Commentary on 1 Chronicles 9:4–9 (Summary)

The returnees from Judah (Uthai, Asaiah, and Jeuel) are listed under the names of the fathers mentioned in 1 Chronicles 2:4–6, Perez, Shelah, and Zerah. The idea of a continuity from ancient times is thus emphasized. The Shilonites were descendants of Shelah. Numbers 26:20 refers to them as Shelanites. Nehemiah only includes Perez, and Chronicles omits the reference to the warriors (Nehemiah 11:6).¹ The Judahites are numbered at 468 in Nehemiah 11:6 and 690 in 1 Chronicles 9:6. The Chronicler’s higher total may reflect the growth in the families of Judah from the earlier census of Nehemiah.² In each case, summary numbers for Judah are considerably lower in number than Benjamin (956).³

With regard to Benjamin, four family heads are mentioned (1 Chronicles 9:7–8): Sallu, Ibneiah, Elah, and Meshullam. The Chronicler’s list of the Benjaminites differs even more from the parallel version in Nehemiah 11:7–9 than is the case with Judah. Only Sallu son of Meshullam is common to both lists (1 Chronicles 9:7; Nehemiah 11:7). Chronicles has a total of 956 Benjamite men (1 Chronicles 9:9) while Nehemiah (1 Chronicles 11:8) has 928. Since there is no way of knowing the basis for these respective figures, one cannot account for their differences.⁴ Many solutions have been sought for these differences, but as Thompson says, We might presume that various genealogical lists were present in the archives. Each author made use of it in his own way, omitting material which he did not regard as relevant and adding new material to bring the list up to date. It is also clear that with the transmission of genealogical lists many scribal errors had crept in.⁵