What is the meaning of 1 Chronicles 1:22? Obal – 1 Chronicles 1:22 simply records Obal as one of Joktan’s sons, confirming the historical spread of Shem’s line after the Tower of Babel noted in Genesis 11:1-9. – Genesis 10:28 gives the same list, showing the Chronicler’s faithfulness to the earlier inspired record. – His placement after Peleg’s era of “division” (1 Chronicles 1:19) reminds us that real people and families filled the newly scattered nations: • Joktan’s descendants settled in the Arabian Peninsula, fulfilling God’s command in Genesis 9:1 to “fill the earth.” • The mention of Obal underscores that no name is too obscure for God to preserve (cf. Isaiah 49:16—He inscribes His people on His palms). – Taken literally, the verse teaches that every individual matters in God’s unfolding story, even those who appear only once in Scripture. Abimael – Abimael follows Obal in both Genesis 10:28 and 1 Chronicles 1:22, anchoring the unity of the Pentateuch and the Chronicles. – His inclusion highlights: • The meticulous accuracy of Scripture’s genealogies, later mirrored in the line from Shem to Christ in Luke 3:34-36. • God’s ability to track every family line, emphasizing Acts 17:26—He “determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation.” – Though little else is recorded about Abimael, his name in the inspired list assures us that God’s covenant purposes span far beyond the main characters; the promise to bless “all families of the earth” (Genesis 12:3) truly embraces them all. Sheba – Sheba here descends from Joktan, distinct from the Cushite Sheba in Genesis 10:7; Scripture gives room for multiple tribes bearing the same name. – Later passages hint at Sheba’s territory: • 1 Kings 10:1-10—the Queen of Sheba brings gifts to Solomon. • Psalm 72:10 and Isaiah 60:6 foresee Sheba’s gold and frankincense honoring the Messianic King. – By naming Sheba in 1 Chronicles 1:22, God: • Connects the Arabian trade routes and their wealth to Shem’s family tree. • Foreshadows Gentile nations streaming to worship Christ (Matthew 2:11 echoes the Sheba imagery of gold and spices). – The chronicled genealogy therefore points ahead to worldwide worship while remaining a precise historical record. summary 1 Chronicles 1:22 is more than a list of unfamiliar names. Obal, Abimael, and Sheba are literal sons of Joktan, confirming the post-Babel dispersal of Shem’s lineage recorded in Genesis. Their mention testifies to Scripture’s perfect accuracy, God’s intimate knowledge of every family, and His larger plan to bless all nations—even those represented by seemingly minor figures—through the promised Savior who would ultimately come from this very line. |
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