Genealogy of Saul

My chronological Bible study now takes me to 1 Chronicles 8:

(1 Chronicles 8:29) And at Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon, whose wife's name was Maachah, (30) And his firstborn son Abdon, and Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and Nadab, (31) And Gedor, and Ahio, and Zacher.

Here we have a partial genealogy of Saul beginning with his grandfather who was said to be the father of Gibeon, evidently being the founder and builder of that city.  Although he is not specifically named here, his name was Jehiel, according to 1 Chronicles 9:35.  His wife's name was Maachah, and his sons were Abdon, his firstborn, followed by Zur and then Kish, who was Saul's father.  Then came Baal, Nadab, Gedor, Ahio, and Zacher.

(32) And Mikloth begat Shimeah. And these also dwelt with their brethren in Jerusalem, over against them.

Mikloth was the youngest of Jehiel's sons, and his son was Shimeah.  All these men dwelt with their brethren in Jerusalem, across from them.

(33) And Ner begat Kish, and Kish begat Saul, and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal.

All these names give me a headache, especially when they don't always agree with other accounts.  Were we not just told in verse 29 that the father of Gibeon was Kish's father?  And 1 Chronicles 9:35 names the father of Gibeon as Jehiel.  Moreover, 1 Samuel 9:1 stated that the father of Kish was actually Abiel.  Jehiel/Abiel, maybe a misreading?  1 Samuel 14:50 states that Ner was the uncle of Saul, not his father.  Sometimes in Biblical genealogies, some generations were skipped, perhaps thought of as less important.  For example, one might be said to be the son of X, when X was actually his grandfather or even great-grandfather.  If someone along the line died young and wasn't alive when the genealogy was written, he may have been omitted.  Also sometimes names were changed when a person's life dictated a new name because of its meaning.  I feel like I get lost in the weeds trying to reconcile all these names when they probably aren't that important in the scheme of things.  Yes, genealogies and names were important to God's people, but to readers of the Bible thousands of years later, maybe not so much.  If there is an important relationship, it will be mentioned again, for that is the way of God's word, to confirm a thing two or three times, and then it will be established as truth (Deuteronomy 19:15, Matthew 18:16).

We do know for a fact that Kish was the father of Saul, and Saul's firstborn son was Jonathan.  Also we know that Malchishua and Abinadab were also Saul's sons, as they were his sons who died at the same time as Jonathan (1 Samuel 31:2).  His son Eshbaal did not die in the battle, and he becomes Ishbosheth later in scripture.  That is understandable as the name "Baal" which originally meant "Lord" took on a bad connotation when it was learned to be the same name as an important pagan god.

(34) And the son of Jonathan was Meribbaal, and Meribbaal begat Micah.

Once again, we have a different name for Jonathan's son that was named Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 4:4.  Once again, since his name had Baal in it, perhaps it was later changed.  Meribbaal/Mephibosheth had a son named Micah.

(35) And the sons of Micah, Pithon, and Melech, and Tarea, and Ahaz. 

Mephibosheth's son Micah had sons, Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz.  They are not mentioned in the Bible as having done anything of historical significance.

(36) And Ahaz begat Jehoadah; and Jehoadah begat Alemeth, and Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begat Moza. (37) And Moza begat Binea; Rapha was his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son; (38) And Azel had six sons, whose names are these, Azrikam, Bocheru, and Ishmael, and Sheariah, and Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel.

The list of Saul's descendants continues.  Once again, I do not believe that any of these men are mentioned elsewhere in the Bible except in another genealogy in 1 Chronicles 9.

(39) And the sons of Eshek his brother were, Ulam his firstborn, Jehush the second, and Eliphelet the third.

One would assume that Eshek was Azel's brother, but he was not mentioned as a son in verse 37; perhaps that was because he was being given his own line in scripture.  Who really knows as all these people are only listed in genealogies and not expounded upon elsewhere in scripture.

(40) And the sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor, archers, and had many sons, and sons' sons, a hundred and fifty. All these are of the sons of Benjamin.

The sons of Ulam were said to be mighty men of valor, archers.  We were told in 1 Chronicles 12:2 that the Benjamites, Saul's brethren, were skillful with bows.  Ulam had many sons and grandsons, 150, and so the progeny of Saul would become very vast.  All these men listed above were from the tribe of Benjamin.

(1 Chronicles 9:35) And in Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon, Jehiel, whose wife's name was Maachah.

The next chapter of 1 Chronicles also gives a genealogy of Saul.  Here we are given the name of the so-called father of Gibeon that was not mentioned in 1 Chronicles 8:29.

(36) And his firstborn son Abdon, then Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and Ner, and Nadab, (37) And Gedor, and Ahio, and Zechariah, and Mikloth.

The sons of Jehiel are repeated from 1 Chronicles 8:30-31, but Ner is added before Nadab.  This would agree with 1 Samuel 14:50 which said that Ner was Saul's uncle.  If Kish, the father of Saul, was Ner's brother, then Ner would be Saul's uncle.

(38) And Mikloth begat Shimeam. And they also dwelt with their brethren at Jerusalem, over against their brethren.

This is almost an exact repetition of 1 Chronicles 8:32, except that Shimeam was called Shimeah there.

(39) And Ner begat Kish; and Kish begat Saul; and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal. 

Just as 1 Chronicles 8:33 said that Ner begat Kish, here it is said again, surely by the same author, but I don't believe that is possible.  However, Ner and Kish were closely related, most likely brothers.  The sons of Saul are repeated from 1 Chronicles 8:33.

(40) And the son of Jonathan was Meribbaal, and Meribbaal begat Micah. (41) And the sons of Micah were, Pithon, and Melech, and Tahrea.

Meribbaal, or Mephibosheth, had a son named Micah, and Micah's sons are listed, except this time Ahaz was omitted.  However, he is mentioned in the next verse:

(42) And Ahaz begat Jarah; and Jarah begat Alemeth, and Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begat Moza; (43) And Moza begat Binea; and Rephaiah his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son.

In 1 Chronicles 8:36, the son of Ahaz was listed as Jehoadah rather than Jarah.  Perhaps both names refer to the same person.  The rest of the names are as recorded in 1 Chronicles 8.

(44) And Azel had six sons, whose names are these, Azrikam, Bocheru, and Ishmael, and Sheariah, and Obadiah, and Hanan; these were the sons of Azel.

The names of the sons of Azel are the same as recorded in 1 Chronicles 8.  In this genealogy, Eshek and Ulam are not mentioned.

Both chapters 8 and 9 of 1 Chronicles deals with vast genealogies, not just the genealogy of Saul, but because the chronological study has just recorded the history of Saul, these particular genealogies were inserted here.