1 Chronicles 2

The Posterity of Jacob, vers. 1, & c. and of Juda by the Tharma, 4. Of Isai, 13. Of Caleb the son of Hezron. 18. Of Hezron by the daughter of Machir, 21. Of Jerabmeel, 25. Of Sesan, 34. Another branch of Calebs Posterity, 42. The posterity of Caleb the sort of Hur, 50.

1. These are the children of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Juda, Issaschar, and Zebulon.

2. Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin: Naphatali, Gad, and Aser.

3. The children of Juda are Er, and Onan, and Sela, there were three born unto him of the daughter of Sua the Canaanitess: And Er the first-born of Juda was evil in the eyes of the LORD, therefore he slew him. [Although Juda was not the eldest among Jacobs children, yet the Writer of this book beginneth the description of the Genealogy of the children of Jacob from Juda, both in respect of the Royal Dignity, which was promised to his Posterity, Gen.49.8. and also because the Massiah the Lord Jesus Christ was to be born of that Tribe.]

4. But Thamar his daughter in Law bare him Rerez, and Zerah: All the sons of Juda were five.

5. Children of Perez were, Hezron, and Hamul.

6. And children of Zerah were Zimri, [Joshua 7:1. He is called Zabdi, and was the Father of Charmi, of whom is spoken, v.7.] and Ethan, and Heman, and a Chalcol, and Dara: [He is called Darda, 1 Kings 4.v.31.] All these are five.

7. And the children of Carmi were Achar, [Joshua 7:1,25. He is called Achan, but there, i.e. troubler, or disturber. See Jos.7.1.] the troubler, [or, disturber] of Israel, who transgressed in the banned (thing).

8. Now the children of Ethan were, Azaria. [Here mentioned is made of children, or sons, in the plural number; although there is but one named. So likewise Genesis 46:23.]

9. And the children of Hezron, that were born unto him, were Jerahmeel, and Ram, [He is called Aram, Mat.1.3. Luke 3:33.] and Chelubai. [oth. Caleb. V.18. and 42.]

10. Now Ram begat Amindab: and Aminadab begat Nahesson, the Prince of the children of Juda.

11. And Nahesson begat Salma, [Ruth 4:21. and Matth.1.4. he is called Salmon] and Salma begat Boaz.

12. And Boaz begat Obed, and Obed begat Isai.

13. And Isai begat Eliah [Otherwise, Elihu, 2 Chron.27.18.] his first-born: And Abinadab the second, and Simea, [Called also Samma, 1 Sam.16.9.] the third.

14. Nethaneel the fourth, Raddai the fifth.

15. Ozem the sixth, David the seventh. [1 Sam.16.ver.10,11. And 17.v.12. there are counted eight sons of Isai. It may be that one of them died without leaving any Isue behind, or that he was here left out for other reasons unknown to us.]

16. And their sisters were Seruja, and Abigail: [Called Abigal, 2 Sam.17.25.] now the children of Seruja were Abisai] and Joab, and Asael, three.

17. And Abigail bare Amasa: And the Father of Amasa was Jether, [Oth. Jethro] an Ismaelite. [He is called here an Ismaelite, because he was of Ismaels family: but 2 Sam.17.25. he is called an Israelite, because he had imbraced the Israelitish Religion.]

18. Now Caleb the son of Hezron [He is not that Caleb, whom Moseh sent forth to spy out the Land of Canaan, Numb.13.6. for he was the son of Jephunne. Of whom mention will be made hereafter, chap.4.15. but in this 18. Verse is spoken of Caleb the son of Hezron, and v.9. he is called Chelubai] begat children of Azuba (his) wife, and of Jerioth: And these are this (womans) sons, [to wit, which Caleb be gat by Jerioth: for the children which he begat by Azuba, are mentioned hereafter, v.42.] Jeser, and Sobab, and Ardon.

