HarperCollins Study Bible, page 161
The sonsf of Hur the firstborn of Ephrathah: Shobal father of Kiriath-jearim, 51Salma father of Bethlehem, and Hareph father of Bethgader. 52Shobal father of Kiriath-jearim had other sons: Haroeh, half of the Menuhoth. 53And the families of Kiriath-jearim: the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; from these came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites. 54The sons of Salma: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth-beth-joab, and half of the Manahathites, the Zorites. 55The families also of the scribes that lived at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the Sucathites. These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, father of the house of Rechab.
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a Or Darda; Compare Syr Tg some Gk Mss; See 1 Kings 4.31
b Heb sons
c Heb sons
d Heb sons
e Gk reads Mareshah
f Gk Vg: Heb son
2.1–2 Chronicles has an inclusive view of Israel and so lists all twelve tribes. For the order of the tribes in these verses, with the exception of Dan, see Gen 35.23–26. The rest of chs. 2–8 provides details of the Israelite genealogy, though no details are provided for Zebulun and perhaps Dan (but see 7.12).
2.3–4.23 The genealogy of Judah, the most important tribe in the postexilic community, begins the genealogies of individual tribes. The genealogies conclude in ch. 8 with Benjamin, another important post-exilic tribe.
2.3–4 Based on Gen 38. Judah sires twins by his daughter-in-law Tamar.
2.3 Bath-shua, the daughter of Shua (Gen 38.2).
2.4 Perez, a twin, who makes a “breach” and comes out of the womb before his brother Zerah (Gen 38.27–30).
2.5 Hezron and Hamul, grandsons of Judah (Gen 46.12; Num 26.21).
2.6–8 Descendants of Zerah, the younger brother of Perez.
2.7 Achar (cf. Achan in Josh 7.1, 18; Achor in Josh 7.24, 26) violated the provisions of holy war by taking booty from Jericho.
2.9 Chelubai, Caleb. The descendants of Hezron, grandson of Judah, are divided into the descendants of Ram (2.10–17; 3.1–24 [descendants of David]), Caleb (2.18–24, 42–55), and Jerahmeel (2.25–33; 2.34–41).
2.10–17 Ram, Hezron’s second son, was the ancestor of David.
2.15 According to 1 Sam 16.10–11; 17.12–14, David is the eighth son. Josephus (Ant. 6.161–63) follows the number of sons given by the Chronicler.
2.16–17 Abishai, Joab, Asahel, and Amasa, nephews of David and his trusted military leaders.
2.17 Ishmaelite. The Hebrew of 2 Sam 17.25 reads “Israelite.”
2.18–24 Descendants of Caleb/Chelubai, the third son of Hezron.
2.18 The verse should begin, “Caleb…had Jerioth by his wife Azubah.” Here Jerioth is the mother of the following three men.
2.20 Bezalel, a craftsman who worked on the tabernacle (Ex 31.2; 35.30, 38:22).
2.24 In Caleb-ephrathah…Ashhur, better “Caleb went in to Ephrathah (and Hezron’s wife was Abijah) and she bore him Ashhur.” The parenthesis supplies the name of the anonymous daughter of Machir in v. 21.
2.25–33, 34–41 Two lists of descendants of Jerahmeel, the oldest son of Hezron. At the time of David the Jerahmeelites lived in the Negeb of Judah (1 Sam 27.10; 30.29). According to v. 31 Ahlai is the son of Sheshan, but according to v. 34 Sheshan had no sons.
2.35 His slave Jarha. The children of a foreign slave who has an Israelite master continue the master’s line of descent.
2.41 Elishama ’s pedigree is certified by a linear genealogy of fourteen generations (vv. 34–41), but his identity is otherwise unknown.
2.42–50a The additional descendants of Caleb are actually cities in the southern part of Judah. Hebron seems to be the main center around which the other cities cluster.
2.50b–55 A continuation of the genealogy of the Calebite Hur, begun in vv. 18–19.
