Verse 1
1 Chronicles 8:1. Now Benjamin
begat Bela — He had spoken
something of this tribe before,
chap. 1 Chronicles 7:6; but now
he treats of it again, and that
more fully and exactly: partly
for Saul’s sake, who was of this
tribe; and partly because this
tribe adhered to David, and the
kingdom of Judah, and went with
Judah into Babylon; and now were
returned from thence in greater
numbers than the other tribes,
except Judah. Bela his firstborn
— So called by Moses: but the
names of the rest vary from
those in Moses. Therefore either
these were Benjamin’s
grand-children, or the same
person had two or more names,
which was not unusual.
Verse 6
1 Chronicles 8:6. These are the
sons of Ehud — These following,
1 Chronicles 8:7, because he
here speaks of them who were
removed. He describes the sons
of Benjamin by the places of
their habitation, without an
exact account of their parents;
because their genealogies were
broken by that almost total
extirpation of this tribe,
Judges 20.
Verse 28
1 Chronicles 8:28. Heads of the
fathers, &c: these dwelt at
Jerusalem — All these named from
1 Chronicles 8:14 to this place.
Particular notice is taken of
these, that others, at their
return from captivity, might be
induced to settle there too,
which it seems few were willing
to do, because it was the post
of danger. Many great and mighty
nations were then upon earth,
and many illustrious men in
them, whose names are buried in
perpetual oblivion, while the
names of multitudes of the
Israel of God are here carefully
preserved in everlasting
remembrance: a figure of God’s
writing the names of his
spiritual Israel in the Lamb’s
book of life.
Verse 32
1 Chronicles 8:32. These also
dwelt with their brethren in
Jerusalem — With those other
Benjamites spoken of 1
Chronicles 8:28; over against
them — In some street or part of
Jerusalem, which was over
against that where their
brethren dwelt.
Verse 40
1 Chronicles 8:40. Archers —
Hebrew, that tread the bow: for
the bows of steel, which these
used, required great strength to
bend them; which therefore they
did by treading the bow with
their feet, and pulling the
string with both their hands. |