1 Chronicles 5: he Transjordanian Tribes
Descendants of Reuben (1-10), Gad (11-17) & Manasseh-East (23-26)
These 2 and half tribes were allotted their portions first before the Israelites crossed River Jordon. By the time of post-exilic period these tribes lost their identity as they were invaded and scattered by Assyrian invasion in 8th century B.C.
Descendants of Reuben (1-10)
5:1-2…birthright….. Reuben, the first born of Israel had to forfeit his birthright due to a grave sin against his father. His birthright was handed over to Joseph’s sons.
5:3-6…sons of Reuben….. This is a fragmented short list from Reuben through the Assyrian Invasion in 733 B.C.
5:7-10…Gilead….Hagrites….. This passage talks about the later expansion.
Descendants of Gad (11-17):
Prevailed over enemies (18-22):
Then Transjordanian tribes formed a army together to fight the enemies together. As they sought the LORD in prayer and as the Bible claims it to the the war of the LORD, they had victory. The LORD fights for His people.
Descendants of Manasseh-East (23-26):
Half of the Manasseh tribe was allotted on the east of Jordon and half were on the West side of Jordon. The half-tribe of Manasseh was defeated and exiled, along with the Reubenites and Gadites, into Assyrian lands by Tiglath-pileser. This may have looked from the perspective of worldly politics, the Chronicler attributes the defeat and exile to God’s initiative in human affairs: the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul. The author has added his own characteristic emphasis, that because these idolatrous Israelites broke faith (Hb. ma‘al), they were punished by suffering foreign invasion and exile.
1 Chronicles 6: Descendants of Levi.
The author gives the details of the Family of Levi. He also talks about the musicians in the House of the LORD. He talks about the Family of Aaron and the dwelling places of the Levites.
Lineage from Levi through Kohath, Aaron, Eleazar and Phinehas till to Jehozadak during exile. (1-15)
6:1-4a…Eleazar fathered Phinehas….. Since God made the covenant of peace and covenant of an everlasting priesthood with Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, this passage focuses on the line of Eleazar through Kohath, son of Levi. Numbers 25:1-13 (read verses 11-13) and Psalm 106:28-31.
6:5-15…Jehozadak….. This is an incomplete list of high priests. There are several names got omitted in this list in order to cover important priests and to show the priest during exile. Jebozadak, the last High Priest in Jerusalem Temple during Babylonian Exile, was deported to Babylon. However, his line was preserved into the Post-exilic period (Ezra 5:2). This line of prophets was preserved like the David’s line as per HIS promise. One of the main themes of Chronicles is that God’s grace is not nullified by human disobedience, but that rather God creates fresh opportunities for each generation to trust and obey.
Lineage of Levi through Gershom. (16-30):
6:16-21….. The main concentration here is to take the descendants of Gershom and Merari for 7 generation, probably down to the time of David who reorganized the duties of the Levites.
6:22-27…sons of Kohath…..
6:28…sons of Samuel…..The genealogy of the prophet Samuel identifies him as a Kohathite. First Samuel 1:1 states that his father Elkanah was from an “Ephraimite” family, but this may indicate the locality in which they lived as part of a Kohathite clan rather than their tribal identity.