1 Chronicles 2

Chapters 2–8. The Genealogies of the Tribes of Israel The Chronicler deals very unequally with the tribes in their genealogies; as the following table shews: 1 Chronicles 2:1 to 1 Chronicles 4:23. Judah (102 verses). 1 Chronicles 4:24-43. Simeon (20 verses). 1 Chronicles 5:1-26. Reuben, Gad, and Eastern Manasseh (26 verses). 1 Chronicles 6:1-81. Levi (81 verses). 1 Chronicles 7:1-40. Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Eastern Manasseh (again), Ephraim, and Asher (40 verses). 1 Chronicles 8:1-40. Benjamin, though already noticed in 1 Chronicles 7:6-11 (40 verses). Zebulun and (perhaps) Dan (cp. 1 Chronicles 7:12, note) are omitted. It may easily be seen that the tribes in which the Chronicler is really interested are the three southern tribes, Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, together with the priestly tribe, Levi. The order in which the tribes are mentioned is at first geographical, Judah and Simeon the southern tribes first, then the eastern tribes Reuben, Gad, Manasseh; the rest follow in no fixed order.

1 Chronicles 2:1-2

Ch. 1 Chronicles 2:1-2. The Sons of Israel (Cp. Genesis 35:22 b–26).

1 Chronicles 2:3-4

3–17. The Descent of the Sons of Jesse from Judah 4. Pharez] R.V. Perez.

1 Chronicles 2:5

5. The sons of Pharez] So Genesis 46:12.

1 Chronicles 2:6

6. the sons of Zerah] This genealogy appears only in Chron. Zimri] LXX (B) Ζαμβρεί (β being merely euphonic) here and also Joshua 7:1 where Heb. has “Zabdi.” LXX. is probably right in identifying the two. Either form might arise from the other by easy textual corruption. Ethan … Dara] Read, Darda with Vulg., Targ., Pesh. The same four names in the same order occur 1 Kings 4:31 as the names of wise men whom Solomon surpassed in wisdom. They are there called sons of “Mahol” who may have been either a nearer or remoter ancestor than Zerah. Ethan however is there called the Ezrahite (= probably “son of Zerah”). [Psalms 88, 89 bear respectively the names “Heman the Ezrahite,” “Ethan the Ezrahite,” but these (it seems) were Levites (1 Chronicles 15:17; 1 Chronicles 15:19).]

1 Chronicles 2:7

7. the sons of Carmi] Carmi is probably to be taken as the son of Zimri (= Zabdi, Joshua 7:1). Targ. however has “Carmi who is Zimri.” See note on Zimri 1 Chronicles 2:6. Achar] This form of the name (instead of “Achan” Joshua 7:1) is used by the Chronicler to bring out better the play on the Heb. word for “troubler.” The Heb. runs, “Achar ocher Israel.”

1 Chronicles 2:9

9. Jerahmeel] For his descendants see 1 Chronicles 2:25-41. The descendants of his younger brother Ram are given first because they include David and his family. Chelubai] Another form of “Caleb”; see 1 Chronicles 2:42.

1 Chronicles 2:10

10. Ram] The descent of David from Judah is given also Rth 4:18-22 and Matthew 1:3-6. Nahshon, prince, etc.] See Numbers 1:4; Numbers 1:7; Numbers 2:3.

1 Chronicles 2:13

13. Shimma] R.V. Shimea, as in 1 Chronicles 20:7. His name is written “Shammah” in 1 Samuel 16:9. In 2 Samuel 21:21 “Shimei” (R.V.).

1 Chronicles 2:14

14. Nethaneel] R.V. Nethanel. It is the same name as Nathanael (John 1:45). The fourth, fifth and sixth of David’s brothers are not elsewhere named.

1 Chronicles 2:15

15. David the seventh] Jesse had eight sons (1 Samuel 17:12; cp. 1 Samuel 16:10-11). Here one seems deliberately passed over, perhaps because he had no children. (The Elihu “one of David’s brethren” of 1 Chronicles 27:18 is probably to be identified with Eliab and not to be regarded as an eighth brother.)

1 Chronicles 2:16

16. sons of Zeruiah] Joab and his brothers are always thus named after their mother; probably their father died while they were young, or we may have a relic here of the ancient method of tracing kinship through the mother.

1 Chronicles 2:17

17. Jether] 2 Samuel 17:25, “Ithra,” a small difference of spelling in the Heb. the Ishmeelite] 2 Samuel 17:25, “the Israelite,” a reading yielding no satisfactory sense.

1 Chronicles 2:18-20

18–20. The Genealogy of Bezaleel It is quite in accordance with the mind of the Chronicler to single out the artificer of the Tabernacle (“Tent of Meeting”) and tell his family history (cp. Exodus 31:2 ff.).

1 Chronicles 2:22

21–24. Other Descendants of Hezron 22. Jair] He was one of the Judges (Judges 10:3-4 where thirty cities, not twenty-three, are assigned him). the land of Gilead] This name is sometimes restricted to that part of the land E. of Jordan which lies S. of the Yarmuk; see Camb. Companion, Map 2. Here, as often, it is applied to all the land E. of Jordan occupied by Israel.

