THE TRIBE OF JUDAH In the first chapter, the author presented the two sons of Isaac: Esau and Israel (1: 34). Very concisely he presented the descendants of Esau (1: 35-54). Starting here with the descendants of Israel, he refers to the twelve sons to follow up their genealogies; in which it is to be noticed: 1- He disregarded the genealogies of the two tribes: Dan and Zebulun. . . 2- He did not start by the tribe of Reuben, the firstborn according to the flesh; on account of that he lost his firstborn right, for defiling his father’s bed (Genesis 35; 22;; 49: 4). By that he lost two privileges: the first to be the foremost among his brothers; and the second to get a double portion of inheritance. The tribe of Judah became the foremost in blessing; and Joseph got the double portion: one to his son Ephraim and the other to Manasseh. 3- He concentrated clearly on the genealogies of Judah, the foremost in blessing, representing the royal line chosen by God; from which will come David the son of Jesse; and the King of kings will come incarnate as his descendant. 4- The tribe of Judah occupied a greater part than all the other tribes (2: 3-4; 4: 23); 19 chapters were dedicated for David (Chapters 10 to 29), of the tribe of Judah; And the entire second book of the chronicles was dedicated for David’s household, starting by his son Solomon (Chapters 1 to 9); up to the Babylonian captivation, then the return from captivity (Chapters 10 to 36); when the kingdom of Judah embraced the two tribes Judah and Benjamin, together with the godly men and the Levites who departed from the Northern kingdom Israel, and joined the southern kingdom. Judah has been the prominent among the tribes (Ezra 4: 4, 6); And from them the Israelites were called “Jews”, as derived from the word: ‘Judah’. Judah had two genealogies, one from ‘Caleb’, (not Caleb, mentioned in Numbers 13); and the other from David (3: 1-24). General remarks: Through the genealogies came scattered significant remarks; among which were God’s dealings with three persons: two wicked, and one godly: The first wicked man was “Er”: “Er, the firstborn of Judah was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and He killed him” (2: 3). And the second wicked man was: “Achar” or “Achan”, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the accursed thing” (2: 7). The godly man was “Janez” who was more honorable than his brothers; his mother so called him, saying: Because I bore him in pain” (4: 9). With the will of God, we shall go back to those remarks in their places. 1- The sons of Jacob (Israel) 1 -- 2 2- From Judah to David 3 - 17 3- The family of Hezron 18 -- 24 . 4- The family of Jerahmeel 25 -- 41 5- The family of Caleb 42 – 55 1- THE SONS OF JACOB (ISRAEL): “These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher” (1, 2). He starts with the sons of Jacob, called ‘Israel’ by God; yet not according to the order of their birth. The names of the sons of Jacob, and the names of the twelve tribes, came more than 20 times in the Holy Book; in different order every time, according to the goal of mentioning them. It came three times in the first book of the chronicles (2: 1-2; 2: 3-8: 34; 12: 23-27). I intend to write an annex concerning the order of those tribes as they came in the important locations of the Holy Book. The book here, does not refer to any event in the life of Jacob, but is preoccupied with recording his name granted to him by God “Israel”; as it refers to the bond by which the twelve tribes are connected to him. In the midst of anguish, Jacob “put his head on a stone, and lay down in that place to see the heavens open, and a heaven ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching the heavens” (Genesis 28: 12 – 15). On that location, Jacob got a divine promise for him and his descendants: “All the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go; …. And will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you” (Genesis 28: 14- 15).. What is the secret of the blessing in him and in his offspring, other than in his backbone is Judah who will beget David, from whose descendants the Word of God will incarnate, He who will bless all the tribes of the earth by His crucifixion and resurrection?! + The (rock) underneath his head is Christ. He had no rock underneath his head before the time he fled from his persecutor. When he was living in comfort and peace in his father’s house he did not enjoy having a rock underneath his head. He departed from home alone and poor; he had nothing but his staff; But in the same evening he found a rock to put underneath his head that also found comfort in the vision he saw. (St. Jerome) In the following chapters he talked about the genealogies of the twelve tribes. It so seems that the author is in a great hurry to reach the rising up of the kingdom of David, with which the two books of the chronicles are preoccupied. He intends to talk about the household of David sitting on the throne, to bring our mind forth to the Son of David, the King of kings. We notice that, in mentioning the sons of Jacob (Israel), he did not follow the order of birth; but started by the sons of ‘Leah’; then the two sons of Rachel (Joseph and Benjamin), between Dan and Naphtali, the sons of Bilhah ; and ends by the sons of Zilpah the slave girl of Leah (Gad and Asher). And we also notice, in the genealogies, that he cared for those of the two tribes (Judah and Levi); the royal tribe, and the priesthood tribe. The genealogy of Judah occupied 102 verses; of Levi 81 verses; while those of all the other tribes together 126 verses. He intended to show the cooperation between the tribes, despite the differences between them. Every tribe consummates the rest of the tribes, and in need of them, and they need it, and could not do without it; in particular the royal tribe and the priesthood tribe. We shall see this practically and clearly, when all the tribes met together in Hebron around David to make him a king over all of them. Every tribe evaluates what it has of possibilities and talents, not by a spirit of competition, jealousy, pride, or haughtiness; but as it is said: “All these men of war, came to Hebron with a loyal heart to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest of Israel were of one mind to make David king; …. For there was joy in Israel” (1 Chronicles 12: 38-40). The following are an example of the privilege of some of the tribes: a- The tribe of Judah: The most prominent and the royal tribe, b- The tribe of Levi: From them came the priests, sons of Kohath and the Levites with there diverse roles in ministry, guarding, and praise. c- The tribe of Benjamin: Who always were in the company of the tribe of Judah, wherever they went; They were ahead of the others in choosing David a king; although they were brothers of Saul, the oppressor of David. d- Joseph, who got two portions; the only one to become two tribes (Ephraim and Manasseh). With the will of God, we shall go back to talk about all the tribes, particularly Judah and Levi. But here, we wish to confirm that the sons of Jacob or Israel, have found in David, the king and the leader who embraces all together, and who works for the glory of God. The sons of Jacob carry symbols; Joseph in particular, beloved by his father; and was, according to the fathers, a symbol of the Lord Christ: + Jacob loved his son; for the Father loves His only begotten Son, saying: “This is My beloved Son” (Matthew 3: 17). (Father Caesarius, bishop of Arle) + Joseph was persecuted by his own brothers. Joseph was glorified, his persecutors prostrated themselves before him; and his dreams and visions were fulfilled. Joseph was clothed by his father with a multi-colored robe; And Jesus was clothed by a body from the Virgin by His Father. Joseph was beloved by his father more than his brothers; And Jesus was the dear beloved by His Father. Joseph saw visions and dreamt dreams; which were fulfilled in Jesus. Joseph was a shepherd, together with his brothers; And Jesus was the Shepherd of shepherds. Joseph was sent by his father to visit his brothers; When they saw him coming, they planned to kill him; And when the Father sent Jesus to visit His brethren, they said: “This is the Heir. Come, let us kill Him” (Matthew 21: 38). Joseph’s brothers cast him in a well; And Jesus was cast by His brethren to dwell among the dead. Joseph ascended from the well; And Jesus resurrected from among the dead. After getting out of the well, Joseph came to be of authority over his brothers; And Jesus, after dwelling among the dead, was given by His Father, a great and glorified name (Philippians 2: 9); to be served by His brethren, and to have His enemies submit under His feet. Joseph after his brothers recognized him, were ashamed, feared, and were astonished before his greatness; And when Jesus, comes at the end of time, and proclaims His greatness, His brethren will be ashamed, fear, and tremble before Him, for having crucified Him. Joseph was sold to Egypt, according to the counsel of Judah; And Jesus was delivered to the Jews by the hand of Judas Iscariot. When Joseph was sold, he did not say a single word to his brothers; And Jesus, as well, did not utter a word to the judges who tried Him. Joseph was unjustly put in prison by his master; And Jesus was unjustly condemned by His own people. Joseph delivered his two garments: one into the hands of his brothers, and the other in the hand of his master’s wife; And Jesus’ garments were divided among the soldiers. When Joseph was 30 years old, he stood before Pharaoh; and came to be the master of Egypt; And when Jesus was 30 years old, He came to the Jordan to be baptized, received the Spirit, and came to preach. Joseph sustained Egypt with bread; And Jesus sustained all the world with the bread of life. Joseph was married to the daughter of the evil and defiled priest; And Jesus betrothed for Himself the church from the defiled Gentiles. Joseph died and was buried in Egypt; And Jesus died and was buried in Jerusalem. Joseph’s bones were taken up by his brothers from Egypt; And Jesus was risen by His Father from the dwelling place of the dead, put on His body, and ascended with it, uncorrupted, to heaven. (St. Aphrahat the wise Persian) 2- FROM JUDAH TO DAVID: “The sons of Judah were: Er, Onan, and Shelah. These three were born to him by the daughter of Shua, the Canaanitess. Er, the firstborn of Judah was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and He killed him” (3) The first book of the chronicles concentrates around the tribe of Judah, despite the fact that Judah is the fourth son of Jacob, to hasten to bring the believer to encounter the prophet David; And to get to know, in the second book of the chronicles, the household of David, particularly the kings among them, whether