1 Chronicles 1:1–54

1:5–23 As in Genesis 10 (similarly in subsequent lists in both Genesis and Chronicles), details of noncontinuing lines are given first. Thus the descendants of Shem, the son of Noah who is the ancestor of the continuing line of Israel, come after the descendants of the other sons, Japheth and Ham. The Hebrew for “son” (ben; 1 Chron. 1:5, etc.) often specifies physical descendants (whether immediate or distant) and is also used for members (male and female) of a nation or tribe (e.g., “the people [lit., “sons”] of Israel”; v. 43) or of other groups (e.g., “the sons of the prophets,” 1 Kings 20:35; “the children [lit., “sons”] of Zion,” Ps. 149:2). “Son of . . .” thus describes where a person belongs. Similarly, the word “fathered” ( yalad; 1 Chron. 1:11, 13, etc.) is used of both men and women as parents, whether immediate or distant, and so can be used of the ancestor after whom a people is named. Names became used not only of an individual but also of people and places subsequently associated in some way with those persons (see following comments).

Names of the “sons of Japheth” (vv. 5–7) cover a large and diverse region to the northeast and west of Judah. “Madai” occurs elsewhere referring to the Medes (Isa. 13:17) and their land, Media (Isa. 21:2), south of the Caspian Sea and part of modern Iran. Nearby “Askhenaz” is joined with Ararat in Jeremiah 51:27, thus referencing an area toward the Black Sea. Moving west, “Tubal, Meshech” are in Anatolia (modern Turkey), while “Javan” points to the Ionian Greek islands and coastlands (Isa. 66:19; Ezek. 27:13; the name is later used for Greece, Dan. 8:21). “Kittim” elsewhere refers to Cyprus (Isa. 23:1), while “Rodanim” may be Rhodes.²

Names of the “sons of Ham” (1 Chron. 1:8–16) represent peoples and regions to the south and southwest that were commonly under the influence of “Egypt.” “Cush” is the region of Sudan, while “Put” is Libya. “Seba” and “Sheba” (linked in Ps. 72:10) are most likely in southern Arabia, as is the region of “Havilah” (Gen. 2:11; 25:18). “Canaan” covers the region of the eastern coast of the Mediterranean (cf. Gen. 10:15–20).

The Chronicler has kept some short notes from Genesis 10. The description of “Nimrod” as the “first on earth to be a mighty man” (1 Chron. 1:10) matches Genesis 10:8. The Hebrew for “mighty man” is used elsewhere to describe military heroes and warriors (the additional comments in Gen. 10:9–12 are not included). The note on the origin of “the Philistines” (1 Chron. 1:12) is the same as in Genesis 10:14. The comment on “Peleg” (1 Chron. 1:19, as in Gen. 10:25) plays on the similarly sounding Hebrew palag, “divide,” and probably relates to the division following the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1–9).

The “sons of Shem” (1 Chron. 1:17–23) have many names well known to the east, the region of Mesopotamia (e.g., “Elam,” east of Babylon; “Asshur,” Assyria; and “Aram,” the region the Greeks called Syria). “Joktan” and his descendants were in southern Arabia.

1:24–27 Resuming the style of verses 1–4, these verses move the focus quickly to Abraham with a bare listing of direct descendants from Shem (vv. 24–27; cf. the more detailed Gen. 11:10–26). The concise “Abram, that is, Abraham” flags for readers the name change that came with the covenantal promise: “I have made you the father of a multitude of nations” (Gen. 17:4–5). First Chronicles 1:28–54 will illustrate the fulfillment of this promise. Later the Chronicler will recall this covenant in his description of the installation of the ark in Jerusalem (1 Chron. 16:16) and in Jehoshaphat’s prayer when Judah is surrounded by attackers (2 Chron. 20:7).

1:28–54 Unusually, the younger “Isaac” is named before the older “Ishmael” (v. 28), possibly as Isaac was the one through whom the covenant would continue. In the verses that follow, however, the practice seen earlier in the chapter continues as names of noncontinuing lines are given first (vv. 29–33; cf. vv. 5–23). These lines include the twelve sons of Ishmael (vv. 29–31), who were themselves a fulfillment of God’s promise of blessing to Ishmael (Gen. 17:20), as well as the sons of “Keturah, Abraham’s concubine” (1 Chron. 1:32–33),³ who had been separated from Ishmael and Isaac and whose regions were farther away (cf. Gen. 25:6, “eastward to the east country”). Many of the names in this block are known as tribes in northern Sinai and northern Arabia.

In turning to Isaac’s line, the Chronicler repeats that Abraham was Isaac’s father (1 Chron. 1:34, cf. v. 28), in this way highlighting the covenantal line. He consistently uses “Israel” rather than “Jacob” when naming Isaac’s sons (apart from 16:13, 17, where “Jacob” and “Israel” are in parallel in a song). This highlights both the promise behind the name (cf. Gen. 32:28; 35:10) and the common lineage of “all Israel” (cf. Introduction: Theology of 1–2 Chronicles: “All Israel”).

Before turning to “the sons of Israel” (2:1), however, the Chronicler provides disparate lists of names associated with Esau: “the sons of Esau” (1:35–37), “the sons of Seir” (vv. 38–42), “the kings who reigned in the land of Edom” (vv. 43–51a), and “the chiefs of Edom” (vv. 51b–54; cf. Genesis 36). The link between “Esau,” “Edom,” and “Seir” is explicit in Genesis, where “Esau” is also named “Edom” and settles “in the hill country of Seir” (36:8, 9).⁴

What stands out is the length of the “Esau/Edom” section (almost half the chapter). Given the history of enmity between Judah and Edom, particularly resulting from Edom’s actions at the time of the Babylonian sacking of Jerusalem (e.g., Ps. 137:7; Ezekiel 35), the level of detail and lack of animosity in Chronicles are striking.

The genealogy is first a reminder that Israel and Edom share common human heritage, not only from Adam but also, more closely, from Abraham and Isaac. Further, while the statement that “these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the people of Israel” (1 Chron. 1:43) in itself could allow for subsequent Edomite kings, the Chronicler’s insertion of “Hadad died,” with no successor named (v. 51a; cf. Gen. 36:31–39), suggests that he saw Edomite kingship ending once Israel had a king. Indeed, he later tells how Edom became “David’s servants” (1 Chron. 18:13). And though it is true that Edom “revolted . . . to this day” during the reign of faithless Jehoram (2 Chron. 21:8–10), it is implied that Edom’s rebellion was due solely to Israel’s faithlessness—and might therefore end when Israel returns to faith. These factors, along with the irenic tone of this genealogy, thus encourage the hearer to look forward to a time in which Edom will again give allegiance to God and his anointed ruler.

In short, this chapter brings together both a universal perspective of all humanity with its diversity and also a particularity as the line focuses, first to Seth and on to Abraham, then to Isaac and (in 1 Chron. 2:1) to Israel. From that point forward, the book’s focus will be on the Lord’s covenant people.