1 Chronicles 8

King Saul’s family heritage

Benjamin’s family tree

1Benjamin had five sons: Bela, his oldest, followed by Ashbel, Aharah, 2Nohah, and Rapha.

3Bela had nine sons: Addar, Gera, Abihud, 4Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah, 5Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.

6Ehud had three sons. All three were clan leaders who lived in the town of Geba. Their clan eventually moved to the town of Manahath. [1] 7Ehud’s sons were Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera. It was Gera who moved the clan. He had two sons: Uzza and Ahihud.

Divorcing two childless wives

8Shaharaim divorced two wives: Hushim and Baara. Then he moved to the neighboring country of Moab, where he married again and had sons. 9He married Hodesh and they had seven sons: Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, 10Jeuz, Sachia, and Mirmah. These men became leaders in their clan. 11Earlier, before Shaharaim divorced Hushim, she gave birth to two sons: Abitub and Elpaal.

12Elpaal had three sons: Eber, Misham, and Shemed. [2] They settled in and around the cities of Ono and Lod. 13Beriah and Shema were leaders in the town of Aijalon. They went to the neighboring town of Gath and drove out the locals. 14Their brothers were Ahio, Shashak, and Jeremoth. 15Beriah had six sons: Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, 16Michael, Ishpah, and Joha. 17Elpaal had seven sons: Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber, 18Ishmerai, Izliah, and Jobab.

19Shimei had nine sons: Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi, 20Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, 21Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath.

22Shashak had 11 sons: Ishpan, Eber, Eliel, 23Abdon, Zichri, Hanan, 24Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah, 25Iphdeiah, and Penuel.

26Jeroham had six sons: Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah, 27Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zichri.

28These men, one generation after another, led the families in their clan. They lived in Jerusalem.

29Jeiel was a leader in the town of Gibeon. He and his wife, Maacah, had nine sons: 30Abdon, their first, followed by Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab, 31Gedor, Ahio, Zecher, 32and Mikloth, who had a son named Shimeah. Some of these families moved to Jerusalem and lived near their other relatives.

King Saul’s family tree
1 Chronicles 9:35-44

33Ner had one son: Kish. And Kish had one son: Saul. [3]

Saul had four sons: Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal; 34Jonathan had a son: Merib-baal. [4] Merib-baal had a son: Micah. 45Micah had four sons: Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz. 36Ahaz had a son: Jehoaddah. Jehoaddah had three sons: Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri had a son: Moza.

37Moza had a son: Binea. Binea had a son: Raphaiah. Raphaiah had a son: Eleasah. Eleasah had a son: Azel. 38Azel had six sons: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. 39Azel’s brother Eshek had three sons: Ulam, the first, followed by Jeush, and then Eliphelet.

40Ulam’s three sons were all strong mighty warriors and excellent archers. They had 150 children and grandchildren. All these people belonged to Benjamin’s tribe.

Footnotes

Intro Notes to 1 Chronicles

18:6

Scholars debate whether the clan moved to Manahath or were exiled by the Assyrians, perhaps in 722 BC. That’s when Assyrians deported most of the Israelites in the northern tribes to what is now Iraq or Iran, erasing Israel from the political map. But Manahath is usually linked to the town of Malah, on the southwestern outskirts of Jerusalem, roughly 5 miles (8 km) away. That’s a short half-day walk from the clan’s original home in Geba, about another five miles north of Jerusalem. Others link Manahath to a town in southern Jordan, where the nation of Edom was located.

28:12

It’s unclear who settled in or perhaps built the towns of Ono and Lod. Some say it was Shemed. Others say his father Elpaal. If we have to guess—which we do—why not guess the whole family helped?

38:33

Saul became Israel’s first king (1 Samuel 10:9-11).

48:34

Meri-baal is better known as Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9:12). The name “Meri-baal” is to the native Canaanite god Baal what an antichrist would be to Jesus—the opposite. A Meri-baal opposes Baal. “Mephibosheth” is another phrase that demeans the god Baal. It could be expressed: “The one who ends the shame of Baal,” or, “The one who speaks out against the shame.”