Solomon before the dissension, or his son Rehoboam and all the other kings of Judah after the dissension up till their fall under the Babylonian captivation, then the return to Jerusalem. The goal of these two book is to bring every soul forth to the enjoyment of the Son of David, the incarnate Word, who set His kingdom in the heart of the true believer. Judah was the prominent among his brothers, for from him the Messiah will come; having been blessed by his father, saying: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and the obedience of the people is his” (Genesis 48: 10). Despite all that, about Judah, he who occupied the position of the firstborn, for his tribe to become the royal tribe, the leader of Israel, the Holy Book reveals the weaknesses of Judah, among which are: A- His marriage to a Canaanite girl (the daughter of Shua) (Genesis 38: 1-3). The Holy Book did not attempt to conceal this fact, but repeated it in (1 Chronicles 2: 3); to confirm that choosing Judah as a royal tribe, from whose descendants the Word of God will incarnate, is not set upon human righteousness, nor selfworthiness; but through the amazing grace of God. Concerning that wrong decision of his marriage to a Canaanite girl, he has opened the door of hope before the Gentiles; proclaiming that salvation is presented to all: to the Jew, as well as to the Gentile. The word “Shua”, a Semite name, meaning (rich). Whether Judah married her for the sake of the riches of her Canaanite father, or of her beauty; God, with His grace, granted him to have from his descendants the Creator of heaven and earth, the Source of the true riches and beauty. B- The daughter of ‘Shua’ gave birth to the three sons of Judah: Er, Onan, and Shelah. About his firstborn, it was written: “He was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and He killed him”. “Er” is a Hebrew name, meaning (cautious). Neither the book of Genesis not the first book of the chronicles mentioned the sin of “Er’. c- Dying childless, his brother Onan married ‘Tamar’, his brother ‘Er’s widow to get a son, to be referred to his deceased brother. Yet, when Onan died childless, as well, Jdah, for fear that his third son ‘Shelah too would die like his brothers; he did not let him marry her (Genesis 38: 6-11). Temar, resorting to a trick to have a child, she put off her widow’s garments, put on a veil, wrapped herself up, and sat down at the entrance of the city. Thinking that she was a harlot, Judah sought to sleep with her, and when she conceived of him, and he commanded to have her burned, she proclaimed that what she has in her womb is his. Here, Judah confessed that Tamar, wife of his wicked son ‘Er’ was more righteous than him.. That is Judah whose tribe, has become later on the royal tribe. God’s choice to incarnate from that tribe, headed by Judah, and to have in His genealogy ‘Tamar’ the widow of the wicked ‘Er;, confirms that His coming was for the sake of the sinners, and all the Gentiles, to open up the gates of heaven before every man who gets attached to Him, whatever his past, family, or race. He is the Lover of all mankind. Despite the fact that Reuben is the firstborn of Jacob, yet the genealogies here, start with Judah, the fourth son of Jacob; on account of that the tribe of Judah is the royal tribe, and the Lord Christ, the incarnate Word will come from its descendants (Genesis 38: 2-10, 13-30); And from it, as well, came king David, and St. Mary, in whose womb the King of kings incarnated. Although the tribe of Judah had the prominence, yet the Lord killed the firstborn of Judah for his wickedness in His sight. The horrible sin of Reuben, for which the Holy Book did not mention that he ever repented, has cost him much: 1- Loss of his firstborn rights. 2- Loss of any possibility that the Messiah would ever come from his descendants. 3- Loss of his life. His name became a reproach in the record of his tribe; according to the words of the Psalmist: “For evildoers shall be cut off ; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth” (Psalm 37: 9). + According to the testimony of the Psalmist, the tongue of those evildoers, is a sharp sword, and their teeth are spears and arrows (Psalm 57: 4). Yet it is amazing that while attacking others, they do them no harm as much as they are torn by their own tongues, on account of that they bear within themselves the anger, hate, envy, deception, and bitterness. … According to the Psalmist: “Their sword enters their own hearts”; And according to Solomon the Sage: : “His own iniquities entrap the wicked man; and he is caught in the cords of his sin” (Proverb 5: 22) (Pope St. Athanasius the Apostolic) We may wonder why has God chosen the tribe of Judah to be the royal tribe, despite of the already mentioned shortcomings?! It so seem to me that David, a descendant of Judah, has been chosen to have the incarnate Word of God come of his descendants, for the following reasons: 1- For the sake of the purity of his heart; about whom, God Himself testified that he is according to God’s heart (Acts 13: 22). 2- For he exalted up to the commandment of the new covenant, while being under the shadow of the law; when he loved ‘Saul’ who bore bitter animosity toward him, and who tried with all his possibilities and might to have him killed. 3- He did not preoccupy himself with receiving the throne, despite God’s promise to him when he was still a young boy; but he was only preoccupied with the kingdom of heaven. 4- He was the first man of praise, even in the midst of his tribulations. 5- In many circumstances, he was a symbol of the Lord Christ, as we shall see in the annex of the tenth chapter. 6- With every fall into sin, he drenched his bed with his tears all night long. 7- He dedicated his zeal and energies to prepare the materials and systems for building the house of the Lord, although God rejected his request to build it himself, and promised him that his son will be the one to do it. So, it is for the sake of David, who was in the backbone of his grandfather Judah, that tribe was chosen to have this privilege. If the tribe of Judah had their faults, and so had David himself, Yet that did not deny David the testimony of God Himself concerning him. That is why we should not marvel to hear about the Lord Christ as being the Son of David, despite his shortcomings; up to this very day; and as the Son of Judah, nor even of Abraham. How amazing is the love of God! The blessing of the purity of David’s heart, and of the tears of his true repentance, had their activity on his ancestors, even on Judah the son of Jacob, and his tribe; and extended to his descendants, as we shall see in our study of the second book of the chronicles. + Some may marvel to see how St. Matthew the Evangelist, mentioned among the genealogy of the Lord Christ, the name of ‘Tamar’, that acted like a harlot, of ‘Ruth’, and to the wife of Uriah the Hittite, whom David married after killing her man; when he did not mention the names of saintly women like Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel! Proclaiming that the Lord, born according to the flesh, He who became sin for the sake of all, and who was subjected to reproach and crucifixion; Matthew believed that it would not be fitting of him to show Him as though He defends Himself for having sinners among His ancestors…. The same way, the church is not ashamed to proclaim that she was chosen from among the sinners! (St. Ambrose) “Onan”, the second son of Judah (1 Chronicles 2: 3) “Shelah”; a Hebrew name, meaning (a request); the third son of Judah (1 Chronicles 2: 3) . And “Tamar” his daughter-in law, bore him Perez and Zerah; All the sons of Judah were five” (4) “Tamar”: We have already spoken about her in our commentary on the lat verse; and saw how she, like any Hebrew woman, desired to have a son, even from her own father-in-law; on account of that she desired to have the Savior Messiah come from her descendants; a request fulfilled by God. Consenting to subject her life to the danger of getting stoned as a harlot, she put off the garments of her widowhood, and put on a veil on her face; was not ashamed to appear as a harlot, not for the sake of the lust of the body, but for that of having a son. She attached herself to her father-in-law, an elderly man … And to show her purity, having revealed the truth, she did not seek to marry her husband’s brother, but chose to live with her father-in law; and it is written: “He did not lie with her again”(Genesis 38: 26) For the sake of her faith, she desired to have a son; When Judah, in his advanced age, committed adultery … He says: “She is more on the right than me” (Genesis 38: 26). … ‘Tamar’ became for us a living example that keeps us from judgment, whatever are the obvious signs of sin. St. Ambrose commented much on this phrase “She is more on the right than me”, in his talk about the repentance, asking everyone – even a bishop – not to judge anyone , but to show compassion and mercy upon the sinners. Of his words: + O Lord, Grant me to have the falls of all men before my eyes; to carry them together with them, Grant me not to rebuke them in pride; but to grieve and weep; As in weeping for the sake of others, I weep on myself, saying: “She is more on the right than me”. Let us assume that a certain girl fell into si; being deceived and swayed along by certain circumstances that stir up sins. Well! We, the more aged may fall as well; for “another law in our members is warring against the law of our mind, and bringing us into captivity of the law of sin which is in our members” (Romans 7: 23) to do what we do not intend to do. She, with her young age, may have an excuse; But what is my excuse?! She has to learn by her faults; But, as far as I am concerned, I am committed to know that “She is more on the right than me”. I wish we would not be ashamed to confess that our sins are more horrible than those by whom we see as worthy of rebuke. For that what Judah did, who intended to rebuke ‘Tamar’, but remembering his sin, he said: “She is more on the right than me”. He accused himself before being accused by others. (St.. Ambrose) By such a positive action, ‘Tamar’ became worthy of being a grandmother of the Lord Christ; of having her blood run in His veins; that St. Matthew the Evangelist included her name in the genealogy of the Lord Christ (Matthew 1: 23); when he did not include those of Sarah, Rebecca, or Rachel, nor any of the other blessed mothers. ‘Tamar’ was a symbol of the congregation of the Gentiles, who became to be a holy church of the Lord; who has been fruitless like ‘Tamar’, a deserted widow, with no one to support nor to sustain; whose first kinsman ‘Shelah’ did not marry, and she attached herself to her second kinsman ‘Judah’. …. The same way, the congregation of the Gentiles did