1 CHRONICLES 3
Descendants of David and Solomon
1These are the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron: the firstborn Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelite; the second Daniel, by Abigail the Carmelite; 2the third Absalom, son of Maacah, daughter of King Talmai of Geshur; the fourth Adonijah, son of Haggith; 3the fifth Shephatiah, by Abital; the sixth Ithream, by his wife Eglah; 4six were born to him in Hebron, where he reigned for seven years and six months. And he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 5These were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon, four by Bath-shua, daughter of Ammiel; 6then Ibhar, Elishama, Eliphelet, 7Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 8Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet, nine. 9All these were David’s sons, besides the sons of the concubines; and Tamar was their sister.
10The descendants of Solomon: Rehoboam, Abijah his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son, 11Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, 12Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son, 13Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son, 14Amon his son, Josiah his son. 15The sons of Josiah: Johanan the firstborn, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum. 16The descendants of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son; 17and the sons of Jeconiah, the captive: Shealtiel his son, 18Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah; 19The sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel and Shimei; and the sons of Zerubbabel: Meshullam and Hananiah, and Shelomith was their sister; 20and Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-hesed, five. 21The sons of Hananiah: Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, his sona Rephaiah, his sonb Arnan, his sonc Obadiah, his sond Shecaniah. 22The sone of Shecaniah: Shemaiah. And the sons of Shemaiah: Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat, six. 23The sons of Neariah: Elioenai, Hizkiah, and Azrikam, three. 24The sons of Elioenai: Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani, seven.
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a Gk Compare Syr Vg: Heb sons of
b Gk Compare Syr Vg: Heb sons of
c Gk Compare Syr Vg: Heb sons of
d Gk Compare Syr Vg: Heb sons of
e Heb sons
3.1–24 The descendants of David. Cf. 2 Sam 3.2–5; 5.5, 13–16 and the Davidic kings in the book of Kings. The final section of the genealogy, vv. 17–24, is without a biblical parallel.
3.1–4 Sons born to David in Hebron. Daniel. The second son of David is called Chileab in 2 Sam 3.3. Abigail, widow of Nabal (1 Sam 25).
3.4 2 Sam 5.5 specifies that David’s reign in Hebron was “over Judah,” while his reign in Jerusalem was “over all Israel and Judah.”
3.5–9 Sons born to David in Jerusalem. Cf. 14.3–7.
3.5 Only Solomon is identified as a son of Bath-shua (Bathsheba) elsewhere.
3.6–7 Eliphelet, Nogah. Cf. 14.5–6; lacking in 2 Sam 5.15.
3.9 This verse is an addition by the Chronicler. Tamar. See 2 Sam 13.1.
3.10–16 Kings in Jerusalem.
3.11 Athaliah is not included in the list of monarchs because she was not a descendant of David.
3.12 Azariah (cf. 2 Kings 15.1), called Uzziah in 2 Chr 26.
3.15 Johanan, otherwise unknown. Shallum, Jehoahaz (2 Chr 36.1; Jer 22.11).
3.16 Jeconiah, Jehoiachin (2 Chr 36.9), Coniah (Jer 22.24). Zedekiah his son. Zedekiah was the successor (son) to Jeconiah, and Jeconiah the successor (son) to Jehoiakim; Zedekiah’s father was Josiah, as v. 15 attests. 2 Chr 36.10 makes Zedekiah the brother of Jehoiachin.
3.17–24 The descendants of Jeconiah, who was taken captive in 597 BCE and released from Babylonian prison some thirty-seven years later (2 Kings 25.27–30). The following approximate birth dates have been proposed: Jeconiah, 616 (cf. 2 Kings 24.8; 2 Chr 36.9 [608]); Pedaiah, 595; Zerubbabel, 570; Hananiah, 545; Shecaniah, 520; Shemaiah, 495; Neariah, 470; Elioenai, 445; Hodaviah, 420. If these proposals are correct, the present form of this list would date to about 400 BCE. If this list is part of the original edition of Chronicles, a date for the book prior to 400 BCE would be impossible.
3.17–18 The Babylonian Chronicle, a cuneiform historiographical source dated to 592 BCE, mentions five sons of the king of Judah instead of the seven named here.
3.18 Shenazzar, to be distinguished from Sheshbazzar (Ezra 1.8).
3.19 Zerubbabel and Joshua were leaders of the postexilic community at the time of Haggai. Elsewhere Zerubbabel is called the son of Shealtiel (Ezra 3.2). Perhaps Shealtiel died childless and Pedaiah engendered Zerubbabel in a levirate marriage (Deut 25.5–10).
