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This chapter and many that follow it repeat the genealogies we have hitherto met with in the sacred history, and put them all together, with considerable additions. We may be tempted, it may be, to think it would have been well if they had not been written, because, when they come to be compared with other parallel places, there are differences found, which we can scarcely accommodate to our satisfaction; yet we must not therefore stumble at the word, but bless God that the things necessary to salvation are plain enough. And since the wise God has thought fit to write these things to us, we should not pass them over unread. All scripture is profitable, though not all alike profitable; and we may take occasion for good thoughts and meditations even from those parts of scripture that do not furnish so much matter for profitable remarks as some other parts. These genealogies, 1. Were then of great use, when they were here preserved, and put into the hands of the Jews after their return from Babylon; for the captivity, like the deluge, had put all into confusion, and they, in that dispersion and despair, would be in danger of losing the distinctions of their tribes and families. This therefore revives the ancient landmarks even of some of the tribes that were carried captive into Assyria. Perhaps it might invite the Jews to study the sacred writings which had been neglected, to find the names of their ancestors, and the rise of their families in them. 2. They are still of some use for the illustrating of the scripture-story, and especially for the clearing of the pedigrees of the Messiah, that it might appear that our blessed Saviour was, according to the prophecies which went before of him, the son of David, the son of Judah, the son of Abraham, the son of Adam. And, now that he has come for whose sake these registers were preserved, the Jews since have so lost all their genealogies that even that of the priests, the most sacred of all, is forgotten, and they know not of any one man in the world that can prove himself of the house of Aaron. When the building is reared the scaffolds are removed. When the promised Seed has come the line that was to lead to him is broken off. In this chapter we have an abstract of all the genealogies in the book of Genesis, till we come to Jacob. I. The descents from Adam to Noah and his sons, out of Gen. v., 1Ch 1:1-4. II. The posterity of Noah's sons, by which the earth was repeopled, out of Gen. x., 1Ch 1:5-23. III. The descents from Shem to Abraham, out of Gen. xi., 1Ch 1:24-28. IV. The posterity of Ishmael, and of Abraham's sons by Keturah, out of Gen. xxv. 1Ch 1:29-35. V. The posterity of Esau, out of Gen. xxxvi., 1Ch 1:36-54. These, it is likely, were passed over lightly in Genesis; and therefore, according to the law of the school, we are made to go over that lesson again which we did not learn well.
