The book opens at the beginning of everything: 'Adam, Seth, Enosh' — ten generations to Noah in a single breath, then the nations spread out from Japheth, Ham, and Shem. The line narrows to 'Abram — the same is Abraham,' his sons Isaac and Ishmael, and the sons of Keturah. Israel himself is given one clause — 'The sons of Isaac: Esau, and Israel' — and then the chapter turns to Esau’s line and stays there: the chiefs of Edom, and the kings 'that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.' The whole of Genesis is compressed into a doorway of names, so that the story about to be told — of David and the house of God — stands where the chronicler means it to stand: inside the history of the whole world.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Verse structure: 3 words, 9 letters. The shortest word is "Seth" (שֵׁ֖ת, 2 letters) and the longest is "Enosh" (אֱנֽוֹשׁ, 4 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Seth" (שֵׁ֖ת), "Enosh" (אֱנֽוֹשׁ). 3 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root אדם ("Adam") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: אָדָ֥ם [Adam] (45) + שֵׁ֖ת [Seth] (700) + אֱנֽוֹשׁ [Enosh] (357) = 1102.
Rashi
Adam, Seth, Enosh Ezra wrote this book of genealogy through Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi during the eighteen years from the time that Zerubbabel and Joshua the Priest came to Jerusalem in the days of Cyrus I until Cyrus the son of Esther came. All of this [book] is for the [purpose of tracing the] lineage of King David and the Levites for gate sentries, guards, and singers, how David stationed them in their positions, and the priests in their watches. Therefore, he traced their lineage from Adam to Abraham, and since he had to trace Abraham’s lineage, he mentioned also the rest of the nations, his sons and his grandsons, and because of his sons, he had to trace the lineage of the rest of the nations, the sons of Canaan, to let [us] know how Abraham inherited their land. And since he had to mention and trace the lineage of the generations of Canaan, he mentioned together with them (the generations of) the rest of the nations, but he mentions them only briefly and casts them away until he reaches the main ones, as is explained in Genesis Rabbah (39:10) (See also Tanhuma Veyesheb 1). This can be compared to a king who was traveling from place to place and dropped a pearl. The king stood and sifted the sand with a sieve until he found the pearl. So said the Holy One, blessed be He, “Why should I trace the lineage of Shem and Arpachshad and Terach except to find Abraham?” [As it is written] (Neh. 9:8): “... and You found his heart faithful [before You].” And because of the honor of Isaac, he traced the lineage of the sons of Esau and Ishmael and the sons of Keturah, and he cast them away little by little and left them. He mentions the sons of Seir because the sons of Esau inherited them [i.e., their territory]; he also traces the lineage of Timna, who became a concubine to the seed of Abraham, to let us know the praise of Abraham, for she was the daughter of princes and chiefs and wished to be a concubine to the seed of Abraham, as it is written (Gen. 36:22): “... and Lotan’s sister was Timna,” and it is written (ibid. 12): “And Timna was a concubine to Eliphaz the son of Esau,” because she said, “If I am not worthy to marry him, I shall be his concubine.” (Gen. Rabbah 84: 14, Sanh. 99b) Moreover, for this reason, he traced the lineage of the sons of Seir because they were chiefs and princes, and Mount Seir belonged to Seir, but out of love for Isaac, the Holy One, blessed be He, gave it to Esau, as it is written (Deut. 2:12): “... and the children of Esau drove them out, etc., and settled in their place,” and to inform us of the fulfillment of the words of the Holy One, blessed be He, Who promised Isaac that He would multiply his seed and give him dominion over all, and because of the honor of Isaac he likewise wrote (verse. 31): “Now these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, etc.” Adam, Seth, Enosh This is to be interpreted like: “The sons of Adam: Seth, and the sons of Seth: Enosh,” but since they were not the main part of the genealogy, he states them briefly, and he does not mention Cain and Abel because they did not beget generations, but from Seth emerged the generations of Noah and Abraham, and from Abraham to David.
Ralbag
'Adam, Seth, Enosh,' etc. — through 'and all Israel gathered together to David at Hebron' (11:1). 'Adam, Seth, Enosh' — all of these, down to Noah, follow the same pattern: the first is the father of the second. That is, Adam was the father of Seth, and Seth was the father of Enosh, and so on for all of them down to Noah, who was the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Metzudat David
'Adam, Seth, Enosh' — it is as though it said: first Adam was born, and he fathered Seth, and Seth fathered Enosh, and so on until Noah; and Scripture did not see fit to mention the other descendants along the way, because they all perished completely in the waters of the flood, and none of their offspring remained upon the face of the earth.
Malbim
'Adam, Seth, Enosh' — that is, the son of Adam was Seth, and the son of Seth was Enosh. Since the primary purpose of this book is to trace the lineage of the men of heart and inner worth — namely the people of Israel, who are chosen from among the nations — it is brief about the lineage of the other nations and mentions only the men of heart and worth among them. The Kuzari already wrote that at first this quality of heart and worth was found only in isolated individuals, while the rest were like husks; this was so from Adam until Noah, and from Noah until Abraham. There were even some among them in whom the individual himself did not possess this quality, but it lay hidden within him, to emerge only in his children or his children's children. That is why [Scripture] divided this statement into three verses: Adam, Seth, and Enosh themselves possessed the quality, but Kenan, Mahalalel, and Jared did not — only their sons had heart and worth, namely Enoch, Methuselah, and Lamech, who were righteous, as our Sages say. So too the Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 23:6, states: They asked before Abba Kohen Bardela, 'Adam, Seth, Enosh' — and then it stops (that is, why are they singled out in a verse of their own?). He answered them: Up to this point [Scripture] says 'in image and in likeness,' for the words 'image' and 'likeness' do not recur again until Enoch, Methuselah, and Lamech, who themselves possessed the quality. And when [the record] reached Noah, from whose sons the whole world was rebuilt, it turned to enumerating them:
Verse structure: 3 words, 13 letters. The shortest word is "Jared" (יָֽרֶד, 3 letters) and the longest is "Mahalalel" (מַהֲלַלְאֵ֖ל, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Kenan" (קֵינָ֥ן), "Mahalalel" (מַהֲלַלְאֵ֖ל). 3 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root ירד ("Jared") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: קֵינָ֥ן [Kenan] (210) + מַהֲלַלְאֵ֖ל [Mahalalel] (136) + יָֽרֶד [Jared] (214) = 560.
Verse structure: 3 words, 13 letters. The shortest word is "Lamech" (לָֽמֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Methuselah" (מְתוּשֶׁ֖לַח, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Methuselah" (מְתוּשֶׁ֖לַח), "Lamech" (לָֽמֶךְ). 3 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root חנוך ("Enoch") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: חֲנ֥וֹךְ [Enoch] (84) + מְתוּשֶׁ֖לַח [Methuselah] (784) + לָֽמֶךְ [Lamech] (90) = 958.
Verse structure: 4 words, 10 letters. The shortest word is "Noah" (נֹ֥חַ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·Japheth" (וָיָֽפֶת, 4 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Noah" (נֹ֥חַ), "and·Japheth" (וָיָֽפֶת). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Shem" (root שם, 67x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root שם ("Shem") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root חם ("Ham") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: נֹ֥חַ [Noah] (58) + שֵׁ֖ם [Shem] (340) + חָ֥ם [Ham] (48) + וָיָֽפֶת [and·Japheth] (496) = 942.
Rashi
Noah, Shem, Ham He should have counted the sons of Shem immediately to find the pearl, namely Abraham, etc., until David, but he mentions the unimportant one and treats his lineage briefly and takes hold of the main ones; and so is the method of all this genealogy of Chronicles, and so it is in the section immediately following (verses 28f.): “The sons of Abraham: Isaac and Ishmael. These are their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael was Nebaioth.” And so: (verses 34f.): “And Abraham begot Isaac; the sons of Isaac: Esau and Israel; the sons of Esau: Eliphaz,” where he mentions first the lineage of the unimportant ones and afterwards the main one.
Metzudat David
'Noah, Shem' — it is as though it said: Noah fathered Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, etc.
