Chapters 2–8. The Genealogies of the Tribes of Israel

The Chronicler deals very unequally with the tribes in their genealogies; as the following table shews:

1 Chronicles 2:1 to 1 Chronicles 4:23. Judah (102 verses).

1 Chronicles 4:24-43. Simeon (20 verses).

1 Chronicles 5:1-26. Reuben, Gad, and Eastern Manasseh (26 verses).

1 Chronicles 6:1-81. Levi (81 verses).

1 Chronicles 7:1-40. Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Eastern Manasseh (again), Ephraim, and Asher (40 verses).

1 Chronicles 8:1-40. Benjamin, though already noticed in 1 Chronicles 7:6-11 (40 verses).

Zebulun and (perhaps) Dan (cp. 1 Chronicles 7:12, note) are omitted.

It may easily be seen that the tribes in which the Chronicler is really interested are the three southern tribes, Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, together with the priestly tribe, Levi.

The order in which the tribes are mentioned is at first geographical, Judah and Simeon the southern tribes first, then the eastern tribes Reuben, Gad, Manasseh; the rest follow in no fixed order.

Ch. 1 Chronicles 4:1-23. A Genealogy of the Tribe of Judah (cp. 1 Chronicles 2:3 ff.)

1. As Hezron was the son of Perez (ch. 1 Chronicles 2:5) and (if the LXX. be right) Shobal was the son of Hur (1 Chronicles 2:50, note), we have in this verse five, if not six, generations.

Pharez] R.V. Perez.

Carmi] if a descendant of Hezron, then probably not the person mentioned in 1 Chronicles 2:7.

2. Reaiah] Cp. note on 1 Chronicles 2:52.

the Zorathites] Cp. note on 1 Chronicles 2:53.

3. these were of the father of Etam] LXX. (“these were the sons of Etam”—Αἰτάν) yields better sense. Etam (1 Chronicles 4:32) was a place; the “sons of Etam” would be families which derived their origin from the place.

4. Hur] the first-born of Ephratah (R.V. Ephrathah = Ephrath) one of the wives of Caleb (1 Chronicles 2:19). Hur was father of Bethlehem through his son Salma (1 Chronicles 2:50-51, LXX.). For the name of the city cp. Genesis 35:19 (Ephrath the same is Bethlehem) and Micah 5:2 (R.V. Thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah).

8. And Coz] R.V. And Hakkoz as in 1 Chronicles 24:10, but there a different person (or family) is meant. The connexion of this verse with the preceding does not appear, and the names given are not otherwise known.

9. The connexion of this verse also does not appear, but according to Targ. (on 1 Chronicles 4:13) Jabez = Othniel, the nephew of Caleb.

And Jabez etc.] Render, And Jabez came to be hononred above his brethren, but his mother had called his name, etc. The man with the ill-omened name staved off ill-fortune by his prayer. Jabez = “He bringeth sorrow.”

10. my coast] R.V. my border.

that thou wouldest keep me from evil] Lit. that thou wouldest make … from evil. Most probably the Heb. text is defective here, one or two words having fallen out, and we should supply the gap somewhat as follows, that thorn wouldest make [room (merḥâbh) for me, and wouldest redeem (phâdîthâ) me] from evil.

that it may not grieve me] R.V. that it be not to my sorrow; cp. last note.

12. These are the men of Rechah] LXX. (B), the men of Rechab; cp. 1 Chronicles 2:55, note. Targ. the men of the Great Synagogue, reading perhaps rabbah (“great”) for Rechah.

13. Othniel] the first of the Judges; cp. Jdg 1:13; Jdg 3:9-11.

14. Meonothai] perhaps a son of Othniel.

the valley of Charashim] R.V. marg. the valley of craftsmen. It is mentioned Nehemiah 11:35 along with Lod (the Lydda of Acts 9:32) and therefore was probably near Lydda.

15. Caleb the son of Jephunneh] Cp. 1 Chronicles 2:42, note.

the sons of Elah, even Kenaz] R.V. the sons of Elah; and Kenaz. The sons of Elah and Kenaz are co-ordinated, as each representing a family descended from Caleb.

16, 17. The connexion of these names with Judah does not appear. Ziph however is the name of a place in the south of Judah (1 Samuel 23:15; 1 Samuel 23:19).

17. and Jalon: and she bare Miriam] As the text stands she has no antecedent. It has therefore been proposed to transfer from 1 Chronicles 4:18 the words And these are the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, which Mered took, and put them after Jalon. Bithiah then appears as the mother of Miriam, Shammai and Ishbah, and the difficulty of the absence of her sons’ names from 1 Chronicles 4:18 disappears. For father of Eshtemoa see 1 Chronicles 2:14 note, and for Eshtemoa see Joshua 21:14.

18. his wife] the wife of Mered, if the transposition mentioned in the last note be accepted.

his wife Jehudijah] R.V. his wife the Jewess (so called in contrast to his Egyptian wife).

Gedor] Cp. 1 Chronicles 4:4, where a different person is perhaps by a different tradition called father of Gedor. Gedor is to be identified with the ruins of Jedur on the road between Jerusalem and Hebron (Bädeker, p. 135)

Socho] R.V. Soco.

Socho … Zanoah] The two places are mentioned in the reverse order in Joshua 15:34-35 as situated in the lowland (Shephelah). Zâbû‘a still exists (Bädeker, p. 161).

these are the sons of Bithiah] See note on 1 Chronicles 4:17.