3.20 The last five children of Zerubbabel may have been born after their parents’ return to Palestine. The etymologies of these names express Israel’s hope; e.g., Hashubah in Hebrew means “Yahweh has considered,” Berechiah, “Yahweh has blessed.”
3.21 Rephaiah…Shecaniah, brothers of Pelatiah and Jeshaiah. On the basis of the Septuagint the NRSV understands these names as four additional generations.
3.22 Six. Only five names are given.
3.24 Anani, mentioned in an Aramaic letter of 407 BCE.
1 CHRONICLES 4
Descendants of Judah
1The sons of Judah: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. 2Reaiah son of Shobal became the father of Jahath, and Jahath became the father of Ahumai and Lahad. These were the families of the Zorathites. 3These were the sonsa of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Id-bash; and the name of their sister was Hazzelelponi, 4and Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These were the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, the father of Bethlehem. 5Ashhur father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah; 6Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari.b These were the sons of Naarah. 7The sons of Helah: Zereth, Izhar,c and Ethnan. 8Koz became the father of Anub, Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel son of Harum. 9Jabez was honored more than his brothers; and his mother named him Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” 10Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from hurt and harm!” And God granted what he asked. 11Chelub the brother of Shuhah became the father of Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. 12Eshton became the father of Beth-rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Ir-nahash. These are the men of Recah. 13The sons of Kenaz: Othniel and Seraiah; and the sons of Othniel: Hathath and Meonothai.d 14Meonothai became the father of Ophrah; and Seraiah became the father of Joab father of Ge-harashim,e so-called because they were artisans. 15The sons of Caleb son of Jephunneh: Iru, Elah, and Naam; and the sonf of Elah: Kenaz. 16The sons of Jehallelel: Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel. 17The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. These are the sons of Bithiah, daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered married;g and she conceived and boreh Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah father of Eshtemoa. 18And his Judean wife bore Jered father of Gedor, Heber father of Soco, and Jekuthiel father of Zanoah. 19The sons of the wife of Hodiah, the sister of Naham, were the fathers of Keilah the Garmite and Eshtemoa the Maacathite. 20The sons of Shimon: Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-hanan, and Tilon. The sons of Ishi: Zoheth and Ben-zoheth. 21The sons of Shelah son of Judah: Er father of Lecah, Laadah father of Mareshah, and the families of the guild of linen workers at Beth-ashbea; 22and Jokim, and the men of Cozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who married into Moab but returned to Lehemi (now the recordsj are ancient). 23These were the potters and inhabitants of Netaim and Gederah; they lived there with the king in his service.
Descendants of Simeon
24The sons of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, Shaul;k 25Shallum was his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son. 26The sons of Mishma: Hammuel his son, Zaccur his son, Shimei his son. 27Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brothers did not have many children, nor did all their family multiply like the Judeans. 28They lived in Beer-sheba, Moladah, Hazar-shual, 29Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, 30Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, 31Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susim, Beth-biri, and Shaaraim. These were their towns until David became king. 32And their villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan, five towns, 33along with all their villages that were around these towns as far as Baal. These were their settlements. And they kept a genealogical record.
34Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of Amaziah, 35Joel, Jehu son of Joshibiah son of Seraiah son of Asiel, 36Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah, 37Ziza son of Shiphi son of Allon son of Jedaiah son of Shimri son of Shemaiah—38these mentioned by name were leaders in their families, and their clans increased greatly. 39They journeyed to the entrance of Gedor, to the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks, 40where they found rich, good pasture, and the land was very broad, quiet, and peaceful; for the former inhabitants there belonged to Ham. 41These, registered by name, came in the days of King Hezekiah of Judah, and attacked their tents and the Meunim who were found there, and exterminated them to this day, and settled in their place, because there was pasture there for their flocks. 42And some of them, five hundred men of the Simeonites, went to Mount Seir, having as their leaders Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, sons of Ishi; 43they destroyed the remnant of the Amalekites that had escaped, and they have lived there to this day.