Malbim
'Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth' — for from his sons came forth the seventy nations of ancient times, since in His wisdom [God] divided the settled world into seventy nations and appointed over them seventy heavenly princes. We have already written elsewhere that just as in a tree the fruit is the precious part and the leaves are what guard the fruit, while the rest is mere husk, so too mankind divides into godly men who walk with God, who are the fruit — for whose sake Hashem planted the tree of life over the earth and all humanity — and there are animalistic men who follow only their physical nature, and there are those in between the two, who occupy themselves with civic affairs and perfect their intellect and character through conventional codes of law; these are the intermediate group between the godly and the animalistic. These three types appeared immediately in the three sons of Noah, who were the root of all mankind yet to be born, as it says (Genesis 9:18-19), 'And the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth... these three were the sons of Noah' — meaning, these three types necessarily had to be born from Noah, since the whole earth was populated from them, so that these three classes would exist among them, and they had to show themselves immediately at their root: from the sons of Shem came the godly men; from the sons of Ham came 'a people of the land,' and 'a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers'; and Japheth was the intermediate one, who would at times dwell in the tents of Shem, at which time Canaan would become a servant to him as well.
The sons of Japheth: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.
verse value 2465
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Magog" (וּמָג֔וֹג, 5 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Japheth" (יֶ֔פֶת), "and·Magog" (וּמָג֔וֹג), "and·Madai" (וּמָדַ֖י). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root בן ("sons·of") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Tubal', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. 6 of the verse's 9 words begin with the letter ו. Full calculation: בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + יֶ֔פֶת [Japheth] (490) + גֹּ֣מֶר [Gomer] (243) + וּמָג֔וֹג [and·Magog] (58) + וּמָדַ֖י [and·Madai] (60) + וְיָוָ֣ן [and·Javan] (72) + וְתֻבָ֑ל [and·Tubal] (438) + וּמֶ֖שֶׁךְ [and·Meshech] (366) + וְתִירָֽס [and·Tiras] (676) = 2465.
Metzudat David
'The sons of Japheth' — since the main point of the narrative concerns Abraham and the offspring of Israel who descend from Shem, and the narrative goes on to elaborate on them at length, Scripture therefore left the sons of Shem to be mentioned last; but the account of the sons of Japheth and the sons of Ham is brief, so it placed them first and finished with them quickly.
Malbim
'The sons of Japheth' — [Scripture] wrote the lineage of Shem last, because it would elaborate on it at length, since in it lies the pearl — Abraham and his offspring — as our Sages say and Rashi cites. For the primary purpose of the book is to trace the chosen line, and it always begins with the secondary line first, as is its way throughout the book; so it placed Japheth first, since he was older in years and higher in rank than Ham. 'The sons of Japheth... and the sons of Gomer' — here [Scripture] lists only the heads of the seventy nations. Gomer had several sons besides the four counted here, and all [the rest] made up a single nation called by the name Gomer; so they are not mentioned, since they did not become nations of their own. Only Ashkenaz, Diphath, and Togarmah became nations of their own, so that Gomer together with his three [other] sons made four nations. Likewise Javan had several sons who were all included under the name Javan, besides the four sons that [Scripture] counted, who became heads of nations of their own. But the sons of Magog and of Madai did not become separate nations; rather, they all remained a single nation under their father's name, Magog or Madai. In all, the sons of Japheth came to fourteen nations. As for the reason for the changes — from Riphath to Diphath, from Dodanim to Rodanim — by the time the author of Chronicles wrote, their names and spellings had changed to match how they were called in his own day; and our Sages also offer a homiletical explanation of this in Bereishit Rabbah 37:1.
And the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, and Diphath, and Togarmah.
verse value 1849
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 24 letters. Verse gematria: 1849 = 43². The shortest word is "Gomer" (גֹּ֑מֶר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Togarmah" (וְתוֹגַרְמָֽה, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Ashkenaz" (אַשְׁכְּנַ֥ז), "and·Diphath" (וְדִיפַ֖ת), "and·Togarmah" (וְתוֹגַרְמָֽה). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Gomer', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: וּבְנֵ֖י [and·sons·of] (68) + גֹּ֑מֶר [Gomer] (243) + אַשְׁכְּנַ֥ז [Ashkenaz] (378) + וְדִיפַ֖ת [and·Diphath] (500) + וְתוֹגַרְמָֽה [and·Togarmah] (660) = 1849.
Rashi
Ashkenaz and Diphath (with a “daleth”), but in the Pentateuch it is written (Gen. 10:3): “... and Riphath,” because in the beginning they were weak (רָפִים), and they did not overpower Israel, but at the end they were filled with disgrace (דֹּפִי) and evil.
Metzudat Zion
Diphath (Difat) - In the Torah it is written "Riphath," with a resh; he is called by both names. This is a general rule governing all the name-changes [in this book]: not every variant of a name is mentioned, for they are far too numerous.
And the sons of Javan: Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim.
verse value 2487
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "Javan" (יָוָ֖ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Tarshish" (וְתַרְשִׁ֑ישָׁה, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Javan" (יָוָ֖ן), "Elishah" (אֱלִישָׁ֣ה), "and·Tarshish" (וְתַרְשִׁ֑ישָׁה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Tarshish', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: וּבְנֵ֥י [and·sons·of] (68) + יָוָ֖ן [Javan] (66) + אֱלִישָׁ֣ה [Elishah] (346) + וְתַרְשִׁ֑ישָׁה [and·Tarshish] (1221) + כִּתִּ֖ים [Kittim] (470) + וְרוֹדָנִֽים [and·Rodanim] (316) = 2487.
Rashi
And the sons of Javan: Elisha The reason he did not mention Magog and Madai is that he mentioned only the lineage of these, but he did not mention the sons of Magog or the sons of Madai or the rest because heads of nations did not emerge from them, but all their nations were called by the name of Kittim and Dodanim. and Rodanim And further (Gen. 10:4) Scripture states: “and Dodanim.” When Israel sins, they come and rule over them (רוֹדִים), but when Israel is in power, they say, “You are the sons of our uncles (דּוֹדֵינוּ).” At first they appeared as friends when it was for their own benefit, but later they subjugated them.
The sons of Ham: Cush, and Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
verse value 1113
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 22 letters. The shortest word is "Ham" (חָ֑ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·Mizraim" (וּמִצְרַ֖יִם, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Put" (פּ֥וּט). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root כוש ("Cush") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root מצרים ("and·Mizraim") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Ham', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: בְּנֵ֖י [sons·of] (62) + חָ֑ם [Ham] (48) + כּ֥וּשׁ [Cush] (326) + וּמִצְרַ֖יִם [and·Mizraim] (386) + פּ֥וּט [Put] (95) + וּכְנָֽעַן [and·Canaan] (196) = 1113.
Malbim
'The sons of Ham' — there were thirty nations [descending from Ham]. Cush had several sons besides those counted in verse 9, and they were all a single nation called by the name Cush; but his sons Seba and Havilah became distinct nations of their own — and so too with Mizraim.
And the sons of Cush: Seba, and Havilah, and Sabta, and Raama, and Sabteca. And the sons of Raama: Sheba, and Dedan.
verse value 2543
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "Cush" (כ֔וּשׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Havilah" (וַֽחֲוִילָ֔ה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 68: and·sons·of, and·sons·of. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Seba" (סְבָא֙), "and·Havilah" (וַֽחֲוִילָ֔ה), "and·Sabta" (וְסַבְתָּ֥א). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root שבא ("Sheba") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Sabteca', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. 7 of the verse's 11 words begin with the letter ו. Full calculation: וּבְנֵ֣י [and·sons·of] (68) + כ֔וּשׁ [Cush] (326) + סְבָא֙ [Seba] (63) + וַֽחֲוִילָ֔ה [and·Havilah] (65) + וְסַבְתָּ֥א [and·Sabta] (469) + וְרַעְמָ֖א [and·Raama] (317) + וְסַבְתְּכָ֑א [and·Sabteca] (489) + וּבְנֵ֥י [and·sons·of] (68) + רַעְמָ֖א [Raama] (311) + שְׁבָ֥א [Sheba] (303) + וּדְדָֽן [and·Dedan] (64) = 2543.
And Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
verse value 2087
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "he·begot" (יָלַ֣ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "Nimrod" (אֶת־נִמְר֑וֹד, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Cush" (וְכ֖וּשׁ), "Nimrod" (אֶת־נִמְר֑וֹד). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "he·begot" (root ילד, 117x in I Chronicles); "to·be" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles); "he" (root הוא, 50x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root ילד ("he·begot") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root הוא ("he") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Nimrod', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְכ֖וּשׁ [and·Cush] (332) + יָלַ֣ד [he·begot] (44) + אֶת־נִמְר֑וֹד [Nimrod] (701) + ה֣וּא [he] (12) + הֵחֵ֔ל [he·began] (43) + לִֽהְי֥וֹת [to·be] (451) + גִּבּ֖וֹר [a·mighty·one] (211) + בָּאָֽרֶץ [in·the·earth] (293) = 2087.
