Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of 1 Chronicles
Chapter 7: It Went Evil With His House
This chapter lists the tribes of Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Asher, mostly counting their valiant men. But at its heart is a rare and tender story: Ephraim, whose sons were killed raiding for cattle, mourned many days and was comforted by his brethren, and named a later son Beriah, 'in trouble.' Yet from that grieving house the line runs on, generation after generation, to Joshua the son of Nun, the great deliverer whose very name means salvation.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of 1 Chronicles chapter 7. Because much of the chapter is genealogy, we focus on the passage that carries the weight of the story, with the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Ephraim Mourned Many Days (1 Chronicles 7:20-24)
Ephraim loses his sons to a raid, is comforted in his sorrow, and names a later son for the trouble that came upon his house.
He Called His Name Beriah
"And the sons of Ephraim; Shuthelah, and Bered his son, and Tahath his son, and Eladah his son, and Tahath his son, And Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son, and Ezer, and Elead, whom the men of Gath that were born in that land slew, because they came down to take away their cattle. And Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him. And when he went in to his wife, she conceived, and bare a son, and he called his name Beriah, because it went evil with his house. (And his daughter was Sherah, who built Bethhoron the nether, and the upper, and Uzzensherah.)"
Word Study
"Beriah," Hebrew Beri'ah (בְּרִיעָה), understood here as a play on be-ra'ah (בְּרָעָה), "in trouble," or "in misfortune." This little narrative breaks into the genealogy with real human grief. Ephraim's sons Ezer and Elead were killed by "the men of Gath that were born in that land" when they went down to raid cattle, and "Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him." Here is a father's sorrow over lost children, and the tender picture of family gathering to comfort the bereaved. Then God brought new life out of the grief: Ephraim's wife bore a son, and he named him Beriah, "because it went evil with his house." The name would forever carry the memory of the sorrow, yet the child himself was a gift of consolation, the beginning of a renewed line. The passage even notes a remarkable daughter, "Sherah, who built Bethhoron the nether, and the upper," a woman who founded three towns, an unusual and honored achievement preserved in the record. Out of a house that knew evil and loss, God brought forth builders and, in time, a deliverer.
Explanation
In the middle of listing Ephraim's descendants, the Chronicler tells a brief but moving story. Some of Ephraim's sons were killed by the men of Gath while trying to seize their livestock. Ephraim grieved for a long time, and his relatives came to comfort him. Afterward his wife conceived and bore another son, whom he named Beriah, a name recalling the trouble that had struck his family. The account also notes that Ephraim had a daughter, Sherah, who built three towns, including Upper and Lower Beth-horon. So within a single family we see deep loss, the comfort of kin, the gift of new life after grief, and the quiet building of a future, all preserved in the sacred record.
Gospel Focus
That the Bible pauses in a genealogy to record a father's grief tells us God does not overlook our sorrows. Ephraim "mourned many days," and "his brethren came to comfort him," a picture of the fellowship God gives His people, that we should "weep with them that weep" (Romans 12:15) and "comfort one another" (1 Thessalonians 4:18). And notice how God worked: out of a house where "it went evil" He brought forth a new son, and a daughter who built cities, and a line that would continue to Joshua. This is the way of the God "of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation" (2 Corinthians 1:3-4), who gives "beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning" (Isaiah 61:3). The name Beriah, "in trouble," did not have the last word over that house; grace did. So it is with every believer: our griefs are real and named, but they are not the end of the story, for God brings life out of death and builds a future out of loss. The greatest proof is the cross, where the deepest evil ever done became the fountain of the greatest good, as God brought salvation out of the death of His Son. Weep, then, but not "as others which have no hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13); the God who comforted Ephraim brings resurrection out of the grave.
Joshua the Son of Nun (1 Chronicles 7:25-27)
From Ephraim's renewed house the genealogy runs down to Joshua, whose name means "the LORD is salvation."
Non His Son, Jehoshua His Son
"And Rephah was his son, also Resheph, and Telah his son, and Tahan his son, Laadan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, Non his son, Jehoshua his son."
