Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible

      1 Now Benjamin begat Bela his firstborn, Ashbel the second, and Aharah the third,   2 Nohah the fourth, and Rapha the fifth.   3 And the sons of Bela were, Addar, and Gera, and Abihud,   4 And Abishua, and Naaman, and Ahoah,   5 And Gera, and Shephuphan, and Huram.   6 And these are the sons of Ehud: these are the heads of the fathers of the inhabitants of Geba, and they removed them to Manahath:   7 And Naaman, and Ahiah, and Gera, he removed them, and begat Uzza, and Ahihud.   8 And Shaharaim begat children in the country of Moab, after he had sent them away; Hushim and Baara were his wives.   9 And he begat of Hodesh his wife, Jobab, and Zibia, and Mesha, and Malcham,   10 And Jeuz, and Shachia, and Mirma. These were his sons, heads of the fathers.   11 And of Hushim he begat Abitub, and Elpaal.   12 The sons of Elpaal; Eber, and Misham, and Shamed, who built Ono, and Lod, with the towns thereof:   13 Beriah also, and Shema, who were heads of the fathers of the inhabitants of Aijalon, who drove away the inhabitants of Gath:   14 And Ahio, Shashak, and Jeremoth,   15 And Zebadiah, and Arad, and Ader,   16 And Michael, and Ispah, and Joha, the sons of Beriah;   17 And Zebadiah, and Meshullam, and Hezeki, and Heber,   18 Ishmerai also, and Jezliah, and Jobab, the sons of Elpaal;   19 And Jakim, and Zichri, and Zabdi,   20 And Elienai, and Zilthai, and Eliel,   21 And Adaiah, and Beraiah, and Shimrath, the sons of Shimhi;   22 And Ishpan, and Heber, and Eliel,   23 And Abdon, and Zichri, and Hanan,   24 And Hananiah, and Elam, and Antothijah,   25 And Iphedeiah, and Penuel, the sons of Shashak;   26 And Shamsherai, and Shehariah, and Athaliah,   27 And Jaresiah, and Eliah, and Zichri, the sons of Jeroham.   28 These were heads of the fathers, by their generations, chief men. These dwelt in Jerusalem.   29 And at Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon; whose wife's name was Maachah:   30 And his firstborn son Abdon, and Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and Nadab,   31 And Gedor, and Ahio, and Zacher.   32 And Mikloth begat Shimeah. And these also dwelt with their brethren in Jerusalem, over against them.

