Read & explore together
The Other Tribal Families in Chronicles
1 Chronicles 7 is a genealogy, but it also keeps brief family memories. Alongside names, it records leaders, counted fighting men, sorrow in one family, named women, and places where tribes lived.
Understanding the passage
Understanding this family record
This passage moves across tribes including Issachar and Benjamin, records large genealogical totals for fighting men, pauses over Ephraim's family loss, notes settlements linked with Ephraim and Manasseh, and closes with Asher's counted men for war. These details show a family register with remembered numbers, sorrow, and land.
1 Chronicles 7:1–40Main takeaway
This genealogy preserves family lines together with remembered details about people, grief, and land.
Follow the family lines
Open a card to explore the full explanation and its Bible references.
01Issachar and Benjamin are carefully countedIssachar begins with four sons, then the line of Tola and Uzzi. These descendants are called heads of fathers’ houses, chief men, and mighty men of valour, with large totals listed.
Explanation
Issachar begins with four sons, then the line of Tola and Uzzi. These descendants are called heads of fathers’ houses, chief men, and mighty men of valour, with large totals listed. Benjamin follows in the same pattern, naming branches from Bela, Becher, and Jediael and counting those able for war.
02Brief notes still belong to the genealogyAfter Benjamin’s larger list, the chapter gives a short note about Shuppim, Huppim, Hushim, and the sons of Aher.
Explanation
After Benjamin’s larger list, the chapter gives a short note about Shuppim, Huppim, Hushim, and the sons of Aher. Naphtali is also brief. Even with few details, these lines show that smaller family notes were still preserved as part of the tribe records.
03Manasseh includes extra family detailThe line of Manasseh names several women, including the Aramitess, Maacah, and Hammolecheth, and it notes that Zelophehad had daughters.
Explanation
The line of Manasseh names several women, including the Aramitess, Maacah, and Hammolecheth, and it notes that Zelophehad had daughters. The genealogy then continues through Peresh, Sheresh, Ulam, Bedan, and others. This section is not only a chain of names, but a fuller family record.
04Ephraim and Asher preserve memory and placeEphraim’s line includes a sad memory: Ezer and Elead were killed, Ephraim mourned, and Beriah was named because there was trouble.
Explanation
Ephraim’s line includes a sad memory: Ezer and Elead were killed, Ephraim mourned, and Beriah was named because there was trouble. Sheerah is named as a builder, and settlements are listed. Asher’s genealogy closes with more names, Serah their sister, and a final war total.
Questions to explore
Pause, look back at the verses and talk together.
01What repeated phrases show these are organised family records, not just name lists?
Look for descriptions such as heads of fathers’ houses, mighty men of valour, and listed by genealogy with counted totals.
02Which named women stand out in this chapter?
Notice the Aramitess, Maacah, Hammolecheth, Sheerah, and Serah, and the note that Zelophehad had daughters.
03How is Ephraim’s section different from many other parts of the chapter?
It includes killing, mourning, a name explained by trouble, a named daughter, and a list of settlements.
Read the Bible passage
World English Bible ClassicScripture quotation · Public domain
1 Chronicles 7:1–40
1Of the sons of Issachar: Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron, four.
2The sons of Tola: Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their fathers’ houses, of Tola; mighty men of valor in their generations. Their number in the days of David was twenty-two thousand six hundred.
3The son of Uzzi: Izrahiah. The sons of Izrahiah: Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah, five; all of them chief men.
4With them, by their generations, after their fathers’ houses, were bands of the army for war, thirty-six thousand; for they had many wives and sons.
5Their brothers among all the families of Issachar, mighty men of valor, listed in all by genealogy, were eighty-seven thousand.
6The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, and Jediael, three.
7The sons of Bela: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri, five; heads of fathers’ houses, mighty men of valor; and they were listed by genealogy twenty-two thousand thirty-four.
8The sons of Becher: Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth. All these were the sons of Becher.
9They were listed by genealogy, after their generations, heads of their fathers’ houses, mighty men of valor, twenty thousand two hundred.
10The son of Jediael: Bilhan. The sons of Bilhan: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar.
11All these were sons of Jediael, according to the heads of their fathers’ households, mighty men of valor, seventeen thousand two hundred, who were able to go out in the army for war.
12So were Shuppim, Huppim, the sons of Ir, Hushim, and the sons of Aher.
13The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, Shallum, and the sons of Bilhah.
14The sons of Manasseh: Asriel, whom his concubine the Aramitess bore. She bore Machir the father of Gilead.
15Machir took a wife of Huppim and Shuppim, whose sister’s name was Maacah. The name of the second was Zelophehad; and Zelophehad had daughters.
16Maacah the wife of Machir bore a son, and she named him Peresh. The name of his brother was Sheresh; and his sons were Ulam and Rakem.
17The sons of Ulam: Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh.
18His sister Hammolecheth bore Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah.
19The sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.
20The sons of Ephraim: Shuthelah, Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath his son,
21Zabad his son, Shuthelah his son, Ezer, and Elead, whom the men of Gath who were born in the land killed, because they came down to take away their livestock.
22Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brothers came to comfort him.
23He went in to his wife, and she conceived and bore a son, and he named him Beriah, because there was trouble with his house.
24His daughter was Sheerah, who built Beth Horon the lower and the upper, and Uzzen Sheerah.
25Rephah was his son, Resheph his son, Telah his son, Tahan his son,
26Ladan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son,
27Nun his son, and Joshua his son.
28Their possessions and settlements were Bethel and its towns, and eastward Naaran, and westward Gezer with its towns; Shechem also and its towns, to Azzah and its towns;
29and by the borders of the children of Manasseh, Beth Shean and its towns, Taanach and its towns, Megiddo and its towns, and Dor and its towns. The children of Joseph the son of Israel lived in these.
30The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah. Serah was their sister.
31The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel, who was the father of Birzaith.
32Heber became the father of Japhlet, Shomer, Hotham, and Shua their sister.
33The sons of Japhlet: Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. These are the children of Japhlet.
34The sons of Shemer: Ahi, Rohgah, Jehubbah, and Aram.
35The sons of Helem his brother: Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal.
36The sons of Zophah: Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah,
37Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, and Beera.
38The sons of Jether: Jephunneh, Pispa, and Ara.
39The sons of Ulla: Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia.
40All these were the children of Asher, heads of the fathers’ houses, choice and mighty men of valor, chief of the princes. The number of them listed by genealogy for service in war was twenty-six thousand men.