1 Chronicles 2:23

23. And he took Geshur, and Aram, with the towns] R.V. And Geshur and Aram took the towns. Geshur was a (probably Aramaean) kingdom E. of Jordan on the N.E. border of Manasseh. Aram, commonly translated “Syria” or “the Syrians” probably here signifies the kingdom of which Damascus was the capital. The conquest of Manassite territory by the Aramaeans (“Syrians”) here described probably took place before the days of Ahab, for in his reign they were already established as far south as Ramoth-gilead (1 Kings 22:3). the towns of Jair] R.V. marg., Havvoth Jair. Cp. Deuteronomy 3:14; Judges 10:4. The name perhaps means “the tent-villages of Jair,” (Arab. ḥ ?ǐ ?vâ = “a collection of tents near together”).

1 Chronicles 2:24

24. And after that Hezron was dead in Caleb-ephratah (R.V. ephrathah)] The text of this passage is probably corrupt, for (1) “Caleb-ephrathah” is a very strange combination to signify the name of a place, (2) Vulg. LXX. have a verb (ingressus est, ἦ ?ëèåí) instead of the preposition, “in”. A few small changes in the Heb. would yield the sense, “And after Hezron was dead Caleb went in to Ephrath (1 Chronicles 2:19) his father Hezron’s wife and she bare him” etc. Ashur] R.V. Ashhur. Hur (1 Chronicles 2:19) the father of Bethlehem is described as the “firstborn of Ephrathah,” so that Ashhur would be a younger brother (1 Chronicles 4:4). the father of Tekoa] i.e. the founder of the town or the eponymous ancestor of its inhabitants. Cp. 1 Chronicles 4:4; 1 Chronicles 4:14; 1 Chronicles 4:21 etc. For Tekoa see 2 Chronicles 20:20, note.

1 Chronicles 2:25

25–41. The Genealogy of the Jerahmeelites 25. the sons of Jerahmeel] Their settlements were in the S. of Judah; cp. 1 Samuel 27:10; 1 Samuel 30:29. Ozem, and Ahijah] By a slight change in the Heb. we get Ozem his brother (so LXX.); cp. 1 Chronicles 26:20 for a similar confusion of reading.

1 Chronicles 2:31

31. the children of Sheshan; Ahlai] Ahlai is perhaps a gentilic name, not the name of an individual. Cp. 1 Chronicles 2:34.

1 Chronicles 2:35

35. Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha] This was equivalent to making his servant his heir, an action not unknown in the East. Thus Abraham at first (Genesis 15:2-3) regarded Eliezer his steward as his heir. Cp. note on 1 Chronicles 2:31.

1 Chronicles 2:42

42–49. The Descendants of Caleb 42. Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel] Called Chelubai (1 Chronicles 2:9) and Caleb the son of Hezron (1 Chronicles 2:18). There is nothing to shew what relationship existed between this Caleb and Caleb son of Jephunneh (1 Chronicles 4:15 and Numbers 13:6). Perhaps they are to be identified; cp. 1 Chronicles 2:49, note. Both are assigned to the tribe of Judah. Several of the names, viz. Ziph (Joshua 15:24 or 55), Mareshah (2 Chronicles 11:8), Hebron, Tappuah (Joshua 15:34), Maon (Joshua 15:55), and Beth-zur (Joshua 15:58) are names of towns in the S. or S.W. of Judah, and consequently may represent here the respective populations of those towns, and not individual descendants of Caleb. Mesha] The Moabite king whose deeds are recorded on the Moabite stone bore this name. It means Victory, enlargement. LXX. reads Mareshah (Μαρεισά) as in the latter part of the verse.

1 Chronicles 2:45

45. Maon] Nabal who was a Calebite lived at the town of Maon (1 Samuel 25:2-3). It is improbable that Maon was ever used as the name of a person; cp. Buchanan Gray, Hebrew Proper Names, pp. 127, 8. See note on 1 Chronicles 2:42.

1 Chronicles 2:49

49. the daughter of Caleb was Achsah] The Caleb of Jdg 1:12 (who according to Joshua 15:13-19 was Caleb son of Jephunneh) also had a daughter Achsah.

1 Chronicles 2:50

50. These were the sons of Caleb the son of Hur] Read with LXX., These were the sons of Caleb. The sons of Hur (Cp. R.V.). Hur was the son of Caleb (1 Chronicles 2:19).

1 Chronicles 2:52

52. Haroeh and half of the Manahethites] R.V. Haroeh, half of the Menuhoth. If the text be sound, render, Who provided for half the resting-places, the description applying to Shobal, whose work apparently was to supervise some of the halting-stations of the caravans which passed through the territory of Judah. Cp. similar details in 1 Chronicles 4:21-23. Seraiah (Jeremiah 51:59), who accompanied king Zedekiah to Babylon, bore the title of Prince of the resting-places, doubtless because he was entrusted with the duty of selecting the halting-places on the king’s journey. Some however would read Reaiah as in 1 Chronicles 4:2, and would find the name of another son concealed in the phrase half of the Manahethites (Menuhoth); cp. 1 Chronicles 2:54, where however the Heb. word is different.

1 Chronicles 2:53

53. Puhites] R.V. rightly Puthites. Zareathites] R.V. Zorathites as in 1 Chronicles 4:2, where the same family is mentioned again.

1 Chronicles 2:54

54. Ataroth, the house of Joab] R.V. Atroth-beth-Joab.

1 Chronicles 2:55

55. at Jabez] Jabez occurs as the name of a man of the tribe of Judah in 1 Chronicles 4:9. the Kenites that came] Render, the Kenites who came in, i.e. attached themselves to Israel. of Hemath] Render, who were of Hammath. the house of Rechab] The Rechabites (2 Kings 10:15; Jeremiah 35:2 ff.) are here traced to a non-Israelite source. On the incorporation of non-Israelites into Israel see Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible, ii. 508 a.