Matthew Poole
1 Chronicles 1

Introduction

Adam's line to Noah, 1 Chronicles 1:1-4. Noah's posterity, by Japheth, 1 Chronicles 1:5-7; by Ham, 1 Chronicles 1:8-16; by Shem to Abraham, 1 Chronicles 1:17-27. His posterity, by Ishmael, 1 Chronicles 1:28-31; by Keturah, and Isaac, 1 Chronicles 1:32-34. His posterity by Esau: the kings and dukes of Edom, 1 Chronicles 1:35-54.

Verse 1

i.e. Adam begat Sheth; and so in the following particulars. For brevity sake he only mentions their names; but the rest is easily understood out of the former books, and from the nature of the thing; and from some following passages where the sense is completed.

Verse 2-4

Formerly he mentions only one son, but here he names and treats of Noah's three sons, partly because they were all the founders of the new world, and partly because the accomplishment of Noah's famous prophecy, Genesis 9:25-27, could not otherwise appear, but by the account of their several posterities.

Verse 5, 6

Riphath, or Diphath; for those two Hebrew letters which answer to our D and R, being very like, are oft confounded and exchanged, as 1 Chronicles 1:7, 41, 46, 50.

Verse 7-12

Of whom came the Philistines; of which See the notes on Genesis 10:14.

Verse 13, 14

The Jebusite; the people so called. So the names which follow until 1 Chronicles 1:17, are not the names of particular persons, but of people or nations. And all these descended from Canaan, though some of them were afterwards extinct or confounded with others of their brethren by cohabitation or mutual marriages, whereby they lost their names; which is the reason why they are no more mentioned, at least under these names.

Verse 15-17

The sons of Shem; either the name of sons is so taken here as to include grandsons, who are called sons, Genesis 29:5; 2 Samuel 19:21; or, these words, the children of Aram, are understood and inserted before Uz, out of Genesis 10:23, where they are expressed.

Verse 18

Arphaxad begat Shelah; either immediately, or mediately by his son Cainan, who is expressed, Luke 3:35, of which, God assisting, I shall speak in its proper place.

Verse 19

The earth was divided in their languages and habitation; of which see Genesis 11:7.

Verse 20-22

Ebal, or Obal, as it is Genesis 10:28; such proper names being oft differently written, according to the difference of times, and people, and writers.

Verse 23, 24

Arphaxad: having given a brief and general account of the original of the world, and the people in it, he now returns to a more large and particular account of the genealogy of Shem, from whom the Jews were descended.

Verse 25-36

Timna: there is another Timna, the concubine of Eliphaz, Genesis 36:12, but this was one of his sons, though called by the same name; there being some names common both to men and women in the Hebrew and in other languages.

Verse 37, 38

The sons of Seir; one of another nation, prince of the Horims; whose genealogy is here described, because of that affinity which was contracted between his and Esau's posterity; and those who were not united and incorporated with them were destroyed by them. See Deuteronomy 2:12.

Verse 39-43

Of this and the following verses, See the notes on Genesis 36:31, &c., whence this whole relation is taken.

Verse 44-54