Chapter 8

The Genealogy of Saul.

A Benjamite. 

2022 - Saul's line did not die out after he died, even though a completely different royal line, the line of David, took over the throne from him.  We read about David looking after Mephibosheth, but the genealogy of Saul in this chapter doesn't even mention him.  It does mention many others.  That is...unless Merib-baal is another name for Mephibosheth.  There is a central column note on this verse in MSB -  "In 2Sa 4:4, Mephibosheth".  So...What does this mean?  Perhaps that a son of Jonathan somehow named after a false God changes his name to something else?  "Merib-baal" means "Baal is my advocate".  What a name for a son of Jonathan.  In 2Sam 4:4, Mephibosheth means "exterminating the idol".  Also, looking at the meaning of the name, it seems there are two Mephibosheth's in scripture.  The other one was also a grandson of Saul, but the son of Rizpah and one of Saul's concubines.  This one was one of the seven David surrendered to the Gibeonites to be hanged.  I don't remember reading or commenting on that.  I would think it would have confused me at the time...

2023 - The descendants of Benjamin are given.  Then, kind of as an afterthought in vs 33, it says "Ner was the father of Kish, Kish of Saul..."  So if you look back then to vs 30, a guy named Kish is mentioned as a son of Jeiel, though in 33, the Kish named was the son of Ner.  So what I think that means is that neither Saul's father or grandfather are considered to be "significant" in the descendants of Benjamin.  They are perhaps not the "main line".  The way they are inserted makes one wonder if they even could trace their lineage back to Benjamin, or it was just via family tradition and oral history that they knew they were Benjamites.  They were just one of the many many Benjamites who had not bothered to keep a record of where they came from.  And Saul, from this "nobody" line, became King of Israel. 

2024 - Vs 8:

8 And Shaharaim fathered sons in the country of Moab after he had sent away Hushim and Baara his wives. [1Ch 8:8 ESV].  I wonder if this is a record of divorce?