1 Chronicles 2 - Clarke's commentary and critical notes on the Bible

These are the sons of Israel; Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, These are the sons of Israel - For this genealogy see the parallel places at Genesis 29:32; Genesis 30:5; Genesis 35:18, Genesis 35:22; Genesis 46:8, etc.

Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

The sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah: which three were born unto him of the daughter of Shua the Canaanitess. And Er, the firstborn of Judah, was evil in the sight of the LORD; and he slew him.

And Tamar his daughter in law bare him Pharez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five.

The sons of Pharez; Hezron, and Hamul.

And the sons of Zerah; Zimri, and Ethan, and Heman, and Calcol, and Dara: five of them in all. Five of them in all - "These were all chief men; and on them the spirit of prophecy rested." - T.

And the sons of Carmi; Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed.

And the sons of Ethan; Azariah.

The sons also of Hezron, that were born unto him; Jerahmeel, and Ram, and Chelubai.

And Ram begat Amminadab; and Amminadab begat Nahshon, prince of the children of Judah;

And Nahshon begat Salma, and Salma begat Boaz,

And Boaz begat Obed, and Obed begat Jesse,

And Jesse begat his firstborn Eliab, and Abinadab the second, and Shimma the third,

Nethaneel the fourth, Raddai the fifth,

Ozem the sixth, David the seventh:

Whose sisters were Zeruiah, and Abigail. And the sons of Zeruiah; Abishai, and Joab, and Asahel, three.

And Abigail bare Amasa: and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmeelite. Jether the Ishmeelite - "They called him Jether, because he girded himself with his sword, that he might assist David with the Arabians, when Abner was endeavoring to destroy David and the whole race of Jesse, as being unfit to enter into the congregation of the Lord, on account of Ruth the Moabitess." - T.

And Caleb the son of Hezron begat children of Azubah his wife, and of Jerioth: her sons are these; Jesher, and Shobab, and Ardon. Azubah - "And why was she called Azubah? Because she was barren and despised. But her injury was manifested before the Lord; and she was comforted, and adorned with wisdom; and she span, skilfully, goats' hair for the court of the tabernacle." - T.

And when Azubah was dead, Caleb took unto him Ephrath, which bare him Hur.

And Hur begat Uri, and Uri begat Bezaleel. Uri begat Bezaleel - This was probably the famous artist mentioned Exodus 31:2 (note), etc., where see the notes.

And afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead, whom he married when he was threescore years old; and she bare him Segub.

And Segub begat Jair, who had three and twenty cities in the land of Gilead.

And he took Geshur, and Aram, with the towns of Jair, from them, with Kenath, and the towns thereof, even threescore cities. All these belonged to the sons of Machir the father of Gilead.

And after that Hezron was dead in Calebephratah, then Abiah Hezron's wife bare him Ashur the father of Tekoa.

And the sons of Jerahmeel the firstborn of Hezron were, Ram the firstborn, and Bunah, and Oren, and Ozem, and Ahijah.

Jerahmeel had also another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam.

And the sons of Ram the firstborn of Jerahmeel were, Maaz, and Jamin, and Eker.

And the sons of Onam were, Shammai, and Jada. And the sons of Shammai; Nadab, and Abishur.

And the name of the wife of Abishur was Abihail, and she bare him Ahban, and Molid.

And the sons of Nadab; Seled, and Appaim: but Seled died without children.

And the sons of Appaim; Ishi. And the sons of Ishi; Sheshan. And the children of Sheshan; Ahlai.

And the sons of Jada the brother of Shammai; Jether, and Jonathan: and Jether died without children.

And the sons of Jonathan; Peleth, and Zaza. These were the sons of Jerahmeel.

Now Sheshan had no sons, but daughters. And Sheshan had a servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Jarha. Whose name was Jarha - "And he gave him his liberty, and gave him Sheshan his daughter to wife." - T.

And Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant to wife; and she bare him Attai.

And Attai begat Nathan, and Nathan begat Zabad,

And Zabad begat Ephlal, and Ephlal begat Obed,

And Obed begat Jehu, and Jehu begat Azariah,

And Azariah begat Helez, and Helez begat Eleasah,

And Eleasah begat Sisamai, and Sisamai begat Shallum,

And Shallum begat Jekamiah, and Jekamiah begat Elishama.

Now the sons of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel were, Mesha his firstborn, which was the father of Ziph; and the sons of Mareshah the father of Hebron. Now the sons of Caleb - This was not Caleb the son of Jephunneh, but Caleb the son of Hezron, 1 Chronicles 2:18, 1 Chronicles 2:50. But some think that Caleb the son of Hezron was the grandson of Caleb, son of Jephunneh; but this is probably fanciful.

The father of Ziph - "The prince of the Ziphites." - T.

And the sons of Hebron; Korah, and Tappuah, and Rekem, and Shema.

And Shema begat Raham, the father of Jorkoam: and Rekem begat Shammai.

And the son of Shammai was Maon: and Maon was the father of Bethzur.

And Ephah, Caleb's concubine, bare Haran, and Moza, and Gazez: and Haran begat Gazez.

And the sons of Jahdai; Regem, and Jotham, and Geshan, and Pelet, and Ephah, and Shaaph.

Maachah, Caleb's concubine, bare Sheber, and Tirhanah.

She bare also Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbenah, and the father of Gibea: and the daughter of Caleb was Achsah.

These were the sons of Caleb the son of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah; Shobal the father of Kirjathjearim,

Salma the father of Bethlehem, Hareph the father of Bethgader.

And Shobal the father of Kirjathjearim had sons; Haroeh, and half of the Manahethites. Shobal - had sons - "Disciples and priests, to whom belonged the half of the oblations." - T.

And the families of Kirjathjearim; the Ithrites, and the Puhites, and the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; of them came the Zareathites, and the Eshtaulites. The families of Kirjath-jearim - "These were the children of Moses, which Zipporah bare to him, viz., the Jethrites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; of these came the disciples of the prophets Zarah and Eshtaol." - T.

The sons of Salma; Bethlehem, and the Netophathites, Ataroth, the house of Joab, and half of the Manahethites, the Zorites. The sons of Salma - "The righteous Bethlehemites, who had a good name, as the Netophathites, who removed the guards which Jeroboam had placed in the way lest the people should carry the first-fruits to Jerusalem: for the sons of Salma carried baskets full of first-fruits privately to Jerusalem; and having cloven wood, they made ladders, and brought them to Jerusalem to be laid up in Beth-mokad for oblations. These came from the lineage of Joab the son of Zeruiah; and some of them were priests; and they divided the residue of the sacrifices with the sons of the prophets who were in Zorah." - T.

And the families of the scribes which dwelt at Jabez; the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and Suchathites. These are the Kenites that came of Hemath, the father of the house of Rechab. The families - "The families of the Rechabites, the sons of Eliezer the son of Misco, the disciple of Jabez; he was Othniel, the son of Kenaz. And he was called Jabez, because in his council he instituted a school of disciples; they were called Tirathim, because in their hymns their voice was like trumpets; and Shimathim, because in hearing they lifted up their faces, i.e., in prayer; and Suchathim, because they were overshadowed by the Spirit of prophecy. These Salmaei were the children of Zipporah, who were numbered among the Levites who came from the stock of Moses, the master of Israel, whose righteousness profited them more than chariots and horses." - T. See on 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 (note).

Is the above explanation of Tirathites, Shimeathites, and Suchathites, the Targumist refers to the import of the Hebrew roots, whence these names are derived. See 1 Chronicles 4:10. In this chapter many names of cities are given as the names of men.

Commentary on the Bible, by Adam Clarke [1831].