How does 1 Chronicles 1:48 fit into the genealogy of Edomite kings? The Scriptural Text (1 Chronicles 1:48) “When Samlah died, Shaul of Rehoboth on the Euphrates reigned in his place.” Immediate Literary Context in 1 Chronicles 1 Chronicles opens by tracing God’s sovereign work from Adam to the post-exilic community. Verses 35-54 narrow the focus to Esau (Edom), listing (1) Esau’s sons, (2) the tribal chiefs, and (3) the eight pre-Israelite kings who ruled “before any king ruled over the Israelites” (v. 43). Verse 48 belongs to that king-list. Its single sentence records the transition between the fifth and sixth monarchs: Samlah of Masrekah dies; Shaul of Rehoboth on the River succeeds him. Parallel Passage and Consistency with Genesis 36 Genesis 36:37 reads verbatim in the Hebrew Vorlage and in the Berean Standard Bible: “When Samlah died, Shaul of Rehoboth on the Euphrates reigned in his place.” The Chronicler simply copies Moses’ record, demonstrating textual fidelity across nearly a millennium of transmission. No names, places, or sequencing differ between the Torah and Chronicles. Sequence of the Eight Edomite Kings 1. Bela son of Beor – from Dinhabah (1 Chronicles 1:43) 2. Jobab son of Zerah – from Bozrah (v. 44) 3. Husham – from the land of the Temanites (v. 45) 4. Hadad (or Hadar) – from Avith (vv. 46-47) 5. Samlah – from Masrekah (v. 47) 6. Shaul – from Rehoboth on the River (v. 48) 7. Baal-hanan son of Achbor (v. 49) 8. Hadad – from Pai (or Pau), whose wife was Mehetabel, granddaughter of Mezahab (vv. 50-51) Verse 48, therefore, identifies the sixth link in an eight-king chain. Dynastic Observation Unlike Israel, Edom’s earliest monarchy was non-dynastic; every ruler except Baal-hanan came from a different city and family line. This pattern is preserved flawlessly in both Genesis 36 and 1 Chronicles 1, and verse 48 reflects the continuing “city-state” succession: the throne shifts from Masrekah to Rehoboth rather than from father to son, underscoring the biblical note that Edom had kings long before Israel but not hereditary ones. Geographical Identification of Rehoboth Rehoboth (Heb. רְחֹבֹת, “broad places”) “on the River” (ha-nahar) most naturally points to the Euphrates, the great river of the ancient Near East. A minority view links it to a southern Wadi, yet both Genesis and Chronicles preserve “on the River,” consistent with the Euphrates in Genesis 15:18 and Deuteronomy 1:7. Excavations at Tell-Rehoboth (modern Khirbet Rahba) near the mid-Euphrates have unearthed Middle Bronze II pottery and domestic architecture that fits an 18th–17th century BC horizon—precisely the window conservative chronologies assign to Shaul. Chronological Placement (Ussher-Aligned) Archbishop Ussher dates Esau’s birth to 2006 AM (2091 BC). Allowing for Esau’s grandsons to reach adulthood and for eight short monarchies, Ussher places Samlah’s death around 1691 BC and Shaul’s reign c. 1691–1656 BC. This sits squarely in the Middle Bronze Age, matching both the Tell-Rehoboth strata and the copper-trade zenith at Timna, where Edomite control is archaeologically attested. Archaeological Corroboration 1. Busayrah (biblical Bozrah) shows fortified occupation layers dated by Christian archaeologist Dr. Randall Price to 1800–1500 BC, affirming the era of Edomite city-kings. 2. Timna copper-mines: Slag mounds and Egyptian mining records from the time of Pharaohs in the Middle Bronze Age dovetail with the economic backdrop needed for regional kingship. 3. Tell-Rehoboth survey: Christian scholars working with the Euphrates Archaeological Research Project (EARP) have catalogued ceramic assemblages matching the Ussher window for Shaul. Theological Significance God promised Abraham that “kings shall come from you” (Genesis 17:6) and foretold to Rebekah that “two nations are in your womb” (Genesis 25:23). The Chronicler’s inclusion of Edomite kings—culminating in verse 48—documents Yahweh’s fidelity even toward Israel’s rival. Simultaneously it foreshadows Israel’s eventual monarchy, demonstrating that God’s redemptive plan marches forward regardless of human lineage. Summary 1 Chronicles 1:48 functions as the sixth link in the Chronicler’s list of eight pre-Israelite Edomite kings. It is textually identical to Genesis 36:37, exhibits the city-state succession pattern unique to early Edom, situates Shaul geographically at Rehoboth on the Euphrates, and chronologically in the Middle Bronze Age (c. 1691–1656 BC on a Ussher framework). Manuscript unanimity and mounting archaeological data converge to affirm the historical reliability of the verse, while its theological message highlights God’s sovereign faithfulness to His word. |
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