      There is little or nothing of history in all these verses; we have not therefore much to observe. 1. As to the difficulties that occur in this and the foregoing genealogies we need not perplex ourselves. I presume Ezra took them as he found them in the books of the kings of Israel and Judah (ch. ix. 1), according as they were given in by the several tribes, each observing what method they thought fit. Hence some ascend, others desecnd; some have numbers affixed, others places; some have historical remarks intermixed, others have not; some are shorter, others longer; some agree with other records, others differ; some, it is likely, were torn, erased, and blotted, others more legible. Those of Dan and Reuben were entirely lost. This holy man wrote as he was moved by the Holy Ghost; but there was no necessity for the making up of the defects, no, nor for the rectifying of the mistakes, of these genealogies by inspiration. It was sufficient that he copied them out as they came into his hand, or so much of them as was requisite to the present purpose, which was the directing of the returned captives to settle as nearly as they could with those of their own family, and in the places of their former residence. We may suppose that many things in these genealogies which to us seem intricate, abrupt, and perplexed, were plain and easy to them then (who knew how to fill up the deficiencies) and abundantly answered the intention of the publishing of them. 2. Many great and mighty nations there were now in being upon earth, and many illustrious men in them, whose names are buried in perpetual oblivion, while the names of multitudes of the Israel of God are here carefully preserved in everlasting remembrance. They are Jasher, Jeshurun--just ones, and the memory of the just is blessed. Many of these we have reason to fear, came short of everlasting honour (for even the wicked kings of Judah come into the genealogy), yet the perpetuating of their names here was a figure of the writing of the names of all God's spiritual Israel in the Lamb's book of life. 3. This tribe of Benjamin was once brought to a very low ebb, in the time of the judges, upon the occasion of the iniquity of Gibeah, when only 600 men escaped the sword of justice; and yet, in these genealogies, it makes as good a figure as almost any of the tribes: for it is the honour of God to help the weakest and raise up those that are most diminished and abased. 4. Here is mention of one Ehud (v. 6), in the preceding verse of one Gera (v. 5) and (v. 8) of one that descended from him, that begat children in the country of Moab, which inclines me to think it was that Ehud who was the second of the judges of Israel; for he is said to be the son of Gera and a Benjamite (Judg. iii. 15), and he delivered Israel from the oppression of the Moabites by killing the king of Moab, which might give him a greater sway in the country of Moab than we find evidence of in his history and might occasion some of his posterity to settle there. 5. Here is mention of some of the Benjamites that drove away the inhabitants of Gath (v. 13), perhaps those that had slain the Ephraimites (ch. vii. 21) or their posterity, by way of reprisal: and one of those that did this piece of justice was named Beriah too, that name in which the memorial of that injury was preserved. 6. Particular notice is taken of those that dwelt in Jerusalem (v. 28 and again v. 32), that those whose ancestors had had their residence there might thereby be induced, at their return from captivity, to settle there too, which, for aught that appears, few were willing to do, because it was the post of danger: and therefore we find (Neh. xi. 2) the people blessed those that willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem, the greater part being inclined to prefer the cities of Judah. Those whose godly parents had their conversation in the new Jerusalem should thereby be engaged to set their faces thitherward and pursue the way thither, whatever it cost them.

      33 And Ner begat Kish, and Kish begat Saul, and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Esh-baal.   34 And the son of Jonathan was Merib-baal; and Merib-baal begat Micah.   35 And the sons of Micah were, Pithon, and Melech, and Tarea, and Ahaz.   36 And Ahaz begat Jehoadah; and Jehoadah begat Alemeth, and Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begat Moza,   37 And Moza begat Binea: Rapha was his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son:   38 And Azel had six sons, whose names are these, Azrikam, Bocheru, and Ishmael, and Sheariah, and Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel.   39 And the sons of Eshek his brother were, Ulam his firstborn, Jehush the second, and Eliphelet the third.   40 And the sons of Ulam were mighty men of valour, archers, and had many sons, and sons' sons, a hundred and fifty. All these are of the sons of Benjamin.

      It is observable that among all the genealogies of the tribes there is no mention of any of the kings of Israel after the defection from the house of David, much less of their families; not a word of Jeroboam's house or Baasha's, of Umri's or Jehu's; for they were all idolaters. But of the family of Saul, which was the royal family before the elevation of David, we have here a particular account. 1. Before Saul, Kish and Ner only are named, his father and grandfather, v. 33. His pedigree is carried higher 1 Sam. ix. 1, only there Kish is said to be the son of Abiel, here of Ner. He was in truth the son of Ner but the grandson of Abiel, as appears by 1 Sam. xiv. 51, where it is said that Ner was the son of Abiel, and that Abner, who was the son of Ner, was Saul's uncle (that is, his father's brother); therefore his father was also the son of Ner. It is common in all languages to put sons for grandsons and other descendents, much more in the scanty language of the Hebrews. 2. After Saul, divers of his sons are named, but the posterity of none of them, save Jonathan only, who was blessed with numerous issue and those honoured with a place in the sacred genealogies for the sake of his sincere kindness to David. The line of Jonathan is drawn down here for about ten generations. Perhaps David was, in a particular manner, careful to preserve that, and assigned it a page by itself, because of the covenant made between his seed and Jonathan's seed forever, 1 Sam. xx. 15, 23, 42. This genealogy ends in Ulam, whose family became famous in the tribe of Benjamin for the number of its valiant men. Of that one man's posterity there were, as it should seem, at one time, 150 archers brought into the field of battle, that were mighty men of valour, v. 40. That is taken notice of concerning them which is more a man's praise than his pomp or wealth is, that they were qualified to serve their country.