1 Chronicles 8 Study Notes: The Family Line of Benjamin
This chapter traces Benjamin’s descendants, noting clans that founded towns, drove out the people of Gath, and settled in Jerusalem. It ends with the family of King Saul, following Jonathan’s line through many generations down to a clan of skilled archers.
General
Chapter 8 lists the descendants of one son of Jacob. Whose descendants are they, and whose family does the list lead up to (1 Chronicles 8:1, 8:33)?
Answer: Benjamin’s, leading up to the family of King Saul
The chapter begins with Benjamin and his sons (8:1) and closes by summing up everything it has listed as Benjamin’s line (8:40). Along the way it traces the family of Kish, whose son Saul became Israel’s first king (8:33). Saul came from Benjamin, which he himself called the smallest tribe in Israel (1 Samuel 9:21), and Paul later named Benjamin as Saul’s tribe when he retold Israel’s history (Acts 13:21-22). By giving Benjamin a whole chapter and building toward Saul’s household, the genealogy prepares for the account of Saul’s death in chapter 10, where the kingdom passes to David.
- 1 Chronicles 8:33 (BSB)“Ner was the father of Kish, Kish was the father of Saul, and Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal.”The genealogy reaches Kish, his son Saul, and Saul’s sons.
- 1 Chronicles 8:40 (BSB)“The sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor, archers, and they had many sons and grandsons—150 in all. All these were the descendants of Benjamin.”The closing line sums up the chapter as the line of Benjamin.
- 1 Samuel 9:1-2 (BSB)“Now there was a Benjamite, a powerful man, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. And he had a son named Saul, choice and handsome, without equal among the Israelites—a head taller than any of the people.”Saul’s father Kish is introduced as a Benjamite, confirming the tribe this chapter traces.
- 1 Samuel 9:21 (BSB)“Saul replied, “Am I not a Benjamite from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of Benjamin? So why would you say such a thing to me?””Saul himself names Benjamin as his tribe and calls it the smallest in Israel.
- Acts 13:21-22 (BSB)“Then the people asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. After removing Saul, He raised up David as their king and testified about him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will carry out My will in its entirety.’”Paul names Benjamin as Saul’s tribe and recounts God removing Saul and raising up David.
Theological
Which tribe does chapter 8 record, and which royal family does its genealogy build toward (1 Chronicles 8:1, 8:33)?
Answer: Benjamin’s, leading up to the family of King Saul
Chapter 8 is Benjamin’s genealogy from start (8:1) to finish (8:40), and its goal is the house of Kish and Saul, Israel’s first king (8:33). Saul’s Benjamite origin is stressed in 1 Samuel 9:1-2, by Saul himself in 1 Samuel 9:21, and in Paul’s summary of Israel’s history (Acts 13:21-22). The careful record of Benjamin’s line leads directly into chapter 10, where Saul’s house falls and the kingdom is given to David.
- 1 Chronicles 8:33 (BSB)“Ner was the father of Kish, Kish was the father of Saul, and Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal.”The genealogy reaches Kish, his son Saul, and Saul’s sons.
- 1 Chronicles 8:40 (BSB)“The sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor, archers, and they had many sons and grandsons—150 in all. All these were the descendants of Benjamin.”The closing line sums up the chapter as the line of Benjamin.
- 1 Samuel 9:1-2 (BSB)“Now there was a Benjamite, a powerful man, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. And he had a son named Saul, choice and handsome, without equal among the Israelites—a head taller than any of the people.”Saul’s father Kish is introduced as a Benjamite, confirming the tribe this chapter traces.
- 1 Samuel 9:21 (BSB)“Saul replied, “Am I not a Benjamite from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of Benjamin? So why would you say such a thing to me?””Saul himself names Benjamin as his tribe and calls it the smallest in Israel.
- Acts 13:21-22 (BSB)“Then the people asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. After removing Saul, He raised up David as their king and testified about him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will carry out My will in its entirety.’”Paul names Benjamin as Saul’s tribe and recounts God removing Saul and raising up David.
General
Besides names, what kinds of achievements does the chapter record among Benjamin’s descendants (1 Chronicles 8:12-13, 8:40)?
Answer: Founding towns, driving out Gath’s people, and archery
The genealogy pauses a few times to record what people did. One of Elpaal’s sons built the towns of Ono and Lod and their surrounding villages (8:12). Two others led families in Aijalon and drove out the people of Gath, a city of the Philistines, Israel’s long-time enemies on the coast (8:13). And Ulam’s sons were brave warriors skilled with the bow, with a large family of descendants (8:40). Benjamin was known for such skill: later, Benjamite relatives of Saul who joined David could use either hand to shoot arrows or sling stones (1 Chronicles 12:2), and long before, Benjamin’s army had included expert left-handed slingers (Judges 20:16). These short notes show that the names belong to real families who took part in Israel’s history.
