What is the meaning of 1 Chronicles 9:7? From the Benjamites The verse opens by anchoring us in the tribe of Benjamin. God wanted every family line preserved, so He inspired the chronicler to record the Benjamites who resettled Jerusalem after the exile. • In 1 Chronicles 9:3–4 we read that “the descendants of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh lived in Jerusalem”, showing Benjamin’s place among the restored community. • Ezra 1:5 highlights the same tribe rising “to go up and build the house of the Lord,” a reminder that God keeps His promises to every tribe (Genesis 49:27; Jeremiah 33:26). • Nehemiah 11:4-7 repeats the list, underscoring the importance of Benjamin in rebuilding the city’s spiritual and social life. The phrase “From the Benjamites” assures us that God’s eye is on individual believers as well as entire tribes. Sallu Next comes one name: “Sallu.” Genealogies may feel like long rolls of unfamiliar names, yet each person mattered to God, and each helped repopulate Jerusalem. • Nehemiah 11:7 mentions this same Sallu, calling him a “valiant man,” hinting at both character and courage. • Romans 12:4-5 reminds us that every member of the body has a role; Sallu’s inclusion affirms that no task done for the Lord is insignificant. By listing him, Scripture testifies that God remembers faithful service down to a single individual (Malachi 3:16). son of Meshullam Sallu’s father, Meshullam, gets named so that the chain of faith remains unbroken. • 1 Chronicles 9:11 references another Meshullam, a priest who “served in the house of God,” illustrating how commitment to worship runs through this family line. • Deuteronomy 6:6-7 commands fathers to teach their children the word; Meshullam apparently obeyed, passing truth to Sallu. The text encourages today’s parents and mentors to model and impart faith to the next generation (2 Timothy 1:5). the son of Hodaviah Moving one step farther, we read “the son of Hodaviah.” God does not lose track of any ancestor. • Ezra 2:40 lists Levites from the family of Hodaviah returning with Zerubbabel, showing consistent devotion across centuries. • Psalm 145:4 proclaims, “One generation will declare Your works to the next,” a pattern Hodaviah’s descendants followed. Even if we never see our spiritual legacy, God records it (Proverbs 20:7). the son of Hassenuah Finally, the chain reaches “Hassenuah,” the patriarch of this line. His name closes the backward look, but it also points forward: because of his faithfulness, an entire branch of Benjamin took its place in Jerusalem’s renewal. • 1 Chronicles 9:8 identifies “Ibneiah son of Jeroham” from Hassenuah’s clan, revealing multiple generations still active. • Isaiah 49:6 promises that God’s salvation reaches “to the ends of the earth”; Hassenuah’s line is one more proof that even in exile and return, God carried out that plan by preserving people through whom Messiah’s story would unfold. summary 1 Chronicles 9:7 may read like a short entry in a long ledger, yet it brims with meaning. The verse certifies that (1) God faithfully restores His people tribe by tribe, (2) He remembers individual servants such as Sallu, (3) He honors generational faithfulness from Meshullam through Hodaviah to Hassenuah, and (4) He weaves every name into His unfolding redemptive story. Because Scripture is accurate and literal, we can trust that the same God who recorded these Benjamites also knows our names and delights in placing us—just as precisely—in His work today. |
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