons of Appaim, Ii. And the fons of Ii, Shefban, &e.| Though they had each of them but one fon, yet the plural:number is ufed, their pofterity being included, as in y. 8. and fo in the next claufe: and the children of Shefban, Ablai; who, from ¥. 34, 35. appears to be a daughter.

¥. 32. And the fons of Fada the brother of Shammai, &c.) See y. 28. Fether and Fonathan: and

Tether died without children, the pofterity of Fonathan are given in the next verfe.

¥.33. And the fons of Fonathan;, Peleth, and

Zaza, &c.)] Of whom no mention is made elfewhere: thefe were the fons of Ferabmeel not only his immediate fons, but their pofterity, called from him Ferabmeelites, 1 Sam. Xxvii. 10.

¥. 34. Now Shefban had no fons, but daughters,

&c.} And but one of that fort, whofe name was Ablai, ¥. 3%. the plural being put here forthe fingular; or, if that is the name of a fon, as fome think, he died in his father’s life-time, and left no iffue; fo that there only remained daughters, and it feems but one by the next verfe: and Shefban had a fervant, an Egyptian, whofe name was Farha; one born in his houtfe, and brought up by him, and a profelyee, fuch an one as Eliezer in Abraham’s tamily. ¥ ah y. 35. And Shefoan gave bis daughter to Farba his fervant to wife, &c.| Having firft given him ° his freedom, as the Zargum premifes; this daugh- ‘ter feems to be Ab/ai, ¥. 31. which receives confirmation from Zabad; one of the defcendants of this man, y. 36. being faid to be the fon of Ablai, him Attai; the genealogy of whofe defcendants is given to the end of y¥. 41. of whom no mention is made elfewhere, but of Zabad, as before-obferved; and, according to the Yews, it is given for the fake of Imael, the fon of Nethaniah the fon of Elifoamab, the aft perfon mentioned in this genealogy; which J/bmael flew Gedaliah governor of Ferufalem, and is faid to be of the teed royal, Fer. {xli. 1.

¥. 42. Now the fons of Caleb the brother of Fes rabmeel, &c.] Called Chelubai, ¥. g. and is the fame Caleb fpoken of in ¥. 18. and his fons next reckoned were by a third wife, dzubab, Ephrath being dead, y¥. 19. and thefe fons were Me/ba bis

Jirft-corn, which was the father of Ziph; who gave name to the city of Zip; there were two of this name in the tribe of Fudah, Fofb. xv. 24. 55. or this is the title of Me/ba governour of the city of Zipb, fo the Targum calls him, prince of the Zi- d\phites: and the, ons of Marefha the father of Hebron;

according to Kimchi and Ben Melech, the words are to be fupplied thus, and the fons of Ziph were Marefba the father of Hebron, which, though fometimes the name of a city in the tribe of Fuda, is here the name of aman, from whom, perhaps, the city had its name, fince Hebron is faid to have fons in the next verfe; Farchi makes Me/ha to be the prince of Ziph, and prince of the children of Marefha, and prince of Hebroz.

¥. 43. And the fons of Hebron, Korab, and Tappuah, and Rekem, and Shema.\ One of thete,

Tappuah, is the name of acity in the tribe of Fudah, Fofo. xv. 34. and there is allo Beth-Tappuah in the fame tribe, ¥, 53. which one, or both, might have their name from this man; and Shema alfo, ¥. 26.

¥. 44. And Shema begat Rabam, the father of Forkoam, &c.)- Which Hillerus* takes to be the name of a city in the tribe of Fudah, and Farchi’s note jis, that wherever the word father is here ufed, © it is to be underftood of the prince of a city. that follows: and Rekem begat Shammai, there is a: defcendant of Ferabmeel, the brother of Caleb, of this name, ¥. 28.

¥. 45. Aud the fon of Shammai was Maon, &c.} Who gave name toa city in the tribe of Fudab, Fofo. xv. 55. fee 1 Sam. xxiii. 24, 25. and xxv. 2. and Maon was the father of Beth zur; prince of a very {trong fortified city of this name in the fame tribe, Foo. xv. 58. unleis this was a fon of Maon’s, from whom the city had its name.

y¥. 46. And Epbah Caleb’s concubine bare Haran, and Moza, and Gazez, &c.| An half-wife, or fecondary wife; for though this man feems not to have had more wives than one at atime, yet he had concubines with them; we read of another after this, if nota third: and Haran begat Gazex; whom he fo named after his brother..