📖WEB · 1 Chronicles 1:47
What does 1 Chronicles 1:47 mean?
"Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place."
— 1 Chronicles 1:47 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place.
Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.
Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who struck Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his place; and the name of his city was Avith.
Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place.
Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth by the River reigned in his place.
Shaul died, and Baal Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place.
Baal Hanan died, and Hadad reigned in his place; and the name of his city was Pai: and his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.
Explanation
1 Chronicles 1:47 is a brief genealogical notice recording a transition of political power among the ancient Edomites. It simply states that a king named Hadad died and was succeeded on the throne by a man named Samlah, who came from a place called Masrekah. The verse gives no details about Hadad's reign, his accomplishments, or the circumstances of his death — it is purely a record of succession, much like a king list found in ancient historical archives.
This verse belongs to a longer genealogical section (1 Chronicles 1:43-51) that lists the kings who ruled in the land of Edom "before any king reigned over the children of Israel" (1 Chronicles 1:43). This list closely parallels Genesis 36:31-39, meaning the Chronicler was drawing on earlier Israelite records, likely compiling them after the Babylonian exile to help the returning Jewish community understand its place in the larger sweep of history, including its relationship to neighboring nations. Edom was the nation descended from Esau, Jacob's brother, so this list traces a related but distinct family line — the descendants of Esau who established their own kingdom in the region south and east of Israel. The Chronicler, writing to a post-exilic Jewish aud
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