The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 15

places and in the Hebrew text; but in text, and in the Septuagint, except thut thia the Septuagint slight differences occur, R8 last reads Naohes here for Naehoth there. Zembram, Iexan, Madam, Sobak, Soe, Daidan, Vers. 38-42.-F. LIST OF DESCEISDANTB Sabai, Opher, Abide., and Eldada. here, for OF SEIB. These verses contain the names 7,orubr,m, Icz,m, l'tl adal, Iesbok, Soie, Dedan, of seven sons of Seir and one daughtor, Snba, Apheir, Abeida, and Eldaga there. and of grandsons through every one of It is carefully stated in Gen. xxv. 5, 6, the seven sons, viz. two through Lote.n nft.er the enumeration of Keturah's children, the first, five through Shobe.l the second, nnd in spite of her hnving been CAiled two through Zibeon the third, one througli " wife" in the first verse, that "Abraham Ana.h tlrn fourth, four through Dishon gave all that he had unto IS11ac. But unto the fifth, three through J:ze.r the sixth, the sons of the concubines, which A.bra• and two through Dishe.n the seventh,- ham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent twenty-six names in all, or, including the them away from Isaac his son, while he yet one daughter, who is introduced as Lota.n'a li rnd, eastward, unto the east country." sister, twenty-seven. The first question V ers. 34 - 3i lead us on to the de- which arises is, who Seir was, now first scendants of Isaac, the more important mentioned here. He is called in Gen, branch of Abraham's family. It breaks xxxvi. 20 " Seir the Horite," and the only again at once into two, Esan, the less im- previous mention of the name Seir in that portant, treated of first; and Israel, reserved chapter is in ver. 8, "Thus dwelt Esau in till we enter on eh. ii. Of Esau, the mount Seir: Esau is Edom;" while we names of five sons are given; and of seven read in Gen. xiv. 6, "The Horites in mount grandsons by the first in order, and four Seir;" in Gen. xxxii. 3, •• To the land of grandsons by the second in order of these Seir, the country of Edom." For anything sons. In Gen. xxxvi. 1-5 we Lave the we know of the person Seir, then, we are names of the five sons of Esau, which cor- confined to these two notices-that in Gen, respond in the Authorized Version and in ::uxvi. 20 and the one in our text, The the Hebrew text exactly with those of this name signifies 1' rough;" and whether Seir, list. We have there in addition the names the person, took the name from Seir, the of their mothers respectively, who were place (a mountain district, reaching from "daughters of Canaan," Adah of the Hit- the Dead Sea to the Elanitic Gulf), or tites, mother of the first; Bashamath of f!ice versa, it would seem plain that the the lshmaelites, mother of the second (and proper name belonged to the head of the bv these two lines came the seven and four tribe which had become located there, and grandsons); and .aholibamah of the Hi vites, was ~f course, not in the line of Abraham. mother of the remaining three sons. The Thi~ tribe, called Horites-Hori being the names correspond also in the Septuagint in name of Seir's eldest grandson-or Troglo- the two places, with the minute differences dytes, acquired their name from hollowing of Eliphaz and Ieoul here, for Eliphas and out dwellings in the rocks, as at Petra. Ieous there. Then follow the names of They were visited evidently by Esau : he seven grandBons of Esau though his son married at least one of his wives from them; Elipha.z, of whom the first five are found and his descendants, the Edomites, in due and in agreement (Gen. =-xvi. 11), with time dispossessed and superseded them the exception of Zephi here for Zepho (Deut. ii. 12). No doubt so~e were left tliere, both in the Authorized Version and i11 behind and contentedly submitted to the the I-Iehrew text. But the sixth name here, Edomites nnd became mingled with them. Timna, i.s explained in Genesis as the name These considerations put together account of a concubine of Eliphaz, by whom he had for the introduction here of the names of the son A.m.alek, who appears here as the Seir and his twenty-seven descendants, seventh son. There can be no doubt that while the particulars of their genealogy, so we come here upon a transcriber's error, and far as here given, would lie easily to hand. it would be easilv amended if we read "and The sons of Seir are called in Genesis also by Timna, Amalek," vice" and Timna and Amalek." If this be the correct account of "duke3 " ('P.IS~), a word unswored to by the matter, the grandsons of Esau of course the later " sheikhs;" and they are called count one fewer here. These two names "dukes of the Horites," or "the dukes of also tally in the Authorized Version and in Hori, amoug their du~es in the land of the Hehrew text in the two places; while Scir." The twenty-six or twenty-seven for all seven names the agreement in the names uuder notice agree in the Authorized Septuagint is exact, except that we read Version entirely with those in Gen. xxxvi. Goiitham here for Gotham there. There 20-27, except that for Homam, Alian, mlllain, in ver. 37, four graudsons to Esau, Bhephi, Amra.m, and J'akan here, we have l,v Reuel. Their names agree with Genesis Hemam, Al van, Shepho, Hemdan, and Akan hi the Authorized Version, in the Hebrew there. Also in the Hebrew the textll ou. 1. 1-54,] THE FIRST nooK OF 'l'IIE CHRONICLES. r,