1 Chronicles 5:10

Contextual Overview

¹These were the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel. He was the firstborn, but his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, because Reuben defiled his father’s bed. He is not listed in the genealogy according to birthright. ¹ The sons of Re'uven the firstborn of Yisra'el (for he was the firstborn; but, because he defiled his father's couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Yosef the son of Yisra'el; and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright. ¹ Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright. ¹ The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel, so that he could not be enrolled as the oldest son; ¹ Reuben was Israel's first son. Reuben should have received the special privileges of the oldest son, but he had sexual relations with his father's slave woman. So those special privileges were given to Joseph's sons. (Joseph was a son of Israel.) In the family history Reuben's name is not listed as the first son. ¹ The sons of Reuben, Israel's firstborn— (Now he was the firstborn, but when he defiled his father's bed, his rights as firstborn were given to the sons of Joseph, Israel's son. So Reuben is not listed as firstborn in the genealogical records. ¹Now [we come to] the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel—for Reuben was the eldest, but because he defiled his father's bed [with Bilhah his father's concubine], his birthright was given to [Manasseh and Ephraim] the sons of Joseph [the favorite] son of Israel, so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright. ¹ Now the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel; so he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright. ¹ The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn; but, because he defiled his father's couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright. ¹ The sonnes also of Reuben the eldest sonne of Israel (for he was the eldest, but had defiled his fathers bed, therefore his birthright was giuen vnto the sonnes of Ioseph the sonne of Israel, so that the genealogie is not rekoned after his birthright.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

am 2944, bc 1060

the Hagarites: i.e. fugitives, 1 Chronicles 5:19, 1 Chronicles 5:20, Genesis 21:9, Genesis 25:12, 2 Samuel 24:6, Psalms 83:6, Hagarenes, [Strong's H1905], 1 Chronicles 5:10, 1 Chronicles 5:19, 1 Chronicles 5:20, Psalms 83:6, Also, 1 Chronicles 11:38, Haggeri, 1 Chronicles 27:31

throughout: etc. Heb. upon all the face of the East

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And in the days of Saul they made war with the Hagarites,.... Not with the Hungarians, as the Targum, a people not then in being; but the Ishmaelites, so called because they descended from Hagar s, Sarah's maid; the same that are placed by Pliny t and Ptolemy u in Arabia, near the Batanaeans, or inhabitants of Bashan; with those the Reubenites made war, in conjunction with the Gadites and half tribe of Manasseh, 1 Chronicles 5:18, perhaps this war might be much about the time Saul relieved Jabeshgilead, and beat the Ammonites, 1 Samuel 11:1 by which the tribes on that side Jordan might be encouraged to it:

who fell by their hand; were worsted and conquered by them:

and they dwelt in their tents; in which the Arabians used to dwell, because of their flocks; hence some of them were called Scenites:

throughout all the east [land] of Gilead; or rather throughout all the land of the Hagarites, which lay to the east of Gilead, as the Vulgate Latin version; or otherwise the land of Gilead itself was their original possession.

s So David de Pomis, Lexic. fol. 45. 4. t Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 28. u Geograph. l. 5. c. 19.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The “Hagarites” or “Hagarenes” are generally regarded as descendants of Hagar, and a distinct branch of the Ishmaelites 1 Chronicles 27:30-31; Psalms 83:6. They appear to have been one of the most wealthy 1 Chronicles 5:21 and widely-spread tribes of the Syrian Desert, being found on the side of the Euphrates in contact with the Assyrians, and also in the Hauran, in the neighborhood of Palestine, in contact with the Moabites and Israelites. If identical with the Agraei of the Classical writers, their name may be considered as still surviving in that of the district called Hejer or Hejera in northeastern Arabia, on the borders of the Persian Gulf. A full account of the war is given in 1 Chronicles 5:18-22.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Chronicles 5:10. And they dwelt in their tents — The Hagarites were tribes of Nomade, or Scenite, Arabs; people who lived in tents, without any fixed dwellings, and whose property consisted in cattle. The descendants of Reuben extirpated these Hagarites, seized on their property and their tents, and dwelt in their place.