19. Now when Azuba was dead, then Caleb took unto him Ephrath, the same bare him Hur.

20. And Hur begat Uri, and Uri begat Bezaleel.

21. After that Hezron went into the daughter of Machir, [That is, he lay with her, or he got her with child, as the Scripture speaketh, Gen.4.1. and 6.4. This Machir was a son of Manasseh] the Father of Gilead, [Father signifieth here (according to the opinion of some) as much as Head, Ruler, Governor, Commander. So in sundry other places following. Others understand by Gilead Machirs own son. See Numb.26.29,30. So below chap.7.14.] and he took her (to wife) when he was threescore years old, [Hebr. when he was a son of threescore years] and she bare him Segub.

22. Now Segub begat jair: [Who is called a son of Manasseh, Numb.32.41. because his Grandmother was of the Tribe of Manasseh, to wit, a daughter of Machir, v.21. But Machir was a son of Manasseh, Numb.26.29.] And he had three and twenty cities in the land of Gilead.

23. And he took Gesur and Aram with the towns of Jair from them, with Kenath, [One Nobach took this city, Numb.32,v.42. This was formerly a mighty great city, as appeareth by this, that is had threescore towns under her command or dominion, as in the following words is set forth] and her dependant places [Hebr. daughters, as elsewhere often] threescore cities: all these [to wit, sons of Hezron, which were immediately before named, to wit, Segub, Jair, and also Nobach, mentioned Numb.32.42.] are sons of Machir [they are the sons of Machir by the mothers side: for their mother was a daughter of Machir: but by the Fathers side they were of the tribe of Juda] the Father of Gilead.

24. And after the death of Hezron, in Caleb Ephratha, [This seemeth to have been a place so called by Caleb after his own and his wifes name. Oth. When Caleb (had either married, or taken) Ephrata] Abja Hezrons wife bare him also Asschar, the Father of Tekoa. [Of whom sprung the Inhabitants of Tekoa. See of the city of Tekoa, 2 Sam.14.2. in the annotate. It seemeth that this Asschar was born after his Father Hezrons death.]

25. Now the children of Jerahmeel, the first-born of Hezron, were (these); the first-born was Ram, besides Buna, and Oren, and Ozem, (and) Ahia. [Otherw. By, or, of Ahia, conceiving this to have been the mother of the children even now named. See the sequel.]

26. Jerahmeel had yet another wife, whose name was Atara: she was the mother of Onam.

27. And the children of Ram the first-born of Jerahmeel, were Maaz, and Jamin, and Eker.

28. And the children of Onam were Sammai, and Juda: And the children of Sammai, Nadab and Abisur.

29. Now the name of Abisurs wife was, Abihail: the same bare him Achbban and Molid.

30. And the children of Nadab were Seled, and Appaim: And Seled died without children.

31. And the children of Appaim were Jisei, and the children of Jisei were Sesan, and the children of Sesan Achlai. [Here, and elsewhere besides, the word children is put kin the plural number, whereas there is but one son or daughter meant. As above v.8. and below v.34. So likewise Gen.21.7. & 46.23. is the word children, or sons put in the plural number for one child or son. This Achlai here mentioned, was a daughter, as appeareth by v.34, & 35.]

32. And the children of Jada the brother of Samai were Jether, and Jonathan: and Jether died without children.

33. Now the children of Jonathan were Peleth, and Zaza: These were the children of Jerahmeel.

34. And Sesan had no sons, but daughters; [That is, one daughter called Acklen, ver.31.] And Sesan had an Egyptian servant, whose name was Jarha.

35. Now Sesan gave his daughter [Called Achlai, vers.31.] to Jarha his servant to wife: and she bare him Attai.

36. Now Attai begat Nathan, and Nathan begat Zadab. [He is again mentioned below chap.11.verse 41.]

37. And Zadab begat Ephla, and Ephla begat Obed.

38. And Obed begat Jehu, and Jehu begat Azaria.

39. And Azaria begat Helez, and Helez begat Elasai.

40. And Elasa begat Sismai, and Sismai begat Sallum.

41. And Sallum begat Jekamja, and Jekamja begat Elisama.

42. Now the children of Caleb, [To wit, which he begat by Hazaba: for those that he begat by Jerioth were mentioned ver.18. and those which he begat by Ephrath, were specified ver.19,20.] the brother of Jerahmeel, are Mesa his first-born, (the same is the Father of Ziph) [i.e. of whom the Inhabitants of Ziph have taken their original, which lay in the tribe of Juda, Jos.15.55. See the annotate. On 1 Sam.23.19.] and the children of Maresa, the Father of Hebron.

