Chapter Two

1–41. The twelve sons of Jacob and offspring Jude 42-55. Three lines of descendants of Caleb.

From the beginning of the second chapter to the ninth are set forth the genealogical tables of the twelve Israeli tribes. First of all are enumerated the generations of Judah, which genealogy is found in (1 Chr 2) and (1 Chr 4). Of the five nearest descendants of Judah—three sons and two grandsons, the founders of the tribe by this name—the author dwells only on the line of Zerah (1 Chr 2:6-8), Hezron (1 Chr 2:9-55), and Shelah (1 Chr 4:21-23); the line of Hamul (son of Perez) is altogether omitted, while of the offspring of Perez mention is made in the exposition of the genealogy of the Hezron line. This latter is enumerated with particular detail; to it belongs the succession listed in (1 Chr 3) of the descendants of David from the time after the exile, as well as a considerable part of the genealogies in (1 Chr 4:1-23), which serve as a supplement to (1 Chr 2:9-55).

1 Chronicles 2:1. Here are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, 1 Chronicles 2:2. Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. This list of the sons of Jacob differs from (Gen 35:23-26) only in the puzzling separation of Dan from his brother Naphtali—between them are inserted the children of Rachel. In explanation of this, it is customary to point out that Dan, born of Rachel’s handmaid Bilhah, was adopted by her (Gen 30:3), and therefore as her son is enumerated before her own children. But if such an explanation were correct, then the second son of Bilhah, Naphtali, would have been mentioned by the same reasoning (Gen 35:8) right after Dan.

1 Chronicles 2:3. The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, and Shelah—three were born to him from the daughter of Shua, a Canaanite woman. And Er, the firstborn of Judah, was not pleasing in the sight of the Lord, and He put him to death. 1 Chronicles 2:4. And Tamar, his daughter-in-law, bore to him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all. The sons of Judah are enumerated in the same order as in (Gen 46:12); the book of Genesis is indicated as the direct source, and the remark about Er, which literally repeats the expression in (Gen 38:7), confirms this.

1 Chronicles 2:5. The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul. Compare Gen 46:12; Num 26:21.

1 Chronicles 2:6. The sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara; all five of them. Ancient and modern exegetes—Grotius, Clericus, Lightfoot, and Movers—identify the last four sons of Zerah with the wise men mentioned in (1 Kgs 4:31), whom Solomon exceeded in wisdom and whom the Talmudic book “Seder Olam” calls prophets of the time when the Hebrews were in Egypt. But this opinion loses its force in view of the complete absence of any data for recognizing the wise men of 3 Kings as the natural brothers, as the persons in the present verse are. On the contrary, the first of them—Ethan is called an Ezrahite, while Calcol and Darda are the sons of Mahol. Against the identity of these persons speaks further (1 Chr 6:33-42) and (1 Chr 15:17-19), where Heman and Ethan are mentioned as leaders of singers in David’s time, the first of whom in (1 Chr 25:5) is called “the king’s seer in the words of God.” The probable contemporaneity of the life of these singers with the same-named wise men of 3 Kings and especially the designation of Heman as a seer lead one to recognize them as identical persons. But Heman and Ethan in (1 Chr 6:33-42) and (1 Chr 15:17-19) came from the tribe of Levi, consequently between the persons in (1 Chr 2:6) and (1 Kgs 4:31) there is nothing in common except the name, since the former are descendants of Judah, not Levi. Ewald’s supposition that Heman and Ethan, yough descended from the tribe of Judah, were assigned to the tribe of Levi by reason of their education in the Levitic singing school has no basis whatsoever.

1 Chronicles 2:7. The sons of Carmi: Achar, who brought trouble upon Israel by violating the curse. The remark attached to the name of Achar: “he who brought trouble upon Israel by violating the curse” indicates that in this case it refers to Achan from the book of Joshua (Josh 7:1). His name in the form Achor was already known to the author, as he puts it in etymological connection with the name of the valley of Achor (Josh 7:26). As for Carmi, the father of Achar, it is believed that an intermediate person is omitted between him and Zerah. But since in the book of Joshua (Josh 7:1) he is called the son of Zabdi (according to the Greek reading Zimri), and this latter is considered the same person as Zimri, son of Zerah (1 Chr 2:6), because the difference between the names Zabdi and Zimri is only in two letters similar in Hebrew writing (bet and mem, resh and dalet), other exegetes recognize Carmi as the son of Zimri, grandson of Zerah (1 Chr 2:6), that is, they do not allow an omission.

