How does 1 Chronicles 8:31 fit into the genealogy of Benjamin's descendants? Where Verse 31 Sits in the Chapter • 1 Chronicles 8 breaks into two main halves: – vv. 1-28 list Benjamin’s wider clan branches, moving from the patriarch’s five sons (Bela, Ashbel, Aharah, Nohah, Rapha) through several generations. – vv. 29-40 narrow the lens onto one household in Gibeon—Jeiel’s family, the line that eventually produces King Saul. • Verse 31 is part of that second half. It records four of Jeiel’s sons—“Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth”—coming immediately after the first five sons named in v. 30. • By placing Jeiel’s full list here, the Chronicler creates a bridge from Benjamin’s earliest descendants (vv. 1-28) to the royal line of Saul (vv. 33-40). The Genealogical Flow 1. Jeiel (father of Gibeon) • Wife: Maacah (v. 29) • Sons (vv. 30-31): – Abdon (firstborn) – Zur – Kish – Baal – Nadab – Gedor – Ahio – Zechariah – Mikloth 2. Mikloth → Shimeah (v. 32) 3. Ner (a brother of Kish in 1 Samuel 14:51) → Kish (v. 33) 4. Kish → Saul (Israel’s first king) → Jonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab, Esh-baal (v. 33) 5. Jonathan → Merib-baal (Mephibosheth, 2 Samuel 4:4) → Micah (v. 34) 6. Micah’s sons and grandsons continue through v. 40. Why the Four Names Matter • They complete Jeiel’s roster, showing that every branch of his house had a stake in Benjamin’s heritage. • Mikloth (the last name) is crucial; his son Shimeah keeps the line resident “alongside their relatives in Jerusalem” (v. 32), a hint of post-exilic resettlement hope. • Gedor, Ahio, and Zechariah round out the nine brothers, underscoring the family’s size and prominence in Gibeon. Parallel Record Confirms Their Place • 1 Chronicles 9:35-37 repeats this same list almost verbatim, anchoring Jeiel’s sons in the chronicler’s temple-service census after the exile. • The duplication highlights their literal, historical role in repopulating Benjaminite towns. Link to Israel’s First King • Verse 31 leads straight to Kish (v. 33), then to Saul, tying national history to tribal ancestry. • 1 Samuel 9:1-2 echoes this genealogy, showing Scripture’s internal consistency: “There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish… and he had a son named Saul, choice and handsome.” • By tracing Saul back to Jeiel, the Chronicler re-roots the monarchy in Benjamin’s God-given tribal allotment (Joshua 18:11-28). Takeaway • 1 Chronicles 8:31 is not a stray list; it is the hinge that: – Completes Jeiel’s family record, – Sets up the royal lineage of Saul, and – Demonstrates the careful preservation of Benjamin’s descendants from the patriarch down to the post-exilic community in Jerusalem. |
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