not attach themselves to the first (kinsman) namely to the Mosaic law, nor was committed to circumcision and Judaism, but attached themselves to the second (Kinsman), namely the true Judah, our Lord Jesus Christ, who comes from the tribe of Judah. It is amazing how the behavior of Tamar, as mentioned in chapter 38 of the book of Genesis, bears many symbols that conform to what the mother church has enjoyed; of which are: a- Tamar put off her widow’s garments to attach herself to Judah (Genesis 38: 14); And the Gentiles put off the garments of the old man to put on the new man who befits her union with the eternal Groom; Or let us say that the Lord Christ Himself has become her new garment. b- Tamar put on a veil on her face (Genesis 38: 15); And the Gentiles, accepting faith, are living here as though looking dimly in a mirror, until they encounter the Groom face to face, to see Him in the perfection of His glory, and the greatness of His splendor; and to recognize His exalted secrets. c- Tamar sat down at the entrance of Enaim (Genesis 38: 14), namely, the entrance of (the two springs); As though she is the church of the Gentiles that came to enjoy not only the spring of the old covenant, but of the new as well. d- Tamar enjoyed taking the signet, the cord, and the staff of Judah (Genesis 38: 18); And the church of the Gentiles enjoyed the signet of adoption to God, the heavenly crown, together with the life-giving tree of the cross. e- The signs of pregnancy appeared after three months (Genesis 38: 24); as though she is the church of the Gentiles that bore spiritual fruits through her faith in the Holy Trinity, and her enjoyment of the resurrected life in Christ Jesus, who was risen on the third day. + Tamar desired to have children from her father-in-law, when she saw that her mother-in-law died …. That was not out of impurity on her part – far from it – but to avoid being without remembrance. … What happened was actually through a divine plan, through which her own plan was realized. I wish whoever listen to this, refrain from blaming Tamar; for as I said, she was consummating a divine plan; Judah, himself, did not charge her of Prostitution.. You should notice here that the genealogy of the Lord Christ carries her two sons. In particular, who symbolize the two peoples and the two lives, namely, the Jewish life and the spiritual life. + For fear that Judah would probably have her killed in revenge for being the cause of the death of his two sons to whom she was married, she sought a pledge from him …While seeking it from God, Judah came out and saw her; …. Her prayers to God, made him, against his regular nature, go over to a harlot on the roadside, and by his own tongue, said to her: “Come now, let me sleep with you”. Once she realized that God was not angry with what she did, she removed her veil, and sought the reward from the Lord of rewards. (St. (Mar) Ephraim the Syrian) Commenting on that issue, St. Cyril the Great says: [The goal of the Holy Book is not to narrate the life of saints, but rather to present to us the knowledge of the secret of Christ through those facts, that make our talk about Him true and clear]. God, by His grace, included Tamar among the ancestress of David, and subsequently of the Lord Christ Perez and Zerah: The Lord Christ came as a descendant of Perez to whom Tamar gave birth. Perez, while still in his mother’s womb, at the time of delivery, breached his way against his twin brother Zerah, and took the firstbirth status from him (Genesis 38: 27-30). “When the time of her delivery came, there were twins in her womb. While she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and bound on his hand a crimson thread, saying: ‘This one came out first’. But just then he drew back his hand, and out came his brother; and she said, ‘What a breach you have made for yourself’. Therefore he was named Perez. Afterward, his brother came out with the crimson thread on his hand, and he was named Zerah”. According to some fathers, Zerah symbolizes the Jewish people, who should have been the firstborn; who put out his hand and received the law, concentrated around the sacrifice (the crimson blood); but through their disbelief, Perez came out, as a representative of the Gentiles, who came to have the firstbirth status of the Spirit, instead of Zerah (the Jews). The sons of Perez were Hezrun and Hamul (5): The first and the second sons of Judah died childless; and the genealogies of their third son were only mentioned (Genesis 46: 12; Numbers 26: 21). “Hezrun”; a Hebrew name, meaning (a siege or a livestock fold). The firstborn of Perez, and the founder of a family in Judah (1 Chronicles 2: 5). Among the list of the grandchildren of Judah (5-6), special care was given to ‘Hezrun’, and to his third son ‘Caleb’ (18-20, 42-55); yet it was the second son of Perez who occupied the first place, for from his descendants came the family of David. (2: 10-17). “Hamul”; a Hebrew name, meaning (to be lamented, or to endure); the youngest son of Perez, and the founder of a family in Judah (1 Chronicles 2: 5). The sons of Zerah were: Zemri, Ethan, Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, five in all (6): “Zemri”, came as ‘Zabdi’ in (Joshua 7: 1), and in (1 Kings 4: 31). …. According to some, Zerah was their grandfather and not their father. Those five were called ‘the sons of Mahol’ (1 kings 4: 31), and were to them being famed for their wisdom, which was not surpassed except by that of Solomon who was said to be “wiser than all men, from Ethan, Heman, Chalcul, and Darda, the sons of Mahol”;. As there is the word ‘Mahol’ among the musical instruments (Psalm 149: 3; 150: 4), and also used in dancing, some believe that those wise man were musicians, whose wisdom was shown more in composing songs of praise. Ethan and Heman: Who became composers of inspired psalms (Psalm 88-89); They are others than the musicians set by David: ‘Heman, Asaph, and Ethan’ (1 Chronicles 15: 19), who were from the tribe of Levi, and not from the tribe of Judah (1 Chronicles 6: 33-44) And the son of Carmi was Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the accursed thing (7). From Joshua 7: 1 it appears that ‘Carmi’ was the son of ‘Zabdi’ or ‘Zemri’; and ‘Achar’ was ‘Achan’ the troubler of Israel, whose name in Hebrew means (the troubler or a calamity). The story of his treason came in (Joshua 7): “The children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah took of the accursed things, so the anger of the Lord burned against the children of Israel” (Joshua 7: 1); He said: “When I saw among the spoil a Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent with the silver under it” (Joshua 7: 21). It is befitting of us To be aware lest the enemy would crawl into us through the little things; For, according to St. Mark the Hermit: [The devil presents to us little sins that may seem in our eyes as of no great weight; because without this he would not be able to lead us to the great sins]. Because ‘Achan’ sinned, God’s wrath came down upon all the children of Israel. Commenting on the wedge (or the tongue) of gold stolen, the scholar origin says: [It is befitting of us not to disregard the phrase saying that “when one man commits a sin, the anger of God would come upon the whole people”. … How could such a calamity happen? When a priest intends to appear as forgiving with the sinners, because they actually fear their (tongues) lest they would stir them up against his person; forgetting the firmness befitting to his priesthood; he, by such action would not follow the inspired written instruction, saying: “Those who are sinning, rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear” (1 Timothy 5: 20); and, “Put away from yourselves that wicked person” (1 Corinthians 5: 13). Such a priest is not kindled with jealousy for the Lord, and does not follow the command of the apostle, saying: “Deliver such one to Satan, for the destruction of the flesh, but his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (1 Corinthians 5: 5). He disregards the counsel of the Holy Book concerning the sinners, saying: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother; but if he will not hear you, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two witnesses every word may be established. And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church, But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector” (Matthew 18: 15- 17). + Great was their punishment (because of Achan). But a greater punishment will come on us if we do not learn a lesson from what happened to them.. (St. John Chrysostom) The son of Ethan was Azariah (8) “Azariah”; a Hebrew name, meaning (whom Jehovah helped). More than one bore this name; among whom were: 1- The son of Ethan, of the sons of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah (1 Chronicles 2: 8); And, 2- The son of Jehu, the son of Obed, of the family of Jerahmeel (1 Chronicles 2: 38-39). Also the sons of Heron who were born to him were: Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai (9) What came in verses 8 to 10 here, are quoted from (Ruth 4: 19-22). “Jerahmeel”; a Hebrew name, meaning (God has mercy). He is the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, of the tribe of Judah (1 Chronicles 2: 4-9, 25, 26, 33, 42). “Ram”: a Hebrew name, meaning (high or exalted), More than one bore this name, among whom were: 1- One of the tribe of Judah, a son of ‘Hezron’ (1 Chronicles 2: 9-10). 