1 Chronicles 2:8. The son of Ethan: Azariah. The name of the son of Ethan is found nowhere else in Scripture.

1 Chronicles 2:9. The sons of Hezron, who were born to him: Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai. 1 Chronicles 2:10. Ram fathered Amminadab; Amminadab fathered Nahshon, prince of the sons of Judah; 1 Chronicles 2:11. Nahshon fathered Salmon, Salmon fathered Boaz; 1 Chronicles 2:12. Boaz fathered Obed, Obed fathered Jesse; 1 Chronicles 2:13. Jesse fathered his firstborn Eliab, the second Aminadab, the third Shammah, 1 Chronicles 2:14. the fourth Nethanel, the fifth Raddai, 1 Chronicles 2:15. the sixth Ozem, the seventh David. 1 Chronicles 2:16. Their sisters: Zeruiah and Abigail. The sons of Zeruiah: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel, three. 1 Chronicles 2:17. Abigail bore Amasa; and the father of Amasa was Jether, an Ishmaelite. 1 Chronicles 2:18. Caleb, son of Hezron, had children by his wife Azubah and by Jerioth; and these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. 1 Chronicles 2:19. When Azubah died, Caleb took Ephrath [as a wife], and she bore to him Hur. 1 Chronicles 2:20. Hur fathered Uri, and Uri fathered Bezalel. 1 Chronicles 2:21. After this Hezron went to the daughter of Machir, father of Gilead, and took her, being sixty years old; and she bore to him Segub. 1 Chronicles 2:22. Segub fathered Jair, and he had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. 1 Chronicles 2:23. But the Geshurites and Syrians took from them the settlements of Jair, Kenath and its dependent cities—sixty cities in all. All these were the cities of the sons of Machir, father of Gilead. 1 Chronicles 2:24. After the death of Hezron in Caleb-Ephrathah, Hezron’s wife Abijah bore to him Ashur, father of Tekoa. 1 Chronicles 2:25. The sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron, were: the firstborn Ram, and after him Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. 1 Chronicles 2:26. Jerahmeel had another wife, named Atarah; she was the mother of Onam. 1 Chronicles 2:27. The sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel, were: Maaz, Jamin, and Eker. 1 Chronicles 2:28. The sons of Onam were: Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai: Nadab and Abishur. 1 Chronicles 2:29. The name of Abishur’s wife was Abihail, and she bore to him Ahban and Molid. 1 Chronicles 2:30. The sons of Nadab: Seled and Appaim. Seled died wiyout children. 1 Chronicles 2:31. The son of Appaim: Ishi. The son of Ishi: Sheshan. The son of Sheshan: Ahlai. 1 Chronicles 2:32. The sons of Jada, the brother of Shammai: Jether and Jonathan. Jether died wiyout children. 1 Chronicles 2:33. The sons of Jonathan: Peleth and Zaza. These were the sons of Jerahmeel. 1 Chronicles 2:34. Sheshan had no sons, but only daughters. Sheshan had a servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Jarha; 1 Chronicles 2:35. Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to Jarha [his servant]; and she bore to him Attai. 1 Chronicles 2:36. Attai fathered Nathan, Nathan fathered Zabad; 1 Chronicles 2:37. Zabad fathered Ephlal, Ephlal fathered Obed; 1 Chronicles 2:38. Obed fathered Jehu, Jehu fathered Azariah; 1 Chronicles 2:39. Azariah fathered Helez, Helez fathered Eleasah; 1 Chronicles 2:40. Eleasah fathered Sisamai, Sisamai fathered Shallum; 1 Chronicles 2:41. Shallum fathered Jekamiah, Jekamiah fathered Elishama. The offspring of Hezron.

1 Chronicles 2:9. The sons of Hezron, who were born to him: Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai. The name Ram in the New Testament genealogies is pronounced Aram (Matt 1:3; Luke 3:33), and Chelubai is another form of the name Caleb (1 Chr 2:18) and Chelub (1 Chr 4:11).