19. of his wife Hodiah] R.V. of the wife of Hodiah.

Keilah] a town of the Shephelah (Joshua 15:44), the scene of one of David’s exploits (1 Samuel 23:1-5).

Eshtemoa the Maachathite] The epithet distinguishes this Eshtemoa from that of 1 Chronicles 4:17. The Maachathite may mean the descendant of Maachah (1 Chronicles 2:48), the concubine of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel.

21. Shelah] 1 Chronicles 2:3.

Lecah] an unknown place.

Mareshah] 1 Chronicles 2:42; 2 Chronicles 11:8; Joshua 15:44 (mentioned with Keilah). A town in the south of Judah.

the house of Ashbea] Nothing is known of such a family. We might render, Beth-Ashbea, but nothing is known of such a place.

22. and Joash, and Saraph, who etc.] Targ. “and Joash who is Mahlon and Seraph who is Chilion who took wives of the daughters of Moab” (cp. Ruth 1:2; Ruth 1:4). There is little to be said for the identification, which rests on the fact that the Hebrew word for had dominion might be translated married. We find no other trace of these two as rulers of Moab.

and Jashubi-lehem] Vulg. who returned to Bethlehem, a translation which requires only an easy emendation of the present Hebrew text. Mahlon and Chilion did not return. Joash and Saraph may have retired to Moab either (like Mahlon and Chilion) because of a famine, or to escape foreign oppression, e.g. that of the Chaldeans, married wives there, and subsequently returned to their own country.

these are ancient things] R.V. the records are ancient.

23. those that dwelt amongst plants and hedges] R.V. The inhabitants of Netaim and Gederah.

there they dwelt with the king for his work] In the days of the kingdom the inhabitants of these villages were clients of the king and did his work; cp. 1 Kings 7:46. The simplicity of this statement seems to have been a stumbling-block to the early translators; LXX. They were strong in his kingdom and dwelt there; Targ., They made their dwelling there with the Shekinah of the King of the World for the practice of the Law.

24–27. The Genealogy of Simeon

24. The sons of Simeon] in Genesis 46:10 and Exodus 6:15 we have six sons of Simeon named as against five here;—Jemuel (here Nemuel), Jamin (as here), Ohad (not mentioned here), Jachin (here Jarib), Zohar (here Zerah), and Shaul (as here). In Numbers 26:12-13 the same list is given as here (except that Jachin stands for Jarib), and descendants are ascribed to the five. Ohad is omitted from Num. and Chron., perhaps as having no children.

27. six daughters] LXX. three daughters.

28–33 (= Joshua 19:1-8). The Territory of Simeon

28. Beer-sheba] at the southern extremity of Palestine, as Dan was at the northern (1 Samuel 3:20).

29. Tolad] in Joshua 19:4 Eltolad, but el in this case is probably only the Arabic definite article.

30. Bethuel] The name is elsewhere (Genesis 22:22-23; Genesis 24:15) the name of a person. In Joshua 19:4 Bethul.

Hormah] Numbers 14:45; Numbers 21:3.

Ziklag] 1 Chronicles 12:1; 1 Chronicles 12:20; 1 Samuel 27:6; 1 Samuel 30:1.

31. Beth-marcaboth … Hazar-susim] These names mean respectively, House of chariots, and Court of horses. They may have been royal chariot-cities, 1 Kings 9:19.

Shaaraim] 1 Samuel 17:52.

These were their cities unto the reign of David] This may he a reference to David’s census, which doubtless shewed generally the possessions of tribes or families as well as their numbers. It does not necessarily mean that these cities ceased to belong to Simeon after David’s day.

32. And their villages were] These villages (ḥǎçêrîm) are called at the end of the verse cities, but sometimes ḥǎçêrîm are described as un-walled (Leviticus 25:31) and sometimes as dependencies of cities (1 Chronicles 4:33 of this ch.). In these two cases ḥǎçêrîm would be distinguished from cities.

Etam] In the parallel passage, Joshua 19:7, Etam is omitted and the villages (“cities”) are reckoned as four not five.

33. unto Baal] Baal (“lord”) standing by itself is an unlikely name for a town; the parallel passage. Joshua 19:8, reads Baalath-beer, Ramah of the South (“the mistress of the well, the high place of the South”), a better reading.

34–43. The Heroes of Simeon and their Exploits

38. the house of their fathers] R.V. their fathers’ houses.

39. the entrance of Gedor] R.V. the entering in of Gedor. The Gedor of Joshua 15:58 is identified with Jedur, Ijdur (north of Hebron, Bädeker, p. 135), the neighbourhood of which seems an unlikely scene in the days of Hezekiah for the exploit described in 1 Chronicles 4:41. LXX. has Gerar (cp. Genesis 20:1; Genesis 26:1), perhaps rightly.

40. they of Ham] Canaanites who had not been dispossessed at the Conquest and therefore expected no disturbance at a later time.

41. and the habitations] R.V. and the Meunim. Cp. 2 Chronicles 20:1 (note) and 1 Chronicles 26:7, R.V.

destroyed them utterly] R.V. mg., devoted them (cp. Joshua 6:18; Joshua 6:21, R.V.).

in their rooms] R.V. in their stead. Cp. Luke 14:8, A.V. and R.V.

43. the rest of the Amalekites] R.V. the remnant of the Amalekites i.e. the descendants of those who had escaped from Saul (1 Samuel 15). They had apparently found refuge in some part of the Edomite territory, for Mount Seir is a synonym for the land of Edom.