1-27
Genealogies (4004 BC)
繁體中文
家譜（主前 4004 年）
¹ 亞當、塞特、以挪士、 ² 該南、瑪勒列、雅列、 ³ 以諾、瑪土撒拉、拉麥、 ⁴ 挪亞、閃、含、雅弗。 ⁵ 雅弗的兒子是歌篾、瑪各、瑪代、雅完、土巴、米設、提拉。 ⁶ 歌篾的兒子是亞實基拿、利法、陀迦瑪。 ⁷ 雅完的兒子是以利沙、他施、基提、多單。 ⁸ 含的兒子是古實、麥西、弗、迦南。 ⁹ 古實的兒子是西巴、哈腓拉、撒弗他、拉瑪、撒弗提迦。拉瑪的兒子是示巴、底但。 ¹⁰ 古實又生寧錄；他為世上英雄之首。 ¹¹ 麥西生路低人、亞拿米人、利哈比人、拿弗土希人。 ¹² 帕斯魯細人、迦斯路希人、迦斐託人；從迦斐託出來的有非利士人。 ¹³ 迦南生長子西頓，又生赫， ¹⁴ 和耶布斯人、亞摩利人、革迦撒人， ¹⁵ 希未人、亞基人、西尼人、 ¹⁶ 亞瓦底人、洗瑪利人、哈馬人。 ¹⁷ 閃的兒子是以攔、亞述、亞法撒、路德、亞蘭、烏斯、戶勒、基帖、瑪施。 ¹⁸ 亞法撒生沙拉；沙拉生希伯。 ¹⁹ 希伯生了兩個兒子：一個名叫法勒，因為那時人就分地居住；法勒的兄弟名叫約坍。 ²⁰ 約坍生亞摩答、沙列、哈薩瑪非、耶拉、 ²¹ 哈多蘭、烏薩、德拉、 ²² 以巴錄、亞比瑪利、示巴、 ²³ 俄斐、哈腓拉、約巴。這都是約坍的兒子。 ²⁴ 閃、亞法撒、沙拉、 ²⁵ 希伯、法勒、拉吳、 ²⁶ 西鹿、拿鶴、他拉、 ²⁷ 亞伯蘭；亞伯蘭就是亞伯拉罕。
這一段以「亞當」為首字，以「亞伯拉罕」為末字。從前者被造到後者出生，相距約二千年，其中幾乎一半的時間亞當本人還活著。亞當是我們肉身共同之父，亞伯拉罕是信徒共同之父。前者破壞了無罪之約，使我們都陷入悲苦；後者所立的恩典之約，使我們都成為、或可以成為有福。我們按本性都是亞當的後裔，是那野橄欖上的枝子。讓我們務必藉著信心成為亞伯拉罕的後裔（羅四11、12），好叫我們被接在那好橄欖上，分享它的根和肥汁。
一、這一段的前四節與末四節，由「閃」連在一起（代上一4、24），記載了基督從亞當到亞伯拉罕的神聖譜系，並且被收錄在他的家譜之中（路三34-38），那裏的次序是自下而上，這裏則是自上而下。這份家譜駁斥了那個誹謗之辭的虛妄──「這個人，我們不知道他從哪裏來。」派翠克主教在此精闢地指出：既然要為猶太人的家族編立家譜，這便是猶太民族獨特的榮耀──唯獨他們能將自己的世系追溯到神所造的第一個人，這是別國所不敢妄稱的；他們反倒以虛構的故事來欺哄自己和後裔，論及自己的起源：亞迦底亞人幻想自己比月亮更早存在，帖撒利人說自己是從石頭裏蹦出來的，雅典人說自己是從地裏長出來的，正如某些哲學家對宇宙起源的虛妄臆測。聖經對世界受造和萬國起源的記載，其本身的真實性之明證，與那些無稽傳說本身之虛妄荒謬的明證，同樣清晰可見。
二、中間所有的經文重複記載了洪水之後挪亞的眾子如何遍滿全地。1. 史家先記載那些與教會無分的外人，就是雅弗的子孫；他們被安置在列國的島嶼上，即西方之地、歐洲各國。關於這些人，他只作了簡略的記載（代上一5-7），因為猶太人與他們迄今甚少往來。2. 接著記載那些多半曾與教會為敵的，就是含的子孫；他們向南遷往非洲以及亞洲向南的部分。古實的兒子寧錄開始成為暴君，大概當時就是欺壓神的百姓。但麥西──埃及人的祖先──和迦南──迦南人的祖先──這兩個名字在猶太人的歷史中都極為重要；因為神的以色列人要與他們的後裔經歷慘烈的爭戰，方能出埃及地、進迦南地；因此麥西的支系特別被記錄下來（代上一11、12），迦南的也是一樣（代上一13-16）。請看神是何等看重以色列，竟以「埃及作他的贖價」（賽四十三3），又在他們面前趕出這一切的外邦（參詩七十二8〔註：原文作詩七十8，當為詩篇卷三篇號之誤〕）。3. 然後記載那些作教會列祖與盟友的，就是閃的後裔（代上一17-23）。他們居住在亞洲，向東繁衍。亞述人、敘利亞人、迦勒底人、波斯人、阿拉伯人，都是他們的後裔。起初各國的起源為人所共知；但到了今日，我們有理由相信，各國因著通商和版圖的擴展、殖民的移植、俘虜的遷徙，以及許多其他的緣故，已經彼此混雜，再沒有任何一國，甚至沒有大多數人，是完整地從這些源頭中任何一支傳下來的。只有這一點我們可以確信：神「從一本造出萬族的人」；他們都從同一個亞當、同一個挪亞而出。「我們不都是一位父親嗎？豈不是一位神所造的嗎？」（瑪二10）。我們的家譜急忙轉向亞伯拉罕這一線，從挪亞其餘眾子的家族中陡然中止，唯獨保留亞法撒這一支，因為基督將要從他而出。彌賽亞那極大的應許（派翠克主教說）從亞當傳給塞特，從塞特傳給閃，從閃傳給希伯，如此傳到希伯來民族；他們在萬國之上蒙託付這神聖的寶藏，直到應許成就、彌賽亞降臨；那時這民族便成了「非我的民」。
英文原文
Genealogies (4004 BC)
¹ Adam, Sheth, Enosh,
² Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered,
³ Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech,
⁴ Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
⁵ The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.
