1 Chronicles 7:36

The sons of Zophah; Suah, and Harnepher, and Shual, and Beri, and Imrah,

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(36) The branches of Helem through Zophah the elder house. Eleven names of the sons of Zophah. The second, “Harnepher,” has a name which looks like pure Egyptian: Har nefer, “the beauteous Horus,” or morning sun. Comp. the case of the Egyptian slave Jarha 34), and the marriage of Mered with “Pharaoh’s daughter” (1Chronicles 4:18). (See also the Notes on 1Chronicles 7:10.)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

7:1-40 Genealogies. - Here is no account either of Zebulun or Dan. We can assign no reason why they only should be omitted; but it is the disgrace of the tribe of Dan, that idolatry began in that colony which fixed in Laish, and called it Dan, Jud 18 and there one of the golden calves was set up by Jeroboam. Dan is omitted, Re 7. Men become abominable when they forsake the worship of the true God, for any creature object.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Shamer; Ahi, and Rohgah - Translate as: "The sons of Shamer 1 Chronicles 7:32, his brother, Rohgah, etc."

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

21. whom the men of Gath … slew, &c.—This interesting little episode gives us a glimpse of the state of Hebrew society in Egypt; for the occurrence narrated seems to have taken place before the Israelites left that country. The patriarch Ephraim was then alive, though he must have arrived at a very advanced age; and the Hebrew people, at all events those of them who were his descendants, still retained their pastoral character. It was in perfect consistency with the ideas and habits of Oriental shepherds that they should have made a raid on the neighboring tribe of the Philistines for the purpose of plundering their flocks. For nothing is more common among them than hostile incursions on the inhabitants of towns, or on other nomad tribes with whom they have no league of amity. But a different view of the incident is brought out, if, instead of "because," we render the Hebrew particle "when" they came down to take their cattle, for the tenor of the context leads rather to the conclusion that "the men of Gath" were the aggressors, who, making a sudden foray on the Ephraimite flocks, killed the shepherds including several of the sons of Ephraim. The calamity spread a deep gloom around the tent of their aged father, and was the occasion of his receiving visits of condolence from his distant relatives, according to the custom of the East, which is remarkably exemplified in the history of Job (Job 2:11; compare Joh 11:19).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

No text from Poole on this verse.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And the sons of Zophah,.... The eldest of the sons of Helem:

Suah, and Harnepher, and Shual, and Beri, and Imrah, Bezer; and Hod, and Shamma, and Shilshah, and Ithran, and Beera; in all eleven.

Geneva Study Bible

The sons of Zophah; Suah, and Harnepher, and Shual, and Beri, and Imrah,

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 36-38. - Vers. 36 and 37 purport to give us eleven sons of Zophah, son of Helem, and grandson of Heber, and these bring us to the sixth generation from Asher; and again (ver. 38), we reach the seventh in descent from Asher, in the three sons of Jether, or Ithran, the tenth son of Zophah. 1 Chronicles 7:36

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

Descendants of Helem-in 1 Chronicles 7:35 sons, in 1 Chronicles 7:36-38 grandsons.

As Helem is called אהיו, "his brother" (i.e., the brother of the Shemer mentioned in 1 Chronicles 7:34), הלם would seem to be the third son of Heber, who is called in 1 Chronicles 7:32 חותם. If so, one of the two names must have resulted from an error in transcription; but it is now impossible to determine which is the original and correct form of the name. Eleven names are introduced as those of the sons of Zophah (1 Chronicles 7:36, 1 Chronicles 7:37); and in 1 Chronicles 7:38 we have, besides, three sons of Jether (יתר), who is called in 1 Chronicles 7:38 יתרן. In 1 Chronicles 7:39 there follow three names, those of the sons of Ulla; on which Bertheau rightly remarks, the whole character of our enumeration would lead us to conjecture that עלּא had already occurred among the preceding names, although we find neither this name nor any similar one, with which it might be identified, in the preceding list.