The Histories · Old Testament

1 Chronicles 1

1 Chronicles 1: names from Adam to the dukes of Edom

General context

The book opens with a bare chain of names, Adam to Noah and his three sons, with no verbs at all. It then branches: the sons of Japheth, the sons of Ham, the sons of Shem. A few asides interrupt the lists. Nimrod "began to be mighty upon the earth"; the Philistines came of Casluhim; Peleg is named "because in his days the earth was divided". A second chain runs from Shem to Abram, closed with the note "the same is Abraham". Abraham's sons are Isaac and Ishmael. Ishmael's twelve sons come first, then the sons of Keturah, called Abraham's concubine, then Isaac's sons, Esau and Israel. Esau's sons and grandsons follow, then the sons of Seir, with the note that Timna was Lotan's sister. The chapter closes with the kings who reigned in Edom "before any king reigned over the children of Israel", each succeeding when the last was dead, and finally a list of eleven dukes of Edom.

Cited passages: 1 Chronicles 1:1, 1 Chronicles 1:4, 1 Chronicles 1:5, 1 Chronicles 1:8, 1 Chronicles 1:10, 1 Chronicles 1:12, 1 Chronicles 1:17, 1 Chronicles 1:19, 1 Chronicles 1:24, 1 Chronicles 1:27, 1 Chronicles 1:28, 1 Chronicles 1:29, 1 Chronicles 1:32, 1 Chronicles 1:34, 1 Chronicles 1:35, 1 Chronicles 1:38, 1 Chronicles 1:39, 1 Chronicles 1:43, 1 Chronicles 1:44, 1 Chronicles 1:51, 1 Chronicles 1:54

1 Chronicles 1 (KJV)

¹Adam, Sheth, Enosh,

²Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered,

³Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech,

⁴Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

⁵The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.

⁶And the sons of Gomer; Ashchenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.

⁷And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.

⁸The sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.

⁹And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabta, and Raamah, and Sabtecha. And the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.

¹⁰And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be mighty upon the earth.

¹¹And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,

¹²And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (of whom came the Philistines,) and Caphthorim.

¹³And Canaan begat Zidon his firstborn, and Heth,

¹⁴The Jebusite also, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite,

¹⁵And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,

¹⁶And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite.

¹⁷The sons of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram, and Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Meshech.

¹⁸And Arphaxad begat Shelah, and Shelah begat Eber.

¹⁹And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg; because in his days the earth was divided: and his brother’s name was Joktan.

²⁰And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,

²¹Hadoram also, and Uzal, and Diklah,

²²And Ebal, and Abimael, and Sheba,

²³And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.

²⁴Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah,

²⁵Eber, Peleg, Reu,

²⁶Serug, Nahor, Terah,

²⁷Abram; the same is Abraham.

²⁸The sons of Abraham; Isaac, and Ishmael.

²⁹These are their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; then Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,

³⁰Mishma, and Dumah, Massa, Hadad, and Tema,

³¹Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael.

³²Now the sons of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine: she bare Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. And the sons of Jokshan; Sheba, and Dedan.

³³And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Henoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these are the sons of Keturah.

³⁴And Abraham begat Isaac. The sons of Isaac; Esau and Israel.

³⁵The sons of Esau; Eliphaz, Reuel, and Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah.

³⁶The sons of Eliphaz; Teman, and Omar, Zephi, and Gatam, Kenaz, and Timna, and Amalek.

³⁷The sons of Reuel; Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.

³⁸And the sons of Seir; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah, and Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan.

³⁹And the sons of Lotan; Hori, and Homam: and Timna was Lotan’s sister.

⁴⁰The sons of Shobal; Alian, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. And the sons of Zibeon; Aiah, and Anah.

⁴¹The sons of Anah; Dishon. And the sons of Dishon; Amram, and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran.

⁴²The sons of Ezer; Bilhan, and Zavan, and Jakan. The sons of Dishan; Uz, and Aran.

⁴³Now these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel; Bela the son of Beor: and the name of his city was Dinhabah.

⁴⁴And when Bela was dead, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead.

