VII.
THE GREAT CLANS OF ISSACHAR, BENJAMIN, NAPTHALI, WEST MANASSEH, EPHRAIM, AND ASHER.
(1–5) The tribe of Issachar, its clans and their military strength.
(1) Now the sons of Issachar. — Heb., and to the sons — i.e., “and as for the sons of Issachar, Tola, Puah, &c., four were they.” The Vatic, LXX., has the dative; the Alex, the nominative, which is perhaps a correction. The four names are given Genesis 46:13, where the second is Puwwah, the third lôb; and Numbers 26:23, where also the second name is Puwwah, but the third Iâshûb (he returns). The Heb. text here is Iâshîb (he makes return); the Hebrew margin, adopted by the Authorised Version, is the same as the text of Numbers 26
(2-6) These verses supply names and facts not found elsewhere. We have here some of the results of the census of David (2 Samuel 24, and below, 1 Chronicles 21).
(2) Heads of their father’s house — Rather, chiefs of their father-houses (septs or clans).
Of Tola. — Belonging to Tola, that is, to the great clan or sub-tribe so called.
In their generations. — According to their registers or birth-rolls.
Whose number. — The number of the warriors of all the six groups of the Tolaite branch of Issachar.
In the days of David. — See the census (1chron xxi,).
(3) Izrahiah ... — All these names contain a divine element. Izrahiah means “Iah riseth (like the sun)” (comp. Malachi 4:2); Michael, “who like God?” (Comp. Isaiah 40:18; Isaiah 40:25.) Before Ishiah and has fallen out.
Five: all of them chief men. — Heb., five chiefs (heads) altogether (all of them). But perhaps the punctuation should be as in the Authorised Version. 1 Chronicles 7:7.)
(4) By their generations. — Heb., after or according to their birth-rolls or registers. The census of the Uzzite warriors was taken “according to their birth-rolls and their father-houses” (septs or clans).
Bands of soldiers. — Heb., troops of the host of war or of the battle-host.
For they had many wives and sons. — They are the clans represented by the hereditary chiefs Izrahiah, Michael, and the rest.
(5) And their brethren. — Fellow-tribesmen.
Families. — Clans (mishpehôth). The verse states
the number of warriors for the whole tribe of Issachar in David’s census at 87,000. Render: “And their kinsmen, of all the clans of Issachar, valiant warriors. Eighty-seven thousand was their census for the whole (tribe).”
Reckoned in all by their genealogies. — Heb., hithyahsâm, a difficult word peculiar to the chronicler in the Old Testament, but reappearing in the Rabbinic Hebrew. The present form is a verbal noun with suffix pronoun, and means “their enrolling” or “enrolment,” their census; cp. ἀπογράφεσθαι, (Luke 2:1). As the Tolaites were 22,600, and the sons of Izrahiah 36,000, the other son of Issachar must have amounted to 28,400, to make up the total of 87,000 for the tribe. At the first census of Moses (Num. i 29), the warriors of Issachar were 54,400; at the second (Numbers 26:25) they were 64,300. (Comp. Judges 5:15; Judges 10:1 for the ancient prowess of Issachar.)