Question 1

Who are Machir and Gilead in this genealogy?

Accepted Answer

Machir is named as a son of Manasseh through a concubine who was a Syrian woman. He is called the father of Gilead, meaning Gilead comes from his family line. Gilead here is a person, not just the region later called by that name. From Machir and Gilead came important clans within the tribe of Manasseh. This passage traces their family so later readers can see where different Manassite groups and leaders came from and how they were related to the rest of Israel.

Question 2

Why is Zelophehad mentioned as having daughters only?

Accepted Answer

Zelophehad is singled out as “the second” and it says he had daughters, with no sons mentioned. Elsewhere in Scripture, his daughters come forward because, with no brothers, they asked for an inheritance among their father’s relatives. Mentioning him here reminds readers of that situation and shows how his family still belonged fully within Manasseh’s line. The note about daughters shows that even when a man had no sons, his name and place in the tribe could still be remembered and cared for.

Question 3

Who is Maachah, the wife of Machir, in this passage?

Accepted Answer

Maachah is named as the wife of Machir, the father of Gilead. She is also called the sister of Huppim and Shuppim, who belong to another family line, linked with Benjamin. By marrying Maachah, Machir connected the tribe of Manasseh with that other tribe through family ties. The passage then lists the sons Maachah had by Machir, such as Peresh and Sheresh. Her name shows that women, though not always counted in number lists, played a real part in shaping Israel’s family lines.

Question 4

Who is Hammoleketh, and why is she mentioned here?

Accepted Answer

Hammoleketh is mentioned as a sister in Gilead’s family. Her name can be read in a way that sounds like “the one who ruled,” and some readers think it may hint at a special position, but the passage itself simply tells us she was a sister who had sons: Ishod, Abiezer, and Mahalah. By naming her and her children, the text shows that important clans in Manasseh could come from the line of a woman as well as from the men, and that her sons later formed known groups within the tribe.

Question 5

Who is Abiezer, and how is he connected to later stories?

Accepted Answer

Abiezer appears here as one of the sons of Hammoleketh, a sister in Gilead’s family. From him came a clan named after Abiezer within Manasseh. Later in Scripture, a man named Gideon belongs to this Abiezer family line. This link shows how these quiet genealogy lists connect to later events: the judge Gideon does not appear out of nowhere, but from a known branch of Manasseh. The genealogy helps readers see his roots in Israel’s wider family story.

Question 6

What does this genealogy of Manasseh’s family show us?

Accepted Answer

This genealogy shows how the tribe of Manasseh grew through many branches, including children of a concubine, marriages into other tribes, and lines that came through women as well as men. It reminds readers that God kept track of families, even when details might seem small to us. Names like Machir, Gilead, Zelophehad, and Abiezer later appear in stories of leaders and land. The list underlines that Israel’s history is built from real families, each known and remembered by God.

Question 7

Why are there so many names and family details in this passage?

Accepted Answer

The long list of names can feel hard to follow, but it has a purpose. These records helped Israel know who belonged to which tribe, which land each family should receive, and which clans certain leaders came from. The details also show how God’s promise to grow Abraham’s family into a nation was being worked out over time. For readers today, it can remind us that God works through ordinary family lines and generations, not just through big public events.

Question 8

Why does this verse seem difficult to understand with so many relatives?

Accepted Answer

This section can be confusing because it moves quickly through several generations and mentions sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters without repeating who each pronoun refers to. The wording about who married whom and who came from which branch of the family is not always clear to modern readers. Faithful readers have seen some details differently. Still, the main point is plain: it traces how different clans of Manasseh, including Gilead’s and Abiezer’s, were related and where they fit within Israel’s family tree.

1 Chronicles 7:14

¶ The sons of Manasseh; Ashriel, whom she bare: (but his concubine the Aramitess bare Machir the father of Gilead:

The Descendants of Manasseh

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1 Chronicles 7:14

¶ The sons of Manasseh; Ashriel, whom she bare: (but his concubine the Aramitess bare Machir the father of Gilead:

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The Descendants of Manasseh

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