The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 110

the allusion to Dan. He also thinks that strictly a. son, but only descendant of this is corrobornted by the expression, "the Manasseh ; and, further, the irresistible 8ons of Bilhoh," in the next verse. impression is that Maohir was the only son, Ver. 13.-The sons of Naphtali. In nn strictly speaking (see especially Gen. I. 23). order quite different from the otherwise The position of Ashricl in our present pas- pnrallel passages (Gen. xlvi. 24; Numb. sage, first, is also very unsatisfactory in face xni. 48-50), the tribe of Naphtali is taken. of Gen. l. 23 a.nd the other references already NnphWi was the second son of Rachel's given. handmaid Bilhah, and in order of birth the Ver. 15.-l!rtaaoha.h. Of this Maachah, fifth son of Jacob, and was of course more one among ten of the same name, nothing closely allied to Dan, Ephraim, and Benja- else is known. The Peshito Syriac makes min. The family was distinguished for its her the mother instead of wife of Maobir. spirit throughout its history. At the Sinai The distinct mention of the marriage of a census it numbered fifty-three thousand four Manassite to a Benjamite woman is to be hundred fighting men (Numb. i. 42, 43); hut noticed. Zelophehad. The meaning of the at the close of the wanderings through the preceding words,and the name of the second, wilderness its numbers had become only is unintelligible. Zelophehad was son of forty-fiye thousand four hundred. Its ter- Hephen, who was (through Gilead a.nd ritory in the north, largely mountainous, Machir) great-grandson of Manasseh (Josh. bounded by Asher, Zebuluu, and Manasseh, xvii. 3). The number and names and wise '\'l'as some of the finest, and covered the district appeal and success of the daughters here afterwards called Galilee, "the cradle of the spoken of, are given in Josh. xvii. 3-6; Christian faith, the native place of most of Numb. xxvi. 33; xxvii.1-11; xxxvi. 5-12. the apostles, and the home of our Lord" Ver.17.-Bedan. While all the names of (Grom). The slight difference iu the spell- the preceding verse are strange to us, this ing of Je.b.ziel in Genesis, and of Shallum in name excites much interest, a.a possibly to be Numbers, may be noticed. The following identified with the Bedan (1 Sam. xii. 11) are interesting references to Naphtali in one who is placed after Jerubbaa.l (i.q. Gideon), or another portion of its history :-Dent. and before Jephthah and Samuel. Who in xxxiii. 23 ; Josh. xx. 7; xxi. 32; J udg. i. 33; the Book of Judges is to answer to this v. 18; eh. xxvii. 19; Ezek. xlviii. 3, 4, 34; Bedan of the Book of Samnel it is impossible Matt. iv. 15; Rev. vii 6. It played a con- to sny. See Bishop Cotton's excellent short siderable and prominent part also in the article (Smith's 'Bible Dictionary,' i. 177). conflicts with Titus and Vespasian, when These were the sons of Gilead (see ver. 14). the days of Jerusalem were numbered. The name Gilead surpassed the name Ver. 14.-The sons of llane.sseh. The Machir, and even rivalled that of Manasseh tribe of Manasseh has been partly treated itself. of in eh. v. 23-26, viz. those of the tribe Ver. 18.-Abiezer. He is the nephew, who inhabited Gilead and Bashan. Here then, of Gilead, and grandson of l\lachir. those who inhabited this side Jordan are Gideon sprang from him (Judg. vi. 11; viii. treated of. And it is very difficult to give 32). The name of the mother, Hammoleketh, any coherent account of the differences of is compounded of the article and Molekcth, this passage when compared with Numb. or Meleketh, " Chnldee form, found several xxvi. 28-34 and Josh. :nil. 1-4. In these times in the Book of Jeremiah, of the word places six families, or heads of families, are for "queen." Of !shod and l!rta.halah nothing noted to only two, or at most three here, viz. is known, but the latter name is identical Ashriel, Shemida, and perhaps Abiezer (i.q. with Mahlah, one of the five daughters of Jeezer, Numb. xxvi. 30; comp. with Josh. Zelophehad. xvii 2). The opening clause of this verse Ver. 19.-Shemidah. Josh. xvii. 2 tells also is unmanageable as it stands. One us that the descendants of Shemida obtained way of reducing it to coherence would be to their inheritance among the male children supply the words "his wife" between whom of Manasseh; and Numb. xxvi. 32 places and bare, the similD.rity of the Hebrew letters him in the Gilead family. Of .Ahian, Likhi, of which to those of the Hebrew for" whom" Am.am, nothing else is known. Bheohem. might possibly account for the loss of it. If thia name is rightly plBced under Shemi- The parenthesis about the concubine would dah, it must be concluded from Josh. xvii. 2 then read with emphasis. But there is not and Numb. xxvi. 31 that it is o. different the slightest reason to suppose there was Shechem from the one there found. 'fhis such a. wife. Another way would be to read latter w11s also a Mana.ssite, belonged to the tbe concubine as the mother of Ashriel, and family of Gilead, and was head of a family prefix a conjunction, "and," to the second named Shechemites after him. His de- "bare; "i.e. "and she bare," or, "she bare also scendnn ts are spoken of o.s the " sons of Machir." But it setms pretty plain from Bhechem" in the above passage of Joshua. l-nmbers and Joshua that Ashriel was not Vers. 20-27.-The chief difficulty of this oB. vu. 1-40.] '!'HE FIRST BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. lOL