1 Chronicles 7:1–8:40 (June 5, 2025)

Descendants of Issachar

7:1 The sons[a] 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, namely of Tola, mighty warriors of their generations, their number in the days of David being 22,600. 3 The son[b] of Uzzi: Izrahiah. And the sons of Izrahiah: Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah, all five of them were chief men. 4 And along with them, by their generations, according to their fathers' houses, were units of the army for war, 36,000, for they had many wives and sons. 5 Their kinsmen belonging to all the clans of Issachar were in all 87,000 mighty warriors, enrolled by genealogy.

Descendants of Benjamin

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 warriors. And their enrollment by genealogies was 22,034. 8 The sons of Becher: Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth. All these were the sons of Becher. 9 And their enrollment by genealogies, according to their generations, as heads of their fathers' houses, mighty warriors, was 20,200. 10 The son of Jediael: Bilhan. And the sons of Bilhan: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar. 11 All these were the sons of Jediael according to the heads of their fathers' houses, mighty warriors, 17,200, able to go to war. 12 And Shuppim and Huppim were the sons of Ir, Hushim the son of Aher.

Descendants of Naphtali

13 The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shallum, the descendants of Bilhah.

Descendants of Manasseh

14 The sons of Manasseh: Asriel, whom his Aramean concubine bore; she bore Machir the father of Gilead. 15 And Machir took a wife for Huppim and for Shuppim. The name of his sister was Maacah. And the name of the second was Zelophehad, and Zelophehad had daughters. 16 And Maacah the wife of Machir bore a son, and she called his name Peresh; and 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 the son of Machir, son of Manasseh. 18 And his sister Hammolecheth bore Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah. 19 The sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.

Descendants of Ephraim

20 The sons of Ephraim: Shuthelah, and Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath his son, 21 Zabad his son, Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elead, whom the men of Gath who were born in the land killed, because they came down to raid their livestock. 22 And Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brothers came to comfort him. 23 And Ephraim went in to his wife, and she conceived and bore a son. And he called his name Beriah, because disaster had befallen his house.[c] 24 His daughter was Sheerah, who built both Lower and Upper Beth-horon, and Uzzen-sheerah. 25 Rephah was his son, Resheph his son, Telah his son, Tahan his son, 26 Ladan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, 27 Nun[d] his son, Joshua his son. 28 Their possessions and settlements were Bethel and its towns, and to the east Naaran, and to the west Gezer and its towns, Shechem and its towns, and Ayyah and its towns; 29 also in possession of the Manassites, Beth-shean and its towns, Taanach and its towns, Megiddo and its towns, Dor and its towns. In these lived the sons of Joseph the son of Israel.

Descendants of Asher

30 The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. 31 The sons of Beriah: Heber, and Malchiel, who fathered Birzaith. 32 Heber fathered Japhlet, Shomer, Hotham, and their sister Shua. 33 The sons of Japhlet: Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. These are the sons of Japhlet. 34 The sons of Shemer his brother: Rohgah, Jehubbah, and Aram. 35 The sons of Helem his brother: 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, Pispa, and Ara. 39 The sons of Ulla: Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia. 40 All of these were men of Asher, heads of fathers' houses, approved, mighty warriors, chiefs of the princes. Their number enrolled by genealogies, for service in war, was 26,000 men.

Footnotes

1 Chronicles 7:1 Syriac (compare Vulgate); Hebrew And to the sons

1 Chronicles 7:3 Hebrew sons; also verses 10, 12, 17

1 Chronicles 7:23 Beriah sounds like the Hebrew for disaster

1 Chronicles 7:27 Hebrew Non

Title: The Hidden Strength of God’s People: Remembering the Forgotten and Preserving the Line

Summary and Structure

These chapters present the genealogies of the remaining northern tribes, with a particular emphasis on their military capabilities, historical context, and identity preservation, culminating in a detailed genealogy of Benjamin, the tribe of Saul.

Section Content

7:1–5 Issachar: descendants and mighty warriors

7:6–12 Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh (West), Ephraim, Asher

7:13–19 The sons of Naphtali and others, with emphasis on families

7:20–29 Ephraim’s line, including the tragedy of his sons and hope in Joshua

7:30–40 Asher’s descendants, noted for valor and leadership

8:1–40 Benjamin’s genealogy, culminating in Saul’s royal lineage

Reflections

1) God sees the strength of the overlooked tribes.

1 Chronicles 7:2, 5 (ESV)

“The sons of Tola: Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their fathers’ houses, namely of Tola, mighty warriors of their generations, their number in the days of David being 22,600… Their kinsmen belonging to all the clans of Issachar were in all 87,000 mighty warriors, enrolled by genealogy.”

The tribes of Issachar and Asher may be lesser-known, but they are not lesser in God's eyes. The Chronicler honors their faithfulness and military readiness, reminding readers that every tribe and person has a role in God’s kingdom, even if not centrally visible.

2) Suffering and hope mark the line of Ephraim.

1 Chronicles 7:21–22 (ESV)

“Zabad his son, Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elead, whom the men of Gath who were born in the land killed, because they came down to raid their livestock. And Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brothers came to comfort him.”

The story of Ephraim’s grief, rare within genealogical lists, humanizes the cost of generational conflict and loss. Yet, out of his mourning came new life, and ultimately Joshua, a deliverer of Israel, arose from this line (v. 27).

1 Chronicles 7:27 (ESV)

“Nun his son, Joshua his son.”

Ephraim’s line reminds us that God can bring forth leadership and redemption out of seasons of sorrow.

3) God preserves the royal line through Benjamin.

1 Chronicles 8:1, 33 (ESV)

“Benjamin fathered Bela his firstborn… Ner fathered Kish, Kish fathered Saul, Saul fathered Jonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.”

Chapter 8 reintroduces the tribe of Benjamin with far more detail than earlier in chapter 7. This second genealogy serves to trace the royal line leading to Saul, Israel’s first king. Though Saul would fail, this line paves the way for the coming of David, and eventually Christ.

The Chronicler restores dignity to Benjamin, once nearly extinguished in Judges 19–21. It shows that no tribe or person is beyond God’s redemptive reach.

Applications

a) God remembers the faithful, even when the world forgets.

Tribes like Issachar, Asher, and Naphtali are often overlooked, but not by God.

God values not fame, but faithful presence and generational strength.

The Church today must remember that many hidden saints form its backbone.

b) God brings hope through grief and loss.

Ephraim's mourning over lost sons led to the eventual birth of Joshua.

Tragedy does not negate covenant; often, it deepens and prepares for future grace.

Our own losses can become the soil for new callings and leaders to arise.

c) God can redeem broken legacies.

The tribe of Benjamin was once nearly erased, but became the tribe of kings.

God does not erase broken histories—He restores and repurposes them.

No matter our past, God can write a new future in Christ, the greater King.

Prayer

O Lord of every generation,

You remember the names and stories that the people forget.

You see the quiet faithfulness of tribes like Issachar and Asher,

the tears of Ephraim, and the brokenness of Benjamin.

You bring forth leaders from suffering,

You redeem the past through Your providence,

And You raise up praise from the obscure and the ordinary.

We thank You that in Christ, we are grafted into this holy family.

Use our lives, whether seen or unseen,

to strengthen Your people, to bring comfort in sorrow,

and to proclaim the faithful love of our eternal King.

In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.