- 1 Chronicles 8:12-13 (BSB)“The sons of Elpaal: Eber, Misham, Shemed (who built Ono and Lod with its villages), and Beriah and Shema (who were the heads of families living in Aijalon and who drove out the inhabitants of Gath).”Notes on building towns and driving out the people of Gath.
- 1 Chronicles 8:40 (BSB)“The sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor, archers, and they had many sons and grandsons—150 in all. All these were the descendants of Benjamin.”Ulam’s sons are described as valiant archers with many descendants.
- 1 Chronicles 12:2 (BSB)“they were archers using both the right and left hands to sling stones and shoot arrows; and they were Saul’s kinsmen from Benjamin):”Benjamite relatives of Saul are described as archers and slingers using either hand.
- Judges 20:16 (BSB)“Among all these soldiers there were 700 select left-handers, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair without missing.”Benjamin’s army included select left-handed slingers of great accuracy, showing the tribe’s long-standing skill.
Theological
What brief notes of achievement interrupt the Benjamite genealogy (1 Chronicles 8:12-13, 8:40)?
Answer: Founding towns, driving out Gath’s people, and archery
The list is punctuated by deeds: the building of Ono and Lod (8:12), the expulsion of Gath’s residents, a Philistine city, by Benjamite clans based in Aijalon (8:13), and Ulam’s sons as valiant archers with a large posterity (8:40). The tribe’s martial skill appears elsewhere as well, in Saul’s Benjamite kinsmen who could shoot or sling with either hand (1 Chronicles 12:2) and in the left-handed slingers of Judges 20:16. The genealogy is anchored in real history, not a bare roll of names.
- 1 Chronicles 8:12-13 (BSB)“The sons of Elpaal: Eber, Misham, Shemed (who built Ono and Lod with its villages), and Beriah and Shema (who were the heads of families living in Aijalon and who drove out the inhabitants of Gath).”Notes on building towns and driving out the people of Gath.
- 1 Chronicles 8:40 (BSB)“The sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor, archers, and they had many sons and grandsons—150 in all. All these were the descendants of Benjamin.”Ulam’s sons are described as valiant archers with many descendants.
- 1 Chronicles 12:2 (BSB)“they were archers using both the right and left hands to sling stones and shoot arrows; and they were Saul’s kinsmen from Benjamin):”Benjamite relatives of Saul are described as archers and slingers using either hand.
- Judges 20:16 (BSB)“Among all these soldiers there were 700 select left-handers, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair without missing.”Benjamin’s army included select left-handed slingers of great accuracy, showing the tribe’s long-standing skill.
General
True or False: The chapter says that many of Benjamin’s family heads made their home in Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 8:28, 8:32).
Answer: True
This is true. After listing several clans, the text says these family heads and chiefs made their home in Jerusalem (8:28), and the family of Jeiel of Gibeon also settled there beside their relatives (8:29, 8:32). That fits the land Benjamin received: when Joshua divided the land, Jebus, the old name of Jerusalem, was listed among Benjamin’s cities (Joshua 18:28), and Benjamites lived there alongside the Jebusites from early on (Judges 1:21). When the kingdom later divided, Benjamin stood with Judah under David’s descendants (1 Kings 12:21). So Jerusalem, the city of David and later of the temple, was home to Benjamin’s families as well as Judah’s.
- 1 Chronicles 8:28 (BSB)“All these were heads of families, the chiefs according to their genealogies, and they lived in Jerusalem.”The family heads listed above are said to live in Jerusalem.
- 1 Chronicles 8:32 (BSB)“and Mikloth, who was the father of Shimeah. They too lived alongside their relatives in Jerusalem.”Jeiel’s family from Gibeon also lives in Jerusalem near its relatives.
- Joshua 18:28 (BSB)“Zelah, Haeleph, Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath-jearim—fourteen cities, along with their villages. This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Benjamin.”Jebus, that is Jerusalem, is named among the cities given to Benjamin.
- Judges 1:21 (BSB)“The Benjamites, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live there among the Benjamites.”Benjamites are said to have lived in Jerusalem alongside the Jebusites.
- 1 Kings 12:21 (BSB)“And when Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mobilized the whole house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin—180,000 chosen warriors—to fight against the house of Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon.”Benjamin stood with Judah under Solomon’s son when the kingdom divided.