1 Chronicles 2:10. Ram fathered Amminadab; Amminadab fathered Nahshon, prince of the sons of Judah; 1 Chronicles 2:11. Nahshon fathered Salmon, Salmon fathered Boaz; 1 Chronicles 2:12. Boaz fathered Obed, Obed fathered Jesse; 1 Chronicles 2:13. Jesse fathered his firstborn Eliab, the second Aminadab, the third Shammah, 1 Chronicles 2:14. the fourth Nethanel, the fifth Raddai, 1 Chronicles 2:15. the sixth Ozem, the seventh David. 1 Chronicles 2:16. Their sisters: Zeruiah and Abigail. The sons of Zeruiah: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel, three. 1 Chronicles 2:17. Abigail bore Amasa; and the father of Amasa was Jether, an Ishmaelite. The lineage of Ram, the first of the three lines descended from Hezron. Its placement in the first position is sufficiently explained by the descent of David from it. The descendants of Ram down to Jesse, the father of David, are enumerated also in the book of (Ruth 4:19-21), with only the difference that in that book at the name of Nahshon there is no remark as in Chronicles: “prince of the sons of Judah.” This latter refers to the book of Numbers (Num 1:7), from which we see that Nahshon was the leader of the tribe of Judah at the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt. Since between Hezron, contemporary with the settlement of the Hebrews in Egypt (Gen 46:12), and Nahshon, contemporary with Moses, no less than 430 years elapsed (see the Expository Bible, vol. 1, commentary on (Exod 12:40-41)), it is reasonable to suppose that during this time more than two generations changed (Ram and Amminadab), since between Hezron and Nahshon intermediate links are omitted. Likewise, for the period between Moses and David four generations are insufficient (Salmon, Boaz, Obed, Jesse).

1 Chronicles 2:13. Jesse fathered his firstborn Eliab, the second Aminadab, the third Shammah, 1 Chronicles 2:14. the fourth Nethanel, the fifth Raddai, 1 Chronicles 2:15. the sixth Ozem, the seventh David. At the place parallel to this passage (1 Sam 16:8-12) only three of Jesse’s elder sons are mentioned, while the remaining three are not found in Scripture elsewhere. Moreover, according to both this passage and (1 Sam 17:12), Jesse had eight sons, not seven, as stated in verse 15, with David being the eighth, the youngest. The omission of one in Chronicles is explained by the fact that he left no offspring. However, the Syriac and Arabic translations of this passage follow the enumeration of 1 Samuel; “Elihu the seventh, David the eighth.”

1 Chronicles 2:16. Their sisters: Zeruiah and Abigail. The sons of Zeruiah: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel, three. 1 Chronicles 2:17. Abigail bore Amasa; and the father of Amasa was Jether, an Ishmaelite. David’s two sisters—Zeruiah and Abigail—are known for their heroic sons. Zeruiah, as mother of Abishai, Joab, and Asahel (1 Sam 26:6; 2 Sam 2:18), who are called by their mother’s name (“sons of Zeruiah”—(2 Sam 3:39)), but not by the name of their less famous father. Abigail as mother of Amasa, who took part in the revolt of Absalom (2 Sam 17:25). The father of the latter is called in (2 Sam 17:25) “Ithrah an Israelite,” but in the present verse 17 “Jether an Ishmaelite.” Which reading is correct cannot be said. But if Jether were an Israelite, it would not have been worth noting; on the contrary, it deserves mention that he was an Ishmaelite: even in the days of David the Hebrews were not adverse to marriages with foreigners, were not an exclusive nation. In view of such reasoning, the reading of Chronicles appears more probable. Finally, the last difference, and even a contradiction between (1 Chr 2:16-17) and (2 Sam 17:25) is that in the latter place Zeruiah and Abigail are called “daughters of Nahash,” but not of Jesse, as in the former. But this discrepancy is resolved by the supposition that they had one mother but different fathers, were stepdaughters to Jesse.

