1The line of Reuben (who lost his birthright) unto the captivity, and their conquest of the Hagarites. 11The chief men of Gad, and their habitations. 18The number of the men of war of the sons of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh; their conquests. 23The habitations and chief men of that half tribe. 25Their captivity because of their sins.
1NOW the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he 1defiled his father's bed, his 2birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.
1 Namely, laid with Bilhah his father’s concubine, Gen. 35:22. See also Gen. 49:4.
2 That is, the right which the firstborn had above his brethren, enjoying a double portion or part in the inheritance, Deut. 21:17. This was given to Joseph and his sons; for, in the division of the land of Canaan, Ephraim and Manasseh were placed among the rest of the tribes to have their share with them. See of Joseph Gen. 48:22, and of his sons Gen. 48:5.
2For 3Judah prevailed above his brethren, and 4of him came the chief ruler; but 5the birthright was Joseph's:)
3 Of Judah’s splendor and excellence see Gen. 49:8, etc.
4 Other, he became a leader for, or, over him, namely, over Joseph. Or, as concerning the leader he was more than he, namely, than Joseph. First the kings, then princes or rulers of the land were of the tribe of Judah, of the house and family of David until the time of Herod, when Shiloh came, Gen. 49:10.
5 Namely, so far as concerned the double portion of the goods, as was said in verse 1, see Gen. 48:5; 49:22, etc.
3The sons, I say, of Reuben the firstborn of Israel were, Hanoch,a and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
a Gen. 46:9; Exod. 6:13; Num. 26:5.
4The sons of Joel; Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,
5Micah his son, Reaia his son, Baal his son,
6Beerah his son, whom 6Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria carried away captive: 7he was prince of the Reubenites.
6 He is also called Tiglath-pileser, 2 Kings 15:29; 16:7.
7 Namely, Joel, who seems to have been the son of Hanoch, the firstborn of Reuben, and therefore prince of the Reubenites.
7And 8his brethren by their families, when the genealogy of their generations 9was reckoned, were the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah,
8 Namely, Hanoch’s brethren, who are expressed in verse 3.
9 See verse 17.
8And Bela the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel, 10who dwelt in Aroer, even unto Nebo and Baal-meon:
10 Understand this of Bela, or of his family, or in general of Reuben and his posterity. See Joshua 13:15, 16, where Reuben’s inheritance is also described.
9And eastward he inhabited unto 11the entering in of the wilderness from the river Euphrates: because 12their cattle were multiplied in the land of Gilead.
11 That is, from the river Euphrates unto the Jordan.
12 Namely, the cattle of the brethren of Joel, of whom is spoken in verse 7.
10And in the days of Saul they 13made war with the 14Hagarites, 15who fell by their hand: and 16they dwelt in their tents throughout all the east land of Gilead.
13 Or, waged. Hebr. made or did.
14 These have been Ishmaelites, and are called Hagarites because they came from Hagar, Abraham’s maidservant, Ishmael’s mother. They dwelt in Arabia the desert.
15 Namely, the Hagarites.
16 Namely, the Israelites.
11¶And the children of Gad dwelt over against them, in theb land of Bashan unto Salchah:
b Joshua 13:24.
12Joel the chief, and Shapham the next, and Jaanai, and Shaphat 17in Bashan.
17 Or, remained in Bashan, namely, to protect their own borders, while their brethren waged war.
13And their brethren of the house of their fathers were, Michael, and Meshullam, and Sheba, and Jorai, and Jachan, and Zia, and Heber, seven.
1418These are the children of Abihail the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz;
18 Namely, of whom was spoken in verse 13.
15Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, chief of the house of their fathers.
16And they dwelt in Gilead in Bashan, and 19in her towns, and in all the suburbs of 20Sharon, upon their borders.
19 That is, in the small cities, towns and villages, resorting under the large cities. Hebr. daughters.
20 Where there was good pasture. This Sharon was situated in Gilead. See of another Sharon in Ephraim, Cant. 2:1.
17All these were reckoned by genealogies in the days of 21Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of 22Jeroboam king of Israel.
21 When he as deputy of his father governed the kingdom, while his father was smitten with leprosy, 2 Kings 15:5.
22 Understand here Jeroboam, the second of that name, the son of Joash, 2 Kings 13:13; 14:23, for, Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, had been dead long before.
18¶The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with 23bow, and skilful in war, were four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war.
23 See 1 Chron. 8 on verse 40.
19And they made war with the Hagarites, with 24Jetur, and Nephish, and Nodab.
24 See of these three persons Gen. 25:14, where it appears that they were Ishmaelites.
20And they 25were helped 26against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them: for they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them; because they put their trust in him.
25 Namely, of God, verse 22.
26 Namely, against the Hagarites.
21And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men an hundred thousand.
22For there fell down many 27slain, because the war was 28of God. And they dwelt in their steads until the 29captivity.
27 That is, who, being mortally wounded, died of their wounds.
28 That is, God fought for them against their enemies.
29 Namely, to Assyria. See 2 Kings 15:29; 17:6.
23¶And the children of the half tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land: they increased from Bashan unto Baal-hermon and Senir, 30and unto mount Hermon.
30 See Deut. 3:9.
24And these were the heads of the house of their fathers, even Epher, and Ishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremiah, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty men of valour, famous men, and heads of the house of their fathers.
25¶And they transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a 31whoring after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before them.
31 Namely, doing many fearful idolatries, as is mentioned in 2 Kings 17:7, etc.
2632And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and 33brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, 34unto this day.
32 See 2 Kings 15:19.
33 Understand this of the first carrying away into captivity, of which see 2 Kings 15:29, but 2 Kings 17:6 is related the last carrying away into captivity by Shalmaneser.
34 That is, they are there unto this day. Understand that this carrying away lasted unto that very day, or that they dwelt there unto that very day in which this was written.