1 Chronicles 6:35

Study note

Setting — The Chronicler compiles a Levitical genealogy to document priestly and Levitical descent during the monarchic or post-exilic period. The text functions as a historical register linking specific ancestors across generations without narrative commentary.

The words — The Hebrew phrase בֶּן־ (ben-) repeats four times, literally rendering “son of” to establish direct paternal lineage. The names Zuph (צוּף), Elkanah (אֶלְקָנָה), Mahath (מַחַת), and Amasai (עֲמָשׂי) appear in strict sequential order without descriptive titles.

The thread — This genealogical formula appears throughout 1 Chronicles 6:33–40 and parallels the priestly lists in Nehemiah 11:17 and Ezra 2:36. Similar “son of” sequencing structures the ancestry records in Matthew 1:1–16 and Luke 3:23–38.

Why it lands — The text establishes documented lineage without theological elaboration, requiring the reader to accept ancestral continuity as a factual record. It directs attention to the preservation of tribal identity rather than individual character or moral instruction.

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.