Jeiel the father of Gibeon lived in Gibeon. His wife’s name was Maakah, … - 1 Chronicles 9:35

Today's Scripture Reading (May 15, 2022):  1 Chronicles 9

I love the French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s (1900-1944 [presumed date of death]) take on leadership. He argued that “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” Saint-Exupéry seems to divide the tasks of a manager, “divide the work, and give orders,” with the job of a leader, “teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” I am not very good at being a manager and probably not good enough at the task of leadership. But becoming a good leader is something that I want to work at becoming.

There are many great leadership quotes, but maybe the one limitation is that they all seem to focus on one area. Perhaps that is what I like about Saint-Exupéry’s description of a leader. He doesn’t tell me what to do but rather what a good leader should look like based on their results. The character traits of a great leader are multifaceted, and often leaders seem to have an innate knowledge of what it is that those around them need. They are stern taskmasters when that is what is required and compassionate counselors when that is appropriate. They are willing to change strategy with the day and situation to do what is needed in those circumstances. And in that, a great leader shares a lot of traits with a good parent. A parent understands that each child is different, and children often need diverse strategies from parents in order to grow into healthy adults.

This statement from 1 Chronicles is messy. As we have it, Jeiel is the father of Gibeon and lived in Gibeon. It sounds like the child is named after the town where he lived, which sounds weird, at least to a contemporary mind. And we aren’t completely sure whether Maakah is the wife of Jeiel or Gibeon. And if she is the wife of Jeiel, it is also strange that Gibeon is not included in the children listed in the very next verse.

And then comes the twist in the translation. It is possible that “father” in this verse doesn’t mean dad, but rather it means “civil leader.” And if we make that change here, the message is much clearer. A literal translation of the verse could be translated, “And in Gibeon lived the civil leader (chief, mayor) of Gibeon, Jehiel. The name of his wife was Maachah.” Still, the translation of leader as “father” is also a good reminder that there is much that connects the task of a leader with that of a father.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 10