Deep Dive

I Chronicles 7:13

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

Commentaries

Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.

Keil-Delitzsch Old Testament Commentaryv. 13

And Maachah the wife of Machir bare a son, and she called his name Peresh; and the name of his brother was Sheresh,.... He had both these sons by her: and his sons were Ulam and Rakem, that is, either the sons of Peresh or Sheresh, the nearest, as Kimchi observes.

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Matthew Henry Bible Commentaryv. 13

In this chapter we have some account of the genealogies, I. Of Issachar (Ch1 7:1-5). II. Of Benjamin (Ch1 7:6-12). III. Of Naphtali (Ch1 7:13). IV. Of Manasseh (Ch1 7:14-19). V. Of Ephraim (Ch1 7:20-29). VI. Of Asher (Ch1 7:30-40). Here is no account either of Zebulun or Dan. Why they only should be omitted we can assign no reason; only it is the disgrace of the tribe of Dan that idolatry began in that colony of the Danites which fixed in Laish, and called Dan, and there one of the golden calves was set up by Jeroboam. Dan is omitted, Rev. 7.

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Tyndale Open Study Notesv. 13

7:13 In contrast with other genealogies, this abrupt listing of the sons of Naphtali includes only the first generation (cp. Gen 46:24; Num 26:48-50). The manuscript of Chronicles might have suffered damage at an early stage of scribal copying, which could also account for the omission of Dan and Zebulun. It is also possible that the records for Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali were lost when Tiglath-pileser attacked and exiled these tribes during Pekah’s reign (2 Kgs 15:29); in that case, the Chronicler had no records available to include.

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