First Chronicles

From: Testimony of The Ages: Confirmations of the Scriptures

• 7 min. read • grade level: 8

Names Significant

1 Chronicles 4:9⁹And Jabez was more honorable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. (1 Chronicles 4:9).—Jabez was more honorable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.

HOMER.—

The afflicted pair, their sorrows to proclaim,

From Cleopatra changed their daughter's name,

And call'd Alcyone; a name to show

The father's grief, the mourning mother's woe.

—Iliad, lib. lix., v. 557.

Pastoral Wealth

1 Chron. 5:21²¹And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men an hundred thousand. (1 Chronicles 5:21).—And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of men a hundred thousand.

PROF. H. B. TRISTRAM, LL. D., F. R. S.—The powerful tribe of the Beni Sakk'r, who now inhabit that same region, boast of one hundred thousand camels.—Nor does the number of the sheep seem to have diminished at the present day on that east side of Jordan, in spite of the impoverishment of the land. No country could be conceived more adapted by nature for flocks than the rich plateaux whence the feeders of the Jabbok rise in the ancient Ammon. The land is almost treeless, well watered everywhere. Never did I see such a display of pastoral wealth as met our eyes in the neighborhood of desolate Rabbah. It was the early spring, when the grass was shooting forth in its freshness. The sheep of the great tribes of the Adwân and the Beni Sakk'r had gathered here from far and near; and mile after mile we rode through flocks countless as the sand, while winding up the gently sloping valley, at the head of which stand the magnificent but lonely ruins of the great city. To the open spaces among the temples the sheep and goats were driven at night, and there the bleating was almost deafening.—Nat. Hist. of Bib., p. 59, 135.

Death of Saul

1 Chron. 10:9⁹And when they had stripped him, they took his head, and his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry tidings unto their idols, and to the people. (1 Chronicles 10:9).—They sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry tidings to their idols and to the people.

REV. JOSEPH ROBERTS.—When the heathen of the present day gain a victory over their enemies, they always take the tidings to their idols. There is the king, and there are his general and troops, with the priests and people, all marching in triumph to the temple. Then they relate to the gods all their proceedings; how they conquered the foe, and have now come to them to give the glory.—Orient. Illust., p. 229.

1 Chron. 10:10¹⁰And they put his armor in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon. (1 Chronicles 10:10).—And they put his armor in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.

ARRIANUS.—Alexander sent to Athens three hundred suits of Persian armor, to be hung up in the temple of Pallas there, by way of acknowledgment of his victories, and ordered an inscription to be fixed over them to this effect, "Alexander, the son of Philip, and all the Greeks, except the Lacedemonians, have devoted the spoils taken from the barbarians inhabiting Asia."—Eped. Alexand., 1. i., c. 16.

VIRGIL.—

Hung on the pillars, all around appears

A row of trophies, helmets, shields and spears,

And solid bars, and axes keenly bright,

And naval beaks, and chariots seiz'd in fight.

—Æneid, VII., 183.

See 1 Sam. 31:1-12¹Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa. ²And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, Saul's sons. ³And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers. ⁴Then said Saul unto his armorbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armorbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. ⁵And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him. ⁶So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armorbearer, and all his men, that same day together. ⁷And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. ⁸And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa. ⁹And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people. ¹⁰And they put his armor in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. ¹¹And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul; ¹²All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there. (1 Samuel 31:1‑12).

Chron. 11:4-9.-And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus; where the Jebusites were, etc.

See 2 Sam. 5:6-9⁶And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither. ⁷Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David. ⁸And David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David's soul, he shall be chief and captain. Wherefore they said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house. ⁹So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward. (2 Samuel 5:6‑9).

1 Chron. 11:22²²Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many acts; he slew two lionlike men of Moab: also he went down and slew a lion in a pit in a snowy day. (1 Chronicles 11:22).—Benaiah... went down and slew a lion in a pit in a snowy clay.

See 2 Sam. 23:20²⁰And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of Kabzeel, who had done many acts, he slew two lionlike men of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow: (2 Samuel 23:20).

1 Chron. 15:29²⁹And it came to pass, as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looking out at a window saw king David dancing and playing: and she despised him in her heart. (1 Chronicles 15:29).—Michal the daughter of Saul looking out at a window saw king David dancing, etc.

See 2 Sam. 6:14¹⁴And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. (2 Samuel 6:14).

