*H Now the sons of Issachar were Thola, and Phua, Jasub and Simeron, four.
Ver. 1. Jasub, or Job. See Gen. xlvi. 13. Num. xxvi. 23. C. — Simeron, elsewhere Samron and Semran; (M.) which shews, either that the names have been differently pronounced, or that the transcribers have erred. H.
* Footnote * Genesis 46 : 13
The sons of Issachar: Thola and Phua, and Job and Semron.*H The sons of Thola: Ozi and Raphaia, and Jeriel, and Jemai, and Jebsem, and Samuel, chiefs of the houses of their kindreds. Of the posterity of Thola were numbered in the days of David, two and twenty thousand six hundred most valiant men.
Ver. 2. Chiefs. They were at the head of distinct families. M. — David. We know that David took an account of his fighting men. 2 K. xxiv. But it is not certain that this register was made at that time; as we read that Benjamin was not numbered. C. xxi. 6. These lists were probably made when some expedition was intended by David. The author was not, perhaps, able to recover the accounts of Nephthali, Manasses, and Ephraim, no more that the genealogies of Dan (v. 12) and Zabulon, which do not appear in this book. C.
*H The sons of Ozi: Izrahia, of whom were born Michael, and Obadia, and Joel, and Jesia, five all great men.
Ver. 3. Sons, for "the son." D. — Izrahia. He alone deserved to be mentioned. See v. 6, where only three sons of Benjamin appear, though there were more, C. viii. 2. T. — Five, comprizing Israhia, "all chiefs," (H.) men of note, (D.) or one name may be lost. C.
*H And there were with them by their families and peoples, six and thirty thousand most valiant men ready for war: for they had many wives and children.
Ver. 4. Children, who had numerous offspring; (H.) so that, in the days of David, these descendants of Thola, amounted to so many. M.
*H Their brethren also throughout all the house of Issachar, were numbered fourscore and seven thousand most valiant men for war.
Ver. 5. War. In all, this tribe could muster 145,600 men, at that time. C.
*H The sons of Benjamin were Bela, and Bechor, and Jadihel, three.
Ver. 6. Benjamin; a man, perhaps, of the tribe of Issachar. See v. 10. Or the patriarch had originally ten sons, (Gen. xlvi. 21.) or grandsons, five of whom only had children, and perhaps two of their families perished entirely in the war with the other tribes; (Judg. xx. 46.) so that, under David, only three branches were acknowledged. C. — Jadihel, or Asbel in Genesis.
* Footnote * Genesis 46 : 13
The sons of Issachar: Thola and Phua, and Job and Semron.*H The sons of Bela: Esbon, and Ozi, and Ozial, and Jerimoth and Urai, five chiefs of their families, and most valiant warriors, and their number was twenty-two thousand and thirty-four.
Ver. 7. Urai, a grandson, called Hir, v. 12. C. — Five chiefs, but inferior to the seven original families, (Num. xxvi. 38. M.) unless the fortune of war had made great changes, or some of the lists be imperfect. C.
*H Sepham also and Hapham the sons of Hir: and Hasim the sons of Aher.
Ver. 12. And Hapham; called Mophim and Ophim, (Gen. xlvi.) and Suphim and Hupham, Num. xxvi. 39. — Aher, in Heb. means, "another" son, called Hazim: or more probably Aher ought to be Dan, the father of Husim, (Gen. xlvi. 23.) as Dan and Nephthali had both the same mother, Bala, v. 13. C.
* Footnote * Genesis 46 : 21
The sons of Benjamin: Bela and Bechor, and Asbel and Gera, and Naaman and Echi, and Ross and Mophim, and Ophim and Ared.*H And the son of Manasses, Ezriel: and his concubine the Syrian bore Machir the father of Galaad.
Ver. 14. Son. Heb. "sons...Ezriel, whom she bare." This seems imperfect. The Hebrews seldom name the mother. C. — Sept. intimate that the Syrian wife was mother of both. H. — Galaad, whose posterity enjoyed the country of the same name, (Num. xxii. 29. and xxxii. 41.) only Machir in mentioned as the son of Manasses.
*H And Machir took wives for his sons Happhim, and Saphan: and he had a sister named Maacha: the name of the second was Salphaad, and Salphaad had daughters.
