These may be classified broadly as the northern tribes. While 1 Chronicles 5:1–26 covers the northern tribes east of the Jordan River (Transjordan), the present chapter deals with the northern tribes west of the Jordan. In order to present the total picture of all Israel to the postexilic community, mention had to be made of the northern tribes of Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Asher. All of these tribes except for Benjamin belonged to the northern kingdom of Israel. Yet despite their apostasy, they have not been forgotten, which underscores the irrevocable calling of God’s people (1 Chronicles 2:1–2).1

This material complements the previous northern section (1 Chronicles 4:24–5:26) but provides a lot less detail, compared with what is given regarding Judah, Levi, and Benjamin. As is the case in 1 Chronicles 5:1–26, the Chronicler draws attention to the history and geography of those territories that were no longer part of Israel. Although Dan and Zebulun appeared in the list of Jacob’s sons in 1 Chronicles 2:1–2, the Chronicler omits any detail of their descendants in his genealogy, unless 1 Chronicles 7:12 should read, The sons of Dan: Hushim, his son, one (see Genesis 46:23).2 Not all commentators agree on this emendation of 1 Chronicles 7:12. Other explanations for Dan’s exclusion are set forth. Dan might have been omitted on theological grounds, namely, its apostasy by setting up the detestable cult referred to in Judges 18:30–31 and 1 Kings 12:29.^3,4 On a more positive note, Dan is included in the troops that were loyal to David (1 Chronicles 12:35; 1 Chronicles 27:22).

But these explanations do not account for the absence of Zebulun from the genealogy. Perhaps Jonker is right in assessing these omissions as follows: The simplest solution might be to remember that the northernmost tribes apparently left very scanty records, probably because they were always the first in the line of fire during Assyrian onslaughts, which came from the northeast.5

As to some of the Chronicler’s sources, three texts central to this section of Israel’s history lie behind this chapter (Genesis 46:8–27; Numbers 26:1–65; Joshua 16:1–17:18).

• Jacob’s seventy descendants had journeyed down to Egypt because the famine in their land was severe (Genesis 46:4–27). God promised that he would make him into a great nation and Jacob was therefore not to be afraid to go to Egypt (Genesis 46:3). God also assured Jacob that he would bring his descendants out of Egypt. Some of these descendants of Jacob are recorded in 1 Chronicles 7:1–40.

• The census taken after the wilderness generation had died is the second text that is recalled in this chapter (Numbers 26:1–65). Several names occurring in Genesis 46:1–34 and Numbers 26:1–65 appear in the Chronicler’s presentation of the tribes of Issachar (1 Chronicles 7:1–5; Genesis 46:13; Numbers 26:23–24), Naphtali (1 Chronicles 7:13; Genesis 46:24; Numbers 26:48–49), and Asher (1 Chronicles 7:30–40; Genesis 46:17; Numbers 26:44–46).6 The territory of Manasseh and Ephraim, the tribes representing Joseph, is found in Joshua 16:1–17:18.

• The territory of Ephraim and Manasseh is given in Joshua 16:1–17:18, the two tribes representing Joseph. The Chronicler’s genealogies, however, include names omitted in the other biblical accounts and at times demonstrate the characteristic variability of Old Testament genealogical records in general.7 For instance, the Chronicler lists three sons of Benjamin (1 Chronicles 7:6), while Genesis 46:21 counts ten and Numbers 26:38–39 records five. These variations suggest the Chronicler has access to other (unknown) sources, probably tribal census reports and clan genealogies.

The lists concerning three of the tribes, Issachar, Benjamin and Asher, include the numbers of fighting men in the different families reminiscent of military census lists (for example, 1 Chronicles 7:2, 1 Chronicles 7:5, 1 Chronicles 7:7), clearly corresponding with the lists of northern tribes in 1 Chronicles 5:18–26. Issachar’s record is specifically linked to the time of David (1 Chronicles 7:2), which imples that the rest of the lists in this chapter refer to that same time period. Connections to the period of David and Solomon (the united Davidic kingdom) were also evident in the lists of Simeon (1 Chronicles 4:1–43), the Transjordan tribes (1 Chronicles 5:1–26), and Levi (1 Chronicles 6:1–81).8 The military overtones of these tribal lists have caused scholars to connect the records with King David’s disastrous military census (2 Samuel 24:1–25; 2 Chronicles 21:1–20) or even his conscripting of troops at Hebron (1 Chronicles 12:23–37.9

The tribes of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh contain no military references at all. Rather, only geographical information (settlement records) is preserved for these tribes.10 Presumably the Chronicler presents an idealized version of the province of postexilic Judah both nationally as the representation of the twelve tribes of Israel and geographically as the land of the covenant promise stretching from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates (Genesis 15:18).

In his pursuit of rejoining the twelve tribes into a single unit, the writer finds support for these idealized boundaries of the land for the restoration community in the visions of Ezekiel, who predicted as much for regathered Israel (Ezekiel 47:15–20). The Chronicler rightly recognizes that the divergence of the prophetic ideal and contemporary reality in postexilic Judah is inconsequential for the God who swore to make good on his covenant promises (Ezekiel 47:14).11

The Chronicler shows a keen interest in maintaining the number twelve with regard to the tribes of Israel. As has been noted, both Dan and Zebulun are listed as sons of Israel (or Jacob) in 1 Chronicles 2:1 but are omitted in listing of the northern tribes here. This presents a problem with the accounting if both Dan and Zebulun are omitted from the Chronicler’s ideal of twelve tribes. Only ten tribes remain. How then does the writer go about solving this problem? If the alternative reading of 1 Chronicles 7:12 is accepted as referring to Dan (see above) then the missing tribe would be replaced by Levi. If, however, Dan is absent, then the Chronicler counts Manasseh twice (the tribes east and west of the Jordan are counted separately). Either way, Chronicles keeps the important and symbolic number twelve. Thus, by recalling these names of Israel's forefathers, the postexilic community is reminded of their common ancestry and a time when once they were one people united under God.