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The Histories · Old Testament

1 Chronicles 5

1 Chronicles 5: Reuben, Gad and half Manasseh east of Jordan

General context

The chapter begins with a parenthesis about Reuben: he was the firstborn, but because "he defiled his father’s bed" his birthright went to the sons of Joseph, and "the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright". Judah "prevailed above his brethren" and produced the chief ruler, "but the birthright was Joseph’s". Reuben's four sons are named, then a line from Joel to Beerah, "whom Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria carried away captive". Bela, one of the Reubenite chiefs, dwelt from Aroer to Nebo and eastward toward the wilderness, because their cattle multiplied in Gilead, and in Saul's days they defeated the Hagarites. Gad's chiefs and families dwelt in Bashan and Sharon; their genealogies were reckoned "in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel". Together Reuben, Gad and half Manasseh fielded 44,760 fighting men and made war with the Hagarites, Jetur, Nephish and Nodab. They were helped "for they cried to God in the battle"; camels, sheep, asses and a hundred thousand men were taken, and "many slain, because the war was of God". Half Manasseh's heads are listed. Then the narrator says they transgressed and went after the gods of the land, and God stirred up Pul and Tilgath–pilneser, who carried the three groups away to Halah, Habor, Hara and the river Gozan, "unto this day".

Cited passages: 1 Chronicles 5:1, 1 Chronicles 5:2, 1 Chronicles 5:3, 1 Chronicles 5:6, 1 Chronicles 5:8, 1 Chronicles 5:9, 1 Chronicles 5:10, 1 Chronicles 5:11, 1 Chronicles 5:16, 1 Chronicles 5:17, 1 Chronicles 5:18, 1 Chronicles 5:19, 1 Chronicles 5:20, 1 Chronicles 5:21, 1 Chronicles 5:22, 1 Chronicles 5:24, 1 Chronicles 5:25, 1 Chronicles 5:26

1 Chronicles 5 (KJV)

1Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.

2For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph’s:)

3The sons, I say, of Reuben the firstborn of Israel were, Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

4The sons of Joel; Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,

5Micah his son, Reaia his son, Baal his son,

6Beerah his son, whom Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria carried away captive: he was prince of the Reubenites.

7And his brethren by their families, when the genealogy of their generations was reckoned, were the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah,

8And Bela the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel, who dwelt in Aroer, even unto Nebo and Baal-meon:

9And eastward he inhabited unto the entering in of the wilderness from the river Euphrates: because their cattle were multiplied in the land of Gilead.

10And in the days of Saul they made war with the Hagarites, who fell by their hand: and they dwelt in their tents throughout all the east land of Gilead.

11And the children of Gad dwelt over against them, in the land of Bashan unto Salchah:

12Joel the chief, and Shapham the next, and Jaanai, and Shaphat in Bashan.

13And their brethren of the house of their fathers were, Michael, and Meshullam, and Sheba, and Jorai, and Jachan, and Zia, and Heber, seven.

14These are the children of Abihail the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz;

15Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, chief of the house of their fathers.

16And they dwelt in Gilead in Bashan, and in her towns, and in all the suburbs of Sharon, upon their borders.

17All these were reckoned by genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.

18The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war, were four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war.

19And they made war with the Hagarites, with Jetur, and Nephish, and Nodab.

20And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them: for they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them; because they put their trust in him.

21And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men an hundred thousand.

22For there fell down many slain, because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their steads until the captivity.

23And the children of the half tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land: they increased from Bashan unto Baal-hermon and Senir, and unto mount Hermon.

24And these were the heads of the house of their fathers, even Epher, and Ishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremiah, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty men of valour, famous men, and heads of the house of their fathers.

25And they transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before them.

26And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, unto this day.

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Historical context

The chapter states its own reason for the order of the genealogies: Reuben lost the birthright by defiling his father's bed, the birthright went to Joseph, and rule came from Judah. It does not narrate the offence. The tribes here are the ones settled east of Jordan, and the text ties their history to named kings: Saul, Jotham of Judah, Jeroboam of Israel, and two kings of Assyria, Pul and Tilgath–pilneser. The KJV says God stirred up "the spirit of Pul" and "the spirit of Tilgath-pilneser" and then "he carried them away", so whether one king or two is meant is not settled by the wording. The Hagarites, Jetur, Nephish and Nodab are named as enemies but not described. The narrator, not a character, gives the verdicts: the battle was won because they cried to God, and "the war was of God"; the exile came because they "went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land". The count of 44,760 fighters and the spoils, including "of men an hundred thousand", are given as figures without explanation of how they were reckoned. "Until the captivity" and "unto this day" mark a standpoint later than the captivity, but no dates are supplied.

Cited passages: 1 Chronicles 5:1, 1 Chronicles 5:2, 1 Chronicles 5:10, 1 Chronicles 5:17, 1 Chronicles 5:26, 1 Chronicles 5:19, 1 Chronicles 5:20, 1 Chronicles 5:22, 1 Chronicles 5:25, 1 Chronicles 5:18, 1 Chronicles 5:21

Literary context

The chapter opens by interrupting itself: the sentence "Now the sons of Reuben" is broken by a two-verse parenthesis and then restarted with "The sons, I say, of Reuben". That aside explains why Judah came first in chapters 2 to 4 and why Joseph's tribes will get the fuller treatment later. Reuben and Gad are each handled with names, territory and a time marker, half Manasseh with territory and names, and then the three are joined into one army for a battle told as a single episode with prayer, help, spoil and slaughter. The Reubenite line ends in captivity under Tilgath–pilneser before the battle is even told, so the reader knows the ending in advance. The chapter closes by returning to that ending and giving its cause, transgression, so the eastern tribes' story runs from lost birthright to lost land. The phrase "unto this day" is used for the exile, not for a victory, which sets these tribes apart from Simeon's "unto this day" in chapter 4.

Cited passages: 1 Chronicles 5:1, 1 Chronicles 5:3, 1 Chronicles 5:2, 1 Chronicles 5:6, 1 Chronicles 5:12, 1 Chronicles 5:23, 1 Chronicles 5:20, 1 Chronicles 5:22, 1 Chronicles 5:25, 1 Chronicles 5:26

Key moments

  1. Reuben's birthright given away (1 Chronicles 5:1). The narrator explains that Reuben's birthright passed to Joseph's sons because he defiled his father's bed.
  2. Judah's ruler, Joseph's birthright (1 Chronicles 5:2). Judah prevailed and produced the chief ruler, but the birthright stayed Joseph's.
  3. Beerah carried captive (1 Chronicles 5:6). The Reubenite line ends with a prince taken by Tilgath–pilneser.
  4. Reckoned under Jotham and Jeroboam (1 Chronicles 5:17). Gad's genealogies are dated to the reigns of two named kings.
  5. War with the Hagarites (1 Chronicles 5:20). The three eastern groups are helped because they cry to God in the battle.
  6. Transgression named (1 Chronicles 5:25). The narrator says they went after the gods of the people God had destroyed.
  7. Carried to Halah and Gozan (1 Chronicles 5:26). God stirs up the Assyrian kings, who take the eastern tribes away unto this day.

For reflection

The same narrator says the eastern tribes won because "they cried to God in the battle" and later lost their land because they "went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land". What does the chapter's placing of these two verdicts side by side ask a reader to notice?

People in this chapter

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