Text -- 1 Chronicles 1:1-32 (NET)

Adam’s Descendants

1:1 Adam, Seth, Enosh, 1:2 Kenan, Mahalalel, Jered, 1:3 Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, 1:4 Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Japheth’s Descendants

1:5 The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 1:6 The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 1:7 The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites, and the Rodanites.

Ham’s Descendants

1:8 The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. 1:9 The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. 1:10 Cush was the father of Nimrod, who established himself as a mighty warrior on earth. 1:11 Mizraim was the father of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, 1:12 Pathrusites, Casluhites (from whom the Philistines descended), and the Caphtorites. 1:13 Canaan was the father of Sidon– his firstborn– and Heth, 1:14 as well as the Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 1:15 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, 1:16 Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites.

Shem’s Descendants

1:17 The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech. 1:18 Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah was the father of Eber. 1:19 Two sons were born to Eber: the first was named Peleg, for during his lifetime the earth was divided; his brother’s name was Joktan. 1:20 Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 1:21 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 1:22 Ebal, Abimael, Sheba, 1:23 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan. 1:24 Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah, 1:25 Eber, Peleg, Reu, 1:26 Serug, Nahor, Terah, 1:27 Abram (that is, Abraham). 1:28 The sons of Abraham: Isaac and Ishmael.

Ishmael’s Descendants

1:29 These were their descendants: Ishmael’s firstborn son was Nebaioth; the others were Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 1:30 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, 1:31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael.

Keturah’s Descendants

1:32 The sons to whom Keturah, Abraham’s concubine, gave birth: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, Shuah. The sons of Jokshan: Sheba and Dedan.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: 1Ch 1:4

¹ tc The LXX reads “Noah; the sons of Noah [were] Shem, Ham, and Japheth.” Several English translations (e.g., NIV, NLT) follow the LXX.

sn Shem, Ham, and Japheth were Noah’s three sons (Gen 6:10).

NET Notes: 1Ch 1:6

¹ tc Many medieval Hebrew mss, along with the LXX and Vulgate, read “Riphath” (see Gen 10:3). This is followed by several English translations (e.g., NAB, NIV, NLT), while others (e.g., ASV, NASB, NRSV) follow the MT reading (“Diphath”).

NET Notes: 1Ch 1:7

¹ tn Or in this case, “descendants.”

² tc The Kethiv has “Rodanim,” which probably refers to the island of Rhodes. The Qere has “Dodanim,” which refers to one of the most ancient and revered locations in ancient Greece. The MT and most medieval Hebrew mss of the parallel list in Gen 10:4 read “Dodanim,” but a few have “Rodanim.”

tn Heb “Kittim and Rodanim.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 1:8

¹ tn That is, “Egypt.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 1:10

¹ tn Heb “he began to be a mighty warrior in the earth.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 1:12

¹ tn Heb “came forth.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 1:17

¹ tc The words “the sons of Aram” do not appear in the Hebrew text. Apparently the phrase וּבְנֵי אֲרָם (uvÿney ’aram) has accidentally dropped out of the text by homoioteleuton (note the presence of אֲרָם just before this). The phrase is included in Gen 10:23.

² tc The MT of the parallel geneaology in Gen 10:23 reads “Mash,” but the LXX there reads “Meshech” in agreement with 1 Chr 1:17.

NET Notes: 1Ch 1:19

¹ sn Perhaps this refers to the scattering of the people at Babel (Gen 11:1-9).

NET Notes: 1Ch 1:22

¹ tc Some medieval Hebrew mss and the Syriac read “Obal” (see Gen 10:28).

NET Notes: 1Ch 1:24

¹ tc Some LXX mss read “Arphaxad, Cainan, Shelah” (see also the notes on Gen 10:24; 11:12-13).

NET Notes: 1Ch 1:29

¹ tn The words “the others were” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

NET Notes: 1Ch 1:32

¹ sn A concubine was a slave woman in ancient Near Eastern societies who was the legal property of her master, but who could have legitimate sexual relations with her master. A concubine’s status was more elevated than a mere servant, but she was not free and did not have the legal rights of a free wife. The children of a concubine could, in some instances, become equal heirs with the children of the free wife. After the period of the Judges concubines may have become more of a royal prerogative (2 Sam 21:10-14; 1 Kgs 11:3).