Rashi
began to be a mighty man on the earth He began to make wars and [perform] mighty deeds on the earth.
Metzudat David
'And Nimrod' — since he was the most important of all the sons of Cush, Scripture counted him separately, not together with the rest of Cush’s other sons. 'He began to be a mighty one,' etc. — for until his time all men were equal, and none of them had grown powerful enough to rule over his fellow; Nimrod was the first to grow powerful and rule in the land.
Malbim
'He began to be a mighty one' — he performed feats of might and waged wars, and ruled a vast dominion such as had not existed until then; so it is explained in the commentary attributed to Rashi. But in his commentary on the Torah (Genesis 10:8), Rashi writes, following the midrashic reading, that he incited the world to rebel against Hashem.
And Mizraim begot Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,
verse value 3127
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "he·begot" (יָלַ֞ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Naphtuhim" (וְאֶת־נַפְתֻּחִֽים, 9 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Ludim" (אֶת־לוּדִ֧ים), "and·Anamim" (וְאֶת־עֲנָמִ֛ים), "and·Lehabim" (וְאֶת־לְהָבִ֖ים). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "he·begot" (root ילד, 117x in I Chronicles).
Rashi
And Mitzraim begot Ludim In Genesis Rabbah (37:5) “Said Rabbi Abba bar Kahana: The entire coinage of Mizraim is only in the sea. Said Rabbi Joshua ben Korhah: ‘Ludim’ is written ‘Ludiim’ in chronicles, with two ‘yuds,’ to tell you that ‘Ludiim’ means לוּדֵי יָם, Ludim of the sea; Anamim, Anamim of the sea; Lehabim, Lehabim of the sea; Naphtuhim, Naphtuhim of the sea.”
and Pathrusim, and Casluhim—from whence came the Philistines—and Caphtorim.
verse value 4777
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֨ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Pathrusim" (וְֽאֶת־פַּתְרֻסִ֞ים, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Pathrusim" (וְֽאֶת־פַּתְרֻסִ֞ים), "and·Casluhim" (וְאֶת־כַּסְלֻחִ֗ים), "and·Caphtorim" (וְאֶת־כַּפְתֹּרִֽים). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 77x in I Chronicles); "from·there" (root שם, 67x in I Chronicles); "Philistines" (root פלשתי, 27x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root אשר ("that") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root יצא ("they·went·out") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: וְֽאֶת־פַּתְרֻסִ֞ים [and·Pathrusim] (1197) + וְאֶת־כַּסְלֻחִ֗ים [and·Casluhim] (575) + אֲשֶׁ֨ר [that] (501) + יָצְא֥וּ [they·went·out] (107) + מִשָּׁ֛ם [from·there] (380) + פְּלִשְׁתִּ֖ים [Philistines] (860) + וְאֶת־כַּפְתֹּרִֽים [and·Caphtorim] (1157) = 4777.
Rashi
Pathrusim Pathrusim of the sea; Casluhim, Casluhim of the sea; Philistines, Philistines of the sea. from whom the Philistines and the Caphtorim were descended The Pathrusim and the Casluhim would switch wives with each other, and from them were descended the Philistines (and the Caphtorim).
Metzudat David
'From whence came the Philistines' — that is, the nation of the Philistines descended from the Casluhim. 'And Caphtorim' — this refers back to Mizraim, meaning that he fathered the Caphtorim as well.
Malbim
'From whence came' [the Philistines] — from the Casluhim; and he also fathered the Caphtorim.
Verse structure: 5 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "he·begot" (יָלַ֛ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "Zidon" (אֶת־צִיד֥וֹן, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Zidon" (אֶת־צִיד֥וֹן), "and·Heth" (וְאֶת־חֵֽת). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "he·begot" (root ילד, 117x in I Chronicles); "his·first-born" (root בכור, 24x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root בכור ("his·first-born") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: וּכְנַ֗עַן [and·Canaan] (196) + יָלַ֛ד [he·begot] (44) + אֶת־צִיד֥וֹן [Zidon] (561) + בְּכֹר֖וֹ [his·first-born] (228) + וְאֶת־חֵֽת [and·Heth] (815) = 1844.
Rashi
And Canaan begot, etc. They are eleven, and with Canaan they are twelve. This is what is written: “He set up the boundaries of the peoples.” He set up the boundaries of the peoples corresponding to the tribes of Israel, for they too are twelve; corresponding to the tribes of Israel, He set up the boundaries of the peoples, on the pattern of (Gen. 21:29): “... that you set up (הִצַּבְתָּ) by themselves.”
and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite;
verse value 2091
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "and" (וְאֵ֖ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·Jebusite" (וְאֶת־הַיְבוּסִי֙, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·the·Jebusite" (וְאֶת־הַיְבוּסִי֙), "and·the·Amorite" (וְאֶת־הָ֣אֱמֹרִ֔י), "the·Girgashite" (הַגִּרְגָּשִֽׁי). 4 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root יבוסי ("and·the·Jebusite") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: וְאֶת־הַיְבוּסִי֙ [and·the·Jebusite] (500) + וְאֶת־הָ֣אֱמֹרִ֔י [and·the·Amorite] (663) + וְאֵ֖ת [and] (407) + הַגִּרְגָּשִֽׁי [the·Girgashite] (521) = 2091.
Verse structure: 3 words, 23 letters. The shortest word is "and·the·Hivite" (וְאֶת־הַחִוִּ֥י, 7 letters) and the longest is "and·the·Arkite" (וְאֶת־הַעַרְקִ֖י, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·the·Hivite" (וְאֶת־הַחִוִּ֥י), "and·the·Arkite" (וְאֶת־הַעַרְקִ֖י), "and·the·Sinite" (וְאֶת־הַסִּינִֽי). 3 unique roots are used. Full calculation: וְאֶת־הַחִוִּ֥י [and·the·Hivite] (436) + וְאֶת־הַעַרְקִ֖י [and·the·Arkite] (792) + וְאֶת־הַסִּינִֽי [and·the·Sinite] (542) = 1770.
and the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite.
verse value 2255
Insights
Verse structure: 3 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "and·the·Zemarite" (וְאֶת־הַצְּמָרִ֖י, 8 letters) and the longest is "and·the·Arvadite" (וְאֶת־הָאַרְוָדִ֥י, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·the·Arvadite" (וְאֶת־הָאַרְוָדִ֥י), "and·the·Zemarite" (וְאֶת־הַצְּמָרִ֖י), "and·the·Hamathite" (וְאֶת־הַחֲמָתִֽי). 3 unique roots are used. Full calculation: וְאֶת־הָאַרְוָדִ֥י [and·the·Arvadite] (633) + וְאֶת־הַצְּמָרִ֖י [and·the·Zemarite] (752) + וְאֶת־הַחֲמָתִֽי [and·the·Hamathite] (870) = 2255.
The sons of Shem: Elam, and Asshur, and Arpachshad, and Lud, and Aram, and Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Meshech.
verse value 3166
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "Shem" (שֵׁ֔ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·Arpachshad" (וְאַרְפַּכְשַׁ֖ד, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Asshur" (וְאַשּׁ֔וּר), "and·Lud" (וְל֣וּד), "and·Uz" (וְע֥וּץ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "Shem" (root שם, 67x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root עילם ("Elam") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root אשור ("and·Asshur") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Aram', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. 8 of the verse's 11 words begin with the letter ו. Full calculation: בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + שֵׁ֔ם [Shem] (340) + עֵילָ֣ם [Elam] (150) + וְאַשּׁ֔וּר [and·Asshur] (513) + וְאַרְפַּכְשַׁ֖ד [and·Arpachshad] (611) + וְל֣וּד [and·Lud] (46) + וַאֲרָ֑ם [and·Aram] (247) + וְע֥וּץ [and·Uz] (172) + וְח֖וּל [and·Hul] (50) + וְגֶ֥תֶר [and·Gether] (609) + וָמֶֽשֶׁךְ [and·Meshech] (366) = 3166.
Ralbag
'And Lud, and Aram, and Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Meshech' — here [Scripture] is brief, and its intent, following what is explained in the Torah, is that Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech were the sons of Aram (Genesis 10:23). Now the Torah, in place of 'Meshech,' has 'Mash'; so he had two names.