Theological
True or False: According to 8:28 and 8:32, many Benjamite clan leaders settled in Jerusalem.
Answer: True
This is true. The Benjamite clan heads of 8:1-27 are said to have lived in Jerusalem (8:28), and the family of Jeiel of Gibeon, listed just before Saul’s line, also dwelt there among its kin (8:29, 8:32). Jerusalem lay within Benjamin’s allotment (Joshua 18:28), Benjamites lived there among the Jebusites from early on (Judges 1:21), and after the division of the kingdom Benjamin remained bound to Judah and the Davidic throne (1 Kings 12:21).
- 1 Chronicles 8:28 (BSB)“All these were heads of families, the chiefs according to their genealogies, and they lived in Jerusalem.”The family heads listed above are said to live in Jerusalem.
- 1 Chronicles 8:32 (BSB)“and Mikloth, who was the father of Shimeah. They too lived alongside their relatives in Jerusalem.”Jeiel’s family from Gibeon also lives in Jerusalem near its relatives.
- Joshua 18:28 (BSB)“Zelah, Haeleph, Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath-jearim—fourteen cities, along with their villages. This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Benjamin.”Jebus, that is Jerusalem, is named among the cities given to Benjamin.
- Judges 1:21 (BSB)“The Benjamites, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live there among the Benjamites.”Benjamites are said to have lived in Jerusalem alongside the Jebusites.
- 1 Kings 12:21 (BSB)“And when Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mobilized the whole house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin—180,000 chosen warriors—to fight against the house of Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon.”Benjamin stood with Judah under Solomon’s son when the kingdom divided.
General
True or False: The chapter follows Saul’s family on for many generations through the line of his son Jonathan (1 Chronicles 8:33-40).
Answer: True
This is true. Saul and three of his sons, including Jonathan, would die in a single battle (10:6), yet the genealogy follows Jonathan’s son, then his grandson, and on through many generations, down to Azel’s six sons and the many descendants of Ulam (8:34-40). Jonathan had once asked David never to cut off his loving devotion (faithful, covenant kindness) from Jonathan’s household (1 Samuel 20:14-15), and David later promised kindness to Jonathan’s son for his father’s sake (2 Samuel 9:7). The list shows Jonathan’s family carrying on long after Saul’s reign had ended.
- 1 Chronicles 8:33-34 (BSB)“Ner was the father of Kish, Kish was the father of Saul, and Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal. The son of Jonathan: Merib-baal, and Merib-baal was the father of Micah.”Saul’s sons are listed, and the line continues through Jonathan’s son and grandson.
- 1 Chronicles 10:6 (BSB)“So Saul died together with his three sons and all his house.”Saul and his three sons die together, yet Jonathan’s line continues in the genealogy.
- 1 Samuel 20:14-15 (BSB)“And as long as I live, treat me with the LORD’s loving devotion, that I may not die, and do not ever cut off your loving devotion from my household—not even when the LORD cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.””Jonathan asks David never to cut off loving devotion from his household.
- 2 Samuel 9:7 (BSB)““Do not be afraid,” said David, “for surely I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.””David promises kindness to Jonathan’s son for Jonathan’s sake.
Theological
True or False: The genealogy of Saul’s family in 8:33-40 is carried forward for many generations through Jonathan.
Answer: True
This is true. Although Saul and his three sons fell together (10:6), the line is traced from Jonathan through his son and grandson to Azel’s sons and Ulam’s numerous descendants (8:34-40). The survival of Jonathan’s house stands alongside Jonathan’s request that David never withdraw his loving devotion from his household (1 Samuel 20:14-15) and David’s kindness to Jonathan’s son for Jonathan’s sake (2 Samuel 9:7). Saul’s fall did not erase Jonathan’s family.
- 1 Chronicles 8:33-34 (BSB)“Ner was the father of Kish, Kish was the father of Saul, and Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal. The son of Jonathan: Merib-baal, and Merib-baal was the father of Micah.”Saul’s sons are listed, and the line continues through Jonathan’s son and grandson.
- 1 Chronicles 10:6 (BSB)“So Saul died together with his three sons and all his house.”Saul and his three sons die together, yet Jonathan’s line continues in the genealogy.
- 1 Samuel 20:14-15 (BSB)“And as long as I live, treat me with the LORD’s loving devotion, that I may not die, and do not ever cut off your loving devotion from my household—not even when the LORD cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.””Jonathan asks David never to cut off loving devotion from his household.
- 2 Samuel 9:7 (BSB)““Do not be afraid,” said David, “for surely I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.””David promises kindness to Jonathan’s son for Jonathan’s sake.