1 Chronicles Chapter 8
Showing all 40 verses for 1 Chronicles Chapter 8.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Now Benjamin begat Bela his firstborn, Ashbel the second, and Aharah the third, "
"Benjamin fathered Bela, his firstborn, Ashbel the second son, and Aharah the third."
Being passed over for the role you might have expected does not erase your place in the story. Saul's tribe lost the kingship, yet its history is still honoured and recorded in full - your setbacks do not disqualify you from mattering.
"Nohah the fourth, and Rapha the fifth. "
"Nohah was the fourth son, and Rapha the fifth."
Different honest accounts of the same history can look different depending on what each one chose to emphasise, and that does not make either one false. Hold space for more than one true way of telling a story.
"And the sons of Bela were, Addar, and Gera, and Abihud, "
"Bela's sons were Addar, Gera and Abihud."
Understanding where you come from can help explain, without excusing or limiting, where you have ended up. Knowing your roots is useful information, not a life sentence.
"And Abishua, and Naaman, and Ahoah, "
"Abishua, Naaman and Ahoah."
Great things often grow from ordinary beginnings recorded without fanfare - six brothers, simply listed, whose descendants would go on to shape real events in Israel's history.
"And Gera, and Shephuphan, and Huram. "
"Gera, Shephuphan and Huram."
Real life and real history are rarely perfectly tidy. Learning to accept some complexity and unresolved detail, rather than demanding everything fit into a clean, simple picture, is part of genuine maturity.
"And these are the sons of Ehud: these are the heads of the fathers of the inhabitants of Geba, and they removed them to Manahath: "
"These are the descendants of Ehud - heads of the families living in Geba, who were later moved to Manahath."
Being displaced from where you have settled, and having to rebuild somewhere new, is a difficult but survivable experience that this family lived through and is still remembered for. If you are in a season of being uprooted, know that starting again does not erase your history or identity.
"And Naaman, and Ahiah, and Gera, he removed them, and begat Uzza, and Ahihud. "
"Naaman, Ahiah and Gera - he moved them, and he fathered Uzza and Ahihud."
New growth is possible even in the middle of upheaval and change. You do not have to wait for perfectly settled circumstances before your life can move forward and produce something good.
"And Shaharaim begat children in the country of Moab, after he had sent them away; Hushim and Baara were his wives. "
"Shaharaim had children in the territory of Moab after he had sent his wives away; his wives were Hushim and Baara."
Family breakdown and starting over, even in unfamiliar territory, is part of many real human stories, including ones recorded here without judgement. If your own family history includes separation or a difficult restart, you are in good company within these old records - and a new beginning is never disqualifying.
"And he begat of Hodesh his wife, Jobab, and Zibia, and Mesha, and Malcham, "
"By his wife Hodesh he fathered Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcham."
A new chapter of life, even one built on the wreckage of an earlier one, can still produce something real and lasting - new children, a new household, a continuing story. Do not assume a difficult past disqualifies a good future.
"And Jeuz, and Shachia, and Mirma. These were his sons, heads of the fathers. "
"And Jeuz, Shachia and Mirma - these were his sons, heads of their family households."
However complicated or painful your own beginnings were, they do not lower your worth or your standing. What matters is what you build from where you are, and that is judged on its own merits, not on how clean your starting point looked.
"And of Hushim he begat Abitub, and Elpaal. "
"By Hushim he fathered Abitub and Elpaal."
One name in a difficult family history can go on to found something significant. You never know in the moment which relationship or which child will turn out to matter most in the long run - so invest care into all of them equally.
"The sons of Elpaal; Eber, and Misham, and Shamed, who built Ono, and Lod, with the towns thereof: "
"Elpaal's sons were Eber, Misham, and Shamed, who built the towns of Ono and Lod, along with their surrounding villages."
Practical work - building something useful, founding something that lasts - is a genuinely valuable way to spend a life, every bit as meaningful as more visibly 'spiritual' achievements. What you build with your hands can outlive you by centuries.
"Beriah also, and Shema, who were heads of the fathers of the inhabitants of Aijalon, who drove away the inhabitants of Gath: "
"Beriah and Shema were heads of the families living in Aijalon, and they drove out the inhabitants of Gath."
Securing what matters to you - your home, your family's stability, your community - sometimes requires real, active effort and even confrontation, not passive hoping. Standing firm for what is rightfully yours is not the same as aggression for its own sake.
