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1 Chronicles 8:40

in 1 Chronicles 8

Ulam was his firstborn, Jeush second, and Eliphelet third. The sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor, archers, and they had many sons and grandsons—150 in all. All these were the descendants of Benjamin.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And the sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor, archers, and had many sons, and sons’ sons, a hundred and fifty. All these were of the sons of Benjamin.

KJV

And the sons of Ulam were mighty men of valour, archers, and had many sons, and sons’ sons, an hundred and fifty. All these are of the sons of Benjamin.

This verse in 1 Chronicles 8

Commentary

9 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

The sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor - The Targum speaks honourably of them: “The sons of Ulam were mighty and strong men, subduing by wisdom their evil concupiscence, as men bend a bow; therefore they had many sons and grandsons.” Of the six sons of Azel, mentioned 1Ch 8:38, R. S. Jarchi says that their allegorical expositions were sufficient to load thirteen thousand camels! No doubt these were reputed to be deeply learned men. There was a time when the allegorizers and metaphor-men ranked very high among theologians, even in our own enlightened and critical country.

This site's exposition

The sons of Micah

on 1 Chronicles 8:35-40

Micah's line runs through Jehoaddah to Azel, and Azel's six sons are named. The record keeps counting fathers and sons long after the kingdom left Saul's family. The chapter closes on the sons of Ulam, who were mighty men of valor, archers, with 150 sons and grandsons in all.

This site's exposition

Ulam was his firstborn, Jeush second

Wesley explains the Hebrew for archers as men who tread the bow, bending it with the feet. Ulam's sons were Benjamite archers, like the kinsmen of Saul who joined David (1 Chronicles 12:1 to 2). Their sons and grandsons numbered 150.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

Archers - Hebrew. that tread the bow; for the bows of steel, which these used, required great strength to bend them; which therefore they did by treading the bow with their feet, and pulling the string with both their hands.
And the sons of Ulam were mighty men of valour,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

That is taken notice of concerning them which is more a man's praise than his pomp or wealth is, that they were qualified to serve their country.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

They are Jasher, Jeshurun--just ones, and the memory of the just is blessed. Many of these we have reason to fear, came short of everlasting honour (for even the wicked kings of Judah come into the genealogy), yet the perpetuating of their names here was a figure of the writing of the names of all God's spiritual Israel in the Lamb's book of life.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

mighty men of valour, archers--(see on Jud 20:16). Great strength as well as skill was requisite in ancient archery, as the bow, which was of steel, was bent by treading with the feet, and pulling the string with both hands.

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1 more voice on this verse

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Sons, and sons’ sons - This genealogy of the house of Saul appears by the number of the generations to belong probably to the time of Hezekiah (compare 1Ch 4:41). Ulam’s “sons’ sons” are in the 13th generation from Jonathan, as Hezekiah is in the 13th generation from David.

The words behind it

18 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וַֽיִּהְי֣וּand they were

    vaiyihyuH1961 →3559 times

  • בְנֵי־[the] sons of

    venei-H1121 →4930 times

  • א֠וּלָםUlam

    ʾulomH198 →4 times

  • אֲנָשִׁ֨יםmen

    ʾanashimH582 →566 times

  • גִּבֹּרֵי־mighty of

    giborei-H1368 →158 times

  • חַ֜יִלstrength

    chayilH2428 →246 times

  • דֹּ֣רְכֵי[who] bent

    dorekheiH1869 →

  • קֶ֗שֶׁתa bow

    keshetH7198 →76 times

  • וּמַרְבִּ֤יםand [who] had many

    umarbimH7235 →227 times

  • בָּנִים֙children

    banimH1121 →4930 times

  • וּבְנֵ֣יand children of

    uveneiH1121 →4930 times

  • בָנִ֔יםchildren

    vanimH1121 →4930 times

  • מֵאָ֖הone hundred

    meahH3967 →581 times

  • וַחֲמִשִּׁ֑יםand fifty

    vachamishimH2572 →163 times

  • כָּל־all

    kol-H3605 →5413 times

  • אֵ֖לֶּהthese

    ʾelehH428 →746 times

  • מִבְּנֵ֥י[were] of [the] descendants of

    mibeneiH1121 →4930 times

  • בִנְיָמִֽן׃ פBenjamin

    vinyaminH1144 →166 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    1 Chronicles 12:2

    they were archers using both the right and left hands to sling stones and shoot arrows; and they were Saul’s kinsmen from Benjamin):

    it leads to

    • Judges 3:15

      And again they cried out to the LORD, and He raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed Benjamite, as their deliverer. So they sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.

    • Judges 20:16

      Among all these soldiers there were 700 select left-handers, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair without missing.

    • 1 Chronicles 12:29

      From Benjamin, the kinsmen of Saul: 3,000, most of whom had remained loyal to the house of Saul up to that time.

    • 1 Samuel 17:49

      Then David reached into his bag, took out a stone, and slung it, striking the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

  • Through

    2 Chronicles 14:8

    Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah bearing large shields and spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin bearing small shields and drawing the bow. All these were mighty men of valor.

    it leads to

    • 2 Chronicles 13:3

      Abijah went into battle with an army of 400,000 chosen men, while Jeroboam drew up in formation against him with 800,000 chosen and mighty men of valor.

    • 2 Chronicles 25:5

      Then Amaziah gathered the people of Judah and assigned them according to their families to commanders of thousands and of hundreds. And he numbered those twenty years of age or older throughout Judah and…

    • 2 Chronicles 17:14–19

      These are their numbers according to the houses of their fathers: From Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah the commander, and with him 300,000 mighty men of valor;

    • 2 Chronicles 11:1

      When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mobilized the house of Judah and Benjamin—180,000 chosen warriors—to fight against Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.

Where this verse is studied

On this page

About 1 Chronicles

King David Playing the Harp, Gerard van Honthorst, 1622. Public domain.
King David Playing the Harp, Gerard van Honthorst, 1622. Public domain.

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Berean Standard Bible, 1 Chronicles 12:1 to 2; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.