And his firstborn son Abdon, and Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and Nadab,

1 CHRONICLES 8:30KJV
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1 Chronicles 8:30 (KJV)

What does 1 Chronicles 8:30 mean?

1 Chronicles 8:30 lists the sons of a man in the tribe of Benjamin, naming Abdon as the firstborn, followed by Zur, Kish, Baal, and Nadab. This verse is part of a genealogy, recording family lines important to Israel’s history.

The writer of 1 Chronicles is carefully tracing the descendants of Benjamin for the people of Israel, likely after the exile, to preserve their heritage and tribal identity. The names listed here are not just personal details but help connect later figures—like Saul, Israel’s first king—to their ancestral roots.

The Hebrew behind 1 Chronicles 8:30

  • The word בְּכוֹר (bekhor, "firstborn") signals Abdon’s special status as the eldest son, which often carried legal and social significance in ancient Israel.
  • The name בַּעַל (ba‘al, "Baal") stands out because it is also the name of a Canaanite deity; here, it is simply a personal name, showing that some names overlapped with those of foreign gods, which can surprise modern readers.

Why 1 Chronicles 8:30 matters

  • This verse helps clarify the family tree leading to Saul, which is important for understanding the history of Israel’s monarchy.
  • The mention of names like Baal shows that certain names had different associations in earlier periods, before later negative connotations became dominant.
  • By listing these sons, the Chronicler emphasizes the continuity and survival of the Benjaminite line, which was crucial for the returning exiles’ sense of identity.

Where else these words appear

“Zur” Hebrew H6698 · used in 5 verses

  • Numbers 25:15 And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head over a people, and of a chief house in Midian.
  • Numbers 31:8 And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.
  • Joshua 13:21 And all the cities of the plain, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, which reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses smote with the princes of Midian, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, which were dukes of Sihon, dwelling in the country.

“Abdon” Hebrew H5658 · used in 8 verses

  • Joshua 21:30 And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with her suburbs, Abdon with her suburbs,
  • Judges 12:15 And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the Amalekites.
  • 1 Chronicles 8:23 And Abdon, and Zichri, and Hanan,

“Kish” Hebrew H7027 · used in 17 verses

  • 1 Samuel 9:1 Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
  • 2 Samuel 21:14 And the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son buried they in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the sepulchre of Kish his father: and they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God was intreated for the land.
  • 1 Chronicles 23:21 The sons of Merari; Mahli, and Mushi. The sons of Mahli; Eleazar, and Kish.

“Nadab” Hebrew H5070 · used in 20 verses

  • Exodus 6:23 And Aaron took him Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Naashon, to wife; and she bare him Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
  • Numbers 3:4 And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the sight of Aaron their father.
  • 1 Kings 15:31 Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?