"And Ahio, Shashak, and Jeremoth, "
"Ahio, Shashak and Jeremoth."
Most people who have ever lived are known today only faintly, if at all - and that has always been true. Living a meaningful, faithful life does not require being remembered by name for millennia; it only requires being genuinely lived.
"And Zebadiah, and Arad, and Ader, "
"Zebadiah, Arad and Ader."
Consider how you name and speak about the good things in your life - gratitude spoken aloud, even built into the words you use daily, shapes how you experience your own circumstances. Naming a blessing as a blessing changes how it feels to receive it.
"And Michael, and Ispah, and Joha, the sons of Beriah; "
"Michael, Ispah and Joha - these were sons of Beriah."
Clarity about who belongs to whom - who your people actually are - gives structure and identity to a life that might otherwise feel scattered. Know your circle, and let them know you belong to them too.
"And Zebadiah, and Meshullam, and Hezeki, and Heber, "
"Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hezeki and Heber."
A single good, meaningful name can echo down through a whole culture for centuries, chosen again and again by parents hoping the same quality for their own children. Meaning matters in the words and names we choose to carry forward.
"Ishmerai also, and Jezliah, and Jobab, the sons of Elpaal; "
"Ishmerai, Jezliah and Jobab - sons of Elpaal."
A single faithful life, well lived, can multiply into an enormous web of descendants and influence over time. You cannot see the full reach of your own life from where you are standing now, but it may be larger than you think.
"And Jakim, and Zichri, and Zabdi, "
"Jakim, Zichri and Zabdi."
Being remembered is a deep human need, and this whole chapter is essentially an act of remembering ordinary people by name. When you take the time to remember someone - their birthday, their story, their name - you are doing something genuinely valuable, not trivial.
"And Elienai, and Zilthai, and Eliel, "
"Elienai, Zilthai and Eliel."
What you build into a person's identity from the very start - their name, the values spoken over them early on - shapes how they carry themselves for the rest of their life. Speak good, meaningful things over the people you are raising or mentoring.
"And Adaiah, and Beraiah, and Shimrath, the sons of Shimhi; "
"Adaiah, Beraiah and Shimrath - sons of Shimhi."
Good organisation and clear structure, even in something as unglamorous as record-keeping, is itself a form of care - it ensures nothing and no one gets lost. Doing the careful, unglamorous work behind the scenes matters.
"And Ishpan, and Heber, and Eliel, "
"Ishpan, Heber and Eliel."
Thoroughness and completeness in caring for people - not skipping over anyone because they seem unimportant - reflects a deeper kind of love than only caring for the most visible or impressive members of a group.
"And Abdon, and Zichri, and Hanan, "
"Abdon, Zichri and Hanan."
Grace - unearned kindness and favour - is a quality worth naming and hoping for in the people you love, just as this ancient family did in choosing this name. Extend that same grace to the people around you today.
"And Hananiah, and Elam, and Antothijah, "
"Hananiah, Elam and Antothijah."
The place that shaped you - your hometown, your community of origin - often becomes part of your identity in ways you carry for life, sometimes even built into your name or how others refer to you. Where you are from is worth honouring, whatever it was like.
"And Iphedeiah, and Penuel, the sons of Shashak; "
"Iphedeiah and Penuel - sons of Shashak."
Some names carry an entire story of struggle and transformation inside them, a reminder passed down through generations that wrestling honestly with hard questions - even wrestling with God himself - can lead to a new identity and a blessing, not punishment.
"And Shamsherai, and Shehariah, and Athaliah, "
"Shamsherai, Shehariah and Athaliah."
You are not defined by anyone else who happens to share your name or your background - your own choices and character write your own reputation, separate from anyone else's history.
"And Jaresiah, and Eliah, and Zichri, the sons of Jeroham. "
"Jaresiah, Eliah and Zichri - sons of Jeroham."
Knowing your family tree is only part of the picture - where you actually plant yourself and live out your days is just as much a part of your story as where you came from.
"These were heads of the fathers, by their generations, chief men. These in Jerusalem. "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"These were heads of families, leaders according to their generations, and they lived in Jerusalem."
Shared spaces - a city, a workplace, a community - work best when more than one group has genuine roots and a stake in them. Diversity of background living side by side, as with Benjamin and Judah in Jerusalem, can become a strength rather than a source of division.