⁶ And the sons of Gomer; Ashchenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.
⁷ And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
⁸ The sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
⁹ And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabta, and Raamah, and Sabtecha. And the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.
¹⁰ And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be mighty upon the earth.
¹¹ And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,
¹² And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (of whom came the Philistines,) and Caphthorim.
¹³ And Canaan begat Zidon his firstborn, and Heth,
¹⁴ The Jebusite also, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite,
¹⁵ And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,
¹⁶ And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite.
¹⁷ The sons of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram, and Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Meshech.
¹⁸ And Arphaxad begat Shelah, and Shelah begat Eber.
¹⁹ And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg; because in his days the earth was divided: and his brother's name was Joktan.
²⁰ And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,
²¹ Hadoram also, and Uzal, and Diklah,
²² And Ebal, and Abimael, and Sheba,
²³ And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.
²⁴ Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah,
²⁵ Eber, Peleg, Reu,
²⁶ Serug, Nahor, Terah,
²⁷ Abram; the same is Abraham.
This paragraph has Adam for its first word and Abraham for its last. Between the creation of the former and the birth of the latter were 2000 years, almost the one-half of which time Adam himself lived. Adam was the common father of our flesh, Abraham the common father of the faithful. By the breach which the former made of the covenant of innocency, we were all made miserable; by the covenant of grace made with the latter, we all are, or may be, made happy. We all are, by nature, the seed of Adam, branches of that wild olive. Let us see to it that, by faith, we become the seed of Abraham (Ro 4:11,12), that we be grafted into the good olive and partake of its root and fatness.
I. The first four verses of this paragraph, and the last four, which are linked together by Shem (1Ch 1:4,24), contain the sacred line of Christ from Adam to Abraham, and are inserted in his pedigree, Lu 3:34-38, the order ascending as here it descends. This genealogy proves the falsehood of that reproach, As for this man, we know not whence he is. Bishop Patrick well observes here that, a genealogy being to be drawn of the families of the Jews, this appears as the peculiar glory of the Jewish nation, that they alone were able to derive their pedigree from the first man that God created, which no other nation pretended to, but abused themselves and their posterity with fabulous accounts of their originals, the Arcadians fancying that they were before the moon, the people of Thessaly that they sprang from stones, the Athenians that they grew out of the earth, much like the vain imaginations which some of the philosophers had of the origin of the universe. The account which the holy scripture gives both of the creation of the world and of the rise of nations carries with it as clear evidences of its own truth as those idle traditions do of their own vanity and falsehood.
