1 Chronicles 5:1

Sons of Reuben. Chapter 5 deals with the tribes that settled east of the Jordan: Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh. Verses 3 to 10 give the genealogy of Reuben. Reuben was the first-born son of Leah, who was also the mother of Judah and Simeon (Gen. 35:23), whose genealogies have already been given.

Sons of Joseph. As the eldest son of Jacob, Reuben would have been entitled to the rights of the first-born. The inheritance of a double portion (Deut. 21:15-17), which Reuben had forfeited by his sin (Gen. 35:22; 49:4), was given to the sons of Joseph (Gen. 48:21,22).

After the birthright. As the first-born, Reuben should have appeared first in the genealogical list. But that place went to Judah.

All the tribes. Chapters 5 to 10 deal with the establishment of the kingdom and the early part of David’s reign over the whole nation. Chronicles adds certain interesting details of the manner in which various tribes from both sides of the Jordan came to Hebron to make David king, and of the joyous festivities on that occasion. Not only did the elders come as representatives of the people (ch. 5:3) but numerous bands of armed men participated (1 Chron. 12:23-38), and 4,600 Levites, with Jehoiada as the leader of the Aaronites and Zadok as a “young man mighty of valour” (1 Chron. 12:26-28).

The events in Samuel are not arranged with a strict regard to chronology. The writer of this book describes first the internal development of the kingdom, and then the external development of the realm.

Thy bone and thy flesh. More than perhaps any other people on earth, the Hebrews were bound together by ties of kinship. They were all children of Abraham, all of the same bone and flesh as was David himself (see Gen. 29:14; Judges 9:2; 2 Sam. 19:12). The same tie still binds the Jews of all lands.