Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
The sons, that is descendants, of Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Asher.
Vulgate Text: 1 Paralipomenon 7:1-40
1. The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron, four. 2. The sons of Tola: Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their fathers' houses. Of the descendants of Tola there were mighty men of valor numbered in the days of David: twenty-two thousand six hundred. 3. The sons of Uzzi: Izrahiah, from whom were born Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah, five, all of them chief men. 4. With them, by their families and clans, were armed troops ready for battle, mighty men of valor, thirty-six thousand: for they had many wives and sons. 5. Their brothers throughout all the families of Issachar were mighty men of valor, eighty-seven thousand enrolled. 6. The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, and Jediael, three. 7. The sons of Bela: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri, five, heads of fathers' houses, mighty men of valor: they were enrolled twenty-two thousand and thirty-four. 8. The sons of Becher: Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jerimoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth: all these were the sons of Becher. 9. They were enrolled by their families as heads of their fathers' houses, mighty men of valor, twenty thousand two hundred. 10. The sons of Jediael: Bilhan. The sons of Bilhan: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar: 11. all these were the sons of Jediael, heads of fathers' houses, mighty men of valor, seventeen thousand two hundred, fit to go out for war. 12. Shuppim also and Huppim, sons of Ir; and Hushim, the son of Aher. 13. The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shallum, sons of Bilhah. 14. The son of Manasseh: Asriel, whom his Syrian concubine bore; she bore Machir the father of Gilead. 15. Machir took wives for his sons Huppim and Shuppim; and he had a sister named Maacah. The name of the second was Zelophehad, and Zelophehad had daughters. 16. Maacah the wife of Machir bore a son, and called his name Peresh; the name of his brother was Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rakem. 17. The son of Ulam: Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh. 18. His sister Hammolecheth bore Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah. 19. The sons of Shemida: Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam. 20. The sons of Ephraim: Shuthelah, Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath his son, 21. Zabad his son, Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elead. The men of Gath who were born in that land killed them, because they came down to take their cattle. 22. Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brothers came to comfort him. 23. Then he went in to his wife, who conceived and bore a son; and he called his name Beriah, because disaster had befallen his house. 24. His daughter was Sheerah, who built Lower and Upper Beth-horon and Uzzen-sheerah. 25. Rephah was his son, also Resheph, and Telah his son, from whom was born Tahan, 26. who begot Ladan; his son also was Ammihud, who begot Elishama, 27. from whom descended Nun, who had a son Joshua. 28. Their possession and dwelling was Bethel and its towns, and to the east Naaran, and to the west Gezer and its towns, Shechem also and its towns, as far as Ayyah and its towns. 29. Along the borders of Manasseh: Beth-shean and its towns, Taanach and its towns, Megiddo and its towns, Dor and its towns. In these dwelt the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel. 30. The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and Serah their sister. 31. The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel, who was the father of Birzaith. 32. Heber begot Japhlet, Shomer, Hotham, and Shua their sister. 33. The sons of Japhlet: Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath: these were the sons of Japhlet. 34. The sons of Shomer: Ahi, Rohgah, Hubbah, and Aram. 35. The sons of his brother Helem: Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal. 36. The sons of Zophah: Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah, 37. Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, and Beera. 38. The sons of Jether: Jephunneh, Pispah, and Ara. 39. The sons of Ulla: Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia. 40. All these were the sons of Asher, heads of their fathers' houses, choice and mighty men of valor, chiefs of the princes: the number of those fit for war was twenty-six thousand.
Verse 3: The Sons of Uzzi
3. THE SONS OF UZZI. — 'Sons' means son; for only one is named, namely Izrahiah, because Ezra wished to trace the lineage of him alone, as being distinguished: for it is likely that Uzzi had more sons, but less famous ones. For it is certain that in these ten chapters the names of many descendants of the Patriarchs are passed over in silence; for it would have been prolix and practically endless to enumerate them all. Therefore only some of the more illustrious are listed here, the rest are passed over. Thus Genesis XLVI, 23, says: 'The sons of Dan: Hushim.' 'Sons' means son; for he had only one, from whom the whole Tribe of Dan was propagated.
Verse 6: The Sons of Benjamin
6. THE SONS OF BENJAMIN: BELA, BECHER, AND JEDIAEL, THREE. — These three were the most illustrious: for in total there were ten, who are listed in Genesis XLVI, 21.
Verse 18: His Sister Hammolecheth
18. HIS SISTER HAMMOLECHETH BORE ISHHOD. — The Hebrew says: 'and his sister Molechet bore Isehod.' So the Septuagint, Pagninus, Vatablus, and others; but our Translator rendered the proper names by their meanings in his customary way: for Molechet means 'queen,' and Isehod means 'man of splendor.' See what was said at chapter IV, verses 22 and 23.
Verse 21: The Sons of Ephraim Slain by Gath
21. THE MEN OF GATH WHO WERE BORN IN THE LAND KILLED THEM (the sons of Ephraim, the firstborn of Joseph), BECAUSE THEY CAME DOWN TO TAKE THEIR POSSESSIONS. — It is likely that Pharaoh gave Joseph, whom he had placed over Egypt because of the famine he averted, some possessions there, especially on its borders, and in the land of Goshen which he had assigned to his brothers for feeding their cattle. Joseph on his death left these possessions to his son Ephraim; and Ephraim passed them on to his sons; but the Gathites, neighbors of Egypt, killed them and seized their possessions, and this is what is said here. The Chaldean Paraphrast mentions this slaughter at Canticles II, 7, but in his usual manner mixes many fables with the truth.
Verse 24: Sheerah Who Built Beth-horon
24. HIS DAUGHTER WAS SHEERAH, WHO BUILT BETH-HORON. — 'Daughter' means granddaughter or rather great-granddaughter: for a daughter of Ephraim dwelling with him in Egypt could not have built Beth-horon and two other cities that were in Canaan.