1 Chronicles 1
1 Chronicles 1 is the first chapter of the Books of Chronicles in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Chronicles in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is compiled from older sources by an unknown person or group, designated by modern scholars as "the Chronicler", and had the final shape established in late fifth or fourth century BCE. The content of this chapter is the genealogy list from Adam to Israel (=Jacob) in the following structure: Adam to Noah ; Noah's descendants from his three sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth: the Japhethites, Hamites, Semites ; the sons of Abraham ; the sons of Isaac. This chapter belongs to the section focusing on the list of genealogies from Adam to the lists of the people returning from exile in Babylon.
Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and is divided into 54 verses.Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Aleppo Codex, and Codex Leningradensis.There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus and Codex Alexandrinus.
Old Testament references
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From Adam to Abraham (1:1–27)
The list of names is taken exclusively from the Book of Genesis and reduced to a 'skeletal framework', with some omissions of those 'whose lines ended with their deaths', such as Cain's descendants and Abraham's brothers. It links the origin of Israel to the origin of all people – Abraham's ancestry in Adam and Noah's – and thus, within the whole human history. Verses 1–4 match closely to the genealogy in ; verses 5–12 match that in ; verses 13–27 parallel the genealogy in. Verse 27 contains "Abram, that is, Abraham", representing a jump from Genesis 11 to Genesis 17.Verse 1
Noah was the immediate descendant of Seth, so it is not necessary to mention Cain and Abel, or any of the other sons of Adam.Verse 4
- "Shem, Ham, and Japheth": these are the sons of Noah, and not successive generations, as can be read in the Book of Genesis, which is apparently a source for the Books of Chronicles. These names are listed this way in Masoretic Text and Latin Vulgate, whereas the Greek Septuagint (LXX) adds "the sons of Noah" before "Shem,..."
Verse 6
- "Riphath": the same as in, following many medieval Hebrew manuscripts, LXX and Vulgate, and used in some English translations, while others follow the Masoretic Text in using "Diphath".
The descendants of Abraham (1:28–54)
This section focuses on the offsprings of Abraham. Verses 32–40 lists Abraham's sons other than Isaac and Ishmael with the direct connection to verse 28 and has been more extensively reworked than other genealogies in this chapter, whereas verses 43–54 contain an extensive reworking of Genesis 36 to list the descendants of Edom who are Judah's neighbors with 'the closest ties through the best and worst of times'.Verse 39
- Cross reference:
- "Timna": a daughter of Seir, who became a concubine to Eliphaz, the son of Esau, and the mother of Amalek. Rashi states that the lineage of Timna was traced because she willingly wished to become a concubine to the seed of Abraham, saying, "If I am not worthy to marry him, I shall be his concubine."