Chapters Ii.–viii. — The Genealogies of the Tribes of Israel
Attention is now narrowed down to those in the true line of descent, from Abraham through Isaac (“in Isaac shall thy seed be called,” Genesis xxi. 12) and from Isaac through Jacob = Israel, Genesis xxxii. 28 (compare Genesis xxvi. 2–4).
The Chronicler deals very unequally with the tribes in their genealogies; as the following table shows:
ii. 1–iv. 23. Judah (102 verses).
iv. 24–43. Simeon (20 verses).
v. 1–26. Reuben, Gad, and Eastern Manasseh (26 verses).
vi. 1–81. Levi (81 verses).
vii. 1–40. Issachar, Zebulun, and Dan (according to a correction of the text, vii. 6–11, and 12), Naphtali, Eastern Manasseh (again), Ephraim, and Asher (40 verses).
viii. 1–40. Benjamin (40 verses).
It may easily be seen that the tribes in which the Chronicler is really interested are the three southern tribes, Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, together with the priestly tribe, Levi.
The order in which the tribes are mentioned is geographical, Judah and Simeon the southern tribes first, then the eastern tribes, Reuben, Gad, Manasseh; then (conveniently) Levi, and then the northern tribes of western Palestine, ending with Benjamin (viii., ix. 35–44) and the list of inhabitants of Jerusalem (in ix. 1–34).