1 Chronicles 2:3–55

2:3 Condensing details found in Genesis 38:1–5, the Chronicler names the three eldest sons of Judah, noting his wife was “Bath-shua [meaning “daughter of Shua”] the Canaanite.” This is the first of several namings in Chronicles of a foreign wife/mother or husband/father among the Israelites, with no explicit criticism (e.g., 1 Chron. 2:17, 34–35; 3:1, 2; 4:17; 7:14; 8:8).

As in Genesis 38:7, the blunt comment that Er “was evil in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death,” has no further details. It may simply explain why he had no children. The sordid tale of Onan (who also had no sons and was put to death), Judah, and Tamar (Genesis 38) is alluded to through the names and the statement that Tamar was Judah’s “daughter-in-law.” Judah’s third son, “Shelah,” is next mentioned when his descendants are given in the supplementary 1 Chronicles 4:21–23. The line that leads to David is to be through another son.

2:4–8 “Perez and Zerah” were twins (Gen. 38:27–30). The line to David will be through Perez and his son Hezron (from 1 Chron. 2:9), but first for completeness “the sons of Zerah” are given (vv. 6–8; cf. Josh. 7:1; 1 Kings 4:31).¹

Up to this point any comment by the Chronicler can also be found in earlier biblical genealogies (1 Chron. 1:10, 19, 43; 2:3), but now comes a statement previously unmentioned in genealogies: “Achan,² the troubler of Israel, . . . broke faith in the matter of the devoted thing.” Achan’s story is told in Joshua 7. In summarizing it here, the Chronicler introduces a major theme for the book: “breaking faith” (Hb. maʻal; translated elsewhere also as “be faithless”). The Chronicler will recount numerous examples of Israel’s breaking faith, commonly stated explicitly as worshiping other gods. The results were always catastrophic, leading to defeat, death, or exile (1 Chron. 5:25; 9:1; 10:13; 2 Chron. 12:2; 26:16, 18; 28:19, 22; 29:6, 19; 30:7; 33:19; 36:14).

2:9 Perez’s son Hezron had three sons. The chiastic arrangement of 2:10–3:24 (cf. Overview of 2:3–4:23) gives prominence to David by dividing the line of the middle son, “Ram,” into two parts, respectively ending and starting with the time of David (2:10–17; 3:1–24).

2:10–17 Details here are mainly as in Ruth 4:19–22, although they are more comprehensive here. Nahshon is described as a “prince,” which could also be translated “chief” (as in Num. 2:3); nasiʼ is common in Chronicles for leaders of clans or tribes (cf. 1 Chron. 4:38; 5:6; 7:40; 2 Chron. 1:2; 5:2).

The enumeration of Jesse’s sons recalls the process leading to Samuel’s anointing of David (1 Sam. 16:1–13; the fourth to sixth names are unique to Chronicles).³ The focus will later turn to the line of kingship, but here the wider family is named, including two of David’s sisters and their sons, who feature often in the narrative of David’s rise and reign (e.g., Abishai, Joab, and Asahel, “son(s) of Zeruiah”: 1 Sam. 26:6; 2 Sam. 2:12–32; 19:1–5, 21–22; Amasa: 2 Sam. 19:13; 20:1–13). Amasa’s father, another foreigner, is also included.

2:18–24 “Caleb the son of Hezron” (“Chelubai,” v. 9, is a variant form) is to be distinguished from the Caleb of the conquest stories, also a Judahite (“son of Jephunneh”; 4:15; 6:56; Num. 13:6⁴). His line ends here with “Bezalel,” who had a key role in the construction of the tabernacle and was “filled . . . with the Spirit of God” (Ex. 31:1–5; 35:30–36:2). The only other mention of Bezalel is in 2 Chronicles 1:5, which references “the bronze altar that Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, had made.” On that altar Solomon offered burnt offerings prior to God’s appearing and granting him wisdom, later to be exercised in building the temple. The tasks of Bezalel and Solomon, tabernacle and temple, are brought together, both enabled by God.

Caleb’s line intermingles with other relations of his father, Hezron. It illustrates association between Judahites and Gileadites (from the northern Transjordan), although the historical background is unknown. The phrase “father of (place name)” is used often to describe the key person of the place (founder or leader), as here, where “Machir” is “the father of Gilead.”

2:25–41 Names associated with Hezron’s eldest son, Jerahmeel, are in two groups (vv. 25–33, 34–41). An almost identical clause at the beginning and end marks the first group: “the sons/descendants of Jerahmeel” (vv. 25, 33). The supplementary second group is composite, with verses 34–35 being followed by verses 36–41, the latter of which repeatedly use “fathered.”⁵ Each name occurs only here in the OT, apart from mention of “the Jerahmeelites” among people raided by David that lived south of the border of Judah (1 Sam. 27:10; 30:29). Again, the Chronicler specifically mentions a foreigner, Jarha, “an Egyptian slave” (1 Chron. 2:34).

2:42–55 Supplementing verses 18–24 are at least two lists of people and places related to Caleb, son of Hezron (a clear division is in the middle of v. 50). While many names are known only here, some in verses 42–50a are towns in the area of “Hebron,” while those in verses 50b–55 are known elsewhere in Judah (e.g., “Kiriath-jearim” and “Bethlehem”). Hebron became a major center; it was there that David was crowned king of Israel (11:1–3).