1 Chronicles 8:3 MEANING

Vers. 3-5 - Nine sons are here assigned to Bela. Genesis (Genesis 44:41) only finds us clearly three of them, and these in very different order, viz. Gera, Naaman, and Arel; and Numbers (Numbers 26:39, 40) finds us only three, viz. Ard, Naaman, and Shupham. Yet our Huram may correspond with Hupham, and then the four pairs of names - Shephuphan and Huram, Shupham and Hupham, Shuppim and Huppim, and Muppim and Huppim - may be interpreted as designating one and the same couple of persons. The recurrence of the name Gera in ver. 5, so close upon the same name in ver. 3, would of course be more remarkable, and point inevitably to the disordered state of the text, if it were necessary to suppose that these nine persons were really brothers, as well as called sons of Bela.

8:1-40 Genealogies. - Here is a larger list of Benjamin's tribe. We may suppose that many things in these genealogies, which to us seem difficult, abrupt, and perplexed, were plain and easy at that time, and fully answered the intention for which they were published. Many great and mighty nations then were in being upon earth, and many illustrious men, whose names are now wholly forgotten; while the names of multitudes of the Israel of God are here kept in everlasting remembrance. The memory of the just is blessed.The sons of Bela were Addar, and Gera, and Abihud. The first of these is thought to be the same with Ard, mentioned among the sons of Benjamin, Genesis 46:21 but was one of his grandsons, see Numbers 26:40 as Gera also was.