How does this verse connect to God's promises in Genesis? Setting the scene in 1 Chronicles 7:19 “And the sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.” Tracing the line back to Genesis • Shemida is a descendant of Manasseh (1 Chronicles 7:14–19). • Manasseh is the firstborn son of Joseph (Genesis 41:51). • Joseph is the eleventh son of Jacob, grandson of Isaac, great-grandson of Abraham. • The verse therefore sits inside the family tree God began in Genesis 12, proving He kept every branch of His promise alive. God’s promise of countless descendants • Genesis 12:2 – “I will make you into a great nation.” • Genesis 15:5 – “Count the stars… so shall your offspring be.” • Genesis 22:17 – “I will surely bless you and multiply your descendants.” 1 Chronicles 7:19 lists four more names on that ever-expanding family roll, showing the promise moving from theory to visible reality. Why the name “Shechem” matters • Genesis 12:6–7 – Abram first heard the land promise at Shechem: “To your offspring I will give this land.” • By the time of Jacob, the family actually owned a tract there (Genesis 33:18–19). • Genesis 48:22 – Jacob bequeathed “the ridge of land” (literally “Shechem”) to Joseph. Calling one of Manasseh’s grandsons “Shechem” keeps the memory of that covenant hotspot alive inside the tribe destined to inherit it. Land inheritance anchored in Genesis • Genesis 17:8 – “I will give to you and to your descendants… all the land of Canaan.” • Manasseh later receives territory on both sides of the Jordan, including the region around ancient Shechem (fulfilled in Joshua 17). The genealogical note in 1 Chronicles 7:19 quietly underlines that the family meant to live there is still on the scene, ready to claim what God pledged centuries earlier. Sons of promise, carriers of blessing • Ahian, Likhi, and Aniam may seem obscure, yet each name testifies that God’s word to Abraham did not stall. • Every child born in this line becomes another conduit through whom “all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). • The Chronicles record, written after the exile, reassures returning Israelites that the same covenant-faithful God is still weaving His promises through ordinary families. Takeaway connections 1. Genealogies are not filler; they are faith-builders, mapping God’s faithfulness from Genesis forward. 2. The appearance of “Shechem” in a son’s name purposely links the tribe of Manasseh to the original land promise spoken at that very place. 3. 1 Chronicles 7:19 is one more proof that when God says, “I will,” He does—no matter how many generations it takes. |
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