1 Chronicles 2

2. Dan. Dan, the elder son of Bilhah, is placed here after the sons of Leah, and before those of Rachel, apparently because Rachel had adopted him as her own son (Gen. xxx. 6).

6. Zimri. Probably the same as Zabdi, the father of Carmi; cp. ver. 7 and Josh. vii. 17, 18.

18. Caleb. The “Chelubai” of ver. 9; where the Septuagint has “Caleb.” This verse is obscure. It seems that only Caleb’s children by Jerioth are here mentioned. But the Vulgate, Syriac, and Arabic versions make Jerioth the daughter of Caleb by Azubah, and the persons subsequently named the sons of Jerioth: see ver. 42. From this 18th verse the genealogy is peculiar to Chronicles.

22. Jair. See Numb. xxxii. 41; Deut. iii. 14, 45; Judges x. 3, 4, and notes.

23 towns of Jair. Rather, “Havoth-jair” (R.V., villages).

25 and Ahijah. The “and” is omitted in R.V. Possibly the word by should be understood, Ahijah being the first wife, and Atarah (26) the second.

35 gave his daughter to Jarha. This is the only instance recorded in Scripture of the marriage of a foreign slave to his master’s daughter. The object doubtless was to preserve the inheritance in the family. It would appear that, though by the law, in Numb. xxvii. an heiress in her own right could not marry an Israelite of another tribe, she might marry a foreigner, if he were a proselyte, as this caused no confusion of inheritances. One of Sheshan’s posterity, Zabad, is mentioned in xi. 41 among David’s chief men, and is there styled “the son (i.e., descendant) of Ahlai,” the daughter of Sheshan, ver. 31.

42 sons of Caleb. This genealogy of Caleb’s family is very obscure. It contains names of several places in the hills and in the western lowlands of Judah: cp. ver. 18. The word “father” before the name of a place may mean “founder.” Thus, Mesha established a settlement in Ziph, Maon in Bethzur, etc.

50 the son of Hur. This should begin a new sentence, indicating a new line of the family: “The son (LXX sons) of Hur, the firstborn,” etc. Hur was the son of Caleb, by Ephrath, or Ephratah: see ver. 19; cp. iv. 4.

54 the house of Joab. Instead of “the house of Joab,” it should be “Beth-Joab,” as it is the name of a place: see R.V.

55. Kenites. We have no information as to the way in which the Kenites, related to Moses’ wife, became intermingled with this branch of the tribe of Judah. See Judges i. 16; Jer. xxxv. 2.