Matthew Henry

The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech.

“The great promise of the Messiah (says bishop Patrick) was translated from Adam to Seth, from him to Shem, from him to Eber, and so to the Hebrew nation, who were entrusted, above all nations, with that sacred treasure, till the promise was performed and…”

The sons of Esau: Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

“Some slight differences there are between some of the names here, and as we had them in Gen. xxxvi. , whence this whole account is taken.”

After Hezron died in Caleb-ephrathah, his wife Abijah bore to him Ashhur the father of Tekoa.

“This Hezron was one of the seventy that went down with Jacob into Egypt, Gen. xlvi. There his family thus increased, as other oppressed families there did.”

Sheshan had no sons, but only daughters; but he did have an Egyptian servant named Jarha.

“If it be mentioned to his praise, we must suppose that this Egyptian was proselyted to the Jewish religion and that he was very eminent for wisdom and virtue, otherwise it would not have become a true-born Israelite to match a daughter to him, especially…”

and these sons were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon. These four were born to him by Bathsheba daughter of Ammiel.

“One of them, which Bath-sheba bore to him, he called Nathan, probably in honour of Nathan the prophet, who reproved him for his sin in that matter and was instrumental to bring him to repentance.”

These were all the sons of David, besides the sons by his concubines. And Tamar was their sister.

“Seldom has a crown gone in a direct line from father to son for seventeen descents together, as here. This was the recompence of David's piety.”

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

“To whom he prayed, not to any of the gods of the Gentiles; no, he called on the God of Israel, the living and true God, who alone can hear and answer prayer, and in prayer had an eye to him as the God of…”

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

“The most remarkable person in this paragraph is Jabez. It is not said whose son he was, nor does it appear in what age he lived; but, it should seem, he was the founder of one of the families of Aharhel, mentioned”

The sons of Shelah son of Judah:

“This Laadah is said to be the father of those that wrought fine linen, as before the flood Jubal is said to be the father of musicians and Jabal of shepherds, &c.”

Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susim, Beth-biri, and Shaaraim. These were their cities until the reign of David.

“When those of this tribe that revolted from the house of David were carried captive with the rest into Assyria those that adhered to Judah were remarkably owned of God and prospered in their endeavours to enlarge their coasts.”

And because they cried out to God in battle, they were helped against their enemies, and the Hagrites and all their allies were delivered into their hands.

“In distress, God expects we should cry to him; he distrains upon us for this tribute, this rent. In our spiritual conflicts, we must look up to heaven for strength; and it is the believing prayer that will be the prevailing prayer.”

They were mighty men of valor, famous men, and heads of their families.

“Seventh-commandment sins especially leave an indelible stain upon men's names and families, a reproach which time will not wipe away. Reuben's seed, to the last, bear the disgrace of Reuben's sin. Yet, though that tribe was degraded, it was not discarded or disinherited.”

They were mighty men of valor, famous men, and heads of their families.

“They lay upon the borders, and conversed most with the neighbouring nations, by which means they learned their idolatrous usages and transmitted the infection to the other tribes; for this God had a controversy with them.”

So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria (that is, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria) to take the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of…

“These tribes were first placed, and they were first displaced. They would have the best land, not considering that it lay most exposed. But those who are governed more by sense than by reason or faith in their choices may expect to fare accordingly.”

The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. The children of Amram: Aaron, Moses, and Miriam.

“Aaron, and Moses, and Miriam, we have known much more of than their names, and cannot pass them over here without remembering that this was that Moses and Aaron whom God honoured in making them instruments of Israel's deliverance and settlement and figures of him…”

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

“David was raised up on high to be the sweet psalmist of Israel ( 2 Sam. xxiii. 1 ), not only to pen psalms, but to appoint the singing of them in the house of the Lord (not so much because he was musical as…”

Heman’s kinsman was Asaph, who served at his right hand:

“Several of the psalms bear his name, being either penned by him or tuned by him as the chief musician.”

Their fellow Levites were assigned to every kind of service of the tabernacle, the house of God.

“As every one has received the gift, so let him minister. Those that could not sing must not therefore be laid aside as good for nothing; though they were not fit for that service, there was other service they might be useful in.”

But Aaron and his sons did all the work of the Most Holy Place.

“They only were to sprinkle the blood and burn the incense; as for the work of the most holy place, that was to be done by the high priest only.”

And from the tribe of Benjamin they were given Gibeon, Geba, Alemeth, and Anathoth, together with their pasturelands. So they had thirteen cities in all among their families.

“For the diffusing of the knowledge of himself and his law to all parts of the land of Israel.”

The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shallum—the descendants of Bilhah.

“The first fathers only of that tribe are named, the very same that we shall find, Gen. xlvi. 24 , only that Shillem there is Shallum here. None of their descendents are named, perhaps because their genealogies were lost.”

The descendants of Manasseh: Through his Aramean concubine, Asriel, as well as Machir the father of Gilead.

“This was during their bondage in Egypt, so early did they begin to mingle with the nations. That, though the father married a Syrian, Machir, the son of that marriage, perhaps seeing the inconvenience of it in his father's house, took to wife a daughter…”

The children of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. The sons of Beriah: Heber, as well as Malchiel, who was the father of Birzaith.

“Here is no account either of Zebulun or Dan. Why they only should be omitted we can assign no reason; only it is the disgrace of the tribe of Dan that idolatry began in that colony of the Danites which fixed in Laish, and called…”

and Mikloth, who was the father of Shimeah. These also lived alongside their relatives in Jerusalem.

“All these are of the sons of Benjamin. It is observable that among all the genealogies of the tribes there is no mention of any of the kings of Israel after the defection from the house of David, much less of their families; not a…”

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

“It is common in all languages to put sons for grandsons and other descendents, much more in the scanty language of the Hebrews.”