| Back to Home Page | Back to Book Index
|
1
Chronicles Chapter Two
1 Chronicles 2
Chapter Contents
Genealogies.
We are now come to the register of the children of
Israel
that distinguished people
who were to dwell alone
and not be reckoned
among the nations. But now
in Christ
all are welcome to his salvation who
come to him; all have equal privileges according to their faith in him
their
love and devotedness to him. All that is truly valuable consists in the favour
peace
and image of God
and a life spent to his glory
in promoting the
welfare of our fellow-creatures.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on 1 Chronicles》
1 Chronicles 2
Verse 3
[3] The
sons of Judah; Er
and Onan
and Shelah: which three were born unto him of the
daughter of Shua the Canaanitess. And Er
the firstborn of Judah
was evil in
the sight of the LORD; and he slew him.
Judah —
Whom he puts first
because the best part of the right of the firstborn
namely
the dominion
was conferred upon him
Genesis 49:8
and because the Messiah was to
come out of his loins.
Verse 6
[6] And the sons of Zerah; Zimri
and Ethan
and Heman
and Calcol
and Dara:
five of them in all.
Dara — If
these be the same who are mentioned as the sons of Machol
1 Kings 4:31
either the same man had two names
Zerah and Machol
as was usual among the Hebrews: or
one of these was their
immediate father
and the other their grand-father. These are named
because
they were the glory of their father's house. When the Holy Ghost would magnify
the wisdom of Solomon
he saith
he was wiser than these four men. That four
brothers should be so eminent
was a rare thing.
Verse 7
[7] And
the sons of Carmi; Achar
the troubler of Israel
who transgressed in the thing
accursed.
Carmi —
Who is here mentioned
because he was the son of Zimri
who is also called
Zabdi
Joshua 7:1.
Achar —
Called Achan
Joshua 7:1
and here Achar
with a little
variation for greater significancy: for Achar signifies a troubler.
Verse 13
[13] And
Jesse begat his firstborn Eliab
and Abinadab the second
and Shimma the third
Eliab —
Called also Elihu
chap. 27:18
unless that was another person
and the
word brother be taken more largely for a kinsman
as it is frequently.
Verse 15
[15] Ozem the sixth
David the seventh:
Seventh — He
had eight sons
1 Samuel 16:10
but probably one of them died
presently after that time.
Verse 17
[17] And
Abigail bare Amasa: and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmeelite.
Ishmaelite — By
birth or habitation
but by profession an Israelite
2 Samuel 17:25.
Verse 18
[18] And
Caleb the son of Hezron begat children of Azubah his wife
and of Jerioth: her
sons are these; Jesher
and Shobab
and Ardon.
Her sons —
The sons of Azubah
who is by way of distinction called his wife
when Jerioth
probably was only his concubine
and
it may seem
barren: therefore upon
Azubah's death he married another wife. And those other sons of this Caleb
mentioned
verse 42
are his sons by some other wife distinct
from all these.
Verse 21
[21] And
afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead
whom
he married when he was threescore years old; and she bare him Segub.
Gilead — Of
a man so called: a man of noted valour
and the great champion in those parts.
Verse 23
[23] And
he took Geshur
and Aram
with the towns of Jair
from them
with Kenath
and
the towns thereof
even threescore cities. All these belonged to the sons of
Machir the father of Gilead.
Sons of Machir —
Partly to his own sons
and partly to his son-in-law Jair
who by reason of
that dear affection which was betwixt them
and his forsaking his own tribe and
kindred to fight for them and to dwell with them
is here reckoned as his own
son.
Verse 24
[24] And
after that Hezron was dead in Calebephratah
then Abiah Hezron's wife bare him
Ashur the father of Tekoa.
Tekoa — A
known place whose father he is called
because he was either the progenitor of
the people inhabiting there: or
their prince and ruler: or
the builder of the
city.
Verse 31
[31] And
the sons of Appaim; Ishi. And the sons of Ishi; Sheshan. And the children of
Sheshan; Ahlai.
The sons — An
expression often used in prophane authors too
where there is but one son.
Verse 35
[35] And
Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant to wife; and she bare him Attai.
Jarha —
Probably he was not only a proselyte
but an eminent man: else an Israelite
would not have given him his only daughter.
Verse 45
[45] And
the son of Shammai was Maon: and Maon was the father of Bethzur.
Beth-zur — A
place in Judah.
Verse 49
[49] She
bare also Shaaph the father of Madmannah
Sheva the father of Machbenah
and
the father of Gibea: and the daughter of Caleb was Achsah.
Madmannah —
This
and divers other following names are the names of places in Judah.
Verse 51
[51]
Salma the father of Bethlehem
Hareph the father of Bethgader.
Bethlehem —
That is
the inhabitants of Bethlehem.