2- One of the tribe of Judah, one of the sons of Jerahmeel (1 Chronicles 2: 25, 27). “Chelubai”: the son of Hezron, who is ‘Caleb’ (1 Chronicles 2: 9, 18, 42). Ram begot Amminadab, and Amminadab begot Nashon, leader of the children of Judah (10). This list is surely not complete; as between ram the son of Hezron, and Nashon the son of Amminadab, there were three generations. For Nashon the son of Amminadab was the head of the tribe of Judah in the wilderness in the days of the prophet Moses (Exodus 6: 23; Numbers 1: 7; 2: 3).. His son ‘Salmo’ married ‘Rahab’ the harlot after the fall of ‘Hebron’ (Matthew 1: 5) Nashon begot Salmo, and Salmo begot Boaz (11) Here there are, as well, three generations missing, before reaching to ‘Boaz’ the husband of ‘Ruth’, grandfather of ‘Jesse’, father of ‘David’. “Salmo” (11) is “Salmon” (Ruth 4: 20). “Boaz”: was distinguished being simple, yet wise. When he discovered the truth about ‘Ruth’ the Moabite, the poor foreign widow, holding fast to the living God, and her faithfulness to her mother-in-law, he took positive action, embraced ‘Ruth’ despite being a Mobite; which qualified them to have among their descendants David the king, and Jesus Christ the Son of David, the Savior of the world (See the book of Ruth). Boaz begot Obed, and Obed begot Jesse (12) “Obed”; a Hebrew name, meaning (a slave). More than one bore this name, among whom were: 1-The son of Ruth and Boaz, the father of Jesse, the father of David (1 Chronicles 2: 12). In the genealogies of Judah, special care was given to ‘Jesse’ the father of ‘David’ (10-12), then for his descendants (13-15) 2- The son of ‘Ephlal’, a descendant of ‘Sheshan’ of the tribe of Judah (1 Chronicles 2: 37). “Jesse”; a Hebrew name, probably meaning (a man). The son of ‘Obed’, father of ‘David’, the grandson of ‘Ruth’ and ‘Boaz’, and father of seven sons with descendants (1 Chronicles 2: 15); and an eighth son who died childless. Jessa begot two daughters from a wife other than David’s mother (1 Chronicles 2: 16) Jesse begot Eliab his firstborn, Abinadab the second, Shimea the third (13) “Eliab”; a Hebrew name, meaning (God is a Father). “Abinadab”; a Hebrew name, meaning (The father is generous). “Shimea”; a Hebrew name, meaning (God listens) or (Jehovah listens) Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth (14);; “Nethanel”; a Hebrew name, meaning (God has given); the fourth son of Jesse, namely, David’s brother. (1 Chronicles 2: 14) “Raddai”; a Hebrew name, probably meaning (Jehovah has submitted); the fifth son of Jesse; namely, David’s brother (1 Chronicles 2: 14). Ozem the sixth, and David the seventh (15) “Ozem”; a Hebrew name, probably meaning (angry). More than one bore this name, among whom were: 1- The son of Jesse, David’s brother, of the tribe of Judah. 2- The son of Jerahmeel, of the tribe of Judah (1 Chronicles 2: 25). “David”: Although the youngest of Jesse’s sons, yet he was chosen by God to start by him the royal line along the generations, until it reached its climax by the coming of the Son of David. He could be the most famous personality of the Old Testament. Men of faith have anticipated the coming of the Messiah the Son of David. David, the king and the prophet has been a magnificent example of the purity of heart, holy love, humility, courage, ove for singing praise of God, trust in God, jealousy on the glory of God, love and faithfulness for the people of God, and His longing to build a house for God. He might had his bitter falls; Yet with every fall he got up by the spirit of true repentance, in utter compliance to God’s chastisements on his person. That so lifted him up in the sight of God; that Jesus Christ came from his descendants; and he became a great role model of repentance (Acts 13: 22; 1 Kings 16, etc.; 1 Chronicles 19 etc.). In the first book of Samuel, it came that Jesse had eight sons (1 Samuel 16: 6-11), While here he mentions only seven; because the eighth was unmarried, or married and died childless; hence was not included in the genealogies. “Now their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. And the sons of Zeruiah were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel – three in all” (16) “Zeruiah and Abigail”. The genealogies cared, not only for David the king, but even for his sisters. “Zeruiah”; a Hebrew name, probably means (perfumed with aloes); And “Abigail”: a Hebrew name, meaning (My father rejoiced); they are two sisters, daughters of ‘Nahash’ (2 Samuel 17: 25). ‘Nahash might be another name of ‘Jesse’; or of Jesse’s wife; or after the death of Nahash, Jesse married his widow, and she bore him David and his brothers. Hence Zeruiah and Abigail were their sisters from their mother and not from their father. Abishai or Abshai: Together with his brothers Joab, Asahel, he was among the prominent heroes of their uncle David. He was brave, yet impulsive; he rescued David’s life ; and, by his spear, he killed 300 men at one time (See 2 Samuel 23: 18-23). When he counseled his uncle to kill Saul while asleep at night; .he said to him: “Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?” (1 Samuel 36: 9). He was characterized by his faithfulness and loyalty to David; and accompanied him when he fled from the face of Absalom. And when Shimei the son of Gera, of Saul’s household, cursed David, Abishai intended to kill him on the spot, but David did not let him do it (2 Samuel 16: 5-14). “Joab”; a Hebrew name, meaning (Jehovah is Father). The firstborn of Zeruiah sister of David; the leader of his armies; an outstanding planner, and a brave warrior. He helped to reconcile David with his son Absalom. But being a stubborn avenger; he executed David’s plot to have Uria the Hittite killed; killed Absalom despite an order to the contrary by David; joined Adonijah against David and Solomon; and killed Abnir, in retaliation to the killing of his brother Asahel. “Asahel”: A Hebrew name, meaning (God has done); the son of Zeruiah (David’s sister), brother of Joab and Abishai. He was known for running like a deer; and was one of the heroes in David’s army; took part in the battle of Gibeon; chased his enemy Abnir, and tried to kill him; but was killed by Abnir; That was before David was enthroned (1 Chronicles 2: 16). Abigail bore Amasa, and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite (17): “Amasa”; a Hebrew name, short of ‘Amasai’, cousin of ‘Moab’. (1 Chronicles 2: 17). “Jether the Ishmaelite”: ‘Jether’, a Hebrew name, meaning (favor). It came in 2 Samuel 17: 25 as ‘Jether the Israelite’; And the Septuagint version as ‘Jether the Jezreelite’ Is he now an Israelite or Ishmaelite? The Telmud presents to us two views: 1- As proclaimed by R. Samuel bar-Nachmami. ‘Jether was Ishmaelite by birth, then entered into the Jewish faith as a proselyte. 2- Jether father of Amasa was an Israelite, and was called an Ishmaelite on account of that he lived in the land of Ishmael. The same way ‘Obed-Edom’ was called a Gittite (2 Samuel 6: 11). ‘David Kimshi’ presents to us a suggestion that the Israelites in the land of Ishmael used to call Jether an ‘Israelite’ because of his origin; whereas in Israel, they used to call him an Ishmaelite because of his residence in the land of Ishmael. 3- THE FAMILY OF HEZRON: “Caleb the son of Hezron begot children by Azubah, his wife, and by Jerioth. Now these were her sons: Jether, Shobab, and Ardon” (18) “Caleb, the son of Hezron”(18): (or ‘Chelubai’in verse 9) is not the famous ‘Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, one of the twelve sent by the prophet Moses to spy the land of Canaan (Numbers 13: 6; Joshua 14: 6-7). He was very close to ‘Hur’, Aaron’s companion; And ‘Bezaleel’ his grandson was one of the skillful craftsmen And according to some, each of them had a daughter by the name of ‘Aksah’. “Azubah”; a Hebrew name, meaning (forsaken or deserted); was the wife of Caleb the son of Hezron (1 Chronicles 2: 18-19). Caleb had other wives; but the sons here are by her, and not by ‘Jerioth’, his concubine (a Hebrew name, meaning (upright). “Ardon”; a Hebrew name, meaning (a hunchback), (1 Chronicles 2: 18) “When Azubah died, Caleb took Ephrath as his wife, who bore him Hur” (19) “Hur”: is not the other ‘Hur’ who was his contemporary as well, who, together with Aaron supported the hands of Moses in (Exodus 17: 10, 12; 24: 14). “And Hur begot Uri, and Uri begot Bezaleel”(20) “Uri”; a Hebrew name, short of ‘Uriah; of the tribe of Judah, father of Bezaleel, who was among those who worked to build and adorn the tabernacle of meeting. “Bezaleel”; a Hebrew name, meaning (in the shadow of God); about whom God said to Moses: “See, I have called by name ‘Bezaleel the son of Uri’, the son of ‘Hur’, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship” (Exodus 31: 2, 3). Now afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead, whom he married when he was 60 years old, and she bore him Segub” (21) “The daughter of Machir the father of Gilead” (21); who is Abijah (24). The Gileadites were the greatest family of the tribe of Manasseh; and in (Numbers 32:41), he was called ‘Jair’ the son of Manasseh; namely, he was a descendant of Manasseh through his mother, and from Judah through his father. “Segub”; a Hebrew name, meaning (high), of the tribe of Judah; a son of Hezron born by the daughter of Machir; And Segub begot Jair. “Segub begot Jair, who had 23 towns in the land of Gilead” (22) “Jair”: a Hebrew name, meaning (illuminates); one of the conquerors after crossing over the Jordan River. The 23 towns were in the region East of the Jordan; which, according to some, are a part of the 60 towns mentioned in verse 23; whereas, according to others they are not. “Geshur and Syria took from them the towns of Jair, with Kenath and its towns – 60 towns). All these belonged to the sons of Machir the father of Gilead” (23). The 60 towns here, probably included the 23 towns (22), beside the 27 towns in Kenath (Numbers 32: 42). “Geshur”; a Hebrew name, meaning (a bridge); a province between Hermon and Bashan, close to Argob; located East of Maaka within the portion of Manasseh. “Geshur and Syria”: Namely that Jair took the towns of the Geshurites and the Aramites, which became ‘Havoth Jair’; namely (the towns of Jair) (Deuteronomy 3: 14). “Aram Havoth”: Aram, pronounced as ‘Aramo’ in Achadian, probably means the (high land).”Kenath”: the canals of ‘Haditha’ in Horan. “Machir father of Gilead”; a Hebrew name, meaning (purchased) “After Hezron died in Caleb Ephrathah, Hezron’s wife ‘Abijah bore him Ashur the father of ‘Tekoa’ (24): “Ashur father of Tekoa; a Hebrew name, probably meaning (blackness); the son of Hezron of the tribe of Judah; his mother’s name was ‘Abijah’ (1 Chronicles 2: 24); He was called (father of Tekoa), namely (the builder of Tekoa); South of Judah (2 Smuel 14: 2, 4, 9), whose inhabitants were probably his descendants. 