1 Chronicles 5:1

1 Chronicles 5:1

The Family of Reuben

1 Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel—^ahe was indeed the firstborn, but because he ^bdefiled his father’s bed, ^chis birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright;

2 yet ^aJudah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came a ^bruler, although the birthright was Joseph’s—

3 the sons of ^aReuben the firstborn of Israel were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

4 The sons of Joel were Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,

5 Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son,

6 and Beerah his son, whom Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria ^acarried into captivity. He was leader of the Reubenites.

7 And his brethren by their families, ^awhen the genealogy of their generations was registered: the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah,

8 and Bela the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel, who dwelt in ^aAroer, as far as Nebo and Baal Meon.

9 Eastward they settled as far as the¹ entrance of the wilderness this side of the River Euphrates, because their cattle had multiplied ^ain the land of Gilead.

10 Now in the days of Saul they made war ^awith the Hagrites, who fell by their hand; and they dwelt in their tents throughout the entire area east of Gilead.

The Family of Gad

11 And the ^achildren of Gad dwelt next to them in the land of ^bBashan as far as ^cSalcah:

12 Joel was the chief, Shapham the next, then Jaanai and Shaphat in Bashan,

Commentaries:

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown

<< 1 Chronicles 4:43

1 Chronicles 5:2 >>

THE LINE OF REUBEN. (I Chronicles 5:1-10)

Now the sons of Reuben—In proceeding to give this genealogy, the sacred historian states, in a parenthesis (I Chronicles 5:1-2), the reason why it was not placed first, as Reuben was the oldest son of Jacob. The birthright, which by a foul crime he had forfeited, implied not only dominion, but a double portion (Deuteronomy 21:17); and both of these were transferred to Joseph, whose two sons having been adopted as the children of Jacob (Genesis 48:5), received each an allotted portion, as forming two distinct tribes in Israel. Joseph then was entitled to the precedency; and yet, as his posterity was not mentioned first, the sacred historian judged it necessary to explain that "the genealogy was not to be reckoned after the birthright," but with a reference to a superior honor and privilege that had been conferred on Judah—not the man, but the tribe, whereby it was invested with the pre-eminence over all the other tribes, and out of it was to spring David with his royal lineage, and especially the great Messiah (Hebrews 7:14). These were the two reasons why, in the order of enumeration, the genealogy of Judah is introduced before that of Reuben.

**Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing 1 Chronicles 5:1:**

Genesis 48:5
1 Chronicles 5:1
1 Chronicles 5:1
Psalms 78:9-11
Ezekiel 37:16
Ezekiel 47:13
Hebrews 12:16

<< 1 Chronicles 4:43

1 Chronicles 5:2 >>

DISCLAIMER: Church of the Great God (CGG) provides these resources to aid the individual in studying the Bible. However, it is up to the individual to "prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good" (I Thessalonians 5:21). The content of these resources does not necessarily reflect the views of CGG. They are provided for information purposes only.