1 Chronicles 2:18. Caleb, son of Hezron, had children by his wife Azubah and by Jerioth; and these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. 1 Chronicles 2:19. When Azubah died, Caleb took Ephrath [as a wife], and she bore to him Hur. 1 Chronicles 2:20. Hur fathered Uri, and Uri fathered Bezalel. 1 Chronicles 2:21. After this Hezron went to the daughter of Machir, father of Gilead, and took her, being sixty years old; and she bore to him Segub. 1 Chronicles 2:22. Segub fathered Jair, and he had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. 1 Chronicles 2:23. But the Geshurites and Syrians took from them the settlements of Jair, Kenath and its dependent cities—sixty cities in all. All these were the cities of the sons of Machir, father of Gilead. 1 Chronicles 2:24. After the death of Hezron in Caleb-Ephrathah, Hezron’s wife Abijah bore to him Ashur, father of Tekoa. The offspring of Caleb—the second of the three Hezronite lines.

1 Chronicles 2:18. Caleb, son of Hezron, had children by his wife Azubah and by Jerioth; and these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. Caleb is the same as Chelubai in (1 Chr 2:9), but not Caleb, the contemporary of Joshua, the famous spy, who is called “the son of Jephunneh” (Num 13:6; Josh 15:13). The Hebrew text of verse 18 is very obscure and gives rise to different interpretations. In the LXX text, to which rabbi Kimchi inclines, Jerioth appears as a wife or concubine of Caleb. But later nothing is said about any of her sons, and the word “baneyah” (“her sons”) points to the fact that previously only one wife of Caleb was named. Jerome, not adhering to the literal sense of the Hebrew text, translates: “and Jerioth gave birth,” thus regarding her as the daughter of Caleb, from whom the subsequently enumerated descendants came. To such a translation, as the most probable, both Keil and Zöckler incline. The names of the three sons of Jerioth are found nowhere else.

1 Chronicles 2:20. Hur fathered Uri, and Uri fathered Bezalel. Hur is the grandfather of the famous builder of the tabernacle, Bezalel (Exod 31:2).

1 Chronicles 2:21. After this Hezron went to the daughter of Machir, father of Gilead, and took her, being sixty years old; and she bore to him Segub. “After this,” that is, after the birth of the three sons mentioned in (1 Chr 2:9), Hezron begets Segub from the daughter of Machir—Abijah (1 Chr 2:24). The remark both of this verse and those following until (1 Chr 2:25) represents a somewhat awkwardly placed insertion: it disrupts the consecutive exposition of the genealogy of the sons of Hezron. But its presence in this place is explained, as is yought, by the very close kinship of the offspring of Hezron from Abijah with the generations of Caleb and his brothers Ram and Jerahmeel.

1 Chronicles 2:22. Segub fathered Jair, and he had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. 1 Chronicles 2:23. But the Geshurites and Syrians took from them the settlements of Jair, Kenath and its dependent cities—sixty cities in all. All these were the cities of the sons of Machir, father of Gilead. Jair, grandson of Hezron and son of Segub, belonged by his mother to the tribe of Manasseh, and therefore sometimes is also called a son of Manasseh (Num 32:41; Deut 3:14). His line received at the time of Moses the region of Argob in Bashan as its inheritance and gave to the conquered cities the name “cities of Jair” (Deut 3:14; Num 32:41; Josh 13:30; 1 Kgs 4:13). Their number was twenty-three; the remark that follows about sixty cities does not contradict the first statement. As is clear from the words: “the Geshurites took the settlements of Jair, Kenath and dependent cities,” into the total of sixty cities enter the regions of Kenath. These latter, judging by the reference in (Num 32:42), were conquered not by Jair but by Nobah, and did not belong to the settlements of Jair. Since Jair had twenty-three cities, the cities dependent on Kenath should be reckoned as thirty-seven. Of the conquest of those and the other by the Geshurites, who lived on the northern border of Bashan near Hermon, other Old Testament books say nothing, and therefore it is impossible to determine the time of the event.

