Part of The Old Testament Hall of Fame
December 18, 2021
Commentary
Part of the Old Testament hall of fame is listed in this passage:
1. Israel’s Sons (vv. 1-2).
2. Judah’s Sons (vv. 3-41).
3. The clans of Caleb (vv. 42-55).
Both the Old and New Testaments open with the genealogies, in Genesis , Matthew and Luke. It is through the Davidic dynasty that God will bring salvation and blessing to Israel and eventually to the whole world. These genealogies focus on the descendants of Israel (Jacob) by tribe.
1. Sons of Judah (vv. 1-4). The writer gives more attention to the genealogy of Judah than any other tribe. That is because David and the Davidic royal family descend from the line of Judah.
2. Genealogies of Perez and Zerah (vv. 5-8).
3. Genealogy of Hezron (vv. 9-41). This lineage includes David’s immediate family and half-sisters. Hezron was Judah’s son in line with Ruth.
4. Genealogy of Caleb (vv. 42-55). Of particular interest are the references to Bethlehem, birth places of both David and Jesus.
Application
I need to remember that in tracing these genealogies God is giving me hope that He will fulfill His promises and that the future does not depend on some earthly ruler but on the faithfulness of God.
1 Chronicles 2:1– 55 (NET)
1 These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar and Zebulun;
2 Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin; Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
3 The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, and Shelah. These three were born to him by Bathshua, a Canaanite woman. Er, Judah’s firstborn, displeased the Lord, so the Lord killed him.
4 Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law, bore to him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all.
5 The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.
6 The sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Kalkol, Dara —five in all.
7 The son of Carmi: Achan, who brought the disaster on Israel when he stole what was devoted to God.
8 The son of Ethan: Azariah.
9 The sons born to Hezron: Jerahmeel, Ram, and Caleb.
10 Ram was the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab was the father of Nahshon, the tribal chief of Judah. 11 Nahshon was the father of Salma, and Salma was the father of Boaz. 12 Boaz was the father of Obed, and Obed was the father of Jesse.
13 Jesse was the father of Eliab, his firstborn; Abinadab was born second, Shimea third, 14 Nethanel fourth, Raddai fifth, 15 Ozem sixth, and David seventh. 16 Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruiah’s three sons were Abshai, Joab, and Asahel. 17 Abigail bore Amasa, whose father was Jether the Ishmaelite.
18 Caleb son of Hezron fathered sons by his wife Azubah (also known as Jerioth). Her sons were Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. 19 When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who bore him Hur. 20 Hur was the father of Uri, and Uri was the father of Bezalel.
21 Later Hezron slept with the daughter of Makir, the father of Gilead. (He had married her when he was sixty years old.) She bore him Segub. 22 Segub was the father of Jair, who owned twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. 23 (Geshur and Aram captured the towns of Jair, along with Kenath and its sixty surrounding towns.) All these were descendants of Makir, the father of Gilead.
24 After Hezron’s death, Caleb slept with Ephrath, his father Hezron’s widow, and she bore to him Ashhur the father of Tekoa.
25 The sons of Jerahmeel, Hezron’s firstborn, were Ram, the firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. 26 Jerahmeel had another wife named Atarah; she was Onam’s mother.
27 The sons of Ram, Jerahmeel’s firstborn, were Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.
28 The sons of Onam were Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai: Nadab and Abishur.
29 Abishur’s wife was Abihail, who bore him Ahban and Molid. 30 The sons of Nadab: Seled and Appaim. (Seled died without having sons.)
31 The son of Appaim: Ishi. The son of Ishi: Sheshan. The son of Sheshan: Ahlai.
32 The sons of Jada, Shammai’s brother: Jether and Jonathan. (Jether died without having sons.)
33 The sons of Jonathan: Peleth and Zaza. These were the descendants of Jerahmeel.
34 Sheshan had no sons, only daughters. Sheshan had an Egyptian servant named Jarha. 35 Sheshan gave his daughter to his servant Jarha as a wife; she bore him Attai.
36 Attai was the father of Nathan, and Nathan was the father of Zabad. 37 Zabad was the father of Ephlal, and Ephlal was the father of Obed. 38 Obed was the father of Jehu, and Jehu was the father of Azariah. 39 Azariah was the father of Helez, and Helez was the father of Eleasah. 40 Eleasah was the father of Sismai, and Sismai was the father of Shallum. 41 Shallum was the father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah was the father of Elishama.
42 The sons of Caleb, Jerahmeel’s brother: His firstborn Mesha, the father of Ziph, and his second son Mareshah, the father of Hebron.
43 The sons of Hebron: Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema.
44 Shema was the father of Raham, the father of Jorkeam. Rekem was the father of Shammai. 45 Shammai’s son was Maon, who was the father of Beth Zur.
46 Caleb’s concubine Ephah bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez. Haran was the father of Gazez.
47 The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.
48 Caleb’s concubine Maacah bore Sheber and Tirhanah. 49 She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah and Sheva the father of Machbenah and Gibea. Caleb’s daughter was Achsah.
50 These were the descendants of Caleb.
51 Salma, the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph, the father of Beth Gader.
52 The sons of Shobal, the father of Kiriath Jearim, were Haroeh, half the Manahathites, 53 the clans of Kiriath Jearim—the Ithrites, Puthites, Shumathites, and Mishraites. (The Zorathites and Eshtaolites descended from these groups.)
54 The sons of Salma: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth Beth Joab, half the Manahathites, the Zorites, 55 and the clans of the scribes who lived in Jabez: the Tirathites, Shimeathites, and Sucathites. These are the Kenites who descended from Hammath, the father of Beth Rechab.