4- THE FAMILY OF JERAHMEEL: “The sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Herzon, were Ram, the firstborn, and Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah” (25) The children of Jerahmeel occupied the region of Negeb, a desert South of Judah. “Bunah: a Hebrew name, meaning (brightness) (1 Chronicles 2: 25) “Oren or Orna”; a Hebrew name, probably meaning the tree of Eucalyptus, known in Latin as (Laurus nobilis) “Ozem”; a Hebrew name, meaning (angry). More than one bore this name, among whom were: 1-The name of Jesse’s son, brother of David, of the tribe of Judah (1 Chronicles 2: 15) 2- The son of Jerahmeel of the tribe of Judah (1 Chronicles 2: 25) “Ahijah”; a Hebrew name, meaning (My brother). “Jerahmeel had another wife whose name was Atarah, she was the mother of Onam” (26) “Atarah”; a Hebrew name, meaning (a crown). “The sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jeahmeel were Maaz, Jamin, and Eker” (27) “Maaz”; a Hebrew name, meaning (anger)(1 Chronicles 2: 27) “Jamin”; a Hebrew name, meaning (success) of the tribe of Judah. “Aker”; a Hebrew name, meaning (cutting off) (1 Chronicles 2: 27). “The sons of Onam were Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai wre Nadab and Abishur” (28) “Shammai or Shammati: were a family from Kiriath Jearim (1 Chronicles 2: 53) “Jada”; a Hebrew name, meaning (a savant), of the tribe of Judah, of the family of Hezron, of Jerahmeel household (1 Chronicles 2: 28, 32) “Nadab”; a Hebrew name, meaning (generous). “Abishur”; a Hebrew name, meaning (wall or stronghold) (1 Chronicles 2: 28, 29). “The name of the wife of Abishur was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid (29) “Abihail (or Abigail); a Hebrew name, meaning (my father rejoiced); She was the mother of Amasa (1 Chronicles 2: 17) “Ahban”; a Hebrew name, meaning (one of understanding).. “Molid”; a Hebrew name, meaning (born) (1 Chronicles 2: 29) “The sons of Nadab were Seled and Appaim; Seled died without children” (30) “Seled”; a Hebrew name, meaning (gladness) (1 Chronicles 2: 30) “The son of Appaim was Ishi; The son of Ishi was Sheshan; asnd Sheshan’s child was Ahlai” (31) “Sheshan”; a Hebrew name, probably means (whitened) (1 Chronicles 2: 31, 34, 35); “Ahlai”; a Hebrew name, meaning (Ah, I wish …); (1 Chronicles 2: 31, 34) The sons of Jad the brother of Shammai, were Jether and Jonathan; Jether died without children” (32) “Jonathan”; a Hebrew name, meaning (Jehovah gave); “Jether”; a Hebrew name, meaning (favor); died without children. “The sons of Jonathan were Peleth and Zaza. These were the sons of Jerahmeel” (33) “Paleth”; a Hebrew name, meaning “haste); (1 Chronicles 2: 33).. “Zaza”; a Hebrew name, meaning (fast); (1 Chronicles 2: 33). “Now, Sheshan had no sons, only daughters; Sheshan had an Egyptian servant, whose name was Jarha” (34) “Sheshan had no sons”, while in verse 31, he mentions that “Sheshan’s child was Ahlai”. Ahlai probably died childless before his father gave his daughter to his servant ‘Jarha’. According to some, the reference to Sheshan’s action of giving his only daughter in marriage to his Egyptian slave is considered as a commendation to his person; and may indicate that that slave has received faith in the living God, and was characterized by wisdom and virtue. Namely, his Egyptian (heathen) origin, and his position as a slave, did not cause him to lose his honor, nor to be an obstacle to his exultation. “Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant as wife, and she bore him Attai” (35) According to the Mosaic law, Hebrew women are not allowed to marry outside the tribe to which they belong, for the sake of keeping the inheritance in the tribe. Hence, what Sheshan did seems against the law (Numbers 36). Yet according to ‘Harmer’, Even though Sheshan’s action seemed against the law, yet it was a common custom in the East that a person, in certain circumstances, has to give his daughter in marriage to one of his favorite slaves, to keep the inheritance in the family. “Attai”; a Hebrew name, meaning (Convenient), whom her father gave in marriage to his Egyptian slave (1 Chronicles 2: 34-36). Attai begot Nathan; and Nathan begot Zabad” (36) “Nathan”; a Hebrew name, meaning (God gave), a descendant of Caleb. Zabad”; a Hebrew name, meaning (God granted; or a grant). Zabad begot Ephlal; and Ephlal begot Obed” (37) “Ephlal”; a Hebrew name, meaning (smart) (1 Chronicles 2: 37) “Obed”; a Hebrew name, meaning (slave). More than one bore that name, among whom were: 1- The son of Ruth and Boaz, the father of Jesse, the father of David (1 Chronicles 2: 12) 2- The son of Ephlal, a descendant of Sheshan, of the tribe of Judah (1 Chronicles 2: 37) Obed begot Jehu; and Jehu begot Azariah” (38) “Jehu”; a Hebrew name, meaning (He is Jehovah); (1 Chronicles 2: 38) “Azariah”; a Hebrew name, meaning (helped by Jehovah); More than one bore this name, among whom were: 1- The son of Ethan, of the descendants of Zerah, (1 Chronicles 2: 8) 2- The son of Jehu, the son of Obed, a descendent of Jerahmeel (1 Chronicles 2: 38-39). Azariah begot Helez; and Helez begot Eleasah” (39) “Helez”; a Hebrew name, meaning (Power of God saved); a descendant of Hezron (1 Chronicles 2: 39). “Eleasah”; a Hebrew name, meaning (God has made); (1 Chronicles 2: 39) Eleasah begot Sismai; and Sismai begot Shallum” (40) “Sismai”; Of the tribe of Judah; a descendant of Hezron (1 Chronicles 2: 40) “Shallum”; a Hebrew name, meaning (a reward); (1 Chronicles 2: 40). “Shallum begot Jekamiah; and Jekamiah begot Elishama” (41) “Jekemiah”; a Hebrew name, meaning (Jehovah arises), of royal descent “Elishamah”; a Hebrew name, meaning (God heard); (1 Chronicles 2: 41). 5- THE FAMILY OF CALEB: “The descendants of Caleb, the brother of Jerahmeel, were Mesha, his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph, and the sons of Mareshah, the father of Hebron” (42) “The sons of Caleb”(42). He is the same ‘Caleb’ mentioned in verse 18-19. Here his genealogies are given in more detail; probably his sons from Jerimoth his concubine, who were not mentioned before. “Mesha”; a Hebrew name, meaning (salvation) (1 Chronicles 2: 42) “Maresha”; a Hebrew name, probably meaning (The position of head or top); the name of the father of Hebron (1 Chronicles 2; 42) “The sons of Hebron were Korah, Tappuah, Reckem, and Shema” (43) “Korah”; a Hebrew name, meaning (squash); (1 Chronicles 2: 43) “Tappuah”; a Hebrew name, meaning (an apple); (1 Chronicles 2: 43) “Reckem”; a Hebrew name, meaning (formation; or coloration); (1 Chronicles 2: 43) “Shema”; a Hebrew name, meaning (news). “Shema begot Raham, the father of Jorkeam; and Rekem begot shammai” (44) “Jorkeam”; a Hebrew name, probably meaning (giving width to the people); a village in the portion of Judah, probably (Rapha, close to Zipha); “Shemmai”; a Hebrew name, meaning (Jehovah Jesus); More than one bore this name, among whom were: 1- The son of ‘Onam’, of the family of Jerahmeel (1 Chronicles 2: 28) 2- The son of ‘Reckem’, of the household of Caleb (1 Chronicles 2: 44). “The son of Shammai was Moan, and Moan was the father of Beth Zur” (45) “Moan”; A Semite name, meaning (a dwelling place); the founder of ‘Beth (the household) of Zur’ “Ephah, Caleb’s concubine bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez; and Haran begot Gazez” (46) “Ephah”; a Hebrew name, meaning (darkness). More than one bore this name, among whom were: 1- Caleb’s concubine (1 Chronicles 2: 46) 2- The son of ‘Jahdai’; of the family of Caleb; (1 Chronicles 2: 47) “Haran”; a name, probably of Achadian origin, meaning (a way, or a caravan); the first son of Caleb and Ephah (1 Chronicles 2: 46) “Moza”; a Hebrew name, meaning (Exodus); the name of Caleb’s second son from Ephah (1 Chronicles 2: 46) “Gazez”; a Hebrew name, meaning (A Shearer) “And the sons of Jahdai were Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaph” (47) “Jahdai”; a Hebrew name, meaning (Jehovah guides); a ruler of the descendants of Judah; mentioned together with the descendants of Caleb (1 Chronicles 2: 470 “Regem”; a Hebrew name, meaning (a friend); (1 Chronicles 2: 47) “Jotham”; a Hebrew name, meaning (Johovah is perfect); (1 Chronicles 2: 47) “Geshan”; a Hebrew name (1 Chronicles 2: 47). “Pelet”; a Hebrew name, meaning (God liberated); (1 Chronicles 2: 47) “Shaph” an Aramite word, meaning (balsan); More than one bore this name, among whom were: 1- One of Jahdai’s sons (1 Chronicles 2: 47) 2- ‘Caleb’s son from his concubline ‘Maachah’ (1 Chronicles 2: 48) Maachah, Caleb’s concubine bore Sheber, and Tirhanah” (48) “Sheber”; a Hebrew name, probably meaning (a lion) (1 Chronicles 2: 48) “Tirhanah”; a Hebrew name; the son of Caleb, the son of Hezron, the brother of Jerahmeel from Maachah. “She also bore Shaaph, the father of Madmannah; Sheva, the father of Machbenah; and the father of Gibea; and the daughter of Caleb was Achsah” (49) “Madmannah”; a Hebrew name, meaning (trash place) “Sheva”; a Hebrew name, meaning (a hero); or probably close to the Arabic word (whether); to mean (like); a son of Hezron, of Caleb’s household;(1 Chronicles 2: 49) “Machbenah”; a name of an unknown city; in the portion of Judah, founded by ‘Sheva” (1 Chronicles 2: 49) “Gibea”; a Hebrew name, meaning (a hill) (1 Chronicles 2: 49) “Achsah”; A Hebrew name, meaning (Anklet) Caleb’s daughter, the son of Hezron (1 Chronicles 2: 18). “These were the descendants of Caleb; the son of Hur; the firstborn of Ephrathah, were Shobal, the father of Keriath Jearim” (50) “Caleb the son of Hur”; According to some, this Caleb is the third of three Calebs: the first is the son of Hezron(18, the second is the son Jephunneh. “Ephrathah”; another pronunciation of Caleb’s wife (19) “Salma the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth Gader” (51) The author cared for the genealogies of Caleb, on account of the importance of Bethlehem the birth place of the Lord Christ. Salma was a descendent of Caleb; the founder of Bethlehem. “Salma”; a Hebrew name, meaning (clothed); the son of Hur, a descendant of Caleb; and the father of Bethlehem. According to some he is the Salmon (1 Chronicles 2: 51) “Hareph”; a Hebrew name, meaning (Autumn; of Autumn; or harvest). “And Shobal, the father of Keriath Jearim had descendants: Haroeh, , and half of the families of Manuhoth” (52) “Shobal”; of the household of Caleb, Of His descendants came the inhabitants of Keriath Jearim (1 Chronicles 2: 52) “Haroeh”; a Hebrew name, meaning (the Seer); “Manuhoth”; a Hebrew name, meaning (place of rest) (1 Chronicles 2: 52). “The families of Keriath Jearim were the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites. From these came the Zorathites, and the Eshtaorites” (53) “The Ithrites”: A family that inhabited Keriath Jearim ; the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites were of this family.. “The Zoathites”; from Zorah And “The Eshtaorites from Eshtaol ; a Hebrew name, probably meaning (the request). Those two were located south of Judah on the frontier of the Philistines; mentioned in the talk about ‘Samson’ (Judges 13: 25). “The sons of Salma were Bethlehem the Netophathites, Atroth Beth Joab; half of the Manahethites and the Zorites” (54) “The Netophathites”; Netopha is a Hebrew name, after a town in Judah, close to Bethlehem. “Atroth”; a town in Judea (1 Chronicles 2: 54), close to Bethlehem. “And the families of the scribes who dwelt at Jabez were the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the Sucathites. Those were the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab” (55) According to some, the author of this book was a scribe, hence his great care for the genealogies and families of the scribes; like those who inhabited ‘Jabez’, bound to their place of residence, for they, themselves, were unknown. They were Kenites who joined Israel through Moses’ marriage to a Kenite. Sometimes they are referred to as Midianites (Judges 3: 11). “The families of the scribes”; Those were different from the scribes from the Levites. It so seem that it was a profession among some families handed from fathers to sons. “The