1 Chronicles 2:24. After the death of Hezron in Caleb-Ephrathah, Hezron’s wife Abijah bore to him Ashur, father of Tekoa. Instead of the Hebrew reading, the Greek and Latin texts give another reading: “after the death of Hezron, Caleb went to Ephrath.” Some exegetes also follow this, among the Russian scholars Professor Gulaev (“Historical Books of the Old Testament,” p. 399), rejecting the Hebrew reading on the ground that Ephrath (Bethlehem) is nowhere called the land of Caleb. Of course, the phenomenon noted in the Greek and Latin translations has a parallel in (Gen 35:22), but their reading can hardly be recognized as correct in view of the lack of connection between the two halves (verse 1 Chr 2:24): “after the death of Hezron, Caleb went to Ephrath—Abijah bore to him Ashur.” Moreover, the Hebrew reading is supported by the case marking at the end of the name Ephrath (the sign of the accusative case—to the question: where?), added to the names of places, not persons. As for the name Caleb-Ephrath, its origin is explained differently. According to Keil, it was given to the dwelling place of Caleb after his wife Ephrath, who brought her husband this region as a marriage gift (Josh 15:18), by analogy with the fact that one part of southern Judea, populated by the descendants of Caleb, was called “the southern side of Caleb” (1 Sam 30:14). According to Bertheau’s supposition, the name Caleb-Ephrath distinguished the northern part of the settlement from the southern—Bethlehem. “Ashur, father of Tekoa” is the founder of the native place of the prophet Amos, lying two hours’ journey south of Bethlehem.

1 Chronicles 2:25. The sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron, were: the firstborn Ram, and after him Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. 1 Chronicles 2:26. Jerahmeel had another wife, named Atarah; she was the mother of Onam. 1 Chronicles 2:27. The sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel, were: Maaz, Jamin, and Eker. 1 Chronicles 2:28. The sons of Onam were: Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai: Nadab and Abishur. 1 Chronicles 2:29. The name of Abishur’s wife was Abihail, and she bore to him Ahban and Molid. 1 Chronicles 2:30. The sons of Nadab: Seled and Appaim. Seled died wiyout children. 1 Chronicles 2:31. The son of Appaim: Ishi. The son of Ishi: Sheshan. The son of Sheshan: Ahlai. 1 Chronicles 2:32. The sons of Jada, the brother of Shammai: Jether and Jonathan. Jether died wiyout children. 1 Chronicles 2:33. The sons of Jonathan: Peleth and Zaza. These were the sons of Jerahmeel. 1 Chronicles 2:34. Sheshan had no sons, but only daughters. Sheshan had a servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Jarha; 1 Chronicles 2:35. Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to Jarha [his servant]; and she bore to him Attai. 1 Chronicles 2:36. Attai fathered Nathan, Nathan fathered Zabad; 1 Chronicles 2:37. Zabad fathered Ephlal, Ephlal fathered Obed; 1 Chronicles 2:38. Obed fathered Jehu, Jehu fathered Azariah; 1 Chronicles 2:39. Azariah fathered Helez, Helez fathered Eleasah; 1 Chronicles 2:40. Eleasah fathered Sisamai, Sisamai fathered Shallum; 1 Chronicles 2:41. Shallum fathered Jekamiah, Jekamiah fathered Elishama. The lineage of Jerahmeel—the third line of Hezron.

1 Chronicles 2:25. The sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron, were: the firstborn Ram, and after him Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. The last proper name (Ahijah) is recognized by Clericus, Zöckler, and others as the name of the wife of Jerahmeel, not a son. The basis for this is the translations of the Syriac and LXX, which count only four sons of Jerahmeel, as well as the fact that the following verse speaks of a second wife of his.

1 Chronicles 2:26. Jerahmeel had another wife, named Atarah; she was the mother of Onam. The offspring of Atarah (“diadem,” “crown”—Prov 31:10; Sir 7:21) through her son Onam is enumerated in (1 Chr 2:28-33).

1 Chronicles 2:31. The son of Appaim: Ishi. The son of Ishi: Sheshan. The son of Sheshan: Ahlai. Ahlai is called the son of Sheshan; but in fact this is the name of Sheshan’s daughter, since according to (1 Chr 2:34) he had no sons, but only daughters; perhaps Ahlai was given in marriage to the Egyptian Jarha (1 Chr 2:34).