II. All the verses between repeat the account of the replenishing of the earth by the sons of Noah after the flood. 1. The historian begins with those who were strangers to the church, the sons of Japhet, who were planted in the isles of the Gentiles, those western parts of the world, the countries of Europe. Of these he gives a short account (1Ch 1:5-7), because with these the Jews had hitherto had little or no dealings. 2. He proceeds to those who had many of them been enemies to the church, the sons of Ham, who moved southward towards Africa and those parts of Asia which lay that way. Nimrod the son of Cush began to be an oppressor, probably to the people of God in his time. But Mizraim, from whom came the Egyptians, and Canaan, from whom came the Canaanites, are both of them names of great note in the Jewish story; for with their descendants the Israel of God had severe struggles to get out of the land of Egypt and into the land of Canaan; and therefore the branches of Mizraim are particularly recorded (1Ch 1:11,12), and of Canaan, 1Ch 1:13-16. See at what a rate God valued Israel when he gave Egypt for their ransom (Isa 43:3), and cast out all these nations before them, Ps 70:8. 3. He then gives an account of those that were the ancestors and allies of the church, the posterity of Shem, 1Ch 1:17-23. These peopled Asia, and spread themselves eastward. The Assyrians, Syrians, Chaldeans, Persians, and Arabians, descended from these. At first the originals of the respective nations were known; but at this day, we have reason to think, the nations are so mingled with one another, by the enlargement of commerce and dominion, the transplanting of colonies, the carrying away of captives, and many other circumstances, that no one nation, no, nor the greatest part of any, is descended entire from any one of these fountains. Only this we are sure of, that God has created of one blood all nations of men; they have all descended from one Adam, one Noah. Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us? Mal 2:10. Our register hastens to the line of Abraham, breaking off abruptly from all the other families of the sons of Noah but that of Arphaxad, from whom Christ was to come. The great promise of the Messiah (says bishop Patrick) was translated from Adam to Seth, from him to Shem, from him to Eber, and so to the Hebrew nation, who were entrusted, above all nations, with that sacred treasure, till the promise was performed and the Messiah had come, and then that nation was made not a people.
