1 Chronicles 8

8:1-40 The genealogy of Benjamin’s descendants brings the genealogies to a close. The record began with Judah, the tribe of David; it ends with Benjamin, the tribe of Saul.

8:3 Gera, Abihud: As translated, Bela had two sons named Gera (8:3, 5), an unusual situation. If the rendering suggested in the NLT note is correct, the second Gera was the first Gera’s son.

8:6-28 This list reports the militia from the clans of Ehud (8:6-7) and Shaharaim (8:8-28), who lived in the vicinity of Jerusalem.

8:7 This exile is unknown; it might have been a voluntary emigration from the territory of Benjamin, perhaps during the period of the judges.

8:29-32 This list gives the militia that resided at Gibeon, although some of them had moved to Jerusalem.

8:33-40 The Chronicler concludes his record of Benjamin’s history with the genealogy of Saul, beginning two generations before Saul and extending through Merib-baal (=Mephibosheth; see study note on 2 Sam 4:4) and down to the families of Azel and Eshek (1 Chr 8:38-40). Micah (8:35) lived in the time of Solomon, and Ulam (8:39) lived near the end of the kingdom of Judah before the destruction of Jerusalem. Thus, Saul is connected with his larger tribal history and with a noble heritage that carried on throughout the kingdom period.