1 Chron. 18:3-8³And David smote Hadarezer king of Zobah unto Hamath, as he went to stablish his dominion by the river Euphrates. ⁴And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: David also houghed all the chariot horses, but reserved of them an hundred chariots. ⁵And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadarezer king of Zobah, David slew of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men. ⁶Then David put garrisons in Syria-damascus; and the Syrians became David's servants, and brought gifts. Thus the Lord preserved David whithersoever he went. ⁷And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadarezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸Likewise from Tibhath, and from Chun, cities of Hadarezer, brought David very much brass, wherewith Solomon made the brazen sea, and the pillars, and the vessels of brass. (1 Chronicles 18:3‑8).—And David smote Hadarezer, etc.

See 2 Sam. 8:3-6³David smote also Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his border at the river Euphrates. ⁴And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David houghed all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for an hundred chariots. ⁵And when the Syrians of Damascus came to succor Hadadezer king of Zobah, David slew of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men. ⁶Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus: and the Syrians became servants to David, and brought gifts. And the Lord preserved David whithersoever he went. (2 Samuel 8:3‑6).

1 Chron. 19:4⁴Wherefore Hanun took David's servants, and shaved them, and cut off their garments in the midst hard by their buttocks, and sent them away. (1 Chronicles 19:4).—Wherefore Hanun took David's servants, shaved them, and cut off their garments, etc.

See 2 Sam. 10:4⁴Wherefore Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away. (2 Samuel 10:4).

Chron. 20:2.—And David took the crown of their king from off his head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, etc.

See 2 Sam. 12:30³⁰And he took their king's crown from off his head, the weight whereof was a talent of gold with the precious stones: and it was set on David's head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city in great abundance. (2 Samuel 12:30).

1 Chron. 20:6⁶And yet again there was war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot: and he also was the son of the giant. (1 Chronicles 20:6).—And yet again there was war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty; six on each hand, and six on each foot.

See 2 Sam. 21:20²⁰And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant. (2 Samuel 21:20).

Population of Palestine

Chron. 21:5.—And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and a hundred thousand men that drew the sword: and Judah was four hundred three-score and ten thousand men that drew the sword.

DR. HENRY J. VAN-LENNEP.—Some have doubted whether Palestine could support a population of three millions even in David's time, when its limit, were the broadest, and it had become the entrepot of the commerce of India. Computing the surface of the land at 11,200 geographical square miles, we have an average of 267 souls to the square mile; whereas prosperous Great Britain has but 246. It should, however, be remembered that England possesses large tracts of unproductive soil belonging to a favored class. German Bohemia, though hilly, supports a population of 254 to the square mile; while the fertile alluvial plains of Belgium feed no less than 438. Modern China supports 288. There are no data by which we can estimate the present population of Palestine, but we are safe in saying that every country of Western Asia has greatly deteriorated in fertility during the last twelve centuries. Egypt, according to Herodotus, anciently contained seven millions of inhabitants; yet its present population is but two and a half millions. Babylonia was once the most fertile spot upon the face of the earth. According to Strabo, barley produced three hundred fold; and Pliny states that there were two crops of wheat in the year But now this whole region is little more than a desert.—Bible Lands, p. 22.

1 Chron. 21:7⁷And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel. (1 Chronicles 21:7).—And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel. See 2 Sam. 24:15-17¹⁵So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men. ¹⁶And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the Lord was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite. ¹⁷And David spake unto the Lord when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house. (2 Samuel 24:15‑17).

Bloodstained Hands

1 Chron. 22:8⁸But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight. (1 Chronicles 22:8).—But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build a house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.

HOMER.—

Let chiefs abstain, and spare the sacred juice

To sprinkle to the gods, its better use.

By me that holy office were profaned;

Ill fits it men with human gore distain'd,

To the pure skies their horrid hands to raise,

Or offer Heaven's great sire polluted praise.

—Iliad, 1. vi., v. 264.

VIRGIL.—

In me 'tis impious holy things to bear,

Red as I am with slaughter new from war,

Till in some living stream I cleanse the guilt

Of dire debate, and blood in battle spilt.

—Æneid ii., v. 718.

The Great Giver of All

Chron. 29:14.—All things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.

SENECA.—A man may be taught how to behave himself at sacrifices and in public worship, without any curious and troublesome superstition; but he will never be perfect in religious duty till he has conceived in his mind a right notion of God, as the possessor and giver of all things, and who freely and graciously bestows inestimable benefits upon us.—Epist., 95.

CICERO.—We must needs acknowledge that the benefits of this life, the light which we enjoy, and the spirit which we breathe, are imparted to us from him, i. e., Jupiter optimus maximus.—Orat. pro Sext. Rosc., c. 45.

EURIPIDES.—Men do not enjoy riches as their own; but having the property of the gods we cherish it; and when they choose they take them away again. —Phœn., v. 554.

EPICTETUS.—There is but one way to tranquility of mind and happiness—to account no external things thine own, but to refer all these to God and fortune.—Epict., 1. iv., c. 4.

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