Tirathites”; One of the three Kenite families of the scribes, the inhabitants of Jabez. “The Shimeathites”; a family of scribes (1 Chronicles 2: 55). “The Socathites”; a family of scribes, of ‘Jabez’, a place unknown to us now. “Hammath”; a Hebrew name, meaning (a hot spring); the founder of the house of ‘Rechab’, the family of Kenites. “The Kenites”; They were not originally of Judah; but were among those whose land was given to the children of Israel (Genesis 15: 19). But they united with Israel through friendship and marriage; were mentioned in the genealogies of Judah; on account of that they were connected to ‘Rechab’, the Kenite scribe, the founder of the Israelite line who cared for the obedience to their fathers (Jeremiah 35: 1-9). ‘Hobab’, Moses’ father-in-law, has been with the children of Israel during their journey in the wilderness; then dwelt South of Judah. So was ‘Jael’ the wife of Heber the Kenite, who killed ‘Sisera’, the commander of the army of ‘Jabin’ king of Canaan, who fought against the children of Israel in the days of the judges (Judges 4) The house of Rechab”; mentioned in (2 Kings 10: 15; Jeremiah 35). ---------------------- AN INSPIRATION FROM 1 CHRONICLES 2 AN ENJOYABLE JOURNEY WITH JUDAH AND HIS BROTHERS + Grant me, O Lord, to flee away together with my father Jacob; Where shall I go; When my father and my mother are unable to protect me? Let Esau spit all his venom; It will never harm me, as long as I am in Your bosom; I shall set forth together with Jacob; Deprived of every possession; But You are the Way; When I walk along it, the gates of heaven will be open before me. I shall not be in need of a pillow; But, like Jacob, I shall use a rock to rest my head on; You are the Rock, to support my head, and to sanctify my mind; I shall not need a ladder to reach up to heaven; For Your cross will carry me into the bosom of Your Father. + You opened the gates of heaven before my father Jacob; To see the angels going up and down; By Your Holy Spirit, You set Your kingdom in me; Heaven came to be in my depths; The angels exult to see Your kingdom You set in me; And I exult by the heavenly hosts, who rejoice for my salvation + The soul of Jacob exulted to hear Your voice, saying: “In You and in your descendants, all the families of the earth will be blessed; I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you” (Genesis 28: 14-15) So my depths shall exult by Your true promises to me; “Behold, the kingdom of God is in you” Luke 17: 21) I shall rejoice in Your kingdom that embraces the nations and peoples; By You, my heart will become wide enough to accommodate all humanity; I see You in me; embracing by Your love, all mankind. + You granted my father Jacob twelve sons; To set tribes with one exultant heart (1 Chronicles 12: 28-40) Allow me to attach myself to those attached to You; No tribe is without its weaknesses; Yet Your grace lifted all up to You. + The tribe of Reuben, the firstborn; Having fallen in adultery with His father’s concubine, Having defiled his father’s bed. He lost his firstbirth rights, and the blessing; he destroyed himself by himself; Your grace allowed for chastening him; yet of his descendants there were men of valor; Who attached themselves to king David, and worked with him. + Benjamin went down, and was almost destroyed; Among them there were wicked men, called the sons of Belial (Judges 19: 22) They did such a deed that was never done or seen from the day the children of Israel came up from the land of Egypt (Judges 19” 30) Benjamin was almost destroyed by the hands of all the other tribes (Judges: 21) From Benjamin came Saul the first king of Israel; He betrayed the Lord his God; and resorted to the medium instead. Yet, You showed compassion to that tribe; and from them appeared men of valor; They forsook their wicked brother Saul, and attached themselves to David wherever he went; And that tribe stayed faithful to Judah until the end; In the tribe of Benjamin, there were men more faithful than Absalom, David’s own son; Your grace lifts the fallen up; and raises the contrite of heart; Embrace me, O Son of David, to attach myself to You, and never to forsake You; Grant me to be faithful to You; O who is eternally faithful; Let me not be preoccupied with belonging to any tribe; As, in the water of Baptism; You have granted me the spirit of adoption to the Father. + If You count me a son of the righteous Joseph, the son of Jacob; Grant me a portion, together with Ephraim and Manasseh’ For many faithful among these two tribes have attached themselves to David; Do not deny me to be among the heirs of God; Heirs with, by, and for You For You are our eternal inheritance, and consistent portion. + I shall not dare to count myself from the tribe of Judah, or that of Levi; You have set out of me a king of authority; Who trample upon the scorpions and the serpents, and all the enemy power; I challenge the devil, sin, and death; For You are the Holy One, the Resurrection, and the Grantor of victory; In the water of Baptism, You set me a priest for God Your Father; You receive every thanksgiving or praise as a sacrifice before You. + I shall not count the tribes, to get to belong to any of them; For You made me a member of Your body, O Holy One; You have become for me righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Corinthians 1: 30). + How amazing You are, O Lord, in Your compassion; Many Hebrew women desired to give birth; To get the blessing of having You incarnate from their descendants; Tamar, the Canaanite, her soul was bitter for she was childless; Her husband ‘Er’ the son of Judah, died childless; She got married to his brother Onan to bear a son to his deceased brother; When through the shadow, she heard about Your incarnation, She longed to get the blessing of You incarnate from her descendants; Her father-in-law denied her marriage to ‘Shelah’ his third son; On the assumption of that she was the cause of the death of his two sons ‘Er’ and ‘Onan’. By a trick, she bore the image of reproach, and pretended to be a harlot; She slept with her father-in-law, when he knew nothing of her true identity; She conceived, and gave birth, and got her heart desire; That Canaanite woman surpassed many Hebrew women; She gave birth to twins, representing the peoples who received faith in the Messiah; She begot Zerah, who lost his birth rights, as a representative of the Jews, who rejected faith in the Savior; And begot Perez, who took the firstbirth by force, while still in his mother’s womb; And became a representative of the Gentiles who believed in the Savior of the world; Kindle my heart with longing, and fill it with hope, to be on Your right hand side; Your voice rings in my depths, saying: “O come, You blessed of My Father” + Grant me the simple heart of Boaz, the servant of the needy; He who did not despise Ruth, because she was a Moabite; nor because she was poor; Because he cared for her and for her mother-in-law; he got an exalted honor; He became the grandfather of David, the great among the prophets and the kings; Grant me a loving heart for every needy; To satisfy my need, and to grant me the fellowship of Your glories. ================== AN ANNEX TO 1 CHRONICLES 2 THE ORDER OF THE TRIBES IN THE HOLY BOOK The Holy Book presents to us the tribes in diverse order according to the situation; for the sake of our edification. In every situation, the believer gets in touch with the order for the edification of his own soul; and with the proclamation of God’s love and care for him. I hope to be able to present a portrait of that diversity, which would exhort us to set forth with the spirit of power and hope, in our journey in the company of Christ. (1) The natural order of the tribes according to the order of birth of the children of Jacob (Genesis 29-30): Laban gave his two daughters in marriage to Jacob: Leah and Rachel. There was jealousy between them, and a competition who would manage to draw the heart of Jacob toward her: Rachel depended upon her beauty and the soundness of her eyesight; Whereas Leah, lacked both. Each of them let Jacob sleep with her slave girl to increase the number of children under her name. The Holy Book presented to us the order of the tribes according to nature, and not according to God’s plan with the children of Jacob; revealing to us that man could never have any benefit through his mere thoughts. + For the ignorant and the sensual, the vain things seem more beautiful than the teachings of truth. (2) The order of Jacob’s sons on their way, together with their father, back to his father’s home (Genesis 35: 23): (The scholar Origen) The mother’s name The number of children The names of children 1- Leah 4 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah (Genesis 29: 32-35 2- Bilhah, Rachel’s maid 2 Dan and Naphtali (Genesis 30: 6, 8) 3- Zilpah, Leah’s maid 2 Gad and Asher (Genesis 30: 11, 13 4- Leah 2 Issachar and Zebulun (Genesis 30: 18, 20) 5- Rachel 2 Joseph and Benjamin (Genesis 30: 24, 35, 18) We should not wonder how the three sons, guilty of atrocities are put on the top of the lost; namely: a- Reuben; who committed a horrible sin: “While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilha, his father’s concubine; and Israel heard of it” (Genesis 35: 22).The sin of adultery is horrible, it deprives man of his purity and selfrespect; loosing his will and authority over his senses and emotions, it makes him a slave of carnal lust;. What made it even worse, is that he defiled his father’s bed (Genesis 49: 4); by which he lost the respect of his family, particularly of his father; who admonished him, saying: “Reuben, You are my firstborn, my might, and the first fruit of my vigor” (Genesis 49: 3) b and c- The two killer brothers: Simeon and Levi (Genesis 35: 25-26). “Dinah, their sister, went out to visit the women of the region, when Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the region saw her, he seized her and lay with her by force”. Stirred up by anger, her two brothers killed many men, robbed, and captivated women and children of the city. Being very upset, Jacob said to Simeon and Levi: “You have brought trouble on me by making me odious to the inhabitants of the land” The goal of putting the three of them on top of the list, is to show that many sinners, by repentance, can return to God, and occupy an exalted position in the church of the Lord Christ, and may even surpass those preceding them; as it happened with the robber who was crucified on right-hand of the Lord, and with Saul of Tarsus, who calls himself “the chief of sinners” (1 Timothy 1: 15). If those three have sinned, and were unfaithful; Yet, God is faithful in his promise to His servant Abraham, to give the promised land to his children. This list, then, exhorts us to life of