All Commentaries on 1 Chronicles 1:1 Go To 1 Chronicles 1
Douay Rheims 1609
AD 1609
PARALIPOMENON, that is, A supplement of things omitted, called by the Hebrews Dibre haiamim, The words of the days, or Chronicle, is an Abridgement briefly showing, besides diverse other Genealogies, from the beginning of the world, the faith and religion both of the progenitors, and off spring of the Patriarch Jacob, whose progeny Good chose and made his peculiar people; and in that nation more particularly recounting the Acts of king David, and other Kings of his line, till they were led captive into Babylon .A book of such and so great importance (sayeth St. Jerome.)as whosoever without it arrogateth the knowledge of Scriptures, may mock himself. The author is uncertain, but probably it seemeth to be gathered by Esdras, out of other Books and traditions, for the perfecting of the old Testament: and is undoubtedly canonical Scripture. In Hebrew it is all one book, but being large, is with the Greeks and Latins parted into two. And the first book may be divided into three principal parts. The first nine chapters contain diverse Genealogies, first by the only right line from Adam to Noe, then by diverse lines of Noes progeny, but most specially of Jacobs twelve sons. In the tenth chapter the rejection, and death of king Saul is repeated. The other nineteen chapters are all of David; to
wit, of his election to be king, and inunction, his virtues, his faults also, and his special acts, concerning Gods service, government of the people; and provision made for building Gods Temple.
BECAUSE in diverse holy Scriptures, and especially in these Books of Paralipomenon, many difficulties occur concerning diverse persons, and places; as also differences of numbers, and times; in reconciling whereof the holy Fathers and Doctors have much labored, making sometimes large commentaries to satisfy themselves, and other diligent searchers of the truth, & to remove the obloquies of detractors from the authority of holy Scripture, whose learned explications of such obscurities if we should cite, it would be over long, and contrary to our purpose of brief Annotations; here once for often, we will present to the vulgar reader, certain clear and Ordinary rules, by which the learned Divines do reconcile such apparent contradictions.
First, it is evident by sundry examples, that many persons, places, and some other things had diverse names, & so are sometimes called by one name, sometimes by another. Secondly (which is more common) many were called by the same names, and so must be distinguished by the differences of times, places, qualities, or other circumstances. Thirdly, in Genealogies and other histories, children are not always called the sons, or daughters of their natural parents, but sometimes of legal fathers; and sometimes also of those that adopted them for their children; and sometimes of their grandfathers, or former progenitors. Fourthly, sometime for Mystery sake, another number is expressed, being true in the mystical sense, differing from the precise number according to the history. As in the Genealogy of Christ the Evangelist counteth thrice fourteen generations from Abraham to our Saviour, differing from the
history of the old Testament. Fifthly, even in the history it self, sometimes holy Scripture counteth only the greater numbers, omitting the lesser, and in some other addeth also the odd numbers. Sixthly, the Scriptures speak often by tropes, as mentioning part for the whole, or the whole for the part; so by the figure Synechdoche, Christ is said to have been three days dead, that is, one whole day and part of other two. And some king living or reigning so many years and part of another, and his successor reigning the other part, each part is counted to each of them for a whole year, and so a year is added, more then is in the precise number. Seventhly, sometimes the sons reigned together with their fathers, as Joathan reigned his father Ozias yet living. 4. Reg. 15. & so both their reigns are sometimes counted, sometimes their several years, as every one reigned alone. Eighthly, the times of vacancies, in the government of Judges,
reigns of Kings, and the like, are sometimes omitted in calculation, sometimes adjoined to the predecessor, or successor. Ninthly, sometimes the holy Scripture mentioneth the only time that one lived or reigned well. as it were blotting out the rest with oblivion. So Saul is said to have reigned two years (I. Reg. 13.) Who well and evil reigned much longer. Tenthly, by error in writing, words, names, and especially numbers may easily be changed, and can not easily be corrected. By these or other like means, all the holy Scriptures may be defended, though none ought to presume by his private spirit, to understand and expound all Scriptures; which are hard not only by reason of their profound sense, surpassing mans natural capacity, but also for that in outward appearance, sometimes there seem to be contradictions, but indeed neither are, nor can be uttered by the holy Ghost, the Spirit of truth, Indicter of the whole sacred Bible. And therefore we must rely upon Gods Spirit, speaking in his spouse the Church, commended unto us by those Scriptures, whereof we are sufficiently assured.
Genealogies partly of other progenies of Adam, but specially of Jacobs issue.
Adam- Adam had two other sons before Seth, but Cain’s race was utterly extinguished by the flood, and Abel had no children.