28-54
Genealogies (1896 BC)
繁體中文
家譜（主前 1896 年）
²⁸ 亞伯拉罕的兒子是以撒、以實瑪利。 ²⁹ 以實瑪利的後代記在下面：以實瑪利的長子是尼拜約，其次是基達、亞德別、米比衫、 ³⁰ 米施瑪、度瑪、瑪撒、哈達、提瑪、 ³¹ 伊突、拿非施、基底瑪。這都是以實瑪利的兒子。 ³² 亞伯拉罕的妾基土拉所生的兒子，就是心蘭、約珊、米但、米甸、伊施巴、書亞。約珊的兒子是示巴、底但。 ³³ 米甸的兒子是以法、以弗、哈諾、亞比大、以勒大。這都是基土拉的子孫。 ³⁴ 亞伯拉罕生以撒。以撒的兒子是以掃和以色列。 ³⁵ 以掃的兒子是以利法、流珥、耶烏施、雅蘭、可拉。 ³⁶ 以利法的兒子是提幔、阿抹、洗非、迦坦、基納斯、亭納、亞瑪力。 ³⁷ 流珥的兒子是拿哈、謝拉、沙瑪、米撒。 ³⁸ 西珥的兒子是羅坍、朔巴、祭便、亞拿、底順、以察、底珊。 ³⁹ 羅坍的兒子是何利、荷幔；羅坍的妹子是亭納。 ⁴⁰ 朔巴的兒子是亞勒文、瑪拿轄、以巴錄、示非、阿南。祭便的兒子是亞雅、亞拿。 ⁴¹ 亞拿的兒子是底順。底順的兒子是哈默蘭、伊施班、益蘭、基蘭。 ⁴² 以察的兒子是比罕、撒番、亞干。底珊的兒子是烏斯、亞蘭。 ⁴³ 以色列人未有君王治理以先，在以東地作王的記在下面：比珥的兒子比拉，他的京城名叫亭哈巴。 ⁴⁴ 比拉死了，波斯拉人謝拉的兒子約巴接續他作王。 ⁴⁵ 約巴死了，提幔地的人戶珊接續他作王。 ⁴⁶ 戶珊死了，比達的兒子哈達──他曾在摩押地擊敗米甸人──接續他作王；他的京城名叫亞未得。 ⁴⁷ 哈達死了，瑪斯利加人桑拉接續他作王。 ⁴⁸ 桑拉死了，河邊的利河伯人掃羅接續他作王。 ⁴⁹ 掃羅死了，亞革波的兒子巴勒哈南接續他作王。 ⁵⁰ 巴勒哈南死了，哈達接續他作王；他的京城名叫巴伊；他妻子的名叫米希他別，是米薩合的孫女、瑪特列的女兒。 ⁵¹ 哈達也死了。以東的族長記在下面：亭納族長、亞勒瓦族長、耶帖族長、 ⁵² 阿何利巴瑪族長、以拉族長、比嫩族長、 ⁵³ 基納斯族長、提幔族長、米比薩族長、 ⁵⁴ 瑪基疊族長、以蘭族長。這都是以東的族長。
除了亞伯拉罕的後裔之外，萬國都已經從這份家譜中被撇下了：他們在這事上無分無關。「耶和華的分，本是他的百姓。」神為他們記帳，按名認識他們；至於那些與他生疏的人，他從遠處觀看。這並不是說我們因此就可以斷定，除了亞伯拉罕的後裔之外，其他任何國家中再沒有個人蒙神的恩寵。在彼得察覺之前，這已經是一個真理：「原來各國中，那敬畏主、行義的人，都為主所悅納。」必有許多人從「各國」被帶進天堂（啟七9），我們也情願盼望世上曾經有許多、極多的善人，在神與亞伯拉罕所立特殊恩典之約的範圍之外，他們的名字記在生命冊上，雖然不是出自此處所記的任何家族。「主認識誰是他的人」。但以色列是一個蒙揀選的國家，是預表上的選民；沒有任何其他國家，在其國家性質上，得著猶太國那樣的尊榮和特權。這才是聖經歷史的主題──那個聖潔的國家；所以我們接下來要撇下亞伯拉罕其餘的後裔，唯獨保留雅各的後代，因為他們都歸為一個國家，與耶和華聯合；而亞伯拉罕其餘的後裔，據我們所知，無論在與神的關係上，還是在彼此之間，都是疏遠的。
一、論到以實瑪利人，我們沒有甚麼可說的。他們是使女的兒子，本當被趕出去，不可與應許之子同受產業；他們的遭遇預表了不信的猶太人被棄絕（加四22、23等），所以聖經對那個國家甚少提及。以實瑪利的十二個兒子在此只被簡略提及（代上一29-31），為要顯明神對亞伯拉罕──他為以實瑪利向神禱告──所作應許的成就：為亞伯拉罕的緣故，他要成為大國，特別是他要生十二個族長（創十七20）。
二、論到米甸人──他們是亞伯拉罕從基土拉所生的兒女的後裔──我們也沒有甚麼可說的。他們是「東方之子」（也許約伯就是其中之一），並且與那應許的繼承人以撒分開了（創二十五6），所以此處只提他們的名字（代上一32）。基土拉的兒子約商的兒子也被提及，米甸的兒子們（代上一32、33）更是如此，他們最為卓越，也許他們為所有這些家族命名，正如猶大為猶太人命名一般。
三、論到以東人，我們也沒有太多可說的。他們對神的以色列懷有根深蒂固的敵意；但因為他們是以掃──以撒的兒子──的後裔，此處仍記載了他們的家族和某些名人的名字（代上一35至末）。此處的名字與創三十六1-43所載（整份記錄即取自那裏）略有不同。三四個在那裏用 Vau（w）寫的名字，此處改用 Jod（y），大概是因為發音改變了，正如其他語言中常見的。我們現在很多字的拼寫，與二百年前已大不相同。讓我們從閱讀這些家譜中，藉此機會思想：1. 多少人已經過了這個世界，在其中扮演了自己的角色，然後離開了它。約伯在他那個時代，不但看見「人人都隨在他後面」，更看見在他之前已經「無數的人」（伯二十一33）。所有這些人，以及他們一切所有的，都有他們的日子；他們當中許多人在世上曾經喧赫一時、顯赫非常；但他們傾覆的日子來到，他們的地方不再認識他們。死亡的路是被人走過的路，卻「vestigia nulla retrorsum」──「無人能循跡而返」。2. 思想神的護理，他維持了人類的世代繁衍，並如此保存了這個敗壞的族類──雖然有罪、當罰──仍然存留在地上。他若要將之剪除，何需洪水或烈火！只要使世人皆如某些人那樣沒有兒女，不出幾年，地就卸下它所背負的重擔了；但神的忍耐竟任憑那些白佔地土的樹木不但生長，還要繁衍。正如一個世代（即使是罪人）過去，另一個世代又來（傳一4、民三十二14）；只要地還存留，這事就必如此。「不要毁壞，因為其中含有福分」。
英文原文
Genealogies (1896 BC)
²⁸ The sons of Abraham; Isaac, and Ishmael.
