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I Chronicle 7: 1-12

In this chapter, Ezra covers several tribes in small passages.

Issachar (7)

Genesis 49:14-15

In Jacob's blessing, in Genesis, Issachar gets two verses. In the first he is described as a strong donkey. Not flattering. In the second, he sees a good resting place, a pleasant land, and becomes a slave of forced labor.

Overall, not a great prediction for the tribe. I can't tell if the resting, pleasant place is their inheritance in the Promise Land or if they get carried off by one of their enemies and decide they'd rather be slaves than be responsible for their own home.

I Chronicle 7: 1-5

Ezra is complimentary, if brief. He names the chiefs and their numbers, He calls them mighty men of valor.

Benjamin (8)

Genesis and Judges

Benjamin was the other male born to Rachel, Jacob's love. The savior came from the line of Leah; but Jacob loved Rachel and gave preference to the two young boys she bore to him, Joseph and Benjamin.

Joseph had preferential treatment and his brothers despised him. When he tried to tell of dreams he had that he thought were really important, everyone thought he was boasting and despised him even more. When Joseph disappeared, that only left Benjamin, since Jacob had already lost Rachel and now Joseph. So he kept Benjamin very close. In Egypt, Joseph used Benjamin as a test, because he feared what his brothers had done to him.

In Genesis 49:27 Jacob's blessing/prediction for Benjamin is that he is, "...a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours prey, and in the evening he divides the spoils." Ryrie footnote interprets this to mean that his people would be successful in war; but cruel. He points out that Saul is a Benjaminite. Which fits that description.

It also brought to mind the horrific events in the last few chapters of judges. It was Benjaminites who kidnapped and raped the Levite's wife; it became the Benjaminite War. They lost. But because there weren't many Benjaminite men left and every other tribe promised not to give their daughters; they came up with a cruel plan for Benjamite men to capture and rape the virgins at Shiloh during the annual festival. Ok, forcible make them their wives and then rape them.

So, the cruel thing seems to have played out in multiple examples.

Back In I Chronicles

It starts off with the genealogies and the counts. Plus noting that they were a mighty men of valor.

v. 10 Ryrie notes that New Testament Paul is a Benjaminite and I noticed Benjamin's son, Jediael had one son, Bilhan, who had several sons. One of whom was Tarshish. I think Paul was Saul of Tarshish? I wonder if that is related. I know names get used over and over for people and places; but it caught my eye.

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