The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 79

hie son ; nnd the sons of Gog the aon of eius, 'Perieg.,' 956: Pt. v. 2 (see o.rt. Semei," eto., nnd this in all three editions- "Hr.garenes" in Smith's' Bible Dictiouary'). Vnticnn, Alexandrine, and Aldine. Vere. 11-17.-The tribe of Gad is taken Vere. 7, 8.-Of Jeiel, Zeohariah, Bela, and next, and occupies but few lines. Gad was Azaz nothing further is known. Bhema and bom seventh in order of all the sons of Jacob Joel may be those of ver, 4, aa above. The (Gen. xxx. 9-12), and first of the children expression, his brethren, i.e. the brethren of of Leah'e ~aid Zilpah. The compiler seems Beere.h, must be read generally. The inti- to pass easily on to Gad, from the mere cir- mation, when the genealogy of their gene- cumstance of the name of the tribe bein"' so rations wu reckoned, is probably explained constantly linked with that preCPding~ in by the contents of ver. 17 ( of which here- the mattel of local settlement on the east of after). Aroer (i.f'i)I, or i~i,JI); e. place Jordan, after the journeyings of the wilder- east of the Jordan, overhanging the tonent ness (Josh. xiii. 7, 8). The geography in of Amon, which was e. boundary between vers. 11 and 16 offers very little difficulty. Moab e.nd the Amorites, e.nd e.ft.erwards Compared with the time of the fi.rst settlin"' between Moab e.nd Reuben. There is of the Gadites (Deut. iii. 10-13; Josh~ little doubt that Burckhe.rdt has identified xiii. 25, 30), it is evident that they hod the ruius of Aroer (see Numb. xxxii. 38; pushed their borders further to the north, Deut. ii. 24, 36; iii. 8, 12, 16; Jooh, xii. 1, trenching somewhat npon the lot of the half- 2; xiii. 9, 16; Judg. xi. 13, 26, where note tribe Manasseh, o.s they also in tum ex- transposition of letters in the Hebrew; 2 tended their limits north ward to Hermon Kings x. 33). Moab seems to have regained (ver. 23). This reconciles Josh. xiii. 30 it lo.tar (Jer. xlviii. 1--47; see interesting with the present passage. Balcah, or (Au- arts." Amon" and "Aroer," Smith's' Bible thorized Version) Salche.h (Deut. iii. 10; Dictionary'). Nebo and Bae.l-meon are also Josh. xiii. 11), is probably to be identifieJ mentioned together in Numb. xxxii. 38; as the modem Sul1'had, at the extreme and Bae.I-moon with Moab in Ezek. xxv. 9. eastern point of the plain HaILran, which This Nebo, the town, is distinct from Mount is bordered by the desert. "In Gilead iu Nebo. It is remarkable that it is not men- Be.she.n" me.y be rend, with some, as two tioned, unless under one of the "changed" co-ordinate places, separating them by 11, no.mes (Numb. x.xxii. 38), in the list of the stop; 01· may poiut to e. time when Bashan towns of Reuben (Josh. xiii. 15-23). Nebo included the upper half of Gilead. Sharon, wns the name of e. heathen deity, known which Keil, quoting Reland,' Po.I. Ill.,' 370, among the Che.ldee.ns (Isa. xlvi. 1), Bo.by- would make the well-known Sharon of louians, and Assyrinns ; e.nd this constituted Carmel nnd the Mediterranean, is, though one reason, if not the reason, for cbo.uging unmentioned elsewhere, probably distin- its name when it bad been affixed to the guished sufficiently from it by the absence Moo.bite city. of the article, which is invariably prefixed Ver. 9.-Keil o.nd others refer this verse to the other. Stanley's suggestion (' Sinai to the people of Belo.; yet others apply it e.nd Palestine,' edit. 1866, pp. 484, 485, to Joel. It would seem nearest the facts to 260) would seem exceedingly o.pt, tl.111t it is apply it to the main subject of the para- one in fact, o.s one in derivation and mean- graph-Reuben. Gilead (Dcut. iii. 12-16) ing, with the Mishar {i.e. "level lands," bad for its boundo.1·ies, on the north Dasho.n, "to.hie-land") of Giler.d and Il11shr.n. on the south l\Ioo.b, on the east the Aro.bie.n With this explanation, however, tho term desert. Its situation evidently exposed it "suburbs" does not so well agree. U pou to AssyriRn invasion e.nd frequent en- the other side, distant e.s the well-known counter with desert tribes (Josh. xvii. l; Sho.rou is, e. link of connection might bo Numb. xx:vi. 20, 30). fouud with it, in that the other Manasseh Ver. 10.-Among such conflicts, one with ho.If-tribe stretched into its plains; and in o. people descended presumably from Hagar thu.t ce.se the last word of the verse, □rnNv)n, or lahmnel (though eh. xxvii. 30, 31, e.nd Ps. might mean (Josh. xvii. 9) "the outgoings" lxxxiii. Go.re somewhr.t needlessly interpreted of the land or regions in question to the to be opposed to this) is here alluded to. It '' sea. 1 '-coae t. takes us to the time of Saul, and from that Ver. 12.-The four proper nnmes iu this time up to the time of " the Captivity" (var. veree a.re not known in connection with tho 22) the victorious Reubenitcs, Go.dites, and same persons elsewhere. The Septu,igiut people of the ho.If-tribe Mr.no.sseh had the tro.nslo.tes Sha.phat as" the scribe," applying benefit of enlarged domain o.t their expense: the description to the foregoing Jaane.i. "They dwelt in their eteads," after seizing Ver. 13.-And their brethren. 'l'his great spoil. It is exceedingly likoly that chapter (see ver. 7) seems to introduoe tho we have the perpetuation of the name Ho.go.- use of this word, which must ho understood rencs in the Agrrooi (mo,lern Hejer) of Stro.bo, generically. 'l'hc seven persons aro nowhore xvL7G7; Pliny, 'lfat. Ne.t.,' vi. 32; Diouy- elee mentione,l.  70 THE FIRS'l.' IlOOK OF 'l'HE CHRONICLES. [err. v. 1-26.