²⁹ These are their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; then Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
³⁰ Mishma, and Dumah, Massa, Hadad, and Tema,
³¹ Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael.
³² Now the sons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine: she bare Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. And the sons of Jokshan; Sheba, and Dedan.
³³ And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Henoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these are the sons of Keturah.
³⁴ And Abraham begat Isaac. The sons of Isaac; Esau and Israel.
³⁵ The sons of Esau; Eliphaz, Reuel, and Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah.
³⁶ The sons of Eliphaz; Teman, and Omar, Zephi, and Gatam, Kenaz, and Timna, and Amalek.
³⁷ The sons of Reuel; Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
³⁸ And the sons of Seir; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah, and Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan.
³⁹ And the sons of Lotan; Hori, and Homam: and Timna was Lotan's sister.
⁴⁰ The sons of Shobal; Alian, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. And the sons of Zibeon; Aiah, and Anah.
⁴¹ The sons of Anah; Dishon. And the sons of Dishon; Amram, and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran.
⁴² The sons of Ezer; Bilhan, and Zavan, and Jakan. The sons of Dishan; Uz, and Aran.
⁴³ Now these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel; Bela the son of Beor: and the name of his city was Dinhabah.
⁴⁴ And when Bela was dead, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead.
⁴⁵ And when Jobab was dead, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his stead.
⁴⁶ And when Husham was dead, Hadad the son of Bedad, which smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Avith.
⁴⁷ And when Hadad was dead, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead.
⁴⁸ And when Samlah was dead, Shaul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his stead.
⁴⁹ And when Shaul was dead, Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead.
⁵⁰ And when Baal-hanan was dead, Hadad reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Pai; and his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.
⁵¹ Hadad died also. And the dukes of Edom were; duke Timnah, duke Aliah, duke Jetheth,
⁵² Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon,
⁵³ Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar,
⁵⁴ Duke Magdiel, duke Iram. These are the dukes of Edom.
All nations but the seed of Abraham are already shaken off from this genealogy: they have no part nor lot in this matter. The Lord's portion is his people. Of them he keeps an account, knows them by name; but those who are strangers to him he beholds afar off. Not that we are to conclude that therefore no particular persons of any other nation but the seed of Abraham found favour with God. It was a truth, before Peter perceived it, that in every nation he that feared God and wrought righteousness was accepted of him. Multitudes will be brought to heaven out of all nations (Re 7:9), and we are willing to hope there were many, very many, good people in the world, that lay out of the pale of God's covenant of peculiarity with Abraham, whose names were in the book of life, though not descended from any of the following families written in this book. The Lord knows those that are his. But Israel was a chosen nation, elect in type; and no other nation, in its national capacity, was so dignified and privileged as the Jewish nation was. That is the holy nation which is the subject of the sacred story; and therefore we are next to shake off all the seed of Abraham but the posterity of Jacob only, which were all incorporated into one nation and joined to the Lord, while the other descendants from Abraham, for aught that appears, were estranged both from God and from one another.
I. We shall have little to say of the Ishmaelites. They were the sons of the bondwoman, that were to be cast out and not to be heirs with the child of the promise; and their case was to represent that of the unbelieving Jews, who were rejected (Ga 4:22,23, etc.), and therefore there is little notice taken of that nation. Ishmael's twelve sons are just named here (1Ch 1:29-31), to show the performance of the promise God made to Abraham, in answer to his prayer for him, that, for Abraham's sake, he should become a great nation, and particularly that he should beget twelve princes, Ge 17:20.
II. We shall have little to say of the Midianites, who descended from Abraham's children by Keturah. They were children of the east (probably Job was one of them), and were separated from Isaac, the heir of the promise (Ge 25:6), and therefore they are only named here, 1Ch 1:32. The sons of Jokshan, the son of Keturah, are named also, and the sons of Midian (1Ch 1:32,33), who became most eminent, and perhaps gave denomination to all these families, as Judah to the Jews.