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a Gk Compare Vg: Heb the father
b Or Ahashtari
c Another reading is Zohar
d Gk Vg: Heb lacks and Meonothai
e That is Valley of artisans
f Heb sons
g The clause: These are…married is transposed from verse 18
h Heb lacks and bore
i Vg Compare Gk: Heb and Jashubi-lahem
j Or matters
k Or Saul
4.1–23 A miscellaneous collection of genealogies related to Judah.
4.1 Sons, descendants. Hezron was a grandson of Judah (2.5), Hur a great-great-grandson (2.19), etc.
4.2 Zorathites. Zorah (cf. 2.53) was a city fortified by Rehoboam, as were Etam (v. 3) and Tekoa (v. 5; cf. 2 Chr 11.6–10).
4.4 Bethlehem, a town five miles south of Jerusalem. Ephrathah is listed as its “grandmother” and either Hur or Salma (2.51, 54) as its “father.” Cf. “Bethlehem of Ephrathah” (Mic 5.2).
4.5 Tekoa, home of Amos; six miles south of Bethlehem.
4.9–10 Jabez, linked etymologically to the Hebrew words for pain and harm. His prayer was meant to counteract the threatening character of his name.
4.13 Sons of Kenaz. The Kenizzites were a southern tribe that joined with Judah, although the genealogical links between Judah and Kenaz are not given. Caleb is a Kenizzite in Num 32.12; Josh 14.6, 14.
4.14 Ge-harashim, the Valley of Craftsmen, northwest of Jerusalem, in which were located Lod and Ono; cf. Neh 11.35.
4.16 Ziph, a town south of Hebron.
4.21 Shelah, the oldest surviving son of Judah. Er, named after his uncle, the oldest son of Judah. Note the mention of guilds: linen workers (v. 21) and potters (v. 23).
4.23 King. The list dates to preexilic times.
4.24–43 This genealogy is made up of descendants of Simeon, especially through Shaul (vv. 24–27; cf. Gen 46.10; Ex 6.15; Num 26.12–14), settlements of the Simeonites near Beer-sheba (vv. 28–33; cf. Josh 15.21–32; 19.2–8), and leaders of Simeon and places to which they migrated (vv. 34–43).
4.39 Gedor. The Septuagint reads “Gerar,” a town in the Negeb, within Simeonite territory. Attacks at the time of Hezekiah were against the Philistines in the southwest and against Edom in the southeast (vv. 39–43).
1 CHRONICLES 5
Descendants of Reuben
1The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel. (He was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright; 2though Judah became prominent among his brothers and a ruler came from him, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph.) 3The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 4The sons of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son, 5Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son, 6Beerah his son, whom King Tilgath-pilneser of Assyria carried away into exile; he was a chieftain of the Reubenites. 7And his kindred by their families, when the genealogy of their generations was reckoned: the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah, 8and Bela son of Azaz, son of Shema, son of Joel, who lived in Aroer, as far as Nebo and Baal-meon. 9He also lived to the east as far as the beginning of the desert this side of the Euphrates, because their cattle had multiplied in the land of Gilead. 10And in the days of Saul they made war on the Hagrites, who fell by their hand; and they lived in their tents throughout all the region east of Gilead.
Descendants of Gad
11The sons of Gad lived beside them in the land of Bashan as far as Salecah: 12Joel the chief, Shapham the second, Janai, and Shaphat in Bashan. 13And their kindred according to their clans: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber, seven. 14These were the sons of Abihail son of Huri, son of Jaroah, son of Gilead, son of Michael, son of Jeshishai, son of Jahdo, son of Buz; 15Ahi son of Abdiel, son of Guni, was chief in their clan; 16and they lived in Gilead, in Bashan and in its towns, and in all the pasture lands of Sharon to their limits. 17All of these were enrolled by genealogies in the days of King Jotham of Judah, and in the days of King Jeroboam of Israel.
18The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had valiant warriors, who carried shield and sword, and drew the bow, expert in war, forty-four thousand seven hundred sixty, ready for service. 19They made war on the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab; 20and when they received help against them, the Hagrites and all who were with them were given into their hands, for they cried to God in the battle, and he granted their entreaty because they trusted in him. 21They captured their livestock: fifty thousand of their camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep, two thousand donkeys, and one hundred thousand captives. 22Many fell slain, because the war was of God. And they lived in their territory until the exile.