1 Chronicles 2:34. Sheshan had no sons, but only daughters. Sheshan had a servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Jarha; 1 Chronicles 2:35. Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to Jarha [his servant]; and she bore to him Attai. 1 Chronicles 2:36. Attai fathered Nathan, Nathan fathered Zabad; 1 Chronicles 2:37. Zabad fathered Ephlal, Ephlal fathered Obed; 1 Chronicles 2:38. Obed fathered Jehu, Jehu fathered Azariah; 1 Chronicles 2:39. Azariah fathered Helez, Helez fathered Eleasah; 1 Chronicles 2:40. Eleasah fathered Sisamai, Sisamai fathered Shallum; 1 Chronicles 2:41. Shallum fathered Jekamiah, Jekamiah fathered Elishama. The lineage of the Egyptian Jarha, the servant of Sheshan. The name Jarha is found nowhere else. Since Sheshan descended from Judah in the ninth generation from Judah, he lived before Moses, it is very probable that Jarha was his servant at the time of the Hebrew sojourn in Egypt. The possibility of marriage between an Egyptian and a Hebrew woman is confirmed.

1 Chronicles 2:42. The sons of Caleb, the brother of Jerahmeel: Mesha, his firstborn—he is the father of Ziph; and the sons of Mareshah, the father of Hebron. 1 Chronicles 2:43. The sons of Hebron: Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema. 1 Chronicles 2:44. Shema fathered Raham, the father of Jorkoam, and Rekem fathered Shammai. 1 Chronicles 2:45. The son of Shammai: Maon, and Maon was the father of Beth-Zur. 1 Chronicles 2:46. Ephah, Caleb’s concubine, bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez. Haran fathered Gazez. 1 Chronicles 2:47. The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph. 1 Chronicles 2:48. Caleb’s concubine Maacah bore Sheber and Tirhanah; 1 Chronicles 2:49. she also bore Shaaph, the father of Madmannah, Sheva, the father of Machbenah and the father of Gibea. And the daughter of Caleb was Acsah. 1 Chronicles 2:50. These are the sons of Caleb: the son Hur, the firstborn of Ephrath; Shobal, the father of Kiriath-Jearim; 1 Chronicles 2:51. Salma, the father of Bethlehem; Hareph, the father of Beth-Gader. 1 Chronicles 2:52. Shobal, the father of Kiriath-Jearim, had sons: Haroeh, Hazi, Manuhai. 1 Chronicles 2:53. The clans of Kiriath-Jearim: the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites. From these came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites. 1 Chronicles 2:54. The sons of Salma: the Bethlehemites and the Netophathites, the crown of the house of Joab, and half of the Manahethites—the Zorathites, 1 Chronicles 2:55. and the families of the scribes dwelling at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, the Suchathites. These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab. Addition to the genealogy of the house of Judah: three lines of descendants of Caleb with names predominantly of a geographical character.

1 Chronicles 2:42. The sons of Caleb, the brother of Jerahmeel: Mesha, his firstborn—he is the father of Ziph; and the sons of Mareshah, the father of Hebron. 1 Chronicles 2:43. The sons of Hebron: Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema. 1 Chronicles 2:44. Shema fathered Raham, the father of Jorkoam, and Rekem fathered Shammai. 1 Chronicles 2:45. The son of Shammai: Maon, and Maon was the father of Beth-Zur. The lineage of Mesha. The remark about Caleb: “the brother of Jerahmeel” leaves no doubt that this Caleb is the same person as Caleb, son of Hezron in verse (1 Chr 2:18). Therefore, the further genealogy of Caleb can be considered an addition to the previously set forth genealogy of the house of Judah. If the name Mesha is personal (2 Kgs 3:4), the name Ziph, mentioned in the book of Joshua as a city neighboring Hebron (Josh 15:55-57) and known from the history of David’s wilderness (1 Sam 23:14; 1 Sam 25:2), is recognized as a geographical term. From this the expression: “Mesha—father of Ziph” is equivalent to: Mesha was the founder of the settlement of Ziph (cf. verse 1 Chr 2:24: “Ashur—father of Tekoa”). Under the name Mareshah is known the city mentioned by Joshua and 2 Chronicles (Josh 15:44; 2 Chr 11:8); but since there are no indications of the dependence of the ancient city of Hebron on it (according to verse (1 Chr 2:42), Mareshah is the father of Hebron), it is more natural to regard these two names as personal, especially since Hebron as a personal name occurs in (Exod 6:18).

