Favor · the best way to learn the Bible
1 Chronicles 5 Bible study: They cried to God
Reuben is still "the firstborn of Israel", but his birthright went to Joseph's sons, and from Judah "came the prince" (5:1-2). Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh won "because they put their trust in him" (5:20), and were carried away after they "trespassed against the God of their fathers" (5:25).
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the words behind the words, what most readers miss, and how it all leads to Jesus.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
“They were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, and all who were with them; for they cried to God in the battle, and he answered them because they put their trust in him.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“1 Chronicles 5 says the birthright was Joseph’s, not Judah's.”
Is that in 1 Chronicles 5, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
The firstborn without the birthright
The chapter opens on Reuben and stops at once to explain. He is "the firstborn of Israel" (5:1), "for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; and the genealogy is not to be listed according to the birthright" (5:1). Genesis tells what Reuben did in one line: "Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it" (Genesis 35:22). Jacob named it when he blessed his sons: "Reuben, you are my firstborn" (Genesis 49:3), but "you shall not excel, because you went up to your father’s bed, then defiled it. He went up to my couch" (Genesis 49:4). In Hebrew, 5:1's defiled and couch are the verb and the noun of Genesis 49:4 (tap couch). Yet the chapter still calls him "Reuben the firstborn of Israel" (5:3).
Where it leads to Jesus
Have faith in God
1 Chronicles 5:20leads toMark 11:24
In the war with the Hagrites, "they cried to God in the battle, and he answered them because they put their trust in him" (5:20). When Peter pointed to the withered fig tree (Mark 11:21), Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God" (Mark 11:22), and said, "Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them" (Mark 11:24). Jesus doesn't cite 1 Chronicles 5, so setting the two side by side is a reading: some hear in Jesus' words what 5:20 shows, that God answers those who trust him when they call on him. Others read 5:20 as the chapter's reason for one battle's outcome (5:20-22) and Mark 11:24 within Jesus' own teaching, and draw no line from one to the other.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about 1 Chronicles 5
That was a taste
The rest of 1 Chronicles 5 is waiting in Favor
- The birthright one way, the prince another
- Trusted, then trespassed
- Two words for prince
- A trespass once denied
- Halah, Habor, Hara
- 10 questions as you read
- 13 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach 1 Chronicles 5 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
בְּכֹרָהbekhorahsay be-kho-RAH
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "right of first-born". Strong's: "the firstling of man or beast; abstractly primogeniture". It comes three times in 5:1-2: "his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph" (5:1), "the genealogy is not to be listed according to the birthright" (5:1), and "the birthright was Joseph’s" (5:2). These are its only uses in 1 Chronicles. It is the word of Esau, who "sold his birthright to Jacob" (Genesis 25:33), and of the law, "The right of the firstborn is his" (Deuteronomy 21:17). Esau sold his; Reuben's "was given" to Joseph's sons (5:1).
For your group
1 Chronicles 5 Bible study questions
- 1"They cried to God in the battle, and he answered them because they put their trust in him" (5:20). Do you tend to call on God in the middle of a hard thing, or only before or after? What is one fight you're in right now where you could cry to him?
- 2Reuben lost the birthright (5:1), yet the chapter still calls him "the firstborn of Israel" (5:3). What does it mean to you that a failure can have real consequences and still not be the last word on who someone is?
- 3The tribes who trusted God in battle (5:20) are the tribes carried away after "They trespassed against the God of their fathers" (5:25-26). Why do you think it can be harder to keep trusting God after he has helped you than while you need him? What helps you?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads 1 Chronicles 5 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
Start a Bible studyThe best way to learn the Bible
Favor opens up every chapter as you read.
Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.
Every chapter explains itself
As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.
The Hebrew and Greek behind it
Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.
Every page leads to Jesus
Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.
Better together
Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.
- 1
Start your free week
Sign up in a minute with your email.
- 2
Read a few minutes a day
Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.
- 3
Bring your people, if you like
Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read 1 Chronicles 5 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach 1 Chronicles 5 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
Start with 1 Chronicles 5
The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.
There's a seat for you at the table.
Start your free weekFirst week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home