Verse 55
[55] And
the families of the scribes which dwelt at Jabez; the Tirathites
the
Shimeathites
and Suchathites. These are the Kenites that came of Hemath
the
father of the house of Rechab.
Scribes —
Either civil
who were public notaries
that wrote and signed legal instruments:
or ecclesiastical. And these were either Levites
or Simeonites
or rather
Kenites
and are here mentioned not as if they were of the tribe of Judah
but
because they dwelt among them
and probably were allied to them by marriages
and so in a manner incorporated with them.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on 1 Chronicles》
02 Chapter 2
Verses 1-55
Verse 3
Verses 7-34
Verse 7
Achar
the troubler of Israel.
The troubler of Israel
I have read many biographies
but never met with any which hit off
a man’s character in a line as this word of inspiration does. The noble and the
great used frequently to suspend the “achievement” over the tomb of their
departed ancestor in memorial of his renown
bearing a motto
which described
the leading characteristic of the ancient founder of the family. Here is the
tomb of Achar
or Achan
and here is the motto for his achievement. The tomb
consists of a large heap of stones
which am injured people by God’s command
piled upon his ashes after they had stoned him to death
and burned his dead
body with fire. What is the motto? “The troubler of Israel.” What a finale to a
man’s life! What a record to paint on his escutcheon!
I. What made Achan
a troubler of Israel? Sin. All trouble may be traced to this. It led Achan to
commit the threefold crime of disobedience
defiance of God’s scrutiny
and
sacrilege. His one sin brought trouble into all the camp. This is all the mere
remarkable when you remember how insignificant his position was among the
tribes. We die all alone
but we cannot all sin alone. Even our secret sins are
public calamities
and no transgression is without its malign influence upon
the common weal.
II. The troubles
Achan brought upon his people.
1. Defeat before a less powerful foe.
2. Depression of spirit
which unremedied
would he fatal to the very
existence of the nation.
3. Anger from God
which would not be appeased even by the
intercession of Joshua.
4. The threat of abandonment by God if they did not root out the evil
from among them. (George Venables.)
Achan
the troubler of Israel
Why was the punishment of Achan so severe?
1. His was a terrible sin; it was a wilful disobedience; it was high
treason against God; it was sacrilege; it was stealing
lying
coveting
and
practically murder.
2. This sin struck at the very life of the nation. If the people
could disobey God with impunity
the nation would soon be ruined
and the hope
of the world be put out.
3. The course Achan took would have degraded God in the eyes of
Israel and of the Gentiles. The people and cities of Canaan were rich; the
Israelites were poor. Canaan had the resources of a somewhat high
civilisation--gold
silver
vessels of brass and of iron; goodly Babyionish garments.
Now
suppose the Lord had given them free license to plunder
to steal and
hide
and appropriate all they could lay hands on? This movement for the
conquest of Canaan would have become a savage
plundering
marauding
expedition.
4. These fascinating spoils--these glittering prizes of gold and
silver
and these ornaments of the cultured Canaanites--were linked in on every
hand with idolatry. Art and wealth in Canaan
as in every other heathen nation
lent their power to augment the attractions towards idol-worship.
5. But another consideration must have great weight. The Israelites
had before them the task of conquering Palestine
a task which required the
utmost discipline in the army. God was the Captain
directing
through Joshua
all the campaign. It was absolutely necessary
in the interests of military
discipline
to check the first buddings of that cupidity which so often
characterised ancient warfare. (Christian Age.)
Verse 34
Now Sheshan had no sons
but daughters.
Compensations
Men should
always put down after a statement of their deficiencies a statement of their
possessions; thus: had no money
but heal mental power; had no external fame
but had great home repute; had no genius
but had great common sense; had no
high connections of a social kind
but enjoyed easy access to heaven in prayer;
had no earthly property
but was rich in ideas and impulses; was not at the
head of a great circle of admirers
but was truly respected and trusted
wherever known; had no health
but had great cheerfulness. Thus we must keep
the two sides
so to say
parallel; if we have not one thing we have another. (J.
Parker
D. D.)
The compensations of life
The disproportion in man’s inheritances is far less than we are
prone to think. If one hand of the Universal Giver be closed
the other is
expanded; no one is left without his need of compensation; only in our weakness
and unthankfulness we look more at the darker side of our lot
and at what
appears to us the brighter side of our neighbour’s. Epictetus explains the
mystery in part: “It is not fortune that is blind
but ourselves.” Whatever be
our lot
if man will but just concede that that must be best for him which the
Best of Beings has ordained
life thenceforward has a solace which no fortune
can wrest away. (Leo H. Grindon.)
And the families of the Scribes which dwelt at Jabez
Scribes
I.
A noble calling. To
study and expound sacred books
inform society
and spread the will of God.
II. A family
calling. “The families of the scribes.” mere ditary pursuits in all
communities.
III. A needful calling.
A literary profession useful to society. A learned ministry the want of the
times. (James Wolfendale.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》