Metzudat David
'Uz, and Hul,' etc. — these four were the sons of Aram, and for brevity's sake Scripture counted them among the sons of Shem, for grandsons are treated like sons.
Malbim
'The sons of Shem' — there were twenty-six nations [descending from Shem], for Shelah and Eber also became separate nations, in addition to his [Shem's] own sons; therefore they are counted here as nations, whereas in verses 24-25 they are mentioned again in order to trace the chain of lineage down to Abraham. 'And Uz' — meaning, and the sons of Aram were Uz and Hul. 'And Meshech' — in the Torah it is written 'and Mash'; there the name was shortened, to distinguish it from the Meshech mentioned among the sons of Japheth.
And Arpachshad begot Shelah, and Shelah begot Eber.
verse value 2455
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "he·begot" (יָלַ֣ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Arpachshad" (וְאַרְפַּכְשַׁ֖ד, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 44: he·begot, he·begot. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Shelah" (אֶת־שָׁ֑לַח), "and·Shelah" (וְשֶׁ֖לַח), "Eber" (אֶת־עֵֽבֶר). The root ילד appears 2 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "he·begot" (root ילד, 117x in I Chronicles); "Shelah" (root שלח, 20x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root שלח ("Shelah") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root עבר ("Eber") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Shelah', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְאַרְפַּכְשַׁ֖ד [and·Arpachshad] (611) + יָלַ֣ד [he·begot] (44) + אֶת־שָׁ֑לַח [Shelah] (739) + וְשֶׁ֖לַח [and·Shelah] (344) + יָלַ֥ד [he·begot] (44) + אֶת־עֵֽבֶר [Eber] (673) = 2455.
And to Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg; for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan.
verse value 2387
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 51 letters. Notable word values: "the·one" (הָאֶחָ֞ד) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "name" (שֵׁ֣ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·Eber" (וּלְעֵ֥בֶר, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·to·Eber" (וּלְעֵ֥בֶר), "the·one" (הָאֶחָ֞ד), "was·divided" (נִפְלְגָ֣ה). The root שם appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "was·born" (root ילד, 117x in I Chronicles); "his·brother" (root אח, 95x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root שנים ("two") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root אחד ("the·one") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sons', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 10 words. Full calculation: וּלְעֵ֥בֶר [and·to·Eber] (308) + יֻלַּ֖ד [was·born] (44) + שְׁנֵ֣י [two] (360) + בָנִ֑ים [sons] (102) + שֵׁ֣ם [name] (340) + הָאֶחָ֞ד [the·one] (18) + פֶּ֗לֶג [Peleg] (113) + כִּ֤י [for] (30) + בְיָמָיו֙ [in·his·days] (68) + נִפְלְגָ֣ה [was·divided] (168) + הָאָ֔רֶץ [the·earth] (296) + וְשֵׁ֥ם [and·the·name·of] (346) + אָחִ֖יו [his·brother] (25) + יׇקְטָֽן [Joktan] (169) = 2387.
Rashi
the earth was parted The days of the people were divided and diminished, for at first people lived nine hundred years or more, and in the days of Arpachshad and thereafter, [they were diminished] to four hundred years or more, and from Peleg and thereafter, they were divided in half, to two hundred years out of those four hundred years.
Metzudat David
'The earth was divided' — the inhabitants of the earth were separated from one another over the whole face of the earth.
Metzudat Zion
Was divided (niflegah) - An expression of division and separation, as in "in the divisions of Reuben" (Judges 5).
Malbim
'For in his days [the earth] was divided' — meaning that the generation of the Dispersion occurred in his days. It may be said that at first everyone spoke the Hebrew language, the language of Eber, and after the languages were divided, that original language remained only among the descendants of Peleg — for Abraham, who descended from Peleg, spoke the Hebrew language. That is why he was named Peleg: because all [the other nations] were divided (niflegu) from him in their language.
And Joktan begot Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah;
verse value 3298
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 37 letters. The shortest word is "begot" (יָלַ֔ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Hazarmaveth" (וְאֶת־חֲצַרְמָ֖וֶת, 9 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Joktan" (וְיׇקְטָ֣ן), "Almodad" (אֶת־אַלְמוֹדָ֖ד), "and·Sheleph" (וְאֶת־שָׁ֑לֶף). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "begot" (root ילד, 117x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root שלף ("and·Sheleph") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Sheleph', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְיׇקְטָ֣ן [and·Joktan] (175) + יָלַ֔ד [begot] (44) + אֶת־אַלְמוֹדָ֖ד [Almodad] (486) + וְאֶת־שָׁ֑לֶף [and·Sheleph] (817) + וְאֶת־חֲצַרְמָ֖וֶת [and·Hazarmaveth] (1151) + וְאֶת־יָֽרַח [and·Jerah] (625) = 3298.
Verse structure: 3 words, 22 letters. The shortest word is "and·Uzal" (וְאֶת־אוּזָ֖ל, 7 letters) and the longest is "and·Hadoram" (וְאֶת־הֲדוֹרָ֥ם, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Hadoram" (וְאֶת־הֲדוֹרָ֥ם), "and·Uzal" (וְאֶת־אוּזָ֖ל), "and·Diklah" (וְאֶת־דִּקְלָֽה). 3 unique roots are used. Full calculation: וְאֶת־הֲדוֹרָ֥ם [and·Hadoram] (662) + וְאֶת־אוּזָ֖ל [and·Uzal] (451) + וְאֶת־דִּקְלָֽה [and·Diklah] (546) = 1659.
Verse structure: 3 words, 22 letters. Verse gematria: 1720 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "and·Sheba" (וְאֶת־שְׁבָֽא, 6 letters) and the longest is "and·Abimael" (וְאֶת־אֲבִֽימָאֵ֖ל, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Ebal" (וְאֶת־עֵיבָ֥ל), "and·Abimael" (וְאֶת־אֲבִֽימָאֵ֖ל), "and·Sheba" (וְאֶת־שְׁבָֽא). 3 unique roots are used. Full calculation: וְאֶת־עֵיבָ֥ל [and·Ebal] (519) + וְאֶת־אֲבִֽימָאֵ֖ל [and·Abimael] (491) + וְאֶת־שְׁבָֽא [and·Sheba] (710) = 1720.
and Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.
verse value 1914
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 35 letters. Notable word values: "all·these" (כׇּל־אֵ֖לֶּה) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Ophir" (וְאֶת־אוֹפִ֥יר, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Ophir" (וְאֶת־אוֹפִ֥יר), "and·Havilah" (וְאֶת־חֲוִילָ֖ה), "and·Jobab" (וְאֶת־יוֹבָ֑ב). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "all·these" (root אלה, 89x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root יובב ("and·Jobab") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root אלה ("all·these") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Jobab', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְאֶת־אוֹפִ֥יר [and·Ophir] (704) + וְאֶת־חֲוִילָ֖ה [and·Havilah] (466) + וְאֶת־יוֹבָ֑ב [and·Jobab] (427) + כׇּל־אֵ֖לֶּה [all·these] (86) + בְּנֵ֥י [sons·of] (62) + יׇקְטָֽן [Joktan] (169) = 1914.
Rashi
all these were the sons of Joktan for he belittled his affairs. Eber was a great prophet (for he named his son for a future event), but the names of the others were not meant to be expounded upon, for they were not inspired by prophetic word.
Malbim
'All these were the sons of Joktan' — for when it says [earlier], 'and Mizraim begot the Ludim and the Anamim,' that means these nations descended from his loins, including from his grandsons; but when it says here, 'and Joktan begot,' it means these were literally his own sons, not his grandsons.
Verse structure: 3 words, 11 letters. The shortest word is "Shem" (שֵׁ֥ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "Arpachshad" (אַרְפַּכְשַׁ֖ד, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Arpachshad" (אַרְפַּכְשַׁ֖ד), "Shelah" (שָֽׁלַח). 3 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Shem" (root שם, 67x in I Chronicles); "Shelah" (root שלח, 20x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: שֵׁ֥ם [Shem] (340) + אַרְפַּכְשַׁ֖ד [Arpachshad] (605) + שָֽׁלַח [Shelah] (338) = 1283.
Rashi
Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah He enumerated the sons of Shem above, and he now commences again in Abraham’s honor. This may be compared to a king who lost a pearl, as above.
Ralbag
'Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah' — here the first is the father of the second, all the way down to Abram.
Metzudat David
'Shem, Arpachshad,' etc. — it is as though it said: the upshot of this is that Shem fathered Arpachshad, and he fathered Shelah, and so on, until Abraham was born.