repentance, that would transfer us to an almost heavenly rank; and would open before us the gates of hope and trust in the true promises of God; as according to the apostle: “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2: 13). + O Sinner, How great will be your work, if you repent! By, it you give your creation a new face, and an unsurpassable honor By your repentance you set aright the creation that was destroyed; By your repentance, you can rebuild the goodness of the soul; Your great person, which is the image of God; and was destroyed by sin, Support it to stand aright by repentance; Receive the grace of God; for by your own free will, you corrupted in yourself what you have taken; Without you that corruption would not be so great. + For the sake of our salvation, the ‘Son of God’ became the ‘Son of Man’. He lived nine months in the Virgin’s womb; and was clothed in ragged swaddles. He, who holds the whole world in His hand, accepted to be born in a narrow, lowly manger. He lived thirty years in poverty; As a young boy, “he came with his parents; Mary and Joseph to Nazareth; was subject to them; but His mother kept all these things in her heart; And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2: 51, 52). When He was scourged he kept silent; When He was crucified He prayed for the sake of His crucifiers! … How shall I pay the Lord back for all the things He granted me?... “by getting the cup of salvation, and by calling the name of the Lord”; “Precious in the sight of the Lord, is the death of His saints” (Psalm 116: 15). The befitting work we could do, to pay back what He did for us, is to present blood for blood. Having been redeemed by the blood of Christ; it is befitting of us to present our life to our Redeemer. (St. Ironimus) (2) The order of the tribes when they set forth to Egypt to encounter with the brother Joseph: (Genesis 46: 8-25): If Joseph has gone ahead of his brothers, entered Egypt as a slave, became a prisoner, then became a ruler over all Egypt and the surrounding nations, providing them with wheat during the famine; Yet his name was included in the list as one of them with no distinction. Saying “These are the names of the Israelites, Jacob and his offspring, who came to Egypt” (Genesis 46L 8), the Holy Book did not start by Joseph, being the one who rescued them and sustained them during a famine that would have destroyed them; In which He was a symbol of the Lord Christ who “came down to our land, and dwelt among us” John 1: 14); as one of us, like us in every respect, except in sin; so did Joseph who was like his brothers in every respect, except in their hate; he who loved them despite the evil they did him. The order came as such: The six sons of Leah: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun (8-14) The two sons of Zilpah: Gad and Asher (16-17) The two sons of Rachel: Joseph and Binjamin (19) The two sons of Bilhah: Dan and Naphtali (23-24) (3) The order of the tribes according to the symbolic and prophetic order (Genesis 49): Before his departure, “Jacob called his sons and said: ‘Gather around, and I will tell you what will happen to you in days to come” (Genesis 49: 1). After a life full of strife, during which Jacob took the blessing and the firstbirth by force; And was worthy, despite his repeated weaknesses, to get the promise that the Messiah will come from his descendants, and that in him all nations will be blessed. He looked at his sons as being the tribes from which the people of God will emerge, to enjoy the promised land; and from which the Savior Christ will come. His tongue opened up to utter, through the spirit of prophecy, or through the shadows; as though he is Moses who ascended a mountain to look at the promised land from afar, to rejoice for the sake of the people who will enjoy the fulfillment of the divine promise, that he, himself was denied. In Reuben, the firstborn, and the natural fruit from Leah, he saw the man who leans upon the firstbirth of the body, namely upon the works of the law; to come to lose the firstbirth of the Spirit. By defiling his father’s bed, he counted him as defiled the church, the bride of the Lord Christ, through his self righteousness. In Simeon and Levi, from whom came the scribes and the priests, he saw those who opposed the Lord Christ, the Word of God; those who refer to the sin of evil plotting, the seating of iniquity, that corrupt the ministry and the work of God. As to Judah, he saw him represent the crucified Lamb, and at the same time, the Lion who conquers by the cross. He saw the Lord Christ who comes from the tribe of Judah, to grant His power to His believers. …. It is not enough for us to forsake the selfrighteousness (Reuben); to reject the evil seatings (Simeon and Levi); but we are committed to attach ourselves to the true Judah, to enjoy the power of His resurrection working in us. He saw Zebulun, refer to setting forth toward the sea, namely toward preaching the Gentiles. He who bears in himself the resurrected Judah, would not endure to see the Gentiles in disbelief; but will seek the salvation of all mankind. After that he spoke about Gad, as being attacked by an army, yet goes back to conquer; a reference to the believer who is often attacked, but will finally conquer. Hence, he was followed by Asher, with his fat bread, namely his abundant grains. For the spiritual wars, even if they reveal our weaknesses, yet they give power to the soul, and make her more fruitful. After Asher he talked about Naphtali as a ‘she-camel’, quick in motion; with his sweet talk to everyone. The about Joseph who carries in his backbone the two tribes: Ephraim and Manasseh. Joseph means ‘growth’, through forgetting about the worries of the world (Manasseh), and the enjoyment of increasing fruition (Ephraim). Finally, he talked about Benjamin (the son of the right hand), who enjoys the fellowship of the eternal glory. We could say in short that Jacob, by the spirit of prophecy, has seen in his sons, a living portrait of the church, striving in Christ Jesus through: 1- Reuben Keeping away from self-righteousness 2 & 3- Simeon and Levi Keeping away from evil plotting 4- Judah Getting attached to Christ 5- Zebulun Setting forth to preaching 6- Issachar Enduring the troubles of others 7- Dan Resistance against the devil 8- Gad The spiritual strife 9- Asher The fruits of strife 10- Naphtali The sweet talk 11- Joseph The continuous growth 12 Benjamin The enjoyment of the right hand of God (4) The order of the tribes while sojourning in Egypt (Genesis 1: 2-3): a- Presented their order on their arrival to Egypt (Genesis 46: 8-25); the divine inspiration persisted upon not separating Joseph from his brothers; God let him precede them by several years, to prepare him to receive and support his father and brothers. Now, having already arrived to Egypt, and Joseph came out to receive them; He now separate Joseph from them in the order. For, being a symbol of the Lord Christ, our Savior and Shepherd; even though He dwelt among us as one of us, yet He is the eternal Word of God and Creator; who granted us to be members of His body; His creation beloved by Him. b- Gad and Asher, the sons of Zilpah, came at the bottom of the list. (5) The order of the tribes in the census: (Numbers 1: 5-16): The first census of the children of Israel, we heard of, took place in the wilderness after the exodus; in which we notice the following: a- He did not mention the tribe of Levi, on account of that they were dedicated to serve the tabernacle of meeting, then the temple, to organize the worship in both; etc. That tribe were not required to serve in the military; nor inherit a portion of the land once they enter into the promised land. Considered as the tithes of the people, presented to God to minister to His house; they were not preoccupied by anything except with worship, and prayer to the account of the whole people. b- Asher and Gad were moved from their place. c- Joseph’s two sons: Ephraim and Manasseh, replaced their father; and Ephraim took the priority over his older brother Manasseh; in a confirmation that honor is not given according to age, nor to physical seniority of firstborn; which was proclaimed by Jacob when he blessed them, and put his right hand over the head of the younger brother, and his left hand over the head of the older one; on purpose and not by mistake as Joseph thought he did, and did not like it (Genesis 48: 14-22). (6) The order of the tribes during the preparation for war (Numbers 1: 20- 56): In it, it is noticed that the position of the tribe of ‘Gad’ was again moved to replace that of ‘Levi’, who was not included in the census. (7) The order of the positions of the tribes around the tabernacle of meeting (Numbers 2) In our study of the second chapter of the book of the Numbers, we talked on how the scholar Origen saw the camp like a cross under the leadership of Judah, the tribe from which St. Mary the mother of God came, in whose womb the Word of God incarnated. And how, in the center of that large cross, there was another smaller cross formed by the priests, the prophet Moses, and the three families of the Levites. This is to proclaim that it is befitting of the church to walk in the wilderness of this world, carrying the cross, and to be crucified together with her Groom. (8) The order of the heads of the tribes during the dedication of the altar (Numbers 7): That order of the position of the tribes, except for the tribe of ‘Levi’, which was naturally exempted, was as follows: On the first day: A leader of the tribe of Judah presented an offering On the second day: A leader of the tribe of Issachar presented an offering On the third day: A leader of the tribe of Zebulun presented an offering On the fourth day: A leader of the tribe of Reuben presented an offering On the fifth day: A leader of the tribe of Gad presented an offering On the seventh day: A leader of the tribe of Ephraim presented an offering On the eighth day: A leader of the tribe of Manasseh presented an offering On the ninth day: A leader of the tribe of Benjamin presented an offering On the tenth day: A leader of the tribe of Dan presented an offering On the eleventh day: A leader of the tribe of Asher presented an offering On the twelfth day: A leader of the tribe of Naphtali presented an offering. (9) The order of the tribes to spy the promised land (Numbers 13: 5-7) With some grumbling against Moses and Aaron, 12 spies were chosen, one from each tribe. Here there was no apparent order of the tribes, which indicates the extent of confusion of the hearts of the people, which have lost their peace in the Lord. (10) The order of the tribes in the census done by David, not according to the will of God (Numbers 6): It is almost the same as the order of the tribes in preparation for