⁴⁵And when Jobab was dead, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his stead.

⁴⁶And when Husham was dead, Hadad the son of Bedad, which smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Avith.

⁴⁷And when Hadad was dead, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead.

⁴⁸And when Samlah was dead, Shaul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his stead.

⁴⁹And when Shaul was dead, Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead.

⁵⁰And when Baal-hanan was dead, Hadad reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Pai; and his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.

⁵¹Hadad died also. And the dukes of Edom were; duke Timnah, duke Aliah, duke Jetheth,

⁵²Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon,

⁵³Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar,

⁵⁴Duke Magdiel, duke Iram. These are the dukes of Edom.

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Historical context

The chapter establishes a sequence of descent, not a story. It gives no ages, no dates and no events beyond three short notes: Nimrod's might, the division of the earth in Peleg's days, and the Philistines' origin from Casluhim. The only explicit identification is "Abram; the same is Abraham". Ishmael's sons and Keturah's sons are listed before Isaac's, and Esau's descendants and the Edomite kings before Israel's sons, which begin in the next chapter. The text lists Timna twice, once among the sons of Eliphaz and once as Lotan's sister, without comment. The Edomite kings are placed "before any king reigned over the children of Israel", and for some a city is named; Hadad the son of Bedad is the only one given a deed, having "smote Midian in the field of Moab". The text does not explain how the sons of Seir relate to Esau's family, why the kingship in Edom passes between unrelated men, or what the dukes were. No story is told for any of these names; the list alone carries the weight.

Cited passages: 1 Chronicles 1:10, 1 Chronicles 1:12, 1 Chronicles 1:19, 1 Chronicles 1:27, 1 Chronicles 1:31, 1 Chronicles 1:33, 1 Chronicles 1:36, 1 Chronicles 1:39, 1 Chronicles 1:43, 1 Chronicles 1:46, 1 Chronicles 1:50

Literary context

The chapter alternates two forms. Straight chains of single names (Adam to Noah, Shem to Abraham) move quickly down one line; branching lists ("The sons of Japheth", "The sons of Ham") spread sideways. The pattern narrows from all peoples to one man, Abraham, and then widens again into the families that are not Israel: Ishmael, Keturah's sons, Esau, Seir, the kings and dukes of Edom. Israel's own sons are held back for the first verse of chapter 2. The king list uses one formula seven times, "And when X was dead, Y reigned in his stead", so that the succession reads as a rhythm of deaths. The narrator withholds every story a reader might expect, giving only fragments ("he began to be mighty", "the earth was divided") that point to events without telling them. Even the closing line is a summary, "These are the dukes of Edom", not a conclusion.

Cited passages: 1 Chronicles 1:1, 1 Chronicles 1:5, 1 Chronicles 1:8, 1 Chronicles 1:24, 1 Chronicles 1:27, 1 Chronicles 1:34, 1 Chronicles 1:45, 1 Chronicles 1:47, 1 Chronicles 1:10, 1 Chronicles 1:19, 1 Chronicles 1:54

Key moments

Adam heads the list (1 Chronicles 1:1). The book begins with three names and no verb, Adam, Sheth, Enosh.
Nimrod's note (1 Chronicles 1:10). Cush begets Nimrod, who began to be mighty upon the earth.
Peleg and the divided earth (1 Chronicles 1:19). Eber's son Peleg is named because in his days the earth was divided.
Abram, the same is Abraham (1 Chronicles 1:27). The chain from Shem ends with Abram and the note identifying him as Abraham.
Esau and Israel (1 Chronicles 1:34). Isaac's two sons are named, and Esau's line is traced first.
Kings of Edom before Israel's kings (1 Chronicles 1:43). Edom's kings begin with Bela the son of Beor, each succeeding at the last one's death.
The dukes of Edom (1 Chronicles 1:51). After Hadad dies, eleven dukes of Edom close the chapter.

For reflection

The chapter gives Nimrod one clause, "he began to be mighty upon the earth", and Peleg a single clause about the earth being divided. What is different about meeting such figures as entries in a list rather than as characters in a story?

People in this chapter

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