Malbim
'Shem, Arpachshad' — now [Scripture] returns to trace the chosen line, which at first existed only in individuals, counting from Noah to Abraham. Some of them themselves possessed the quality, such as Shem and Eber; and some were merely fit for the quality to emerge from them, such as Terah — as the Kuzari states, quoted above.
Verse structure: 3 words, 9 letters. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Reu" (רְעֽוּ). 3 unique roots are used. Full calculation: עֵ֥בֶר [Eber] (272) + פֶּ֖לֶג [Peleg] (113) + רְעֽוּ [Reu] (276) = 661.
Verse structure: 3 words, 11 letters. The shortest word is "Terah" (תָּֽרַח, 3 letters) and the longest is "Serug" (שְׂר֥וּג, 4 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Serug" (שְׂר֥וּג), "Nahor" (נָח֖וֹר), "Terah" (תָּֽרַח). 3 unique roots are used. Full calculation: שְׂר֥וּג [Serug] (509) + נָח֖וֹר [Nahor] (264) + תָּֽרַח [Terah] (608) = 1381.
Verse structure: 3 words, 12 letters. The shortest word is "he" (ה֥וּא, 3 letters) and the longest is "Abraham" (אַבְרָהָֽם, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Abram" (אַבְרָ֖ם). 3 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "he" (root הוא, 50x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root אברהם ("Abraham") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: אַבְרָ֖ם [Abram] (243) + ה֥וּא [he] (12) + אַבְרָהָֽם [Abraham] (248) = 503.
Rashi
Abram; he is Abraham Now he traced the lineage from Shem to Abraham, and who is this Abram? He is the one who was called Abraham.
Metzudat David
'The same is Abraham' — he is the one who was afterward called by the name Abraham, after the phrase 'father of a multitude of nations,' as is stated in the Torah.
Malbim
'Abram—the same is Abraham' — as it says (Nehemiah 9:7), 'You are the one who chose Abram... and gave him the name Abraham,' to signify that he would become 'the father of a multitude of nations.' And anyone who calls Abraham 'Abram' transgresses a positive commandment (Berachot 13a); therefore it says, 'the same is Abraham.'
Verse structure: 4 words, 19 letters. Verse gematria: 975 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵי֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Ishmael" (וְיִשְׁמָעֵֽאל, 7 letters). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root יצחק ("Isaac") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root ישמעאל ("and·Ishmael") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: בְּנֵי֙ [sons·of] (62) + אַבְרָהָ֔ם [Abraham] (248) + יִצְחָ֖ק [Isaac] (208) + וְיִשְׁמָעֵֽאל [and·Ishmael] (457) = 975.
Malbim
'Isaac, and Ishmael' — [Scripture] names Isaac first, since he was the son of the mistress [Sarah]; and Ishmael, who had repented, deferred and gave him [Isaac] precedence — unlike Esau, in verse 34 — and so too in the Torah (Genesis 25:9; 35:29).
These are their generations: the first-born of Ishmael, Nebaioth; then Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
verse value 2805
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 39 letters. Notable word values: "these" (אֵ֖לֶּה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "these" (אֵ֖לֶּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "their·generations" (תֹּלְדוֹתָ֑ם, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "their·generations" (תֹּלְדוֹתָ֑ם), "Nebaioth" (נְבָי֔וֹת), "and·Kedar" (וְקֵדָ֥ר). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "these" (root אלה, 89x in I Chronicles); "firstborn·of" (root בכור, 24x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root תולדות ("their·generations") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·generations', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 6 words. Full calculation: אֵ֖לֶּה [these] (36) + תֹּלְדוֹתָ֑ם [their·generations] (880) + בְּכ֤וֹר [firstborn·of] (228) + יִשְׁמָעֵאל֙ [Ishmael] (451) + נְבָי֔וֹת [Nebaioth] (468) + וְקֵדָ֥ר [and·Kedar] (310) + וְאַדְבְּאֵ֖ל [and·Adbeel] (44) + וּמִבְשָֽׂם [and·Mibsam] (388) = 2805.
Malbim
'These are their generations' — counting Ishmael himself, there were thirteen [names in his line], and likewise the sons of Keturah come to thirteen. Concerning this the Midrash says that twelve tribes were fitting to emerge from Abraham [through these lines as well], for the twelve tribes are in fact thirteen once Levi is included; and just as he fathered [these sets of thirteen] from his other wives, it would have been fitting that tribes should emerge also from Sarah, on the side of holiness.
Verse structure: 5 words, 20 letters. The shortest word is "Massa" (מַשָּׂ֖א, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Dumah" (וְדוּמָ֔ה, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Dumah" (וְדוּמָ֔ה), "Massa" (מַשָּׂ֖א), "Hadad" (חֲדַ֥ד). 5 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root משמע ("Mishma") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root משא ("Massa") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: מִשְׁמָ֣ע [Mishma] (450) + וְדוּמָ֔ה [and·Dumah] (61) + מַשָּׂ֖א [Massa] (341) + חֲדַ֥ד [Hadad] (16) + וְתֵימָֽא [and·Tema] (457) = 1325.
Jetur, Naphish, and Kedem. These are the sons of Ishmael.
verse value 1414
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 27 letters. Notable word values: "these" (אֵ֥לֶּה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "they" (הֵ֖ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "Ishmael" (יִשְׁמָעֵֽאל, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Jetur" (יְט֥וּר), "Naphish" (נָפִ֖ישׁ), "and·Kedem" (וָקֵ֑דְמָה). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "these" (root אלה, 89x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root הם ("they") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Kedem', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: יְט֥וּר [Jetur] (225) + נָפִ֖ישׁ [Naphish] (440) + וָקֵ֑דְמָה [and·Kedem] (155) + אֵ֥לֶּה [these] (36) + הֵ֖ם [they] (45) + בְּנֵ֥י [sons·of] (62) + יִשְׁמָעֵֽאל [Ishmael] (451) = 1414.
And the sons of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine: she bore Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. And the sons of Jokshan: Sheba, and Dedan.
verse value 4115
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 67 letters. The shortest word is "Sheba" (שְׁבָ֥א, 3 letters) and the longest is "Zimran" (אֶת־זִמְרָ֧ן, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 320: Keturah, and·Shuah. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Zimran" (אֶת־זִמְרָ֧ן), "and·Jokshan" (וְיׇקְשָׁ֛ן), "and·Medan" (וּמְדָ֥ן). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "she·bore" (root ילד, 117x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root פלגש ("concubine·of") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root מדין ("and·Midian") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Shuah', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 4 words.
Rashi
And the sons of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine Anything disgraceful that he could tell about them he tells to enhance Isaac’s honor, i.e., they were all the children of a concubine, but he was the mainstay and the master of the household.
Metzudat David
'She bore' — to be understood as if written 'who bore.'
Malbim
'And the sons of Keturah' — because she was a concubine, as it says (Genesis 25:6), 'and to the sons of the concubines that Abraham had,' [Scripture] calls the sons by her name; not so with Hagar, of whom it is written (Genesis 16:3), 'and she gave her to Abram, her husband, to be his wife.' 'Sheba, and Dedan' — from the fact that [Scripture] does not go on to count Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim [as further descendants here], it is clear that these are not names of nations, as Rashi holds in his commentary on the Torah (Genesis 25:3); rather, that text is listing the name of their occupation, following the view of Targum.
And the sons of Midian: Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the sons of Keturah.
verse value 1460
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. Notable word values: "all·these" (כׇּל־אֵ֖לֶּה) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Abida" (וַאֲבִידָ֖ע, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Midian" (מִדְיָ֗ן), "Ephah" (עֵיפָ֤ה), "and·Hanoch" (וַחֲנ֔וֹךְ). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "all·these" (root אלה, 89x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root עיפה ("Ephah") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root עפר ("and·Epher") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Eldaah', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וּבְנֵ֣י [and·sons·of] (68) + מִדְיָ֗ן [Midian] (104) + עֵיפָ֤ה [Ephah] (165) + וָעֵ֙פֶר֙ [and·Epher] (356) + וַחֲנ֔וֹךְ [and·Hanoch] (90) + וַאֲבִידָ֖ע [and·Abida] (93) + וְאֶלְדָּעָ֑ה [and·Eldaah] (116) + כׇּל־אֵ֖לֶּה [all·these] (86) + בְּנֵ֥י [sons·of] (62) + קְטוּרָֽה [Keturah] (320) = 1460.