1 Chronicles 2:43. The sons of Hebron: Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema. The names Korah and Shema everywhere are used in the sense of personal names; Rekem—once as the name of a city (Josh 18:27) and twice as a personal name (Num 31:8; 1 Chr 7:16); and finally, Tappuah exclusively as the name of a city (Josh 12:17).

1 Chronicles 2:45. The son of Shammai: Maon, and Maon was the father of Beth-Zur. Maon and Beth-Zur are cities of the Judean hill country (Josh 15:55; 1 Sam 23:24; 2 Chr 11:7). Maon, son of Shammai, can be regarded as the founder of the city of the same name and its dependent colony of Beth-Zur.

1 Chronicles 2:46. Ephah, Caleb’s concubine, bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez. Haran fathered Gazez. 1 Chronicles 2:47. The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph. 1 Chronicles 2:48. Caleb’s concubine Maacah bore Sheber and Tirhanah; 1 Chronicles 2:49. she also bore Shaaph, the father of Madmannah, Sheva, the father of Machbenah and the father of Gibea. And the daughter of Caleb was Acsah. The lineage of Ephah and Maacah—the concubines of Caleb. The names of the two sons of Ephah—Haran and Gazez—are mentioned nowhere else; the name Moza is known from the book of Joshua (Josh 18:26) as the name of a city of the tribe of Benjamin; but it has no relation to the son of Caleb. “Haran fathered Gazez” is not in the LXX translation.

1 Chronicles 2:47. The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph. The kinship relationship of Jahdai to the above-mentioned descendants of Caleb is unknown; likewise nothing is known about his six sons.

1 Chronicles 2:49. she also bore Shaaph, the father of Madmannah, Sheva, the father of Machbenah and the father of Gibea. And the daughter of Caleb was Acsah. Madmannah is the name of a city mentioned in the book of Joshua (Josh 15:31), and perhaps identical with the modern Miniyah, lying south of Gaza. Shaaph is its father, that is, founder. The location of Machbenah is unknown, while Gibea is marked in the book of Joshua (Josh 15:57) as one of the cities of the hill country of Judea. The last remark of the present verse: “And the daughter of Caleb was Acsah” indicates that in this case it refers to Caleb, contemporary with Moses (Num 13:7) and Joshua (Josh 14:6-14), son of Jephunneh, who gave his daughter Acsah in marriage to Othniel (Josh 15:16-17; Judg 1:12-13). Therefore, he cannot be identified with the Caleb mentioned in (1 Chr 2:18) and (1 Chr 2:42), the son of Hezron, the brother of Jerahmeel. The latter, as the great-grandson of Judah, should be older than Moses and Joshua and their contemporary Caleb. If we thus distinguish two persons named Caleb, then it is necessary to assume that Caleb in verse (1 Chr 2:49), contemporary with Moses, belongs to the same generation as Caleb (1 Chr 2:18), the great-grandson of Judah, and therefore his genealogy is set forth together with, or after, the genealogy of his elder relative. Other exegetes, finding in verse 49 the continuation of the genealogy of Caleb, descendant of Hezron, consider the expressions: “And the daughter of Caleb was Acsah,” a later insertion (Movers), or understand the word “daughter” not in the proper sense, but in the sense of “granddaughter,” or any other more distant female relation.

1 Chronicles 2:50. These are the sons of Caleb: the son Hur, the firstborn of Ephrath; Shobal, the father of Kiriath-Jearim; 1 Chronicles 2:51. Salma, the father of Bethlehem; Hareph, the father of Beth-Gader. 1 Chronicles 2:52. Shobal, the father of Kiriath-Jearim, had sons: Haroeh, Hazi, Manuhai. 1 Chronicles 2:53. The clans of Kiriath-Jearim: the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites. From these came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites. 1 Chronicles 2:54. The sons of Salma: the Bethlehemites and the Netophathites, the crown of the house of Joab, and half of the Manahethites—the Zorathites, 1 Chronicles 2:55. and the families of the scribes dwelling at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, the Suchathites. These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab. The offspring of Hur, son of Caleb.