the war (6); except for that the tribe of Manasseh has occupied priority over Ephraim, according to the dates of birth. For, in case of war, when the people seek the grace of God, the priority is given to Ephraim; But in case of such a census, which was not according to the will of God, but to a whim by David, the priority was to Manasseh. (11) The order of the tribes for dividing the promised land (Numbers 34: 18 – 29): As Israel came to be at the frontier of the promised land, the order of the tribes this time came totally different from the previous orders: a- The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh, became one unit. Having chosen their portion East of the Jordan, they were omitted. . b- So far, the prophet Moses has been the leader of the people. But now, as he consummated his mission by reaching to the frontier of the promised land, the two new leaders became ‘Joshua’, the symbol of Christ Jesus, who is capable to carry us forth to the heavenly Canaan; and Eleazar the high priest, whose name means (God Helped); referring to the priesthood of the Lord Christ, the Grantor of the eternal inheritance. The Lord appointed the board who will carry out the division by name as follows: Eleazar the high priest; Joshua the son of Nun the great leader; Then a chief of each of the tribes to inherit the land, by name. ‘Caleb the son of Jephuneh had to be among them, as for him, together with Joshua the son of Nun, the land was familiar to their eyes, for they was there before, have already tasted its fruits, and testified to it; by presenting a bunch of grapes as a proof of it fruition…. This is the work of a true Christian, to enter into the kingdom, to live it, and to enjoy its fruition; presenting a deposit thereof to his brethren; so that, with the coming of the great day of the Lord, his name would glitter as a luminous star, and would enter with daring into the bosom of God, for he has already enjoyed it, and is not a foreigner from it. We have already said that Joshua is a symbol of Jesus Christ; and Eleazar, his name means (God helped); Now Caleb’s name, derived from (heart), refers to the faithfulness of heart, and its jealousy to enjoy the eternal inheritance. So are the rest of names of the chiefs from each of the tribes; they carry some meaning, and reveal something about the features of those to enjoy the inheritance, who will support their brethren to enjoy it: ‘Shemuel’, meaning (God heard); ‘Elidad’, meaning (whom my God loves)’ ‘Bukki;, meaning (whom God tests); ‘Hanniel’, meaning (God is compassionate); ‘Kemuel’, meaning (God’s assembly); ‘Elizaphan’, meaning (Hidden by God); ‘Paltiel’, meaning (rescued by God); ‘Ahihud’, meaning (my brother is great); and ‘Pedahel’, meaning (God redeemed). In short, those names reveal the features of the eternal kingdom, being the work of God the Redeemer; the fruit of God’s listening to us in His Son; the secret of His love for us; His compassion on us; He who saves us. In the congregation of the saints in God, the congregation hidden in Him, in which each of us, seeing his brother great, will rejoice, and be glad with the glories of the others. (12) The order of the tribes on Mount Gerzim and Mount Ebal (Deuteronomy 27): Six tribes stood on Mount Gerzim to utter blessings; And six tribes stood on Mount Ebal to utter curses (27: 12 – 13). The tribes chosen to utter the blessings on Mount Gerzim, were the sons of Leah and Rachel; Whereas those chosen to utter the curses on Mount Ebal, were the tribes of Gad and Asher, the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s slave girl; Dan, and Naphtali, the sons of Belhah, Rachel’s slave girl; And Zebulun and Reuben, the sons of Leah. Whereas the Levites (those assigned for that specific task, and not all the tribe of Levi), were mostly in between the two Mounts (Joshua 8: 23); to re-proclaim the blessings and the curses with loud voice, to be heard by all. Here he did not mention the blessings, but only the curses. According to the Jews, the curse was proclaimed, then its opposite of blessing. Some may assume that it would be impossible for the voice with the blessings and the curses to be heard by the whole people; but by recent evidence, it was possible to hear the voice clearly; specially that it was shouted by a huge crowd.. The curses concerning the disobedience, or breaking one of the commandments, and the blessings concerning the obedience to them; came as a key for the people to enjoy the land, and to be filled with hope in heaven itself. The curses started by the sins directly directed to God Himself, like idol-worship (15); followed by those against the parents (16), against the social justice (17); then against the broken and the needy (18, 19). Namely, he started by God, then the parents, then the society in general; then the needy. The curses to follow were those against purity and chastity (20 – 22); then the murder (24 – 25); and ended by presenting a general commandment concerning keeping the law. + I may say that the whole people were under those curses; for no one could be consistent on keeping the entire law. But the Lord Christ followed those curses by another, saying: “He who is hanged is accursed by God” (Deuteronomy 21: 23; Galatians 3: 13). by which, anyone hanged on a tree, and who disobeys the law has become cursed. As it was necessary for him, who intends to liberate others from the curse to be, himself free from it; the Lord Christ took the curse upon Himself to liberate us from it. It is like somebody innocent consents to receive the sentence of death instead of someone else, to relieve him of the punishment. Yet Christ took upon himself, not the curse of disobedience, but the other curse, to take away the curse from the others; for He “committed no sin, nor was guile found in His mouth” (Isaiah 51: 9; 1 Peter 2: 22); By His death, He saved the mortals from death; And by bearing the curse He liberated them from it. (St. John Chrysostom) (13) The order of the tribes in Moses’ final blessing upon them (Deuteronomy 33): Having approached his last moments on earth, the prophet Moses not only delivered the leadership to Joshua and supporting him; and presented to the people a final commandment, etc. But he blessed the people a tribe after another, the same way Jacob did when he blessed his sons before his departure. In that blessing it is to be noticed: a- He started by the tribe of Reuben; for although he has lost his firstborn rights through defiling his father’s bed, beside the fact that he was the son of Leah, the less beloved; Yet he was not forsaken by God, for Moses confirms: “Let Reuben live, and not die, nor let his men be few” (Deuteronomy 33: 6) b- The tribe of Judah, becoming the royal tribe, gets a promise that David’s house will reign forever. c- He blesses the tribe Of Levi, being the priestly tribe, responsible for leading all in worshipping God, and for presenting the teaching and preaching with no perversion. The author cared to bind between the work of the royal leadership, and that of priesthood; on account of that the Lord of glory is the King of kings, and the heavenly High Priest. d- In blessing Joseph, he presented the blessing to Ephraim, giving him “tens of thousands”; and to Manasseh, giving him “thousands”. e- We notice that Simeon is omitted. (14) The order of the tribes when dividing the promised land West of the Jordan (Joshua 15 – 21): After the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, were given the East bank of the River Jordan (Joshua 13: 15 – 29), Now a lot was done to know the will of God in the division of the land. The order of the tribes in that division was as follows: a- He started the lot by the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15: 1), being the royal tribe. b- The plot for Manasseh and Ephraim; on account of that to Joseph, who confronted the hate of his brothers by love, opened his heart to them, and sustained them in their sojourn, two tribes were given in the names of his two sons: Manasseh the firstborn (half a tribe), and Ephraim (Joshua 16: 41; 17: 1, 17-18). c- The rest of the land was divided into seven portions for the seven remaining tribes who were slothful to go and possess the land which the Lord God of their fathers has given them (Joshua 18: 2-5). For their sake, Joshua cast lots in Shiloh before the Lord; and there he divided the land among them (Joshua 18: 10). Their order came as such: Benjamin; Simeon (Joshua 19: 1); Zebulun (Joshua 19: 10); Issachar (Joshua 19: 17); Asher (Joshua 19: 24); Naphtali (Joshua 19: 32); and Dan (Joshua 19: 40). (15) The order of the tribes in the first book of the chronicles (2: 1 – 2): The author was not committed to the natural order of the date of birth; Although it may even look as being written without a natural order; yet it was certainly according to the diveine grace and the will of God; as we have seen in our interpretation of the first chapter of the chronicles. (16) The order of the tribes in the heavenly church of the New Covenant (Ezekiel 48): In it, it is to be noticed: a- No specific tribe (or nation) is to be dedicated to the ministry of priesthood; but it is to be enjoyed by priests from all peoples and nations in Christ Jesus. That is beside the general laic priesthood in the water of baptism. b- The Levites in the center of the Sanctuary. c- The sons of the legal wives are close to the Sanctuary; while those of the concubines are at its far end. Judah and Benjamin; Namely, (the king) and (the son of the right hand); one to the north, and the other to the south. Reuben and Simeon; who lost their rights according to nature; on one side, and on the other. Issachar and Zebulon; the sons of Leah, to the south. Manasseh and Ephraim; the sons of Rachel, to the north. Ephraim closer to the Sanctuary than Manasseh. Gad, the son of Zilpah, to the south; And Naphtali, the son of Belha, to the north. Dan will have his portion in the land, after all the other tribes, to the north; the farthest from the Sanctuary. Asher after Gad, to the south (17) The order of the tribes in talking about eternity (Revelation 7): The following are to be noticed: a- All distinction between the tribes are taken away, with the exception of Judah, who occupies the first place; where the Son of David embraces the whole church to Himself as a heavenly bride. b- ‘Dan’ was completely omitted, as they refer to the antichrist. c- Levi is sealed together with all the other tribes; for all enjoy the Lord as his portion; And there is no land to be distributed on the tribes. d- The tribe of Manasseh is not divided into a half east of the Jordan, and a half west of it; on account of that, in heaven, there is no division; but there will be the one and only catholic church.
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