Ver. 15. And Saphan. S. Jerom seems to have taken them for women. If they were the sons of Hir, (v. 12) Machir probably adopted them. Heb. "Machir took a wife from Happhim," &c. But does one woman marry two men? Syr. and Arab. "Machir took a wife one of the sisters of Huphim and Suphim, (the great and powerful) named Maacha." C. — Prot. "the sister of Huppim...whose sister's name was Maachah." H. — Heb. may have this sense, with a small alteration. C. — Le Clerc thinks that the name of the woman has been lost, and the text altered. — Second. This also seems defective, as no first had been mentioned. C. — Two intervened between Machir and Salphaad, namely, Galaad and Hepher, (Num. xxvi. 29. and xxvii. 1. M.) so that Salphaad was his great-grandson. H.
*H And the son of Ulam, Baden. These are the sons of Galaad, the son of Machir, the son of Manasses.
Ver. 17. Badan, perhaps the same with Jair; (Judg. x. 3. 1 K. xii. 11. C.) or rather in this last place, the Syr. &c. read more correctly Barac, and Samson instead of Samuel, who was then speaking. See Heb. xi. 32. There was no such deliverer as Badan, but the word has been corrupted from Barac. Sept. Kennicott.
*H And his sister named Queen bore Goodlyman, and Abiezer, and Mohola.
Ver. 18. Queen. Heb. "Moleceth bore Ishehod." S. Jerom and the Latin Church translate these names. W. — Prot. "Hammoleketh bore Ishod." H. — The proper names might have been as well retained, (C.) as in the Sept. H. — Some suppose that the mother of Josue, or Debora, may be designated. Rabbins. — Abiezer, (19) Leci, are the Jeser and Chelek. Num. xxvi. 30.
*H And the sons of Ephraim were Suthala, Bared his son, Thahath his son, Elada his son, Thahath his son, and his son Zabad,
Ver. 20. Bared, Thahath, probably called Becher and Theken, in Num. Three alone are there mentioned, though the other thirteen, whose names are given, seem to have been all the immediate sons of Ephriam, (C.) since he mourns for them, (v. 22. M.) and has other children afterwards. H. — The dreadful slaughter made of them, is perhaps the reason why only three are mentioned in Numbers, and none in Genesis.
*H And his son Suthala, and his son Ezer, and Elad: and the men of Geth born in the land slew them, because they came down to invade their possessions.
Ver. 21. Son, Ezer. Heb. "and Ezer and Elad." His son, after each, seems to be twice omitted, as these were in the same degree as the rest. Sept. agree with the Vulg. H. — Because they, the sons of Ephraim, (C. &c.) or the men of Geth. Syr. and Arab. D. M. T. — The text is ambiguous, but the former supposition seems more rational, (H.) and more generally received. C.
*H And he went in to his wife: and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Beria, because he was born when it went evil with his house:
Ver. 23. Beria. This name signifies, in evil, or in affliction. Ch. — Briáe, "in howling." M.
*H And his daughter was Sara, who built Bethoron, the nether and the upper, and Ozensara.
Ver. 24. Daughter, or great grand-daughter, repaired these three cities. C. — The last, probably, was called after her. H. — But its situation is unknown. C.
*H And Rapha was his son, and Reseph, and Thale, of whom was born Thaan,
Ver. 25. Thale. Heb. "and Thale, his son, and Thaan, his son." These seem to have been the sons of Ephraim. The following were their descendants. H. — At least Elisama was prince in the wilderness, (C.) under Moses; (Num. i. 10. H.) and Josue, the sixth from Ephraim, was 54 years old, when the Israelites left Egypt. C.
*H And by the borders of the sons of Manasses Bethsan and her daughters, Thanach and her daughters, Mageddo and her daughters: Dor and her daughters: in these dwelt the children of Joseph, the son of Israel.
Ver. 29. Daughters. Sept. "villages." — Joseph, by Ephraim and Manasses, west of the Jordan. H.
* Footnote * Genesis 46 : 24
The sons of Nephthali: Jaziel and Guni, and Jeser and Sallem.*H And the sons of Somer: Ahi, and Roaga and Haba, and Aram.
Ver. 34. Aram. Add, "and Helem," (C.) unless Helem was the first-born (v. 35) of Ahi, which signifies "brother." Perhaps Helem was brother of Somer, called Hotham, v. 32.
*H Bosor and Hod, and Samma, and Salusa, and Jethran, and Bera.
Ver. 37. Jethran. Sept. "Jether," as v. seq. H.
*H The sons of Jether: Jephone, and Phaspha, and Ara.
Ver. 38. Jephone. The father of Caleb was of the tribe of Juda. C.
*H All these were sons of Aser, heads of their families, choice and most valiant captains of captains: and the number of them that were of the age that was fit for war, was six and twenty thousand.
Ver. 40. Of captains; a Hebrew idiom, to denote the most excellent. H. — Heb. "chief of the princes." All mentioned from v. 30, were at the hand of their tribe, in succession, and led their brethren to battle. C.