The first nine chapters of the first book of Chronicles is concentrated Genealogies.

The time span covers the period from creation to after the Babylonian captivity. In places the list is very abbreviated, in others it is very expanded. It is assumed that Ezra compiled the book, so he must have worked from existing records or memories.

After giving a name list only for the ante-diluvians, the lists for the children of Noah are given in about the same detail as in Genesis. The lists of Esau's family and the kings of Edom are repeated. The list gets much more details when the various tribes are given. The references are:

Judah. . . . . . . . 2:3 - 4:23
Simeon . . . . . . . 4:24 - 43
Reuben . . . . . . . 5:1 - 10
Gad. . . . . . . . . 5:11 - 17
Some of Manasseh . . 5:23 - 26
Levi . . . . . . . . 6:1 - 81
Issachar . . . . . . 7:1 - 5
Benjamin . . . . . . 7:6 - 12
Naphtali . . . . . . 7:13
Manasseh . . . . . . 7:14 - 19
Ephraim . . . . . . 7:20 - 29
Asher. . . . . . . . 7:30 - 40
Benjamin . . . . . . 8:1 - 40

It should be noted that this list is sometimes a list of family chains, some times only a list of the chief groups in the families, and sometimes the interest is more in where the various parts of the tribes lived. Mixed in are brief snippets of important actions of members of the tribe, mainly triumphs of conquest, but also of capture etc.

The tribes of Dan and Zebulun are missing from this list. Joseph is listed only through his two sons. Manasseh appears twice as his territory was split between the east and west banks of the Jordan. Benjamin is also listed twice, the first time briefly, the second in more detail.

Some of the lists in this section are vague and un-connected. Some seem to be more interested in giving origins of clans within the tribes, or origins of families in localities. It may be that these were more important to those who had living knowledge of some of the gaps shown here, or who knew the families mentioned.

However, the Bible is preserved also for us today, so there must be some value to readers today. My impression is that in this section the genealogies are given mainly to provide background to the general stories of the Old Testament. That is to say the genealogies give extra light on relationships that are not obvious in the stories. Thus the genealogies by themselves have little value but the facts they contain improve the understanding of the stories.