Rashi
And the sons of Midian: Ephah and Epher, etc. five heads of nations. Therefore, they appointed five kings, each one its king, as it is written (Num. 31:8): “Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, etc., the five kings of Midian.” all these were the sons of Keturah [These were mentioned] because of Abraham’s honor.
Ralbag
'And the sons of Midian,' etc. — here [Scripture] does not list the sons of Dedan. It would appear from this that what the Torah calls 'Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim' are not meant as the names of individual men; that is why they are not listed in this book.
Metzudat David
'All these were the sons of Keturah' — for grandsons are treated like sons.
And Abraham begot Isaac. The sons of Isaac: Esau, and Israel.
verse value 2106
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. Verse gematria: 2106 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "Isaac" (אֶת־יִצְחָ֑ק, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Isaac" (אֶת־יִצְחָ֑ק). The root יצחק appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "and·he·begot" (root ילד, 117x in I Chronicles); "and·Israel" (root ישראל, 94x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root ישראל ("and·Israel") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Isaac', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיּ֥וֹלֶד [and·he·begot] (56) + אַבְרָהָ֖ם [Abraham] (248) + אֶת־יִצְחָ֑ק [Isaac] (609) + בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + יִצְחָ֔ק [Isaac] (208) + עֵשָׂ֖ו [Esau] (376) + וְיִשְׂרָאֵֽל [and·Israel] (547) = 2106.
Rashi
Esau and Israel Because of David’s honor, he says, “Israel,” not “Jacob.”
Malbim
'And Abraham begot Isaac' — as it says (Genesis 21:12), 'for through Isaac shall your offspring be called.'
The sons of Esau: Eliphaz, Reuel, and Jeush, and Jalam and Korah.
verse value 1735
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֖י, 3 letters) and the longest is "Eliphaz" (אֱלִיפַ֛ז, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Jalam" (וְיַעְלָ֥ם), "and·Korah" (וְקֹֽרַח). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root יעוש ("and·Jeush") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root קרח ("and·Korah") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Esau', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 5 words. Full calculation: בְּנֵ֖י [sons·of] (62) + עֵשָׂ֑ו [Esau] (376) + אֱלִיפַ֛ז [Eliphaz] (128) + רְעוּאֵ֥ל [Reuel] (307) + וִיע֖וּשׁ [and·Jeush] (392) + וְיַעְלָ֥ם [and·Jalam] (156) + וְקֹֽרַח [and·Korah] (314) = 1735.
Rashi
The sons of Esau: Eliphaz in order to deal with him briefly and to cast him away; he only mentioned him in honor of Isaac.
The sons of Eliphaz: Teman, and Omar, Zephi, and Gatam, Kenaz, and Timna, and Amalek.
verse value 2611
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֖י, 3 letters) and the longest is "Eliphaz" (אֱלִיפָ֑ז, 5 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Omar" (וְאוֹמָר֙), "Zephi" (צְפִ֣י), "and·Gatam" (וְגַעְתָּ֔ם). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root קנז ("Kenaz") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root תמנע ("and·Timna") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Eliphaz', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 7 words. Full calculation: בְּנֵ֖י [sons·of] (62) + אֱלִיפָ֑ז [Eliphaz] (128) + תֵּימָ֤ן [Teman] (500) + וְאוֹמָר֙ [and·Omar] (253) + צְפִ֣י [Zephi] (180) + וְגַעְתָּ֔ם [and·Gatam] (519) + קְנַ֖ז [Kenaz] (157) + וְתִמְנָ֥ע [and·Timna] (566) + וַעֲמָלֵֽק [and·Amalek] (246) = 2611.
Ralbag
'The sons of Eliphaz,' etc. — the intent of its saying 'Timna, and Amalek' is that Timna bore Amalek to him [Eliphaz], as is explained in the Torah (Genesis 36:12).
Metzudat David
'And Timna' — it is as though it said: Timna became his concubine, and she bore him Amalek; so too it is stated in the Torah, 'And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz son of Esau, and she bore Eliphaz, Amalek' (Genesis 36:12).
Malbim
'Timna' — In the Torah it is written (Genesis 36:12), 'and Timna was a concubine to Eliphaz... and she bore him Amalek.' The Rashbam explains that the name 'Timna' stated there at the start of the verse also carries backward to what precedes it — '...and Gatam, and Kenaz, and Timna' — [as a sixth son], and then 'and Timna was a concubine' [refers to a different, second Timna]: the first is male, the second is female; and in the commentary of the Vilna Gaon there are several examples like this [double-duty reading]. But it is quite puzzling why [Scripture, later in the chapter] does not count Timna among the chiefs of Eliphaz — and here is a second difficulty: among the chiefs of Eliphaz, 'Chief Korah' is counted, yet he is not mentioned among Eliphaz's sons, only among the sons of Oholibamah. It therefore appears that 'Chief Korah,' counted among the chiefs of Eliphaz, is in fact his son Timna: Eliphaz had relations with Oholibamah, Esau's wife, and fathered Korah; therefore Korah is counted both among the sons of Oholibamah and among the chiefs of Eliphaz. This Korah bore two names — his mother called him Korah, while Eliphaz named him Timna, after the name of his concubine. That is why, at first, when [Scripture] counted the sons of Eliphaz, his son Timna is not mentioned explicitly, since he was a mamzer, and at the time he was born people thought he was Esau's son; he is only hinted at in the word 'Timna,' which — per Rashbam's reading — applies both above and below. But when [Scripture] later counted the chiefs of Eliphaz, it counted him among the chiefs of Eliphaz, under the name Korah, for by then it was already known that he was Eliphaz's son. And Ezra teaches us this by counting Timna here among the sons of Eliphaz — [teaching] that he is the same one called Korah among the sons of Esau. Rashi, of blessed memory, holds that the Timna counted here is the concubine of Eliphaz, and that she was also his daughter: he had relations with the wife of Seir, and Timna was born from that union; he then took her as a concubine. And it is not strange that a daughter should be counted among the sons.
The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
verse value 1445
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 21 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֖י, 3 letters) and the longest is "Reuel" (רְעוּאֵ֑ל, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Nahath" (נַ֥חַת), "Shammah" (שַׁמָּ֥ה), "and·Mizzah" (וּמִזָּֽה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root זרח ("Zerah") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Reuel', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: בְּנֵ֖י [sons·of] (62) + רְעוּאֵ֑ל [Reuel] (307) + נַ֥חַת [Nahath] (458) + זֶ֖רַח [Zerah] (215) + שַׁמָּ֥ה [Shammah] (345) + וּמִזָּֽה [and·Mizzah] (58) = 1445.
And the sons of Seir: Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah, and Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan.
verse value 2479
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "and·sons·of" (וּבְנֵ֣י, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·Zibeon" (וְצִבְע֣וֹן, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 370: and·Dishon, and·Dishan. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Zibeon" (וְצִבְע֣וֹן), "and·Ezer" (וְאֵ֖צֶר). The root דישן appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root לוטן ("Lotan") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root שובל ("and·Shobal") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Anah', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. 7 of the verse's 9 words begin with the letter ו. Full calculation: וּבְנֵ֣י [and·sons·of] (68) + שֵׂעִ֔יר [Seir] (580) + לוֹטָ֥ן [Lotan] (95) + וְשׁוֹבָ֖ל [and·Shobal] (344) + וְצִבְע֣וֹן [and·Zibeon] (224) + וַעֲנָ֑ה [and·Anah] (131) + וְדִישֹׁ֥ן [and·Dishon] (370) + וְאֵ֖צֶר [and·Ezer] (297) + וְדִישָֽׁן [and·Dishan] (370) = 2479.
Metzudat David
'And the sons of Seir' — Seir himself was not among the descendants of Esau; he is mentioned here because of Timna, his wife's daughter, who became a concubine to Eliphaz son of Esau.
Malbim
'And the sons of Seir' — because the sons of Esau destroyed the sons of Seir and settled in their place, and in place of the chiefs of Seir, chiefs arose from among Esau's own sons, [Scripture] counts the chiefs of Seir so that we know how many chiefs from Esau's sons replaced them. And if you count, you will find that Ishmael and his sons come to thirteen, the sons of Keturah likewise thirteen, Esau and his sons sixteen (Timna is not included in the count, according to either explanation above), and the sons of Seir twenty-six, since twenty-six of Esau's sons took their place. The total is sixty-eight, and together with Ammon and Moab, who were also of Abraham's family, it comes to seventy. This comes to teach that just as seventy nations arose in the world at large, so too seventy persons — princes, chiefs, and heads — arose from the seed of Abraham, corresponding to the seventy persons among the sons of Jacob who were the root of the community of Israel, as the Arizal writes in Sefer HaGilgulim — the one set corresponding to the other.
