📖WEB · 1 Chronicles 7:10
What does 1 Chronicles 7:10 mean?
"The son of Jediael: Bilhan. The sons of Bilhan: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar."
— 1 Chronicles 7:10 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
The sons of Bela: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri, five; heads of fathers’ houses, mighty men of valor; and they were listed by genealogy twenty-two thousand thirty-four.
The sons of Becher: Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth. All these were the sons of Becher.
They were listed by genealogy, after their generations, heads of their fathers’ houses, mighty men of valor, twenty thousand two hundred.
The son of Jediael: Bilhan. The sons of Bilhan: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar.
All these were sons of Jediael, according to the heads of their fathers’ households, mighty men of valor, seventeen thousand two hundred, who were able to go out in the army for war.
So were Shuppim, Huppim, the sons of Ir, Hushim, and the sons of Aher.
The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, Shallum, and the sons of Bilhah.
Explanation
This verse is part of a genealogical record, a simple list naming the descendants of a man named Jediael, tracing his line through his son Bilhan and then Bilhan's seven sons: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar. In plain language, it is a family tree entry — nothing more dramatic than a record of who was born to whom, preserved for the purpose of maintaining accurate tribal lineage.
The Books of Chronicles were likely compiled after the Babylonian exile, traditionally attributed to Ezra or a scribe working in that tradition, for the Jewish community returning to the land. After decades of displacement, it was vital for Israel to reconstruct its identity — who belonged to which tribe, who could serve as priests, who owned which ancestral land, and who fit into the covenant community God had established with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. First Chronicles 1–9 is essentially a massive genealogical bridge connecting the pre-exilic nation to the newly restored one. Chapter 7 specifically covers the descendants of several tribes, including a group associated with Benjamin or possibly Naphtali (interpreters differ on the exact identification of Jediael's line), continu
Compare translations
Go deeper with ScriptureCompanion AI
Ask questions about any verse, follow reading plans, write personal prayers, and track your daily habit — all grounded in verified scripture text.