1 Chronicles 8King James Version
The tribe of Benjamin again, at more length. Saul's family is traced through his son Jonathan down to a man named Azel. This is the line of the first king, recorded with care because the chronicler writes for an audience that is rebuilding a shattered history.
Benjamin's full genealogy occupies chapter 8, with significant attention to Saul's family. The chapter ends by naming Saul and his sons. This positioning is deliberate: the Chronicler is about to describe Saul's death in chapter 10, and Benjamin's genealogy establishes the tragic king's legitimate tribal identity before that telling.
Saul is placed in Benjamin's family tree before his failure is narrated, showing that the problem was not his lineage but his choices.
8:33, And Ner begat Kish, and Kish begat Saul, and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal., The Saul family tree appears here as record, not eulogy.
Post-exile Jerusalem included families from both Judah and Benjamin. The Chronicler does not write Benjamin off because Saul was a Benjaminite. He honors the tribe's depth and complexity. The community learning to rebuild together needed to see that even the tribe of a failed king had a place in the restored story.
Benjamin's founding sons; Ehud, the judge, in Benjamin's line; Ner, Saul's grandfather; Kish, Saul's father; Saul, the first king; Jonathan, Saul's son and David's friend.
The detailed Benjaminite genealogy restores a northern tribe's dignity in the record. For post-exile readers whose community included Benjaminites alongside Judahites, this was important. It also frames Saul's story fairly: he was not a tribal outsider who failed but a legitimate king who made faithless choices, a distinction the Chronicler will make plain.
For when your family history includes someone whose failure still casts a shadow. The genealogy records them without erasing them.
1Now Benjamin begat Bela his firstborn, Ashbel the second, and Aharah the third,
2Nohah the fourth, and Rapha the fifth.
3And the sons of Bela were, Addar, and Gera, and Abihud,
4And Abishua, and Naaman, and Ahoah,
5And Gera, and Shephuphan, and Huram.
6And these are the sons of Ehud: these are the heads of the fathers of the inhabitants of Geba, and they removed them to Manahath:
7And Naaman, and Ahiah, and Gera, he removed them, and begat Uzza, and Ahihud.
8And Shaharaim begat children in the country of Moab, after he had sent them away; Hushim and Baara were his wives.
9And he begat of Hodesh his wife, Jobab, and Zibia, and Mesha, and Malcham,
10And Jeuz, and Shachia, and Mirma. These were his sons, heads of the fathers.
11And of Hushim he begat Abitub, and Elpaal.
12The sons of Elpaal; Eber, and Misham, and Shamed, who built Ono, and Lod, with the towns thereof:
13Beriah also, and Shema, who were heads of the fathers of the inhabitants of Aijalon, who drove away the inhabitants of Gath:
14And Ahio, Shashak, and Jeremoth,
15And Zebadiah, and Arad, and Ader,
16And Michael, and Ispah, and Joha, the sons of Beriah;
17And Zebadiah, and Meshullam, and Hezeki, and Heber,
18Ishmerai also, and Jezliah, and Jobab, the sons of Elpaal;
19And Jakim, and Zichri, and Zabdi,
20And Elienai, and Zilthai, and Eliel,
21And Adaiah, and Beraiah, and Shimrath, the sons of Shimhi;
22And Ishpan, and Heber, and Eliel,
23And Abdon, and Zichri, and Hanan,
24And Hananiah, and Elam, and Antothijah,
25And Iphedeiah, and Penuel, the sons of Shashak;
26And Shamsherai, and Shehariah, and Athaliah,
27And Jaresiah, and Eliah, and Zichri, the sons of Jeroham.
28These were heads of the fathers, by their generations, chief men. These dwelt in Jerusalem.
29And at Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon; whose wife's name was Maachah:
30And his firstborn son Abdon, and Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and Nadab,
31And Gedor, and Ahio, and Zacher.
32And Mikloth begat Shimeah. And these also dwelt with their brethren in Jerusalem, over against them.
33And Ner begat Kish, and Kish begat Saul, and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal.
34And the son of Jonathan was Meribbaal; and Meribbaal begat Micah.
35And the sons of Micah were, Pithon, and Melech, and Tarea, and Ahaz.
36And Ahaz begat Jehoadah; and Jehoadah begat Alemeth, and Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begat Moza,
37And Moza begat Binea: Rapha was his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son:
38And 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.
39And the sons of Eshek his brother were, Ulam his firstborn, Jehush the second, and Eliphelet the third.
40And 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.