Commentary - 1 Chronicles 7:14-19

Bird's-eye view

At first glance, this passage is one of those sections in Chronicles that causes the modern reader's eyes to glaze over. It appears to be a tangled and somewhat confusing list of names from the tribe of Manasseh. But we must remember that all Scripture is God-breathed and profitable, and that includes the genealogies. These are not dusty records for the sake of historical trivia; they are the inspired account of God's covenant faithfulness to His people over many generations. This is the family tree of a portion of the people of God, and it is recorded here to show that God keeps His promises. He promised Abraham a seed, and here is the record of that seed multiplying. The Chronicler is writing to the returned exiles to remind them of their identity. They are not a random collection of people; they are the heirs of a great history, a history in which God has been working His purposes out. This particular section highlights the complexity and, frankly, the messiness of that history, with concubines, unusual marriages, and noteworthy women all playing a part. It is a reminder that God's covenant grace works through real, complicated families, not idealized ones.

The central theme here is covenant succession. God is tracing the line of promise. Even in its fragmentation, with names that are hard to place and relationships that are not entirely clear, the overarching point is clear: God knows His people by name. He is building His house, generation by generation, and every individual in this list, however obscure to us, was a part of that grand project. This is a written testimony to the fact that God did not forget His people in Egypt, and He did not forget them in Babylon. And ultimately, this long line of fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, points to the one great Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the true inheritor of all the promises and in whom we find our place in the ultimate genealogy of God's family.

Outline

Context In 1 Chronicles

First Chronicles begins with nine chapters of genealogies, tracing the history of Israel from Adam down to the time of the return from exile. The Chronicler's purpose is to re-establish the identity of the returned remnant. After the devastation of the exile, they needed to know who they were. They were the people of God, the descendants of Abraham, the subjects of King David, and the heirs of the covenant promises. These genealogies are a massive sermon on God's faithfulness. Chapter 7 specifically deals with the northern tribes of Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Asher. This section on Manasseh is particularly compressed and contains some textual difficulties, but its placement here is crucial. It solidifies the claim of the half-tribe of Manasseh to their portion of the covenant inheritance, reminding the post-exilic community that all twelve tribes, even those who were scattered, are part of God's one people.

Key Issues

God's Arithmetic

We serve a God who counts. He counts the stars and calls them by name. He counts the hairs on our heads. And here, He counts the sons and daughters of Manasseh. These lists are a form of divine accounting. They are the ledger of God's covenant promises. When God told Abraham his descendants would be as numerous as the sand on the seashore, this is what that promise looks like when it starts getting fleshed out on the ground. It is not an abstract theological concept; it is Asriel, and Machir, and Peresh, and Ulam. Each name is a testament to God's promise-keeping power.

Furthermore, the way the counting is done is instructive. It is not a neat and tidy affair. There is an Aramean concubine right at the start. There are women, like Maacah and Hammolecheth, who are named as key players in the continuation of the line. And there is the famous case of Zelophehad, who had no sons, only daughters, a situation that required a special ruling from Moses to ensure the family's inheritance was not lost. This is not a sanitized history. It is a gritty, real history, and it shows us that God's grace is not limited by our tidy categories. He writes His story of redemption straight, but He uses crooked lines to do it. This is God's arithmetic, where He adds grace to messy situations and multiplies His people through them, all for His glory.

Verse by Verse Commentary

14 The sons of Manasseh were Asriel, whom his Aramean concubine bore; she bore Machir the father of Gilead.

The genealogy of Manasseh begins immediately with a note of irregularity. The first son mentioned, Asriel, is the son not of a wife, but of an Aramean concubine. In a book concerned with covenant lineage, this is a striking detail. It tells us from the outset that God's covenant purposes are not thwarted by complex or even compromised family situations. The bloodline is not as important as the covenant line. This concubine was a Syrian, an outsider, yet her son is counted among the sons of Manasseh. This is a whisper of the gospel truth that God's family is ultimately built not on ethnic purity, but on His gracious calling. The verse then pivots to the more prominent son, Machir, also born of this same concubine. Machir is a significant figure, described as the "father of Gilead," a mighty warrior whose descendants would conquer and possess a large territory east of the Jordan. God's grace is evident in taking the sons of a concubine and making them foundational to the strength of the tribe.

15 Now Machir took a wife for Huppim and Shuppim, whose sister’s name was Maacah. And the name of the second was Zelophehad, and Zelophehad had daughters.

