Albert Barnes

Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.”

“It is remarkable that Jabez should be introduced without description, or patronymic, as if a well-known personage. We can only suppose that he was known to those for whom Chronicles was written, either by tradition, or by writings which have perished.”

Chelub the brother of Shuhah was the father of Mehir, who was the father of Eshton.

“It has been conjectured from the strangeness of all the names in this list, that we have here a fragment of Canaanite record, connected with the family of the “Shua,” whose daughter Judah took to wife 1Ch 2:3; Gen 38:2, and whose family thus became…”

The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon.

“She bare Miriam - Rather, “she conceived.” The mother is not mentioned, and it seems impossible to restore the original text with any certainty.”

These were the potters who lived at Netaim and Gederah. They lived there in the service of the king.

“Among plants and hedges - Rather, “in Netaim and Gederah” Jos 15:36. With the king - Or, probably, “on the king’s property.””

These men listed by name were the leaders of their clans. Their families increased greatly,

“These mentioned by their names were princes - The registered chiefs of the cities in the first list 1Ch 4:28-31, in the time of Hezekiah 1Ch 4:41.”

and struck down the remnant of the Amalekites who had escaped. And they have lived there to this day.

“Unto this day - These words are probably taken from the record which the writer of Chronicles had before him, and do not imply that the Simeonites remained undisturbed in their conquests until after the return from the captivity. So 1Ch 4:41.”

These were the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel. Though he was the firstborn, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, because Reuben defiled…

“His birthright was given ... - In particular, the right of the first-born to a double inheritance Deu 21:17 was conferred on Joseph, both by the expressed will of Jacob Gen 48:22 and in the actual partition of Canaan Josh. 16–17.”

The descendants of Joel:

“The sons of Joel - The line of succession here given must be broken by one great gap or several smaller ones, since nine generations before Tiglath-pileser would carry us back no further than the reign of Rehoboam.”

They also settled in the east as far as the edge of the desert that extends to the Euphrates River, because their livestock had increased in the land of Gilead.

“He inhabited - i. e. Reuben. Eastward the Reubenites inhabited as far as the commencement of the great Syrian Desert, which extended all the way from the river Euphrates to their borders.”

The descendants of Gad lived next to the Reubenites in the land of Bashan, as far as Salecah:

“From this passage and from the subsequent account of the Manassites 1Ch 5:23-24, the Gadites extended themselves to the north at the expense of their brethren, gradually occupying a considerable portion of the tract originally allotted to the “half tribe.””

All of them were reckoned in the genealogies during the reigns of Jotham king of Judah and Jeroboam king of Israel.

“The writer refers here to two registrations, one made under the authority of Jeroboam II when he was king and Israel flourishing, the other made under the authority of Jotham, king of Judah, during the troublous time which followed on the great invasion of Tiglath-pileser.”

They waged war against the Hagrites, as well as Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab.

“Jetur no doubt gave his name to the important tribe of the Ituraeans who inhabited the region southwest of the Damascene plain, between Gaulonitis (Jaulan) and the Ledjah. This tribe was noted for its thievish habits, and was regarded as savage and warlike.”

Now the people of the half-tribe of Manasseh were numerous. They settled in the land from Bashan to Baal-hermon (that is, Senir, also known as Mount Hermon).

““Baal-Hermon,” “Senir” Deu 3:9, and “Mount Hermon,” are here not so much three names of the one great snow-clad eminence in which the Anti-Lebanon terminates toward the south, as three parts of the mountain - perhaps the “three summits” in which it terminates.”

Ahimaaz was the father of Azariah, Azariah was the father of Johanan,

“Ahimaaz begat Azariah - It must, apparently, be this Azariah, and not the son of Johanan 1Ch 6:10, who was high priest at the dedication of Solomon’s Temple.”

Azariah was the father of Amariah, Amariah was the father of Ahitub,

“Ahitub - Between Amariah and Hilkiah 1Ch 6:13 this genealogy is most certainly defective, as it gives three generations only for a period for which nine generations are furnished by the list of the kings of Judah, and which cannot be estimated as much short…”

Jehozadak went into captivity when the LORD sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

“Jehozadak - The meaning of the name is “Jehovah is righteous.” It has been noted as remarkable that the heads of both the priestly and the royal stock carried to Babylon should have had names (Zedekiah and Jehozadak) composed of the same elements, and assertive…”

Of Gershom:

“Of Gershom - The names in this list are curiously different from those in 1Ch 6:41-43, which yet appear to represent the same line reversed.”

These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the LORD after the ark rested there.

“The genealogies of David’s three chief singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan or Jeduthun. 1Ch 6:32 They waited on their office - On the establishment and continuance of the choral service in the temple, see 2Ch 5:12, 2Ch 29:27-30; 2Ch 35:15.”

But the fields and villages around the city were given to Caleb son of Jephunneh.

“The writer evidently had before him Josh. 21, which he followed, as to its matter, closely. In some cases he perhaps modernised the ancient names (1Ch 6:58, 1Ch 6:60, 1Ch 6:72, etc.); in a few he substituted for the old an entirely new name, the…”

The sons of Bela: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri, heads of their families—five in all. There were 22,034 mighty men of valor listed in their genealogies.

“The lists here are remarkably different from those in marginal references Probably the persons here mentioned were not literally “sons,” but were among the later descendants of the founders, being the chief men of the family at the time of David’s census.”

The son of Ulam: Bedan.

“These were the sons of Gilead - i. e. these descendants of Machir were reckoned to the family of Gilead. The name “Gilead” prevailed above all others in the line of Manasseh, the term “Gileadite” almost taking the place of “Manassite.””

The descendants of Ephraim:

“The sons of Ephraim - The genealogy is difficult. It is perhaps best to consider Ezer and Elead 1Ch 7:21 as not sons of Zabad and brothers of the second Shuthelah, but natural sons of Ephraim.”

Benjamin was the father of Bela, his firstborn; Ashbel was the second born, Aharah the third,

“The reason of this return to the genealogy of the Benjamites seems to be the desire to connect the genealogical introduction with the historical body of the work.”

These were the descendants of Ehud who were the heads of the families living in Geba and were exiled to Manahath:

“And they removed them to Manahath - “They” has no antecedent; and it is difficult to supply one. Almost all commentators suppose that there has been some corruption here, from which, however, we may gather that the “sons of Ehud” (or, perhaps, of Ahoah, 1Ch…”

Ner was the father of Kish, Kish was the father of Saul, and Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal.

“This verse combined with 1Ch 9:35-39, seems to show that the genealogy of Saul was: Abiel (= Jehiel?) Ner Kish Abner Saul Rather than that to be inferred from 1Sa 9:1; 1Sa 14:50-51.”