1 Chronicles 7 Explained - 5 Minute Bible Study

1 Chronicles 7 Short Summary:

1 Chronicles 7 is a short record of some of the heads of the tribes of Israel. The chapter records the noteworthy descendants of 6 of Israel’s 12 tribes: Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Asher.

What is 1 Chronicles 7 About?

WHEN:

• 1 Chronicles is primarily a record of the reign of King David. 1 Chronicles 10 records the death of King Saul (David’s predecessor). The last chapter of 1 Chronicles records the death of David.

• Saul died in approximately 1055 B.C., after reigning over Israel for 40 years.

• David became king over Judah the same year. He reigned over Judah for 7 years and 6 months, before becoming king over all Israel. His reign over all Judah and Israel lasted 33 years.

• The genealogies in 1 Chronicles 7 track the descendants of Israel across several centuries, from the time they were slaves in Egypt until after they had settled in the Promised land.

CHARACTERS:

• Jacob (Israel) – He was the grandson of Abraham and the father of 12 sons, whose families would become the 12 tribes of Israel.

• Jacob’s Sons – 6 of Jacobs sons are the focus of this chapter: Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Asher.

• Joshua – He led the Israelites after the death of Moses. He was from the tribe of Ephraim (7:27).

WHERE:

• Each of the 6 tribes discussed in this chapter received a portion of land within the Promised Land after the conquest in Joshua’s day. You can see the divisions of the land on our map.

OUTLINE:

• LIMITED GENEALOGIES OF THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL (7:1-40):

  • 1 Chronicles 7 provides a limited list of the descendants of 6 of the patriarchs of the Israelite nation.

  • (1) The descendants of Issachar (7:1-5).

  • (2) The descendants of Benjamin (7:6-12).

  • (3) The descendants of Naphtali (7:13).

  • (4) The descendants of Manasseh (7:14-19).

  • (5) The descendants of Ephraim (7:20-29).

  • (6) The descendants of Asher (7:30-40).

APPLICATION:

• Sometimes God’s great plans germinate and grow in unexpected places.

• Naphtali is only discussed in one verse of this chapter. The tribe certainly didn’t receive the attention given to Judah or Levi.

• In Jesus’ day, the Jews (descendants of the people of Judah) didn’t think much of people from the region of Naphtali (Galilee). They didn’t consider it of any significance (John 7:52).

• Most of the Jews probably thought if God was going to do something great, He would do it in Jerusalem, which was the Jew’s most significant city.

• But Isaiah, who lived several centuries after David, prophesied that the Lord would honor the region of Naphtali, and that a great light would one day shine from that area (Isaiah 9:1-2).

• Sure enough, when Jesus started His ministry on earth, He started it in Capernaum, a city in the original territory of the tribe of Naphtali (Matthew 4:12-17).