Machbenah is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Machbenah was a descendant of Judah, mentioned in the genealogies of the tribe in 1 Chronicles. He appears in a record of the family of Caleb, the faithful spy who followed the LORD fully and received a portion in the land of Canaan. The genealogy in 1 Chronicles 2 traces the line of Judah through Caleb’s descendants, listing the sons born to Caleb’s wife and his concubine, as well as his daughter Achsah.
In 1 Chronicles 2:49, Machbenah is named as a son of Sheva, who is described as “the father of Machbenah.” The verse reads, “She bare also Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbenah, and the father of Gibea: and the daughter of Caleb was Achsa.” Machbenah is thus listed among the descendants of Caleb through Sheva, a branch of the tribe of Judah settled in the land.
Scripture records nothing further about Machbenah—no deeds, no words, no length of days. He appears once in the King James Bible, in a single verse of genealogy. What we know of him is simply that he belonged to Judah, to the house of Caleb, and that his name was preserved in the record of Israel’s tribes. He did not perform any exploit that Scripture saw fit to record; his place in the sacred text is that of a name in a family line, a link in the chain of God’s people.
The Name
The name Machbenah is a Hebrew name whose meaning is not clearly recoverable. It appears only once in the Hebrew Scriptures, in this genealogy of Judah, and no certain etymology is established for it. Some have suggested possible connections to words for a builder, a bond, or a covering, but these proposals are speculative and not firmly grounded. Because the meaning of this name is not well established, it is best to say so plainly rather than assign it a meaning it may not carry. What Scripture gives us is the name itself and its place in the line of Judah, not an interpretation of it.
A Closing Thought
Most of us will not be remembered by great deeds or famous words. Like Machbenah, we may appear only briefly in the records of those who come after us—a name in a family line, a link in a chain. Yet that is no small thing. Machbenah belonged to Judah, to the household of Caleb, to the people through whom God brought the promised Messiah. Faithfulness often looks like simply belonging to God’s people and passing the inheritance on. Your quiet place in the story of God’s family is not forgotten by Him, even if the world never learns your name.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 1 Chronicles 2:49 — She bare also Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbenah, and the father of Gibea: and the daughter of Caleb was Achsa.