This verse is notoriously difficult to parse, and the grammar is compressed. The most likely sense is that Machir, the patriarch, arranged a marriage for his descendants. The mention of Maacah, the sister of the bride, is another instance of a woman being given prominence in the record. But the Chronicler quickly moves to another name: Zelophehad. The text says he was "the second," but it is unclear what this refers to. What is clear, and what every Israelite reader would have known, was the significance of Zelophehad's family. The text states it plainly: "and Zelophehad had daughters." This is recorded with deliberate purpose. It is a reference to the famous story in Numbers 27, where these five daughters, Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah, boldly and faithfully petitioned Moses for the right to inherit their father's land since he had no sons. Their case established a legal precedent in Israel, showing that God makes provision for His people and that the inheritance is a sacred trust to be preserved within the tribe. The Chronicler includes this detail to remind his readers of this foundational story of faith and God's provision for preserving covenant inheritance.

16 And Maacah the wife of Machir bore a son, and she named him Peresh; and the name of his brother was Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rakem.

Here we have another Maacah, this one the wife of Machir himself. The text is careful to distinguish her. She is not just a wife; she is a mother in Israel who bears sons and continues the line. She names her firstborn Peresh, and his brother is Sheresh. The line then continues through Sheresh's sons, Ulam and Rakem. This is the nuts and bolts of covenant succession. It happens through the faithfulness of husbands and wives, through the bearing and raising of children. We see the family tree branching out, growing, and filling the earth, just as God commanded in the beginning. Each name represents a soul, a family, a story, all woven into the larger story of God's dealings with His people.

17 The son of Ulam was Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh.

The line of Ulam is traced one more generation to Bedan. Then the Chronicler provides a summary statement, tying this branch of the family back to the main trunk. "These were the sons of Gilead." Gilead here likely refers to the clan or the region, which was founded by and named after their great ancestor, Gilead, the grandson of Manasseh. This is a way of anchoring these individuals in their covenant geography and lineage. They belong to a specific family, from a specific place, all descended from Machir, the mighty son of Manasseh. It reinforces their identity and their claim to the inheritance God had given them.

18 And his sister Hammolecheth bore Ishhod and Abiezer and Mahlah.

Once again, a woman is brought to the forefront. Hammolecheth is identified as "his sister," likely the sister of Gilead. She is not simply listed; her children are named as part of the official record. This is significant. Her sons, Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah, are important figures. Abiezer, for example, was the ancestor of the great judge Gideon. By naming their mother, the Chronicler highlights her crucial role in bringing these important men into the world. It is a quiet but firm statement that mothers are indispensable to the covenant. God builds His kingdom through the fruit of the womb, and the faith and fortitude of women like Hammolecheth are part of the bedrock of Israel's history.

19 The sons of Shemida were Ahian and Shechem and Likhi and Aniam.

The passage concludes by listing the sons of another descendant of Manasseh, Shemida. These four sons represent another branch of the family, another line of inheritance, another fulfillment of God's promise to multiply His people. The name Shechem is noteworthy, as it is also the name of a major city in Manasseh's territory. This family was clearly significant. The genealogy ends here, not because the line died out, but because the Chronicler has made his point. He has shown the returned exiles that the tribe of Manasseh, with all its complexities and notable figures, both male and female, is a vital part of the covenant family of Israel. Their roots are deep, their history is real, and their God is faithful.

Application

So what does a dusty list of names from a half-tribe of Israel have to do with us? Everything. First, it reminds us that our faith is rooted in history. God works in time and space, through real people and messy families. Your family might have some irregularities in it, some concubines in the woodpile, so to speak. Welcome to the club. The Bible is full of them, and God's grace is sufficient for them. God is not looking for a perfect pedigree; He is looking for faith, and He is the one who establishes the covenant line by grace.

Second, this passage highlights the importance of inheritance. The people of Manasseh were concerned with their portion of the land, their inheritance. Our inheritance as Christians is infinitely greater. We are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. We have an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for us. These genealogies, which trace an earthly inheritance, are a shadow of the great reality of our spiritual inheritance. We are part of a family, the family of God, with a lineage that goes back not just to Abraham, but to the eternal counsel of God before the foundation of the world.

Finally, the inclusion of women like Maacah, the daughters of Zelophehad, and Hammolecheth should be an encouragement. God sees and values the contribution of every member of His covenant family. He uses faithful women to raise up mighty men and to preserve the line of promise. In the new covenant, our place in God's family is not determined by our gender, ethnicity, or social status. In Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female. We are all one in Him, adopted into the ultimate family, our names written not in the chronicles of a king, but in the Lamb's Book of Life.