Ezer
and Elead were killed by the native-born men of Gath, when they went down to
seize their livestock. (NIV, 1 Chronicles 7:21)
Within
this History of the World is inserted
what amounts to little more than a parenthetical note regarding two sons of
Ephraim. Though Ephraim was the second son of Joseph, Jacob (Ephraim’s
grandfather) gave him the best blessing, which normally would have gone to his
older brother Manasseh.
Because
of the limitations of ancient languages, and some particularly awkward sentence
structure, it’s difficult to say exactly why Ezer and Elead were caught in a
conflict with the men of Gath. Some commentators say men from Gath raided the
Israelites in Goshen and the brothers died defending their livestock. Others
say it was Ezer and Elead who were the thieves and they died when they were
caught stealing from the herds of Gath.
Most
translations leave the statement ambiguous. Then again the NLT places blame
with Ezer and Elead, and the Amplified Bible says they were heroes. There’s
anecdotal evidence in support of both scenarios, but we just don’t know.
Here’s
what we do know: Jacob’s kind words over Ephraim did not guarantee him a life
free from sadness. In spite of his grandfather’s blessing, this was a man who
knew the heartache of burying his children.
How
does it make you feel when believers suffer the same tragedies as (or even
worse than) those who don’t believe?
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