1 Chronicles 7:6-13

Why does the brief list of Benjamin differ from the fuller one that follows?

Berean Standard Bible

6 The three sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, and Jediael. 7 The sons of Bela: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri, heads of their families—five in all. There were 22,034 mighty men of valor listed in their genealogies. 8 The sons of Becher: Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth; all these were Becher’s sons. 9 Their genealogies were recorded according to the heads of their families—20,200 mighty men of valor. 10 The son of Jediael: Bilhan. The sons of Bilhan: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar. 11 All these sons of Jediael were heads of their families, mighty men of valor; there were 17,200 fit for battle. 12 The Shuppites and Huppites were descendants of Ir, and the Hushites were descendants of Aher. 13 The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shallum—the descendants of Bilhah.

What is the context?

Benjamin’s descendants are traced here through Bela, Becher, and Jediael, with numbers of men fit for battle. The account names family heads and then includes shorter notices about related groups.

A single verse records Naphtali’s sons and their connection with Bilhah. The space given to different tribes is unequal, so the length of a notice cannot by itself measure a tribe’s worth.

Chapter 8 will return to Benjamin with a different, fuller arrangement. These genealogical lists should be read according to their own scope rather than assuming every one intends to name exactly the same set of immediate sons.

How is this passage commonly understood?

Wesley proposes that prominence, surviving branches, or more distant descendants may explain differences between Benjamin’s lists. The USCCB notes also flag difficulty in the text near the closing Benjamin entries. These observations acknowledge the problem without establishing a complete reconstruction or silently changing the BSB’s names.

What is our position?

We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.

Where can I study this further?

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