And Hilen with her suburbs, Debir with her suburbs,
The verse lists Hilen and Debir with their suburbs, that is their surrounding settlements, as part of the record of Levitical cities and the long lists of the sons of Levi. It belongs to the lists and genealogies of the various tribes in the first nine chapters of Chronicles, which are minutes of events, lists of names and the like with occasional interesting matters thrown in. It stands within twelve chapters of 1 Chronicles containing over five hundred verses that are nearly all names of persons. The book in which it stands gives much more attention to the house of Judah and the priesthood than the books of Kings.
The careful genealogical and tribal records in the chapter preserve the identity and integrity of Israel's tribes, and the preserved genealogy of Judah is especially important because Christ came through that tribe. The verse is simply names rather than an expressed precious promise to God's people, showing that not every verse in the Bible is a promise. It is part of long lists that may seem hard to understand or uninteresting, but their presence does not make the Bible less valuable, since Scripture contains material for people with different interests and abilities, including scholars who study its details.
These lists show that God remembers people by name even when others have forgotten them, and this can comfort those who feel like failures.
The verse lists Hilen and Debir with their suburbs, that is their surrounding settlements, as part of the record of Levitical cities and the long lists of the sons of Levi. It belongs to the lists and genealogies of the various tribes in the first nine chapters of Chronicles, which are minutes of events, lists of names and the like with occasional interesting matters thrown in. It stands within twelve chapters of 1 Chronicles containing over five hundred verses that are nearly all names of persons. The book in which it stands gives much more attention to the house of Judah and the priesthood than the books of Kings.
The careful genealogical and tribal records in the chapter preserve the identity and integrity of Israel's tribes, and the preserved genealogy of Judah is especially important because Christ came through that tribe. The verse is simply names rather than an expressed precious promise to God's people, showing that not every verse in the Bible is a promise. It is part of long lists that may seem hard to understand or uninteresting, but their presence does not make the Bible less valuable, since Scripture contains material for people with different interests and abilities, including scholars who study its details.
These lists show that God remembers people by name even when others have forgotten them, and this can comfort those who feel like failures.