Chapter Overview:

The prosperity of Issachar, ver. 1 - 5.
Of Benjamin, ver. 6 - 12.
Of Naphtali, ver. 13.
Of Manasseh, ver. 14 - 19.
Of Ephraim, ver. 20 - 29.
Of Asher, ver. 30 - 40.

Verses:

7:6	Three - They were ten, Genesis 46:25 , and five of them are named, chap. 1 Chronicles 8:1 , but here only three are mentioned, either becausethese were most eminent; or because the other families are now extinct.
7:7	Heads - Each of them head of that family to which he belonged.For it may seem by comparing this with chap. 8:3 , &c. that these werenot the immediate sons of Belah, but his Grand - children descended eachfrom a several father.
7:14	She - His wife; his concubine is here opposed to her.
7:15	Second - Of the second son or grandson of Machir; for so Zelophehad was. Had daughters - Only daughters, and no sons.
7:17	These - Ashriel and Zelophehad, named ver. 14 ,15, the relative being here referred to the remoter antecedent;as is frequent in the Hebrew.
7:18	His - Gilead's sister. Mahalah - Understand, and Shemida, out of the next verse.
7:21	Slew - This history is not recorded else where in scripture, but it is in the ancient Hebrew writers. The Philistines (one of whosecities Gath was) and the Egyptians were next neighbours; and inthose ancient times it was usual for such to make inroads one intoanother's country, and to carry thence what prey they could take.And as the Philistines had probably made such inroads formerly intoEgypt, and particularly into the land of Goshen, which was theutmost part of Egypt bordering upon the Philistines land; so theIsraelites might requite them in the like kind: and particularly thechildren of Ephraim, to their own loss. And this seems to have happeneda little before the Egyptian persecution, and before the reign of thatnew king mentioned Exodus 1:8 .And this clause, that were born in that land, may be added emphatically,as the motive which made them more resolute in their fight with theEphraimites, because they fought in, and for their own land, whereinall their wealth and concerns lay.
7:23	Bare a son - Thus the breach was in some measure repaired, by the addition of another son in his old age. When God thus restores comfortto his mourners, he makes glad according to the days wherein heafflicted, setting the mercies over against the crosses, we ought toobserve the kindness of his providence. Yet the joy that a man was borninto his family could not make him forget his grief. For he gives amelancholy name to his son, Beriah, that is, in trouble: for he wasborn when the family was in mourning. It is good to have in remembrancethe affliction and the misery which are past, that our souls may behumbled within us.