1 Chronicles 7 · a question people ask
Why don't these names match Genesis 46 and Numbers 26?
The chapter gives the names as it has them, and it doesn't compare them with other lists. Side by side: Issachar's sons here are "Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron" (1 Chronicles 7:1); Genesis has "Tola, Puvah, Iob, and Shimron" (Genesis 46:13), and Numbers has a family "of Jashub" (Numbers 26:24). Benjamin's are "Bela, Becher, and Jediael, three" (1 Chronicles 7:6). Genesis names ten: "Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard" (Genesis 46:21). Numbers gives "The sons of Benjamin after their families" (Numbers 26:38) as five, from Bela to Hupham (Numbers 26:38-39). And the next chapter of 1 Chronicles begins, "Benjamin became the father of Bela his firstborn, Ashbel the second, Aharah the third" (1 Chronicles 8:1). Naphtali's are "Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, Shallum" (1 Chronicles 7:13), where Genesis has "Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem" (Genesis 46:24). Asher's four sons and their sister Serah are the same names as in Genesis 46:17 (1 Chronicles 7:30), while Numbers gives families for Imnah, Ishvi and Beriah (Numbers 26:44). The books don't explain these differences, and these notes don't try to reconcile them beyond what the text says.
The verses
“Of the sons of Issachar: Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron, four.”
“The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puvah, Iob, and Shimron.”
“The sons of Issachar after their families: of Tola, the family of the Tolaites; of Puvah, the family of the Punites; of Jashub, the family of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites.”
“The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, and Jediael, three.”