"And at Gibeon the father of Gibeon; whose wife’s name was Maachah: "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"In Gibeon lived the father of Gibeon, whose wife's name was Maachah."
The place you settle can connect you to something much larger than yourself - a shared history, a shared purpose - even if you did not choose that place for that reason. Pay attention to what surrounds you; it may matter more than you first realise.
"And his firstborn son Abdon, and Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and Nadab, "
"His firstborn son was Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal and Nadab."
Significant futures are usually built up through long, unremarkable chains of ordinary family life before anyone realises what they are leading towards. You cannot always see, in the moment, which relationship or generation is setting up something important.
"And Gedor, and Ahio, and Zacher. "
"Gedor, Ahio and Zacher."
Not every branch of a family goes on to become famous, and that is completely fine - each one still has its own dignity and its own recorded place in the story, regardless of what any other branch achieves.
"And Mikloth begat Shimeah. And these also with their brethren in Jerusalem, over against them. "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"Mikloth fathered Shimeah. They too lived alongside their relatives in Jerusalem, close by them."
Family and community connections do not require everyone to live in exactly the same place - people can be spread across different towns and circumstances while still remaining genuinely bound together as one people.
"And Ner begat Kish, and Kish begat Saul, and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal. "
"Ner fathered Kish, Kish fathered Saul, and Saul fathered Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab and Eshbaal."
History does not erase people simply because they end up on the losing side or because the wider story moves on without them. Saul's failure as king does not stop the Bible from preserving his family with full, careful honesty - and I extend that same fairness to you, whatever your own record of failure and success looks like.
"And the son of Jonathan was Meribbaal; and Meribbaal begat Micah. "
"Jonathan's son was Meribbaal, and Meribbaal fathered Micah."
David's treatment of this man is one of the clearest pictures in the whole Old Testament of loyalty and grace extended for the sake of a friendship, even to someone from a rival, defeated family. Look for someone in your own life connected to a broken or difficult relationship, and consider what it would mean to extend that same unearned kindness to them.
"And the sons of Micah were, Pithon, and Melech, and Tarea, and Ahaz. "
"Micah's sons were Pithon, Melech, Tarea and Ahaz."
Losing power, status, or a position you once held does not mean your life or your family's story stops mattering. Continued, ordinary life after a big loss is still a life worth living fully and recording with dignity.
"And Ahaz begat Jehoadah; and Jehoadah begat Alemeth, and Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begat Moza, "
"Ahaz fathered Jehoadah, Jehoadah fathered Alemeth, Azmaveth and Zimri, and Zimri fathered Moza."
Whatever went wrong in your family's past - a failure, a fall from a position of honour - does not have to define every generation that follows. Life continues, and each new generation gets to write its own chapter.
"And Moza begat Binea: Rapha was his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son: "
"Moza fathered Binea. Rapha was his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son."
A story is rarely finished at the point where it seems to have failed. Saul's line kept going for centuries after his own personal downfall - your own setbacks are very unlikely to be the true final word on your family's or your own future.
"And Azel had six sons, whose names are these, Azrikam, Bocheru, and Ishmael, and Sheariah, and Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel. "
"Azel had six sons, named Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah and Hanan - all of these were Azel's sons."
Careful record-keeping and remembering where you came from is a form of respect towards both the past and the future - it lets a family, or any community, know who they are across time, rather than losing that thread.
"And the sons of Eshek his brother were, Ulam his firstborn, Jehush the second, and Eliphelet the third. "
"The sons of his brother Eshek were Ulam, the firstborn, Jehush the second, and Eliphelet the third."
Being a 'side branch' of a notable family, rather than the most direct or famous line, does not make your place in the story any less real or valued. Everyone connected genuinely belongs, not just those in the most prominent position.
"And the sons of Ulam were mighty men of valour, archers, and had many sons, and sons’ sons, an hundred and fifty. All these are of the sons of Benjamin. "
"Ulam's sons were mighty warriors, skilled archers, and had many sons and grandsons - a hundred and fifty in all. All these were descendants of Benjamin."
Whatever losses or failures mark the earlier chapters of your own story, the ending is not written yet. Recovery, growth, and real strength can follow even the hardest history - do not let an old defeat convince you that flourishing is no longer possible for you.