1 Chronicles 2

1Ch 2:1, 2.

SONS OF

ISRAEL.

1Ch 2:3-12.

POSTERITY OF

JUDAH.

3. The sons of Judah--His descendants are enumerated first, because

the right and privileges of the primogeniture had been transferred to

him

(Ge 49:8),

and because from his tribe the Messiah was to spring.

6. Zimri, and Ethan, and Heman, and Calcol, and Dara--These five are

here stated to be the sons of Zerah, that is, of Ezra, whence they were

called Ezrahites

(1Ki 4:31).

In that passage they are called "the sons of Mahol," which, however, is

to be taken not as a proper name, but appellatively for "sons of music,

dancing," &c. The traditional fame of their great sagacity and

acquirements had descended to the time of Solomon and formed a standard

of comparison for showing the superior wisdom of that monarch. Jewish

writers say that they were looked up to as prophets by their countrymen

during the abode in Egypt.

7. the sons of Carmi--He was the son of Zimri, or Zabdi, as he is

called

(Jos 7:1).

Achar--or Achan

(Jos 7:1).

This variety in the form of the name is with great propriety used

here, since Achar means "troubler."

1Ch 2:13-17.

CHILDREN OF

JESSE.

15. David the seventh--As it appears

(1Sa 16:10; 17:12)

that Jesse had eight sons, the presumption is from David being

mentioned here as the seventh son of his father, that one of them had

died at an early age, without leaving issue.

17. Jether the Ishmaelite--(compare

2Sa 17:25).

In that passage he is called Ithra an Israelite; and there seems no

reason why, in the early days of David, anyone should be specially

distinguished as an Israelite. The presumption is in favor of the

reading followed by the Septuagint, which calls him "Jetra the

Jezreelite." The circumstance of his settling in another tribe, or of a

woman marrying out of her own tribe, was sufficiently rare and singular

to call for the statement that Abigail was married to a man of

Jezreel.

1Ch 2:18-55.

POSTERITY OF

CALEB.

18. Caleb the son of Hezron--The notices concerning this person

appear confused in our version. In

1Ch 2:19

he is said to be the father of Hur, whereas in

1Ch 2:50

he is called "the son of Hur." The words in this latter passage have

been transposed in the copying, and should be read thus, "Hur the son

of Caleb."

begat children of Azubah his wife, and of Jerioth--The former was his

spouse, while Jerioth seems to have been a secondary wife, and the

mother of the children whose names are here given. On the death of his

principal wife, he married Ephrath, and by her had Hur

[1Ch 2:19].

21. Hezron . . . daughter of Machir the father of Gilead--that is,

chief of that town, which with the lands adjacent was no doubt the

property of Machir, who was so desirous of a male heir. He was grandson

of Joseph. The wife of Machir was of the tribe of Manasseh

(Nu 26:29).

22. Jair, who had three and twenty cities in the land of Gilead--As the

son of Segub and the grandson of Hezron, he was of the tribe of Judah;

but from his maternal descent he is called

(Nu 32:41;

De 3:14)

"the son of Manasseh." This designation implies that his inheritance

lay in that tribe in right of his grandmother; in other words, his

maternal and adopting great-grandfather was Machir the

son of Manasseh. Jair, inheriting his property, was his lineal

representative; and accordingly this is expressly stated to be the

case; for the village group of "Havoth-Jair" was awarded to him in that

tribe, in consequence of his valiant and patriotic exploits. This

arrangement, however, took place previous to the law

(Nu 36:1-13),

tribe. But this instance of Jair shows that in the case of a man

obtaining an inheritance in another tribe it required him to become

thoroughly incorporated with it as a representative of the family

through which the inheritance was received. He had been adopted into

Manasseh, and it would never have been imagined that he was other than

"a son of Manasseh" naturally, had not this passage given information

supplementary to that of the passage in Numbers.

23. he took--rather "he had taken." This statement is accounting for

his acquisition of so large a territory; he got it by right of conquest

from the former possessors.

Kenath--This place, along with its group of surrounding villages,

was gained by Nobah, one of Jair's officers sent by him to capture it

(Nu 32:1, 2).

All these belonged to the sons of Machir--In their number Jair is

included as having completely identified himself by his marriage and

residence in Gilead with the tribe of Manasseh.

24. Caleb-ephratah--so called from uniting the names of husband

and wife

(1Ch 2:19),

and supposed to be the same as was afterwards called

Beth-lehem-ephratah.

Ashur, the father of Tekoa--

(2Sa 14:2-4).

He is called the father, either from his being the first founder, or

perhaps the ruler, of the city.

34. Sheshan had no sons, but daughters--either he had no sons alive at

his death, or his family consisted wholly of daughters, of whom Ahlai

(1Ch 2:31)

was one, she being specially mentioned on account of the domestic

relations about to be noted.

35. Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant to wife--The

adoption and marriage of a foreign slave in the family where he is

serving, is far from being a rare or extraordinary occurrence in

Eastern countries. It is thought, however, by some to have been a

connection not sanctioned by the law of Moses

[MICHAELIS]. But this is

not a well-founded objection, as the history of the Jews furnishes not

a few examples of foreign proselytes in the same manner obtaining an

inheritance in Israel; and doubtless Jarha had previously embraced the

Jewish faith in place of the grovelling idolatries of his native Egypt.

In such a case, therefore, there could be no legal difficulty. Being a

foreign slave, he had no inheritance in a different tribe to injure by

this connection; while his marriage with Sheshan's daughter led to his

adoption into the tribe of Judah, as well as his becoming heir of the

family property.

42. the sons of Caleb--(compare

1Ch 2:18, 25).

The sons here noticed were the fruit of his union with a third

wife.

55. the families of the scribes--either civil or ecclesiastical

officers of the Kenite origin, who are here classed with the tribe of

Judah, not as being descended from it, but as dwelling within its

territory, and in a measure incorporated with its people.

Jabez--a place in Judah

(1Ch 4:9).

Kenites that came of Hemath--who settled in Judah, and were thus

distinguished from another division of the Kenite clan which dwelt in

Manasseh

(Jud 4:11).