What is the meaning of 1 Chronicles 5:13? Their kinsmen The chronicler has just listed the leading men of Gad who lived in Bashan (1 Chron 5:11-12). Now he widens the lens to show the broader circle of relatives. “Kinsmen” reminds us that Israel’s strength came from covenant family ties, not isolated individuals (see 1 Chron 12:38; Ephesians 2:19). The term also underlines responsibility—these men shared in the tribe’s victories (1 Chron 5:18-22) and in its failures (1 Chron 5:25-26). by families Israel was ordered “by their clans and their fathers’ houses” from the start (Numbers 1:4; Joshua 7:14-18). Listing the Gadites this way shows: • Accountability: each family answered to the whole (Numbers 32:20-23). • Continuity: promises made to the patriarchs flowed through identifiable lines (Genesis 17:7). • Inheritance: land east of the Jordan was assigned to Gad “according to their families” (Numbers 34:14). Genealogies protected that God-given allotment. were Michael Michael’s family helped anchor Gad in Bashan. Though we know little else about him, the chronicler names him to affirm that every clan, however small, mattered in God’s record (Luke 12:7). Similar acknowledgment appears in Nehemiah 11:17, where another Michael is listed among temple singers, showing how the Lord remembers faithful service across generations. Meshullam Meshullam is a common Old Testament name (2 Kings 22:3; Ezra 10:15). Its repetition across Scripture shows how everyday believers, not just famous leaders, populate God’s story. Their loyalty in ordinary settings—as Gadite herdsmen on Bashan’s high plains—advanced the covenant mission (Proverbs 20:6). Sheba This Sheba is distinct from the rebel who opposed David (2 Samuel 20:1-2). Gad’s Sheba instead illustrates that a name need not define destiny; allegiance to the Lord does (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). His household stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the other six, ready for battle when called (1 Chron 5:18). Jorai Nothing else is recorded about Jorai, yet Chronicles places him in the exact line God wanted preserved. Hidden obedience counts (Matthew 6:4). The verse quietly honors such faithfulness, affirming that “those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable” (1 Corinthians 12:22). Jacan Jacan’s family, like Gad’s other clans, shared in both livestock wealth (Numbers 32:1) and military duty (1 Chron 5:18). His presence in the list reinforces the tribe’s unity when they later fought the Hagrites “because they cried out to God in the battle” (1 Chron 5:20). Zia Zia may correspond to “Zia” or “Ziza” in other passages (2 Chron 29:13). Whether prominent or obscure, his clan joined the corporate witness of Gad. Chronicles repeatedly stresses corporate identity—note the Levites in 1 Chron 15:17-18—teaching believers today to prize church fellowship (Hebrews 10:24-25). and Eber—seven in all Eber completes the list and the inspired total: seven. Scripture often uses seven to signal completeness (Genesis 2:2-3; Revelation 1:4). Here it reassures readers that Gad’s representation in Bashan was whole and sufficient. God had not forgotten a single family, even on the trans-Jordan fringe (Psalm 139:7-10). Their full participation in Israel’s story anticipates the Lord’s inclusive care for every believer, whatever his or her location or status (John 10:14-16). summary 1 Chronicles 5:13 records seven Gadite family heads—Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber—underscoring that God tracks and treasures every covenant household. Arranged “by families,” the verse highlights accountability, inheritance, and unity within the tribe. Though most of these men remain otherwise unknown, their inclusion in Scripture testifies that faithful, even hidden, obedience is seen and recorded by the Lord. |
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