What role does Asriel play in the lineage mentioned in 1 Chronicles 9:44? Setting the verse in context • 1 Chronicles 9 records the first residents who returned to Jerusalem after the exile. • Verse 44 closes a genealogy of the Benjaminites, listing the six sons of Azel. • The text reads: “Azel had six sons, and these were their names: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. These were the descendants of Azel.” Name-by-name snapshot The verse identifies only: 1. Azrikam 2. Bocheru 3. Ishmael 4. Sheariah 5. Obadiah 6. Hanan So where is Asriel? • Asriel is not mentioned at all in 1 Chronicles 9:44. • Therefore, he plays no role in this particular lineage of Benjamin. • The accuracy of Scripture shows that each tribe’s genealogy is recorded distinctly; mixing names would undermine the literal trustworthiness of the record. Asriel’s actual place in Scripture • Numbers 26:31; Joshua 17:2; 1 Chronicles 7:14 locate Asriel within the tribe of Manasseh, not Benjamin. • He is the forefather of the Asrielite clan (“the descendants of Asriel” – Numbers 26:31). • His mother was an Aramean concubine of Manasseh (1 Chronicles 7:14), highlighting God’s sovereign inclusion of unexpected individuals into His covenant story. Bringing it together • 1 Chronicles 9:44 is solely about Azel’s sons in the tribe of Benjamin. • Asriel belongs to an entirely different tribal record—Manasseh. • Recognizing these distinctions protects the literal integrity of the genealogies and underscores how God faithfully preserves each family line for His redemptive purposes (cf. Psalm 105:8–10). |
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