Lexical Summary Yarah: To throw, shoot, cast, direct, instruct Original Word: יַעְרָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Jarah A form of ya'arah; Jarah, an Israelite -- Jarah. see HEBREW ya'arah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as yaar Definition a desc. of Saul NASB Translation Jarah (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs II. יַעְרָה proper name, masculine a descendant of Saul 1 Chronicles 9:42 (twice in verse), probably corrupt, see יְהוֺעַדָּה above Topical Lexicon Biblical occurrences The personal name יַעְרָה (Jarah) appears twice within a single verse that is recounted in two parallel genealogies (1 Chronicles 9:42; cf. the duplicate list in the same verse). The setting is the Chronicler’s record of Benjamin’s post-exilic inhabitants. The verse reads: “Ahaz was the father of Jarah; Jarah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri was the father of Moza” (1 Chronicles 9:42). In the corresponding list of 1 Chronicles 8 the same generational slot is represented by the variant name “Jehoaddah,” suggesting an alternate spelling or a scribal harmonization, but the lineage itself is identical. Historical setting in Chronicles 1 Chronicles was compiled after the return from Babylon to reassure the restored community of its enduring identity. By tracing Saul’s descendants down to the Chronicler’s own generation, the book affirms that the once-disgraced house of Israel’s first king was not erased from covenant history. Jarah falls seven generations after King Saul, placing him late in the monarchic period or early in the exile. His positioning preserves a continuous record from Jonathan through Merib-Baal (Mephibosheth) to Jarah and beyond, thereby demonstrating that the tribe of Benjamin, like Judah, still possessed verifiable family lines. Genealogical significance 1. Connection to the royal house of Saul: Jarah is Saul’s great-great-great-grandson (Saul → Jonathan → Merib-Baal → Micah → Ahaz → Jarah). This detail shows that even after the tragic fall of Saul, his progeny were neither extinguished nor forgotten. Theological reflections • Grace toward Saul’s line. Although Saul forfeited the throne (1 Samuel 15:26-28), the presence of Jarah and his descendants in Scripture illustrates God’s mercy. The covenant promise to Benjamin was never revoked, and Jonathan’s line was preserved, echoing David’s pledge in 2 Samuel 9:7 that he would show kindness “for the sake of your father Jonathan.” Ministry applications 1. Record-keeping as an act of faithfulness. Churches today benefit from maintaining accurate membership rolls and spiritual genealogies, mirroring the Chronicler’s devotion to detail. Key references • 1 Chronicles 9:35-44 – The full post-exilic genealogy culminating in Jarah. Forms and Transliterations וְיַעְרָ֗ה ויערה יַעְרָ֔ה יערה veyaRah wə·ya‘·rāh wəya‘rāh ya‘·rāh ya‘rāh yaRahLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Chronicles 9:42 HEB: הוֹלִ֣יד אֶת־ יַעְרָ֔ה וְיַעְרָ֗ה הוֹלִ֛יד NAS: the father of Jarah, and Jarah KJV: And Ahaz begat Jarah; and Jarah begat INT: Ahaz became of Jarah and Jarah the father 1 Chronicles 9:42 2 Occurrences |
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