Keil and Delitzsch Commentary - 1 Chronicles 5:18 - 5:18

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Keil and Delitzsch Commentary - 1 Chronicles 5:18 - 5:18


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War of the trans-Jordanic tribes of Israel with Arabic tribes. - As the half-tribe of Manasseh also took part in this war, we should have expected the account of it after 1Ch 5:24. Bertheau regards its position here as a result of striving after a symmetrical distribution of the historical information. “In the case of Reuben,” he says, “the historical information is in 1Ch 5:10; in the case of the half-tribe of Manasseh, in 1Ch 5:25, 1Ch 5:26; as to Gad, we have our record in 1Ch 5:18-22, which, together with the account in 1Ch 5:25, 1Ch 5:26, refers to all the trans-Jordanic Israelites.” But it is much more likely that the reason of it will be found in the character of the authorities which the author of the Chronicle made use of, in which, probably, the notes regarding this war were contained in the genealogical register of the Gadites.

1Ch 5:18

חַיִל מִן־בְּנֵי belongs to the predicate of the sentence, “They were the sons of Valour,” i.e., they belonged to the valiant warriors, “men bearing shield and sword (weapons of offence and defence), and those treading (or bending) the bow,” i.e., skilful bowmen. מִלְחָמָה לְמוּדֵי, people practised in war; cf. the portrayal of the warlike valour of Gad and Manasseh, 1Ch 12:8, 1Ch 12:21. “The number 44,760 must be founded upon an accurate reckoning” (Berth.); but in comparison with the number of men capable of bearing arms in those tribes in the time of Moses, it is somewhat inconsiderable: for at the first numbering under him Reuben alone had 46,500 and Gad 45,650, and at the second numbering Reuben had 43,730 and Gad 40,500 men; see on Num 1-4 (1:2, S. 192).

1Ch 5:19

“They made was with the Hagarites and Jethur, Nephish and Nodab.” So early as the time of Saul the Reubenites had victoriously made war upon the Hagarites (see 1Ch 5:10); but the war here mentioned was certainly at a later time, and has no further connection with that in 1Ch 5:10 except that both arose from similar causes. The time of the second is not given, and all we know from 1Ch 5:22 is that it had broken out before the trans-Jordanic Israelites were led captive by the Assyrians. הַגְרִיאִים, in Psa 83:7 contracted into הַגְרִים, are the Ἀγραῖοι, whom Strabo, xvi. p. 767, introduces, on the authority of Eratosthenes, as leading a nomadic life in the great Arabico-Syrian desert, along with the Nabataeans and Chaulotaeans. Jetur, from whom the Itureans are descended, and Nephish, are Ishmaelites; cf. on Gen 25:15. Nodab, mentioned only here, is a Bedouin tribe of whom nothing more is known.

1Ch 5:20

The Israelites, with God's help, gained the victory. יֵעָֽזְרוּ, “it was helped to them,” i.e., by God “against them” - the Hagarites and their allies. שֶׁעִמָּהֶם contracted from עִמָּהֶם אֲשֶׁר. נַעְתֹּור is not an uncommon form of the perf. Niph., which would not be suitable in a continuous sentence, but the inf. absol. Niph. used instead of the third pers. perf. (cf. Gesen. Heb. Gramm. §131, 4): “and (God) was entreated of them, because they trusted in Him.” From these words we may conclude that the war was a very serious one, in which the possession of the land was at stake. As the trans-Jordanic tribes lived mainly by cattle-breeding, and the Arabian tribes on the eastern frontier of their land were also a shepherd people, quarrels could easily arise as to the possession of the pasture grounds, which might lead to a war of extermination.

1Ch 5:21

The conquerors captured a great booty in herds, 50,000 camels, 250,000 head of small cattle (sheep and goats), 2000 asses, and 100,000 persons - all round numbers; cf. the rich booty obtained in the war against the Midianites, Num 31:11, Num 31:32.

1Ch 5:22

This rich booty should not surprise us, “for there fell many slain,” i.e., the enemy had suffered a very bloody defeat. “For the war was from God,” i.e., conducted to this result: cf. 2Ch 25:20; 1Sa 17:47. “And they dwelt in their stead,” i.e., they took possession of the pasture grounds, which up to that time had belonged to the Arabs, and held them until they were carried away captive by the Assyrians; see 1Ch 5:26.