Jeiel

Jeiel was a descendant of Benjamin called "the father of Gibeon," who lived in Gibeon with his wife Maacah (1 Chronicles 9:35; 8:29). In the genealogy of Chronicles, through his son Ner he stands at the head of the family line that produced Saul, Israel's first king.

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Life and Background

The genealogy of Saul's family records that Jeiel the father of Gibeon lived in Gibeon and that his wife's name was Maacah (1 Chronicles 9:35). A parallel notice appears in the genealogy of Benjamin's descendants in 1 Chronicles 8:29, where some translations supply his name from 9:35; the King James Version reads "at Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon." That genealogy closes with the statement that all these were the descendants of Benjamin (1 Chronicles 8:40). The title "father of Gibeon" links him with the town in which he lived.

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Biblical Role and Ministry

Jeiel's significance in the text is genealogical. Abdon was his firstborn son, followed by Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth (1 Chronicles 9:36-37). Ner was the father of Kish, and Kish was the father of Saul (1 Chronicles 9:39), so in the genealogy of Chronicles Jeiel was Saul's great-grandfather and lived before the monarchy, some generations before Saul's reign (1050-1010 BC).

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Key Events and Actions

No deeds of Jeiel are recorded. His household is known only through the names of his wife and sons in the two parallel genealogies of 1 Chronicles 8 and 9.

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Archaeological and Historical Evidence

There is no established archaeological or historical evidence directly attesting to Jeiel outside the biblical text.

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Legacy and Lessons

Jeiel's legacy lies in the family that descended from him. By placing the father of Gibeon at the head of Saul's ancestry, the genealogies of Chronicles root Israel's first royal house in a settled family descended from Benjamin, from the period before the monarchy.