July 24, 2017
Commentary on the Book of Genesis
By: Tom Lowe
PART IV: JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN (Gen. 37:1-50:26)
Topic #E: THE MIGRATION INTO EGYPT. (Gen. 46:1-47:21)
Lesson IV.E.3: Offspring by Zilpah. (Genesis 46:16-18)
16 And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli.
17 And the sons of Asher; Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister: and the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel.
18 These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls.
Introduction
THE NAMES OF THE FAMILY OF ZILPAH; LEAH'S MAID
GAD
ASHER
Ziphion. Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli
Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah and their sister Serah. And the sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel
The total of these names is 16 (Genesis 46:18).
Commentary
16 And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli.
“And the sons of Gad”;
“Gad” was a son of Jacob by Zilpah, Leah's maid. Before the historian, proceeds to give an account of his sons by Rachel, he finishes the account of all his sons by Leah and her maid.
“Ziphion (or, Zephon), and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon (or, Ozni) and Eri, and Arodi (or, Arod), and Areli”;
There were seven sons in all; the same number is given, and in the same order, in Numbers 26:15.
17 And the sons of Asher; Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister: and the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel.
“And the sons of Asher,”
Another son of Jacob by Leah's maid Zilpah is “Asher,” whose sons were:
“Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister.” She is called “Sarah”―here and in Numbers 26:46: “The name of the daughter of Asher was Serah”―and she seems to have been a person of some note, and perhaps that is why she is mentioned in both places. Observe that the names rhyme; It agrees with Oriental taste to have such rhyming names in families (See Genesis 22:21).
“And the sons of Beriah, Heber and Malchiel”;
This “Beriah” seems to be the youngest son of Asher, and yet he had two sons [who, as the Targum of Jonathan adds, went down into Egypt]; he must have married and had sons when very young; it is not impossible: See Genesis 46:12. These grandsons of Asher are listed here, because they appear as heads of families (Numbers 26:45). “Heber and Malchiel”; not “were” Heber and Malchiel; and hence, it is probable that they had been born in Canaan.
18 These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls.
“These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter,”
“Laban gave” Zilpah “to Leah his daughter,”―to be her maid―when she was married to Jacob, and she gave birth to two sons; Gad and Asher.
“And these she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls”
Zilpah did not “bare sixteen” children for Jacob, for she bore only two; but the children and grandchildren of these two with them made “sixteen.” That is, Gad and his seven sons, Asher and his four sons, the two grandsons and Serah.