[3] 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.
Judah — Whom he puts first, because the best part of the right of the firstborn, namely, the dominion, was conferred upon him, Genesis 49:8, and because the Messiah was to come out of his loins.
Verse 6
[6] And the sons of Zerah; Zimri, and Ethan, and Heman, and Calcol, and Dara: five of them in all.
Dara — If these be the same who are mentioned as the sons of Machol, 1 Kings 4:31, either the same man had two names, Zerah and Machol, as was usual among the Hebrews: or, one of these was their immediate father, and the other their grand-father. These are named, because they were the glory of their father's house. When the Holy Ghost would magnify the wisdom of Solomon, he saith, he was wiser than these four men. That four brothers should be so eminent, was a rare thing.
Verse 7
[7] And the sons of Carmi; Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed.
Carmi — Who is here mentioned, because he was the son of Zimri, who is also called Zabdi, Joshua 7:1.
Achar — Called Achan, Joshua 7:1, and here Achar, with a little variation for greater significancy: for Achar signifies a troubler.
Verse 13
[13] And Jesse begat his firstborn Eliab, and Abinadab the second, and Shimma the third,
Eliab — Called also Elihu, chap. 27:18, unless that was another person, and the word brother be taken more largely for a kinsman, as it is frequently.
Verse 15
[15] Ozem the sixth, David the seventh:
Seventh — He had eight sons, 1 Samuel 16:10, but probably one of them died presently after that time.
Verse 17
[17] And Abigail bare Amasa: and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmeelite.
Ishmaelite — By birth or habitation, but by profession an Israelite, 2 Samuel 17:25.
Verse 18
[18] And Caleb the son of Hezron begat children of Azubah his wife, and of Jerioth: her sons are these; Jesher, and Shobab, and Ardon.
Her sons — The sons of Azubah, who is by way of distinction called his wife, when Jerioth probably was only his concubine, and, it may seem, barren: therefore upon Azubah's death he married another wife. And those other sons of this Caleb mentioned, verse 42, are his sons by some other wife distinct from all these.
Verse 21
[21] 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.
Gilead — Of a man so called: a man of noted valour, and the great champion in those parts.
Verse 23
[23] 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.
Sons of Machir — Partly to his own sons, and partly to his son-in-law Jair, who by reason of that dear affection which was betwixt them, and his forsaking his own tribe and kindred to fight for them and to dwell with them, is here reckoned as his own son.
Verse 24
[24] And after that Hezron was dead in Calebephratah, then Abiah Hezron's wife bare him Ashur the father of Tekoa.
Tekoa — A known place whose father he is called, because he was either the progenitor of the people inhabiting there: or, their prince and ruler: or, the builder of the city.
Verse 31
[31] And the sons of Appaim; Ishi. And the sons of Ishi; Sheshan. And the children of Sheshan; Ahlai.
The sons — An expression often used in prophane authors too, where there is but one son.
Verse 35
[35] And Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant to wife; and she bare him Attai.
Jarha — Probably he was not only a proselyte, but an eminent man: else an Israelite would not have given him his only daughter.
Verse 45
[45] And the son of Shammai was Maon: and Maon was the father of Bethzur.
Beth-zur — A place in Judah.
Verse 49
[49] 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.
Madmannah — This, and divers other following names are the names of places in Judah.
Verse 51
[51] Salma the father of Bethlehem, Hareph the father of Bethgader.
Bethlehem — That is, the inhabitants of Bethlehem.
Verse 55
[55] 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.
Scribes — Either civil, who were public notaries, that wrote and signed legal instruments: or ecclesiastical. And these were either Levites, or Simeonites, or rather Kenites, and are here mentioned not as if they were of the tribe of Judah, but because they dwelt among them, and probably were allied to them by marriages, and so in a manner incorporated with them.
1 Chronicles 2 Bible Commentary
John Wesley’s Explanatory Notes
Verse 3
[3] 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.
Judah — Whom he puts first, because the best part of the right of the firstborn, namely, the dominion, was conferred upon him, Genesis 49:8, and because the Messiah was to come out of his loins.
Verse 6
[6] And the sons of Zerah; Zimri, and Ethan, and Heman, and Calcol, and Dara: five of them in all.
Dara — If these be the same who are mentioned as the sons of Machol, 1 Kings 4:31, either the same man had two names, Zerah and Machol, as was usual among the Hebrews: or, one of these was their immediate father, and the other their grand-father. These are named, because they were the glory of their father's house. When the Holy Ghost would magnify the wisdom of Solomon, he saith, he was wiser than these four men. That four brothers should be so eminent, was a rare thing.
Verse 7
[7] And the sons of Carmi; Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed.
Carmi — Who is here mentioned, because he was the son of Zimri, who is also called Zabdi, Joshua 7:1.
Achar — Called Achan, Joshua 7:1, and here Achar, with a little variation for greater significancy: for Achar signifies a troubler.
Verse 13
[13] And Jesse begat his firstborn Eliab, and Abinadab the second, and Shimma the third,
Eliab — Called also Elihu, chap. 27:18, unless that was another person, and the word brother be taken more largely for a kinsman, as it is frequently.
Verse 15
[15] Ozem the sixth, David the seventh:
Seventh — He had eight sons, 1 Samuel 16:10, but probably one of them died presently after that time.
Verse 17
[17] And Abigail bare Amasa: and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmeelite.
Ishmaelite — By birth or habitation, but by profession an Israelite, 2 Samuel 17:25.
Verse 18
[18] And Caleb the son of Hezron begat children of Azubah his wife, and of Jerioth: her sons are these; Jesher, and Shobab, and Ardon.
Her sons — The sons of Azubah, who is by way of distinction called his wife, when Jerioth probably was only his concubine, and, it may seem, barren: therefore upon Azubah's death he married another wife. And those other sons of this Caleb mentioned, verse 42, are his sons by some other wife distinct from all these.
Verse 21
[21] 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.
Gilead — Of a man so called: a man of noted valour, and the great champion in those parts.
Verse 23
[23] 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.
Sons of Machir — Partly to his own sons, and partly to his son-in-law Jair, who by reason of that dear affection which was betwixt them, and his forsaking his own tribe and kindred to fight for them and to dwell with them, is here reckoned as his own son.
Verse 24
[24] And after that Hezron was dead in Calebephratah, then Abiah Hezron's wife bare him Ashur the father of Tekoa.
Tekoa — A known place whose father he is called, because he was either the progenitor of the people inhabiting there: or, their prince and ruler: or, the builder of the city.
Verse 31
[31] And the sons of Appaim; Ishi. And the sons of Ishi; Sheshan. And the children of Sheshan; Ahlai.
The sons — An expression often used in prophane authors too, where there is but one son.
Verse 35
[35] And Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant to wife; and she bare him Attai.
Jarha — Probably he was not only a proselyte, but an eminent man: else an Israelite would not have given him his only daughter.
Verse 45
[45] And the son of Shammai was Maon: and Maon was the father of Bethzur.
Beth-zur — A place in Judah.
Verse 49
[49] 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.
Madmannah — This, and divers other following names are the names of places in Judah.
Verse 51
[51] Salma the father of Bethlehem, Hareph the father of Bethgader.
Bethlehem — That is, the inhabitants of Bethlehem.
Verse 55
[55] 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.
Scribes — Either civil, who were public notaries, that wrote and signed legal instruments: or ecclesiastical. And these were either Levites, or Simeonites, or rather Kenites, and are here mentioned not as if they were of the tribe of Judah, but because they dwelt among them, and probably were allied to them by marriages, and so in a manner incorporated with them.