1 Chronicles 8:33

And Ner begat Kish, and Kish begat Saul, and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(33) The house of Saul It is not said here that Saul’s immediate family was settled at Gibeon. From 1Samuel 10:26; 1Samuel 15:34, and 2Samuel 21:6, we learn that Gibeah, or “Gibeah of Saul,” was the seat of the king. It is gratuitous to suppose that the chronicler has confounded two different places.

And Ner begat Kish.—1Samuel 9:1 gives the following pedigree of Kish: Kish son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Bechorath, son of Aphiah; and 1Samuel 14:51 states that Kish the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner, were sons of Abiel. The omission of intermediate names is not uncommon in these lists. We may, therefore, suppose that some members of the genealogical series are here omitted between Ner and Kish. The father of Abner was, of course, only a namesake of the present Ner, which is perhaps a clan, not an individual.

Saul begat Jonathan.—So 1Samuel 14:49; 1Samuel 31:2; save that the former passage has Ishui for Abinadab. This seems to be a case of double naming. Others identify Ishui with Ishbosheth.

Abinadab.—Comp. Nadab, 1Chronicles 8:30. Both are probably Divine titles, meaning “the father (i.e., Jehovah) is noble.” Comp. Kammusu Nadbi, “Chemosh is my prince,” the name of a Moabite king, mentioned by Sennacherib. Ner and Kish also both occurred in 1Chronicles 8:30 as Gibeonite clans. Here they (or at least Kish) may be said to be personal names.

Esh-baal.—2Samuel 2:8, Ish-bosheth, David’s rival king. Esh-baal (“man of Baal”) is the true name. Ish-bosheth (“man of shame”) is a sort of euphemism, avoiding the very mention of an idol. So the Merib-baal (“Baal strives;” rather, perhaps, Meri-Baal, “man of Baal”) of 1Chronicles 8:34 appears in 2Samuel 4:4; 2Samuel 9:6, &c, as Mephibosheth, where probably the right reading is Meribbosheth. In like manner, idols are styled “abominations.” 1Kings 11:5 : “Milcom the abomination (i.e., god) of the sons of Ammon,” and elsewhere. Beth-el, the sanctuary of the golden calf, or rather bullock, is called Beth-aven. The “house of God” is a “house of wickedness” (Hosea 4:15; Hosea 5:8; Joshua 7:2.) (See Note on 1Chronicles 8:30.)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

8:1-40 Genealogies. - Here is a larger list of Benjamin's tribe. We may suppose that many things in these genealogies, which to us seem difficult, abrupt, and perplexed, were plain and easy at that time, and fully answered the intention for which they were published. Many great and mighty nations then were in being upon earth, and many illustrious men, whose names are now wholly forgotten; while the names of multitudes of the Israel of God are here kept in everlasting remembrance. The memory of the just is blessed.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This verse combined with 1 Chronicles 9:35-39, seems to show that the genealogy of Saul was:

Abiel ( equals Jehiel?) Ner Kish Abner Saul

Rather than that to be inferred from 1 Samuel 9:1; 1 Samuel 14:50-51.

In 1 Samuel 14:49 note, it is concluded that Saul's second son bore the two names of "Ishui" and "Abinadab." But the order of the names here:

(1) Jonathan;

(2) Malchi-shua; and

(3) Abinadab - suggests another explanation, namely, that Ishui, the second son, died young, and that Abinadab was really the fourth son.

Esh-baal - Previous to the introduction of the Phoenician Baal-worship into Israel by Ahab, the word "Baal" בעל ba‛al had no bad sense in Hebrew, but was simply an equivalent of the more ordinary אל 'êl, "God" (1 Chronicles 3:1 note). Hence, there is nothing strange in the use at this time of the names, "Esh-baal" ("man of God"), "Baal," "Beel-iada," "Merib-baal," etc. Later on such names became offensive to pious ears, and were changed for the better, or for the worse, "Beel-iada" becoming "El-iada" ("let God aid") - "Esh-baal," "Ish-bo-sheth" ("man of shame") - "Merib-baal," "Mephi-bosheth;" and the like.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

1Ch 8:33-40. Stock of Saul and Jonathan.

