Kept for this visit
Notes, starred and highlighted verses and bookmarks kept while signed out last until this visit ends. Create a free account and everything you keep here moves into it, saved for good.

Benjamin and the House of Saul

1 Benjamin became the father of Bela his firstborn, Ashbel the second, Aharah the third, 2 Nohah the fourth, and Rapha the fifth. 3 Bela had sons: Addar, Gera, Abihud, 4 Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah, 5 Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram. 6 These are the sons of Ehud. These are the heads of fathers’ households of the inhabitants of Geba, who were carried captive to Manahath: 7 Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera, who carried them captive; and he became the father of Uzza and Ahihud. 8 Shaharaim became the father of children in the field of Moab, after he had sent them away. Hushim and Baara were his wives. 9 By Hodesh his wife, he became the father of Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, 10 Jeuz, Shachia, and Mirmah. These were his sons, heads of fathers’ households. 11 By Hushim, he became the father of Abitub and Elpaal. 12 The sons of Elpaal: Eber, Misham, and Shemed, who built Ono and Lod, with its towns; 13 and Beriah and Shema, who were heads of fathers’ households of the inhabitants of Aijalon, who put to flight the inhabitants of Gath; 14 and Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth, 15 Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, 16 Michael, Ishpah, Joha, the sons of Beriah, 17 Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber, 18 Ishmerai, Izliah, Jobab, the sons of Elpaal, 19 Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi, 20 Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, 21 Adaiah, Beraiah, Shimrath, the sons of Shimei, 22 Ishpan, Eber, Eliel, 23 Abdon, Zichri, Hanan, 24 Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah, 25 Iphdeiah, Penuel, the sons of Shashak, 26 Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah, 27 Jaareshiah, Elijah, Zichri, and the sons of Jeroham. 28 These were heads of fathers’ households throughout their generations, chief men. These lived in Jerusalem. 29 The father of Gibeon, whose wife’s name was Maacah, lived in Gibeon 30 with his firstborn son Abdon, Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab, 31 Gedor, Ahio, Zecher, 32 and Mikloth, who became the father of Shimeah. They also lived with their families in Jerusalem, near their relatives. 33 Ner became the father of Kish. Kish became the father of Saul. Saul became the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal. 34 The son of Jonathan was Merib-baal. Merib-baal became the father of Micah. 35 The sons of Micah: Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz. 36 Ahaz became the father of Jehoaddah. Jehoaddah became the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri became the father of Moza. 37 Moza became the father of Binea. Raphah was his son, Eleasah his son, and Azel his son. 38 Azel had six sons, whose names are these: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel. 39 The sons of Eshek his brother: Ulam his firstborn, Jeush the second, and Eliphelet the third. 40 The sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor, archers, and had many sons, and grandsons, one hundred fifty. All these were of the sons of Benjamin.
1 Chronicles 8:1-40 · WEB

The rejected king's family is documented as carefully as the chosen one's, ten generations after it lost the throne.

Benjamin has already been listed once 1 Chronicles 7:6–12. Here the tribe gets a full chapter of its own, and the reason emerges at the end.

Most of it is settlement history — households at Geba and elsewhere, some carried captive to Manahath 1 Chronicles 8:6, a man who fathered children in the field of Moab 1 Chronicles 8:8. Twice the record notes that a group of them lived in Jerusalem 1 Chronicles 8:28 1 Chronicles 8:32. For readers repopulating that city, a Benjaminite claim to a house in it was a live matter.

The chapter's purpose appears in verse 33. Ner fathered Kish, and Kish became the father of Saul, and Saul's four sons are named. The first king of Israel is entered as a line in his tribe's register, with no title and no comment.

And the line does not stop with him. It runs through Jonathan to Merib-baal, then Micah, then eight further generations, ending with Azel's six sons named one by one and with Ulam's descendants — mighty men of valor, archers, a hundred and fifty of them 1 Chronicles 8:38–40.

That is roughly the same span the royal line receives in chapter 3. The house that lost the kingdom is carried down as far and as carefully as the house that took it, and the last entry is not a ruin but a family of archers still producing sons.

Two names in the list are preserved in a form other accounts alter. Saul's son appears here as Eshbaal and Jonathan's as Merib-baal, where the narrative of the same men calls them Ishbosheth and Mephibosheth 2 Samuel 2:8 2 Samuel 4:4. The element that means lord has been replaced elsewhere by the word for shame, plainly to avoid the sound of the Canaanite title. This register keeps the older forms.

What the chapter establishes is a principle the next one will need. Election in this book does not require erasing whoever was not elected. Saul is about to die under a verdict, and his family is on the page first, counted, named, and still there.

settled What this mark means