43. Now the children of Hebron were Korah, and Tapuah, and Rekem, and Sema.

44. Now Sema begat Raham, the Father of Jorkeam, and Rekem begat Sammai.

45. Now the children of Sammai were Maon: And Maon was the Father of Beth-Zur. [That is, of the Bethzurites, or of the inhabitants of Beth-Zur, a city lying in the tribe of Juda, Jos.15.58.]

46. And Epha Calebs Concubine bare Haran, and Moza, and Gazez: and Haram begat Gazez.

47. Now the children of Jothdai were Regum, [Oth. And the children (of Moza) were Jothdai, whose children are Regum] and Jotham, and Gesan, and Pelet, and Epha, and Saaph.

48. Caleb by (his) Concubine Maacha begat Seber, and Tirhana. [Oth. Maacha, Calebs Concubine, bare Seber, &c.]

49. And (the wife) of Saaph the Father of Madmanna Seva the Father of Machbena, and the Father of Gibea: [Madmanna, Machbena, and Gibea, were names of cities in the tribe of Juda: so that by Father, the word in this verse must be understood the first inhabitant and planter of these cities, from whom the inhabitants of those cities descended; as v.42,45,51,52.] and the daughter of Caleb was Achsa. [she was the first Calebs eldest daughter.]

50. These were the children of Caleb, the son of Hur, the first-born of Ephratha. [This Caleb is the second of that name, a son of Hur, whom Caleb the first of that name had begotten by his Concubine Ephrath, vers.19. So that this Caleb, of whom mention is made in this 50. Verse, was a sons son or grandchild of the first Caleb.] Sobal the Father of Kiriath-Jearim.]

51. Salma the Father of the Bethelehemites, [Understand this thus, that this Salma was but in part Father of the inhabitants of Bethlehem: for Boaz the Bethlehemites was of another Salma, who was the son of Nahession: see v.11.] Hareph [below chap.4.4. he is called Pemel] the Father of beth-Gader.

52. The children of Sobal the Father of Kiriath-Jearim were Haroe, (and) Hazi-Hammenuchoth. Oth. The half of Menuchoth; that is, of those that inhabited the half part of the land of Menuchoth. Now that Menuchoth was a certain country, some do gather it from chap.8.ver.6. where it is called Manahath. It lay on the borders of Juda, Benjamin, and Dan.]

53. And the Families of Kiriath-Jearim were the Jerites, [These, and those that follow in this verse, seem to have been Families or houses in the city of Kiriath-Jearim, which descended from Sobal] and the Pharites, and the Sumathites, and the Misuites, of these came the Zorarites, and the Esthaulites.

54. The children [i.e. The Posterity] of Salma were the Bethlehemites, and the Netophatites, Atroth, [See Jos.chap.16.2,5,7.] Beth-Joab: And half of the Manathites, (and) the Zorites.

55. And the households of the Scribes, [These Scribes came of Jethro, Moseh his father in Law, and that dwelt as strangers among the people of God: And that they might likewise be some way serviceable to the people of God, they were appointed to be Scribes, that is, as it were publike Notaries, which made Contracts, and such like Deeds and Instruments, and kept books of them. They are here mentioned, because they dwelt among the tribe of Juda: see Judg.1.16.] that dwelt at Jabes the Tirathites, the Simithites: These are Kinites, [i.e. the posterity of Jethro, Judg.1.16.] that came of Hamath, the Father of the house of Rechab. [This Hamath seemeth to have been one of the chiefest among the Kinites, and a Father of the Rechabites, which had taken up their dwelling in the tribe of Juda: see Jerem.35.2. And these Kinites are likewise distinguished from the Kinites that came of Chebar, and had taken up their dwelling place by Kedesch in the tribe of Naphthali, or Manasseh. See Judg.4.11. Of Rechab, or the Rechabites, see Jer.35.2.]