1 Chronicles 8:40
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Cross References
1 Chronicles 12:2
2They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in slinging stones and in shooting arrows from the bow. They were of Saul’s relatives of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 Chronicles 14:8
8Asa had an army of three hundred thousand out of Judah who bore bucklers and spears, and two hundred eighty thousand out of Benjamin who bore shields and drew bows. All these were mighty men of valor.
Psalms 127:3-5
3Behold, children are a heritage of the LORD. The fruit of the womb is his reward. 4As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of youth. 5Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. They won’t be disappointed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.
Psalms 128:3-6
3Your wife will be as a fruitful vine in the innermost parts of your house, your children like olive shoots around your table. 4Behold, this is how the man who fears the LORD is blessed. 5May the LORD bless you out of Zion, and may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life. 6Yes, may you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel.
Study
1 Chronicles 8:33–40
The Chronicler ends his account of Benjamin's history with Saul's family tree. It starts two generations before Saul and goes through Merib-baal (also known as Mephibosheth; see study note on 2 Samuel 4:4) and continues to the families of Azel and Eshek (1 Chronicles 8:38–40). Micah (1 Chronicles 8:35) lived during Solomon's time, and Ulam (8:39) lived near the end of Judah's kingdom before Jerusalem's destruction. This connects Saul to his broader tribal history and a noble heritage that lasted throughout the kingdom period.
1 Chronicles 8:1–40
The genealogy of Benjamin's descendants concludes the genealogies. The record starts with Judah, David's tribe, and ends with Benjamin, Saul's tribe.
Section overviews (1)
1 Chronicles 4:24–8.40
After finishing the genealogy of Judah’s descendants (1 Chronicles 2:3–4:23), the Chronicler examines the records for the other sons of Israel (compare 2:1–2).
8:40
mighty men of valour, archers--(see on Jdg 20:16). Great strength as well as skill was requisite in ancient archery, as the bow, which was of steel, was bent by treading with the feet, and pulling the string with both hands.
Next: 1 Chronicles Chapter 9
8:33-40
It is observable that among all the genealogies of the tribes there is no mention of any of the kings of Israel after the defection from the house of David, much less of their families; not a word of Jeroboam's house or Baasha's, of Umri's or Jehu's; for they were all idolaters. But of the family of Saul, which was the royal family before the elevation of David, we have here a particular account. 1. Before Saul, Kish and Ner only are named, his father and grandfather, Ch1 8:33. His pedigree is carried higher Sa1 9:1, only there Kish is said to be the son of Abiel, here of Ner. He was in truth the son of Ner but the grandson of Abiel, as appears by Sa1 14:51, where it is said that Ner was the son of Abiel, and that Abner, who was the son of Ner, was Saul's uncle (that is, his father's brother); therefore his father was also the son of Ner. It is common in all languages to put sons for grandsons and other descendents, much more in the scanty language of the Hebrews. 2. After Saul, divers of his sons are named, but the posterity of none of them, save Jonathan only, who was blessed with numerous issue and those honoured with a place in the sacred genealogies for the sake of his sincere kindness to David. The line of Jonathan is drawn down here for about ten generations. Perhaps David was, in a particular manner, careful to preserve that, and assigned it a page by itself, because of the covenant made between his seed and Jonathan's seed forever, Sa1 20:15, Sa1 20:23, Sa1 20:42. This genealogy ends in Ulam, whose family became famous in the tribe of Benjamin for the number of its valiant men. Of that one man's posterity there were, as it should seem, at one time, 150 archers brought into the field of battle, that were mighty men of valour, Ch1 8:40. That is taken notice of concerning them which is more a man's praise than his pomp or wealth is, that they were qualified to serve their country.
8:40
The sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor - The Targum speaks honourably of them: "The sons of Ulam were mighty and strong men, subduing by wisdom their evil concupiscence, as men bend a bow; therefore they had many sons and grandsons." Of the six sons of Azel, mentioned Ch1 8:38, R. S. Jarchi says that their allegorical expositions were sufficient to load thirteen thousand camels! No doubt these were reputed to be deeply learned men. There was a time when the allegorizers and metaphor-men ranked very high among theologians, even in our own enlightened and critical country. At present they are almost totally out of fashion. May they never recover their footing! But what a shameful hyperbole is that of Jarchi! The writings of six men a load for thirteen thousand camels!
8:40
And the sons of Ulam were mighty men of valour,.... Men of great fortitude and courage, though their names are not expressed:
archers; skilful in the use of the bow and arrows, as the Benjaminites formerly were famous for slinging stones:
and had many sons, and sons' sons, an hundred and fifty; so that the posterity of Jonathan, whose genealogy is drawn down from 1 Chronicles 8:34 hither, were very great; and greater still, according to the Vulgate Latin version, in which the number is 150,000 in the edition of Sixtus the fifth, and so in most MSS of that version (s).
all these are of the sons of Benjamin; his posterity, whose names are given in this chapter.
(s) See James of the Contrariety of the Popish Bibles, p. 294.
8:40
Archers, Heb. that tread the bow; for the bows of steel, which these used, required great strength to bend them; which therefore they did by treading the bow with their feet, and pulling the string with both their hands.
8:35-40
And the sons of Ulam were mighty men of valour,.... Men of great fortitude and courage, though their names are not expressed:
archers; skilful in the use of the bow and arrows, as the Benjaminites formerly were famous for slinging stones:
and had many sons, and sons' sons, an hundred and fifty; so that the posterity of Jonathan, whose genealogy is drawn down from Ch1 8:34 hither, were very great; and greater still, according to the Vulgate Latin version, in which the number is 150,000 in the edition of Sixtus the fifth, and so in most MSS of that version (s).
all these are of the sons of Benjamin; his posterity, whose names are given in this chapter.
(s) See James of the Contrariety of the Popish Bibles, p. 294.
Next: 1 Chronicles Chapter 9