Bible Strands
1 Chronicles 5:12
Joel was the chief, Shapham the second, then Jaanai and Shaphat, who lived in Bashan.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Chronicler records the Gadite tribal leadership and their territorial placement adjacent to the Reubenites in Bashan. This entry functions as an administrative marker within a broader genealogical register.
The words — רֹאשׁ (Rosh) denotes the primary leader or chief, while מִשְׁנֶה (mishneh) designates the subordinate or second-in-command. These terms establish a clear chain of authority among the listed Gadite heads.
The thread — The listing of tribal families and their residential zones continues directly in 1 Chronicles 5:13. This structural pattern of pairing territorial claims with named leadership recurs throughout the tribal registers in Numbers 32 and Joshua 13.
Why it lands — It requires the reader to recognize how biblical history ties identity to specific land and named leadership. The text demands attention to the precise organization of tribal allotments rather than abstract spiritual symbolism.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Joel the chief, and Shapham the next, and Jaanai, and Shaphat in Bashan.