1 Chronicles 2:50. These are the sons of Caleb: the son Hur, the firstborn of Ephrath; Shobal, the father of Kiriath-Jearim; The expression: “these are the sons of Caleb” does not quite correspond to the following enumeration: they are the sons of Hur, but not of Caleb. The right to consider Shobal, Salma, etc. as sons of Hur is given by the LXX text: “these are the sons of Hur, firstborn of Ephrath.” Whether Shobal of the present verse is the same as Shobal (1 Chr 4:1) is unknown. He was the father, that is, the founder of the settlement of Kiriath-Jearim, or Kirjath-Baal (Josh 9:17), a city lying in the northwestern corner of the tribe of Judah.

1 Chronicles 2:51. Salma, the father of Bethlehem; Hareph, the father of Beth-Gader. Salma is the founder, that is, progenitor of the Bethlehemites. Beth-Gader is the name of a city mentioned (Josh 12:13) under the name of Geder.

1 Chronicles 2:52. Shobal, the father of Kiriath-Jearim, had sons: Haroeh, Hazi, Manuhai. Both the Hebrew reading of this verse: “haroe hazi hammenahot” and the LXX: Αραὰ καὶ Αἰσὶ καὶ Ἀμμανίθ, and the Vulgate: “qui videbat dimidium requietionum” are equally considered corrupted. The present reading is reconstructed as follows. According to (1 Chr 4:2), which speaks of Reaiah, son of Shobal, instead of Haroeh, Reaiah is read, and instead of Hammenahot, according to the indication in (1 Chr 2:54)—“Hammanahot,” that is, Reaiah and half (hazi) of the Manahathites—the sons of Shobal. From him, consequently, descended two lineages, the second of which is identical with the population of the city of Manahat (1 Chr 8:6). As is clear from (1 Chr 2:54), it lay in the vicinity of Zorah, and therefore its location is indicated on the border of the tribes of Judah and Dan.

1 Chronicles 2:53. The clans of Kiriath-Jearim: the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites. From these came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites. The last three descendants of Shobal are mentioned nowhere else. The name “Ithrites” is found also in (1 Chr 11:40). From this clan came the heroes of David—Ira and Gareb. The Zorathites are the inhabitants of the city of Zorah, the homeland of Samson (Judg 13:2); the Eshtaolites—the inhabitants of the city of Eshtaol neighboring Zorah (Judg 16:31).

1 Chronicles 2:54. The sons of Salma: the Bethlehemites and the Netophathites, the crown of the house of Joab, and half of the Manahethites—the Zorathites, The city of Netophah, after which its inhabitants are named, is mentioned in (2 Sam 23:23; 2 Kgs 25:23; Ezra 2:22; Neh 7:26), but its location is unknown. The Zorathites of this verse apparently made up the second half of the population of Zorah; the first was from the descendants of Shobal (1 Chr 2:53).

1 Chronicles 2:55. and the families of the scribes dwelling at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, the Suchathites. These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab. The location of Jabez is unknown, but like the cities (1 Chr 2:53), it could have been located in the northern part of the tribe of Judah. The population of Jabez is given the common name of Kenites with an indication of their descent from Hammath, the father of Beth-Rechab (Jer 35:1), and subdivision into three lineages: Tirites, Shimeathites, Suchathites. These last names sound like proper names in the Hebrew text, but in the Vulgate they are replaced with common nouns: “caneutes et resonantes et in tabernaculis commorantes.” The Latin translation thus ascribes to the Kenites the liturgical functions possessed by the Levite tribe. How far this is justified is difficult to say, but in any case, it is certain that both the Kenites and the Rechabites appear either directly in the role of priests, or in any case in the role of persons who kept the vows of Old Testament priesthood. Such was the Kenite Jethro, priest of Midian, the father-in-law of Moses (Exod 2:15;); such also were the descendants of Rechab, strictly observing the vow of Old Testament priesthood about abstaining from strong drink (Jer 35; cf. Lev 10:8-9) and called “those who stand before the face of the Lord” (Jer 35:19). The remark about the Kenites in the exposition of the genealogy of the house of Judah is explained by their kinship with the lineage of Salma.