1 Chronicles 5

Chapters 1–9 of 1 Chronicles form a genealogical section that runs from Adam to the post-exilic period. Following the account of the descendants of Judah and Simeon in 1 Chronicles 4, this chapter turns to the three tribes east of the Jordan River.

Outline

• Verses 1–2 Reuben was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's bed, the birthright passed to the descendants of Joseph. The text nevertheless states that the chief ruler came from Judah.
• Verses 3–10 The sons of Reuben (Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi) are listed, followed by the line of Joel. Beerah, a chief, was carried away captive by Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria. The descendants of Bela spread from Aroer to the wilderness toward the Euphrates River. In the days of King Saul they fought the Hagarites and took possession of the land east of Gilead.
• Verses 11–17 The descendants of Gad lived in Bashan, Gilead, and the pasturelands of Sharon. Their genealogies were recorded in the days of Jotham king of Judah and Jeroboam king of Israel.
• Verses 18–22 The warriors of the three tribes, numbering 44,760, fought against the Hagarites, Jetur, Nephish, and Nodab. They cried out to God and prevailed, seizing 50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, and 2,000 donkeys, and taking 100,000 people captive.
• Verses 23–24 The half-tribe of Manasseh flourished from Bashan to Mount Hermon, and the names of seven heads of their fathers' houses are given.
• Verses 25–26 The three tribes served the gods of the peoples of the land. God then stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria and of Tiglath-pileser, and the three tribes were carried away to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river Gozan.

Key Verses

• 1 Chronicles 5:2 "The birthright was Joseph's" — explains that the birthright and the kingship went to different tribes.
• 1 Chronicles 5:20 "For they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them; because they put their trust in him" — reflects the recurring theme in Chronicles that those who rely on God are victorious.
• 1 Chronicles 5:25–26 Attributes the exile to the people's unfaithfulness to God.

People and Places

• Reuben: The firstborn son of Jacob.
• Joseph: Ancestor of the descendants who received the birthright.
• Judah: A son of Jacob, from whose descendants the chief ruler came.
• Tiglath-pileser: An eighth-century BC king of Assyria.
• Saul: The king in whose reign the war against the Hagarites took place.
• Jotham and Jeroboam: The kings of Judah and of the northern kingdom of Israel, respectively, in whose time the genealogies were recorded. This Jeroboam is commonly identified as Jeroboam II.
• Hagarites: A nomadic people east of the Jordan. Some regard them as descendants of Hagar.
• Gilead and Bashan: Pasturelands east of the Jordan.
• Halah, Habor, and the river Gozan: Regions of Assyria to which the captives were deported.

Notes for Reading

• Reuben's offense appears in Genesis 35:22, and the question of the birthright in Genesis 48 and Genesis 49. Verses 1–2 serve as an explanatory note settling this question of the birthright.
• The text does not explain how Joel in verse 4 is connected to Reuben.
• The view that Pul and Tiglath-pileser in verse 26 are the same person is widely accepted; Pul is understood as Tiglath-pileser's Babylonian name. This passage can be read alongside the accounts in 2 Kings 15 and 2 Kings 17. This deportation was part of the process that led to the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel.
• Verse 2, which states that the chief ruler came from Judah, refers to the house of David. Christians also read it in connection with "For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda" (Hebrews 7:14).