33. Ner begat Kish—The father of Ner, though not mentioned here, is stated (1Ch 9:35) to have been Jehiel. Moreover, the father of Kish is said (1Sa 9:1) to have been Abiel, the son of Zeror, whence it would seem that Abiel and Ner were names of the same person.

Abinadab—the same as Ishui (1Sa 14:49).

Esh-baal—that is, Ish-bosheth.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

No text from Poole on this verse.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And Ner begat Kish,.... Who also is called Abiel, as the Targum here adds; for Ner had two names, as other Jewish writers likewise say (r), see 1 Samuel 9:1,

and Kish begat Saul; the first king of Israel, for whose sake chiefly the genealogy of Benjamin is revised and enlarged in this chapter:

and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal, see 1 Samuel 31:2. Abinadab is called Ishui, 1 Samuel 14:49 and Eshbaal is the same with Ishbosheth, 2 Samuel 2:8, so Baal and Bosheth are used of the same idol of which they are names, Hosea 9:10.

(r) Vajikra Rabba, sect. 9. fol. 152. 4.

Geneva Study Bible

And {f} Ner begat Kish, and Kish begat Saul, and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and {g} Eshbaal.

(f) Who in 1Sa 9:2 is called Abiel.

(g) He is likewise called Mephibosheth, 2Sa 9:6.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

33–40 (cp. 1 Chronicles 9:39-44). The Genealogy of the House of Saul

33. Abinadab] So in 1 Samuel 31:2, but in 1 Samuel 14:49 R.V., Ishvi.

Eshbaal] In 2 Samuel 2:8 called Ish-bosheth. Cp. 1 Chronicles 7:6, note on Jediael (= Ashbel), In the (more generally read) Sam. text the offensive name Eshbaal “Man of Baal” has been changed to Ishbosheth, “Man of the Shameful-thing” (i.e. of the idol), but it has been left standing in the less-used text of Chron. The title Baal (“Lord”) was applied in early days (e.g. in the days of Saul) to the national God of Israel, but in later days (cp. Hosea 2:17) the prophets objected to it because it was freely applied to Heathen gods. Thus to Saul and Samuel the name Eshbaal was acceptable as meaning “Man of the Lord,” i.e. of Jehovah, while to the prophetic author or reviser of the book of Samuel it was offensive as signifying “Man of a Baal,” i.e. of one of the gods worshipped by the neighbouring nations.

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 33, 34. - The number of Saul's children was certainly nine. In addition to the four (1 Samuel 31:2) mentioned here, there was Ishui, probably standing second (1 Samuel 14:49), and there were two daughters, Merab and Michal (1 Samuel 14:49), and there were two sons by Rizpah (2 Samuel 21:8), named Armoui and Mephi-bosheth. Esh-baal; the same with Ishbo-sheth (2 Samuel 2:8; 2 Samuel 3:7-14; 2 Samuel 4:4-12). Merib-baal; the same with Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9:12). Micah is, therefore, the great-grandson of Saul. 1 Chronicles 8:33

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The family of Ner. Ner begat Kish, and Kish Saul. According to 1 Samuel 9:1 and 1 Samuel 14:51, Kish was a son of Abiel. this statement, on account of which Bertheau proposes to make alterations in the text, may be reconciled with that in our verses, by the simple supposition that in our verse intermediate names mentioned in 1 Samuel 9:1, and probably others besides, are passed over, and Ner the son of Abi-Gibeon is named only because he was the progenitor of the line by which Saul was descended from him. Saul (שׁאוּל) is King Saul. Only three of his four sons, 1 Samuel 14:49, are mentioned-those, namely, who fell with him in the battle against the Philistines, 1 Samuel 31:2. The second is called, in 1 Samuel 14:49, Ishui, but in 1 Samuel 31:2 Abinadab, as in our register, whence we gather that Ishui is another name for Abinadab. The fourth, Eshbaal, is the same who is called in 2 Samuel 2:8, and elsewhere, Ishbosheth, who was set up as king in opposition to David by Abner (see on 2 Samuel 2:8).