III. We shall not have much to say of the Edomites. They had an inveterate enmity to God's Israel; yet because they descended from Esau, the son of Isaac, we have here an account of their families, and the names of some of their famous men, 1Ch 1:35 to the end. Some slight differences there are between some of the names here, and as we had them in Ge 36:1-43, whence this whole account is taken. Three of four names that were written with a Vau there are written with a Jod here, probably the pronunciation being altered, as is usual in other languages. We now write many words very differently from what they were written but 200 years ago. Let us take occasion, from the reading of these genealogies, to think, 1. Of the multitudes that have gone through this world, have acted their part in it, and then quitted it. Job, even in his early day, saw not only every man drawing after him, but innumerable before him, Job 21:33. All these, and all theirs, had their day; many of them made a mighty noise and figure in the world; but their day came to fall, and their place knew them no more. The paths of death are trodden paths, but vestigia nulla retrorsum—none can retrace their steps. 2. Of the providence of God, which keeps up the generations of men, and so preserves that degenerate race, though guilty and obnoxious, in being upon earth. How easily could he cut it off without either a deluge or a conflagration! Write but all the children of men childless, as some are, and in a few years the earth will be eased of the burden under which it groans; but the divine patience lets the trees that cumber the ground not only grow, but propagate. As one generation, even of sinful men, passes away, another comes (Ec 1:4, Nu 32:14), and will do so while the earth remains. Destroy it not, for a blessing is in it.
本章以及其後多章，重述了我們迄今在聖史中所遇見的家譜，並將之彙集在一起，內容也有相當的增補。我們或許會受試探，認為這些若不被寫下倒好，因為當拿來與別的平行經文比較時，會發現其中有差異，我們幾乎難以使之協調到滿意；然而我們不可因此絆跌於神的話語，倒要感謝神，因為關乎救恩的事已夠清楚。既然智慧的神認為當把這些事寫給我們，我們便不應當將之略過不讀。一切聖經都是有益的，雖然益處不盡相同；我們甚至可以從那些不及其餘部分提供那麼多可作有益省思之內容的聖經段落中，得著好的思想和默想的機會。這些家譜：1. 當時在被保留並交在被擄歸回的猶太人手中之時，大有用途；因為被擄如同洪水一般，把一切都搞混了，而他們在那樣的分散和絕望之中，便有失去自己支派和家族分別的危險。所以此處重新標明了古時的疆界，甚至連一些被擄到亞述的支派的疆界也包括在內。也許這能吸引猶太人去研讀那已被忽略的聖卷，好在其中尋找自己祖宗的名字，並追溯自己家族的起源。2. 它們如今仍有些用處，用以說明聖經的記載，尤其是為了澄清彌賽亞的家譜，好叫人看出我們蒙福的救主，按照那在祂以先所發的預言，確是大衛的子孫、猶大的子孫、亞伯拉罕的子孫、亞當的子孫。如今那為著保存這些家譜而被等候的祂已經來到，猶太人此後竟完全失去了他們一切的家譜，甚至連祭司的家譜—其中最神聖的—也已被遺忘，他們不知道世上可有哪一個人能證明自己是屬亞倫家的。建築既已建成，鷹架便被拆除。應許的後裔既已來到，那引向祂的脈絡便被截斷。本章我們讀到創世記中所有家譜的摘要，直到雅各為止。一、從亞當到挪亞和他兒子們的後裔，出自創世記第五章（代上一1–4）。二、挪亞兒子們的後裔，地上的人由此重新繁多，出自創世記第十章（代上一5–23）。三、從閃到亞伯拉罕的後裔，出自創世記第十一章（代上一24–28）。四、以實瑪利的後裔，以及亞伯拉罕從基土拉所生兒子的後裔，出自創世記第二十五章（代上一29–35）。五、以掃的後裔，出自創世記第三十六章（代上一36–54）。這些在創世記中或許被輕輕帶過；所以按照學校的規矩，我們沒學好的功課便要重學一遍。