PRIMITIVE HISTORY OF THE lONIANS. 397 



ill tlie first eight chapters of the first book of Chronicles, there has 

 been discovered a series of Gentile genealogies relating to the period 

 of the formation of nations, with which other facts of the Bible, 

 momxmental records, and the truths embodied in national traditions 

 may be compared, connected or identified.^ Such comparison and 

 identification I have so far been enabled to make with some measure 

 of success in the case of the two important families of Shobal and 

 Ashchur.^*^ 



The family to which I at present direct attention is that of Onam. 

 Onam, the ancestor of this line, occupies a peculiar position, being 

 counted in two genealogies relating to diverse stocks, the one beiiio- 

 that of Shobal the Horite, the other tbat of Jerachmeel." After 

 going carefully over the field of monumental history and tradition, 

 I am convinced that there were not two Onams but one only. As 

 mentioned among the sons of Shobal, I have already referred to him 

 in my paper on the Horites, as the eponym of Oii or Heliopolis in 

 Egypt, and the brother of Ea and Month or Reaiah and Manahath.'^ 

 But in 1 Chron. ii. 26, we read: "Jerachmeel had also another 

 wife, whose name was Atarah ; she was the mother of Onam." At 

 'the 28th verse, the descendants of Onam ai-e given very fully, 

 afibrding ample opportunities for safe comparison and identification 

 with other genealogical records. Before proceeding, however, to the 

 history of Onam, I must briefly introduce the family of Jerachmeel, 

 who is called his father. 



In 1 Sam. xxvii. 10, xxx. 29, the Jerachmeelites, or rather a 

 remnant of them, are represented as inhabiting the southern part of 

 Judah, together with the Kenites, in the time of David ; and the 

 manner in which they are mentioned leaves no doubt that they are a 

 Gentile family. ^^ Referring to Jerachmeel's descendants other than 

 Onam, we find (1 Chron. ii. 25) Ram,, Bunah, Oren and Ozem as his 

 sons. Ahijah may be the name of his first wife.-^* Then, in the 27th 

 verse, the three sons of Ram are given : Maaz, Jamin and Eker. 

 Here the list seems to end ; but when we turn to the 7th chapter of 

 the same book, at the 6th verse we read, not "the sons of Benjamin" 

 but " the sons of Jamin," who is the second son of Ram mentioned 



' This discovery was first stated by me in my article on the Horites. 



^^ Vide the Horites and the Shepherd Kings. 



" Gen. xxxvi. 23 ; 1 Chron. i. 40, ii. 26. 



12 Canadian Journal, Vol. xiii. No. 6, 526. 



18 lb. 519. 



1* Patrick's Commentary on Chronicle.s in loc. 