And the sons of Lotan: Hori, and Homam; and Timna was Lotan’s sister.
verse value 1554
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "Hori" (חֹרִ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Homam" (וְהוֹמָ֑ם, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 95: Lotan, Lotan. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Hori" (חֹרִ֣י), "and·Homam" (וְהוֹמָ֑ם), "and·sister·of" (וַאֲח֥וֹת). The root לוטן appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root אחות ("and·sister·of") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Homam', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וּבְנֵ֥י [and·sons·of] (68) + לוֹטָ֖ן [Lotan] (95) + חֹרִ֣י [Hori] (218) + וְהוֹמָ֑ם [and·Homam] (97) + וַאֲח֥וֹת [and·sister·of] (421) + לוֹטָ֖ן [Lotan] (95) + תִּמְנָֽע [Timna] (560) = 1554.
Metzudat David
'And Timna was Lotan's sister' — his sister through their mother, but she was not the daughter of Seir his father; for Eliphaz had relations with Seir's wife, and she bore him Timna, who then became his concubine.
The sons of Shobal: Alian, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. And the sons of Zibeon: Aiah, and Anah.
verse value 2108
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Manahath" (וּמָנַ֛חַת, 5 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Alian" (עַלְיָ֧ן), "and·Manahath" (וּמָנַ֛חַת), "and·Ebal" (וְעֵיבָ֖ל). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Onam', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + שׁוֹבָ֔ל [Shobal] (338) + עַלְיָ֧ן [Alian] (160) + וּמָנַ֛חַת [and·Manahath] (504) + וְעֵיבָ֖ל [and·Ebal] (118) + שְׁפִ֣י [Shephi] (390) + וְאוֹנָ֑ם [and·Onam] (103) + וּבְנֵ֥י [and·sons·of] (68) + צִבְע֖וֹן [Zibeon] (218) + אַיָּ֥ה [Aiah] (16) + וַעֲנָֽה [and·Anah] (131) = 2108.
Ralbag
'Shephi, and Onam' — in the Torah (ibid. 23) he is called Shepho; so he had two names.
The sons of Anah: Dishon. And the sons of Dishon: Hamran, and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran.
verse value 2594
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "Dishon" (דִּישׁ֑וֹן, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 370: Dishon, Dishon. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Anah" (עֲנָ֖ה), "Hamran" (חַמְרָ֥ן), "and·Eshban" (וְאֶשְׁבָּ֖ן). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root דישון ("Dishon") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Dishon', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: בְּנֵ֥י [sons·of] (62) + עֲנָ֖ה [Anah] (125) + דִּישׁ֑וֹן [Dishon] (370) + וּבְנֵ֣י [and·sons·of] (68) + דִישׁ֔וֹן [Dishon] (370) + חַמְרָ֥ן [Hamran] (298) + וְאֶשְׁבָּ֖ן [and·Eshban] (359) + וְיִתְרָ֥ן [and·Ithran] (666) + וּכְרָֽן [and·Cheran] (276) = 2594.
Rashi
Hamran and Eshban But in the Pentateuch (Gen. 36:26) it is written, “Hemdan.” At first, they were precious and desirable (חֲמוּדִין וְנֶחֱמָדִין) as righteous men, but at the end they were as ugly as a donkey. So is the way of a donkey: at first it is pretty and at the end it becomes ugly, but a horse is at first ugly and later pretty.
The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, and Zaavan, Jaakan. The sons of Dishan: Uz, and Aran.
verse value 1664
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 34 letters. Verse gematria: 1664 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Ezer" (בְּֽנֵי־אֵ֔צֶר, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "sons·of·Ezer" (בְּֽנֵי־אֵ֔צֶר), "and·Zaavan" (וְזַעֲוָ֖ן), "Jaakan" (יַעֲקָ֑ן). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of·Ezer" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root בלהן ("Bilhan") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jaakan', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: בְּֽנֵי־אֵ֔צֶר [sons·of·Ezer] (353) + בִּלְהָ֥ן [Bilhan] (87) + וְזַעֲוָ֖ן [and·Zaavan] (139) + יַעֲקָ֑ן [Jaakan] (230) + בְּנֵ֥י [sons·of] (62) + דִישׁ֖וֹן [Dishan] (370) + ע֥וּץ [Uz] (166) + וַאֲרָֽן [and·Aran] (257) = 1664.
Now these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel: Bela the son of Beor; and the name of his city was Dinhabah.
verse value 3241
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֤ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·kings" (הַמְּלָכִ֗ים, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "they·reigned" (מָֽלְכוּ֙), "to·reign·king" (מְלׇךְ־מֶ֖לֶךְ), "son·of·Beor" (בֶּן־בְּע֔וֹר). The root מלך appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "over·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "Israel" (root ישראל, 94x in I Chronicles); "the·kings" (root מלך, 91x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root מלך ("the·kings") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root אדום ("Edom") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
Now these are the kings It is explained (Gen. Rab. 83:2): Rabbi Aibu said: This was before a king reigned in Israel, but since a king reigned in Israel, a governor reigned in Edom. Rabbi Jose the son of Hanina says: When this one [Edom] appoints kings, this one [Israel] appoints judges; when this one appoints chiefs, this one appoints princes. Said Rabbi Joshua the son of Levi: This one [Edom] appointed eight [kings] and this one: [Israel] appointed eight [kings], and I heard [people ask]: Did Edom have only these eight kings, and did Israel have only eight? Were there not more? Joram, Ahaziah, Joash, etc. Rather, the statement that this one appointed eight kings means that when they [Edom] appointed those eight kings of Edom, they [Israel] did not appoint the kings of Israel, because they were before David, and the chiefs of the heads of his fathers’ houses.
Metzudat David
'Before there reigned any king,' etc. — meaning, before kings arose in Israel. 'Bela' — that is, the first king was Bela.
Malbim
'Now these are the kings' — In the Torah it is not written 'and Hadar died'; rather, it says only, 'and Hadar reigned in his place... and these are the names of the chiefs of Esau' (Genesis 36:39-40). For in Edom there was always a king whom they chose from another land — they never had a king from among their own people, nor a king succeeded by his own son. There were also always eleven chiefs among them, from the sons of Esau, who governed the country together with the king at their head. At the time Moses wrote the Torah, the last king, Hadar, was still alive, and the eleven named chiefs were also alive at that time, as it says (Exodus 15:15), 'then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed.' And Moses our teacher prophesied that at the time a king would reign over the children of Israel, kingship would cease from Edom, for when the one rises, the other falls, as it says (Genesis 25:23), 'and the one people shall be stronger than the other people.' Therefore it states that these kings would continue until a king reigned over the children of Israel, and would cease afterward. And Ezra tells us that after Hadar, the last king — who lived in the days of Moses — died, at which time Israel conquered the land, Israel was gaining strength, and Joshua was king over Israel, Edom no longer accepted a king over themselves; only the chiefs governed the country. This is why it says, 'and there were chiefs of Edom' — meaning, they alone remained in charge of governing the country, and no king reigned over them so long as Israel had a king, as it is written (II Samuel 8:14), (I Kings 22:48), until the days of Jehoram (II Kings 8:20).
And Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead.
verse value 2112
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "Bela" (בָּ֑לַע, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·reigned" (וַיִּמְלֹ֣ךְ, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "from·Bozrah" (מִבׇּצְרָֽה). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Zerah" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "and·he·reigned" (root מלך, 91x in I Chronicles); "and·he·died" (root מות, 27x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root מות ("and·he·died") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root תחת ("instead·of·him") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Bela', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיָּ֖מׇת [and·he·died] (456) + בָּ֑לַע [Bela] (102) + וַיִּמְלֹ֣ךְ [and·he·reigned] (106) + תַּחְתָּ֔יו [instead·of·him] (824) + יוֹבָ֥ב [Jobab] (20) + בֶּן־זֶ֖רַח [son·of·Zerah] (267) + מִבׇּצְרָֽה [from·Bozrah] (337) = 2112.
And Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his stead.
verse value 2606
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "and·he·died" (וַיָּ֖מׇת, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·Temanites" (הַתֵּימָנִֽי, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "from·land·of" (מֵאֶ֥רֶץ), "the·Temanites" (הַתֵּימָנִֽי). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·reigned" (root מלך, 91x in I Chronicles); "from·land·of" (root ארץ, 37x in I Chronicles); "and·he·died" (root מות, 27x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jobab', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיָּ֖מׇת [and·he·died] (456) + יוֹבָ֑ב [Jobab] (20) + וַיִּמְלֹ֣ךְ [and·he·reigned] (106) + תַּחְתָּ֔יו [instead·of·him] (824) + חוּשָׁ֖ם [Husham] (354) + מֵאֶ֥רֶץ [from·land·of] (331) + הַתֵּימָנִֽי [the·Temanites] (515) = 2606.
And Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead; and the name of his city was Avith.
verse value 4354
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 59 letters. Notable word values: "Hadad" (הֲדַ֣ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "Hadad" (הֲדַ֣ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "Midian" (אֶת־מִדְיָן֙, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "son·of·Bedad" (בֶּן־בְּדַ֗ד), "the·one·who·smote" (הַמַּכֶּ֤ה), "Midian" (אֶת־מִדְיָן֙). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Bedad" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "and·he·reigned" (root מלך, 91x in I Chronicles); "and·name·of" (root שם, 67x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root הדד ("Hadad") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root נכה ("the·one·who·smote") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Husham', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 12 words.
Metzudat David
'Who smote Midian,' etc. — when the Midianites came to make war against Moab, he came to Moab's aid and smote Midian.
And Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead.
verse value 2459
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. Notable word values: "Hadad" (הֲדָ֑ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "Hadad" (הֲדָ֑ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·Masrekah" (מִמַּשְׂרֵקָֽה, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "from·Masrekah" (מִמַּשְׂרֵקָֽה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·reigned" (root מלך, 91x in I Chronicles); "and·he·died" (root מות, 27x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hadad', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיָּ֖מׇת [and·he·died] (456) + הֲדָ֑ד [Hadad] (13) + וַיִּמְלֹ֣ךְ [and·he·reigned] (106) + תַּחְתָּ֔יו [instead·of·him] (824) + שַׂמְלָ֖ה [Samlah] (375) + מִמַּשְׂרֵקָֽה [from·Masrekah] (685) = 2459.
And Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth by the River reigned in his stead.
verse value 3014
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "and·he·died" (וַיָּ֖מׇת, 4 letters) and the longest is "from·Rehoboth" (מֵרְחֹב֥וֹת, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "from·Rehoboth" (מֵרְחֹב֥וֹת). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·reigned" (root מלך, 91x in I Chronicles); "Shaul" (root שאול, 32x in I Chronicles); "and·he·died" (root מות, 27x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root שאול ("Shaul") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root נהר ("the·River") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Samlah', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיָּ֖מׇת [and·he·died] (456) + שַׂמְלָ֑ה [Samlah] (375) + וַיִּמְלֹ֣ךְ [and·he·reigned] (106) + תַּחְתָּ֔יו [instead·of·him] (824) + שָׁא֖וּל [Shaul] (337) + מֵרְחֹב֥וֹת [from·Rehoboth] (656) + הַנָּהָֽר [the·River] (260) = 3014.
And Shaul died, and Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead.
verse value 2283
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "Baal-" (בַּ֥עַל, 3 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Achbor" (בֶּן־עַכְבּֽוֹר, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "son·of·Achbor" (בֶּן־עַכְבּֽוֹר). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Achbor" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "and·he·reigned" (root מלך, 91x in I Chronicles); "Shaul" (root שאול, 32x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root בעל ("Baal-") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root חנן ("hanan") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Shaul', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיָּ֖מׇת [and·he·died] (456) + שָׁא֑וּל [Shaul] (337) + וַיִּמְלֹ֣ךְ [and·he·reigned] (106) + תַּחְתָּ֔יו [instead·of·him] (824) + בַּ֥עַל [Baal-] (102) + חָנָ֖ן [hanan] (108) + בֶּן־עַכְבּֽוֹר [son·of·Achbor] (350) = 2283.
And Baal-hanan died, and Hadad reigned in his stead; and the name of his city was Pai; and his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.
verse value 4672
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 60 letters. Notable word values: "Hadad" (הֲדַ֔ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "daughter·of" (בַּ֖ת, 2 letters) and the longest is "Mehetabel" (מְהֵֽיטַבְאֵל֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 346: and·name·of, and·name·of. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Pai" (פָּ֑עִי), "Mehetabel" (מְהֵֽיטַבְאֵל֙), "daughter·of·Matred" (בַּת־מַטְרֵ֔ד). The root שם appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·reigned" (root מלך, 91x in I Chronicles); "and·name·of" (root שם, 67x in I Chronicles); "his·city" (root עיר, 39x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root אשה ("his·wife") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root בת ("daughter·of") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Pai', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 7 words.
Ralbag
'The daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab' — it is possible that her mother was named Matred, and that she [Matred] was the daughter of a man named Mezahab. (This is the third possibility that Ralbag writes in his commentary on Genesis 36:48 — the publisher.)
Metzudat David
'The daughter of Mezahab' — Matred was the daughter of Mezahab, and this Mezahab is the name of a man.
And Hadad died. And the chiefs of Edom were: the chief of Timna, the chief of Alvah, the chief of Jetheth;
verse value 2631
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 48 letters. Notable word values: "Hadad" (הֲדָ֑ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "Hadad" (הֲדָ֑ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·were" (וַיִּֽהְיוּ֙, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 117: chief·of, chief·of, chief·of. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Alvah" (עַֽלְוָ֖ה), "Jetheth" (יְתֵֽת). The root אלוף appears 4 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·were" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles); "and·he·died" (root מות, 27x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root אלוף ("chiefs·of") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hadad', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 10 words.
Metzudat David
'And the chiefs of Edom were' — after Hadad died, the monarchy ceased among them, and they governed themselves by chieftains.
Metzudat Zion
Chiefs (alufei) - An expression of authority, as in "chiefs at the head" (Jeremiah 13).
the chief of Oholibamah, the chief of Elah, the chief of Pinon;
verse value 670
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. Notable word values: "Elah" (אֵלָ֖ה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "Elah" (אֵלָ֖ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "Oholibamah" (אׇהֳלִיבָמָ֛ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 117: chief·of, chief·of, chief·of. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Oholibamah" (אׇהֳלִיבָמָ֛ה), "Pinon" (פִּינֹֽן). The root אלוף appears 3 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Elah" (root אלה, 89x in I Chronicles). 5 of the verse's 6 words begin with the letter א. Full calculation: אַלּ֧וּף [chief·of] (117) + אׇהֳלִיבָמָ֛ה [Oholibamah] (93) + אַלּ֥וּף [chief·of] (117) + אֵלָ֖ה [Elah] (36) + אַלּ֥וּף [chief·of] (117) + פִּינֹֽן [Pinon] (190) = 670.
the chief of Kenaz, the chief of Teman, the chief of Mibzar;
verse value 1340
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 23 letters. The shortest word is "Kenaz" (קְנַ֛ז, 3 letters) and the longest is "chief·of" (אַלּ֥וּף, 4 letters). Words sharing gematria 117: chief·of, chief·of, chief·of. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Mibzar" (מִבְצָֽר). The root אלוף appears 3 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Full calculation: אַלּ֥וּף [chief·of] (117) + קְנַ֛ז [Kenaz] (157) + אַלּ֥וּף [chief·of] (117) + תֵּימָ֖ן [Teman] (500) + אַלּ֥וּף [chief·of] (117) + מִבְצָֽר [Mibzar] (332) = 1340.
the chief of Magdiel, the chief of Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom.
verse value 856
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. Notable word values: "these" (אֵ֖לֶּה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "these" (אֵ֖לֶּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "Magdiel" (מַגְדִּיאֵ֖ל, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 117: chief·of, chief·of. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Magdiel" (מַגְדִּיאֵ֖ל), "Iram" (עִירָ֑ם). The root אלוף appears 3 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "these" (root אלה, 89x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Iram', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. 5 of the verse's 7 words begin with the letter א. Full calculation: אַלּ֥וּף [chief·of] (117) + מַגְדִּיאֵ֖ל [Magdiel] (88) + אַלּ֣וּף [chief·of] (117) + עִירָ֑ם [Iram] (320) + אֵ֖לֶּה [these] (36) + אַלּוּפֵ֥י [chiefs·of] (127) + אֱדֽוֹם [Edom] (51) = 856.
Rashi
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Malbim