1 Chronicles 2:34

Now Sheshan had no sons, but daughters. And Sheshan had a servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Jarha.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(34) Now Sheshan had no sons, but daughters.—Comp. 1Chronicles 2:31 above, “And the children of Sheshan; Ahlai.” Those who insist upon a literal understanding of these lists reconcile the two statements by making Ahlai a daughter; others suppose that the chronicler has preserved for us in the present section fragments of at least two independent accounts.

Benson Commentary

1 Chronicles 2:34. But daughters — We read of no more than one daughter that he had: but the writer speaks in the plural number, as before, 1 Chronicles 2:31. An Egyptian, whose name was Jarha — To whom, as being a proselyte to the Jewish religion, and a faithful servant, his master Sheshan first gave his freedom, and then his daughter in marriage.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

2:1-55 Genealogies. - We are now come to the register of the children of Israel, that distinguished people, who were to dwell alone, and not be reckoned among the nations. But now, in Christ, all are welcome to his salvation who come to him; all have equal privileges according to their faith in him, their love and devotedness to him. All that is truly valuable consists in the favour, peace, and image of God, and a life spent to his glory, in promoting the welfare of our fellow-creatures.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And Ahijah - There is no "and" in the original. Hence, some would read: "the sons" were born "of" or "from Ahijah," the first wife of Jerahmeel (see the next verse).

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

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.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Sheshan had no sons, to wit, living when he died, his son Ahlai, 1 Chronicles 2:31, dying before him; unless Ahlai was the name of a daughter.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Now Sheshan had no sons, but daughters,.... And but one of that sort, whose name was Ahlai, 1 Chronicles 2:31 the plural being put here for the singular; or, if that is the name of a son, as some think, he died in his father's lifetime, and left no issue; so that there only remained daughters, and it seems but one by the next verse:

and Sheshan had a servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Jarha; one born in his house, and brought up by him, and a proselyte, such an one as Eliezer in Abraham's family.

Geneva Study Bible

Now Sheshan had no sons, but daughters. And Sheshan had a servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Jarha.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

1 Chronicles 2:34

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The descendants of Jada, the brother of Shammai, in two generations, after which this genealogy closes with the subscription, "these were the sons of Jerahmeel."

(Note: Bertheau reckons up to "the concluding subscription in 1 Chronicles 2:33" the following descendants of Judah: "Judah's sons equals 5; Hezron and Hamul equals 2; Zerah's sons equals 5; Karmi, Akar, and Azariah equals 3; Ram and his descendants (including the two daughters of Jesse, and Jeter the father of Amasa) equals 21; Kaleb and his descendants equals 10; Jerahmeel and his descendants equals 24: together equals 70." But this number also is obtained only by taking into account the father and mother of Amasa as two persons, contrary to the rule according to which only the father, without the mother, is to be counted, or, in case the mother be more famous than the father, or be an heiress, only the mother.)

- In 1 Chronicles 2:34-41 there follows the family of Sheshan, which was originated by the marriage of his daughter with his Egyptian slave, and which is continued through thirteen generations. The name of this daughter is in 1 Chronicles 2:25. not mentioned, but she is without doubt the Ahlai mentioned in 1 Chronicles 2:31. But since this Ahlai is the tenth in descent from Judah through Pharez, she was probably born in Egypt; and the Egyptian slave Jarha was most likely a slave whom Sheshan had in Egypt, and whom he adopted as his son for the propagation of his race, by giving him his daughter and heir to wife. If this be the case, the race begotten by Jarha with the daughter of Sheshan is traced down till towards the end of the period of the judges. The Egyptian slave Jarha is not elsewhere met with; and though the names which his posterity bore are found again in various parts of the Old Testament, of none of them can it be proved that they belonged to men of this family, so as to show that one of these person shad become famous in history.