Word Study
"Jehoshua," Hebrew Yehoshua (יְהוֹשֻׁעַ), "the LORD is salvation," the fuller form from which comes Yeshua and the Greek Iesous, Jesus. The genealogy runs quietly on until it reaches the two names that crown Ephraim's line: "Non his son, Jehoshua his son." This is Joshua the son of Nun (spelled "Non" here), the servant of Moses who led Israel across Jordan into the promised land. It is striking that the tribe of Ephraim, marked earlier by grief and by the meaning "in trouble," should produce Israel's great conqueror and deliverer. And it is more striking still what his name means. Moses had changed his name from Oshea, "salvation," to Jehoshua, "the LORD is salvation" (Numbers 13:16 records the change), binding the name of the LORD to the word for saving. This is the exact name that would later be given to the Son of God: "thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). Joshua who brought Israel into Canaan was a living picture of Jesus who brings His people into the true rest of God. The line of the sorrowing house of Ephraim leads to a man whose very name is the gospel: the LORD is salvation.
Explanation
The genealogy of Ephraim continues through several more generations, from Rephah down through Ammihud, Elishama, and Nun, ending with "Jehoshua," that is, Joshua the son of Nun. This is the same Joshua who served Moses, spied out the land, and afterward led Israel across the Jordan to take possession of Canaan. The Chronicler thus shows that Ephraim's line, which had known such sorrow, produced one of the greatest leaders in Israel's history. His name, Jehoshua, means "the LORD is salvation," the very name later given, in its shorter form, to the Messiah.
Gospel Focus
That the line of the grieving house of Ephraim ends in Joshua, "the LORD is salvation," is a small gospel in itself. Joshua is one of the clearest Old Testament pictures of Jesus, not only in name but in work. Moses, who represents the law, could bring the people to the border of the promise but could not lead them in; it was Joshua, bearing the name of salvation, who brought them across the Jordan into their inheritance and gave them rest from their enemies. So Hebrews reasons that the rest Joshua gave was only a shadow, "for if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day" (Hebrews 4:8, where "Jesus" renders the Greek form of Joshua), pointing to the true and eternal rest that Jesus the Messiah alone gives. The law cannot bring us home; only the LORD who is salvation can. And that LORD came in flesh and was given the name above every name, Jesus, for He is Jehovah-Salvation Himself come to save His people. The genealogy that began with a father's tears ends with the name that dries every tear. From trouble to triumph, from Beriah to Jehoshua, the line of Ephraim preaches that the LORD is salvation, and His name is Jesus.
Chapter in Review
First Chronicles 7 numbers the northern tribes, Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Asher, mostly counting their mighty men of valour. But its enduring heart is the story of Ephraim: his sons slain in a cattle raid, his long mourning, the comfort of his brethren, and the birth of a son named Beriah, "because it went evil with his house," along with a daughter, Sherah, who built cities. From that grieving house the line runs on to Joshua the son of Nun, whose name, "the LORD is salvation," is the very name of Jesus. The chapter shows a God who sees and names our sorrows, comforts the bereaved, brings life out of loss, and threads even a house marked "in trouble" all the way to a deliverer, a picture of the greater Deliverer, Jesus, in whom the LORD Himself has become our salvation.
Key Takeaways
- God does not overlook our griefs. The Bible pauses in a genealogy to record a father's mourning; your sorrow is seen by God.
- Comfort one another. Ephraim's brethren came to comfort him; God gives His people to weep with those who weep.
- God brings life out of loss. Out of a house where "it went evil," God gave a new son, a builder daughter, and a deliverer.
- Joshua is a picture of Jesus. "The LORD is salvation" led Israel into rest; Jesus brings His people into the true, eternal rest.
- The law cannot bring us home; the Saviour can. Moses reached the border, but Jehoshua brought them in, as Jesus alone brings us to God.
Questions for Reflection
- Do you believe God sees and names your sorrows, as He recorded Ephraim's grief?
- Are you a comforter to the bereaved, coming alongside those who weep?
- Can you trust the God who brought life and a deliverer out of a house marked "in trouble"?
- How does Joshua, "the LORD is salvation," deepen your understanding of the name of Jesus?
- Are you resting in the true rest that only Jesus, not the law, can give?
References
- Scripture: 1 Chronicles 7:1-40, King James Version (commentary focuses on verses 20-27).
- Cross-references: Numbers 13:16; Isaiah 61:3; Matthew 1:21; Romans 12:15; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4; 1 Thessalonians 4:13, 18; Hebrews 4:8.
- Hebrew word meanings: standard lexical sources (Strong's, BDB) for Beri'ah and Yehoshua; background on Ephraim, the raid of the men of Gath, and Joshua the son of Nun.