1 Chronicles 7

This chapter is part of the genealogies in 1 Chronicles 1–9. Following the descendants of Levi in 1 Chronicles 6, it records the lineages of several tribes that settled west of the Jordan and in the north.

Outline

• Verses 1–5 The descendants of Issachar. In the days of David, the mighty men of the house of Tola numbered 22,600, and the troops descended from Uzzi numbered 36,000. The clans of Issachar totaled 87,000.
• Verses 6–12 The descendants of Benjamin. The house of Bela numbered 22,034, the house of Becher 20,200, and the house of Jediael 17,200.
• Verse 13 The descendants of Naphtali. The text calls them "the sons of Bilhah," that is, her grandsons.
• Verses 14–19 The descendants of Manasseh. The lineage of Machir and Gilead is recorded, with the added note that Zelophehad had only daughters.
• Verses 20–29 The descendants of Ephraim. Ezer and Elead went down to take the livestock of the men of Gath and were killed. A son born afterward was named Beriah. Ephraim's daughter Sherah built Beth-horon. The genealogy continues down to Joshua the son of Nun and records the lands where the descendants of Joseph lived.
• Verses 30–40 The descendants of Asher. Those fit for war numbered 26,000.

Key Verses

• 1 Chronicles 7:23 "He called his name Beriah, because it went evil with his house." — In the midst of the genealogy, the grief of a family that had lost its sons is briefly recorded.
• 1 Chronicles 7:27 "Non his son, Jehoshua his son." — This identifies the family of the leader who succeeded Moses (Non and Jehoshua are the KJV spellings of Nun and Joshua here).

People and Places

• Joshua: The son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim.
• Zelophehad: A descendant of Manasseh who had only daughters. The account of his daughters' inheritance appears in Numbers 27.
• Sherah: A daughter of Ephraim who built Lower and Upper Beth-horon and Uzzen-sherah.
• Dwelling places of the descendants of Joseph: Bethel, Shechem, Megiddo, and others are named.

Points for Reflection

Of the twelve tribes of Israel, the tribes of Dan and Zebulun have no genealogies in this section. Some interpreters regard the name "Hushim" in verse 12 or the phrase "the sons of Bilhah" in verse 13 as traces of the tribe of Dan. The numbers in the text are also sometimes read alongside the Benjamite genealogy in 1 Chronicles 8 for comparison.