Commentary for I Chronicles 8:43

And Benjamin begot Bela his firstborn He already traced his genealogy (above 7:6-11), but since he wished to trace his genealogy until Saul, he commences to trace it from Benjamin. We read other names here and the entire genealogy above, and whoever wishes to study with exactitude the majority of the Levitic cities and the open land around them - they are in Joshua, because Ezra found various books.

And they exiled them to Manahath Who exiled them? He explains this in the [next] verse: And Naaman and Ahiah and Gera - he exiled them.

Manahath This is the name of a province, as it is written (above 2:52): “who ruled over half the Menuhoth,” and it is written (ibid. verse 54): “and half the Manahtites.”

And Shaharaim begot He was one of the exiles, and after they sent him out of exile, he begot these.

Hushim and Baara were his wives. These were the names of his wives.

And from Hushim he begot This is Hushim his wife, mentioned above, and because there was an interruption with Hodesh his wife.

And Ahio, Shashak All these were the sons of Elpaal. Another explanation, which is more correct, is that from “Ahio, Shashak” until “and Joha,” all these are the sons of Beriah, and from “Zebadiah” until “Jobab,” all these are the sons of Elpaal, and from “And Jakim,” until “and Shimrath,” all these are the sons of Shimei.

And in Gibeon dwelt the leader of Gibeon This section until (verse 38): “...all these were the sons of Azel,” is written twice in this Book. Also the section (9:2): “And the first settlers, who were in their inheritance in their cities,” and the section (9:10): “And of the priests: Jedaiah and Jehoirib” are likewise in the Book of Nehemiah, as it is written (11: 3): “And these are the heads of the province.” This is what is explained at the end of Megillath Yerushalmi. Ezra found scrolls: the scroll of מְעוֹנִים, the scroll of זַאַטוּטֵי and the scrolls of הָאַחִים, and they rejected the words of the one and accepted the words of the two. Likewise, they found many genealogical records. When they found three or five, they rejected the minority and accepted the majority. When they found an even number, e.g. “And in Gibeon dwelt the leader of Gibeon,” he had to write it twice because the order of their genealogy is not uniform, and likewise, [in] “the first settlers,” he found an even number, which differed one from the other. [Therefore], it was written twice: here and in his [Ezra’s] book. Now why did he not write both of them here, including those that are in Ezra: “And these are the heads of the province, etc.”? Because he traced the genealogy there until, “And these are the priests and the Levites,” and he traced the genealogy here until Jedaiah, who was after Ezra. Now what purpose would it have to explain and to trace the genealogy here in Chronicles, the generations and the genealogy after Ezra, except for those who were alive during the First Temple period?