1 Chronicles 2
BSASBThe chapter begins with the twelve sons of Israel, then slows down to follow Judah’s tribe, the royal tribe. It traces the line through Perez, Hezron, Boaz and Jesse to David, and then spreads out into the many families of Hezron’s sons. Under the lists is a quiet message: God keeps a record of his people, and he is working toward the king he promised.
1 Chronicles 2:1-2
The Chronicler opens with the twelve sons of Jacob, whom God renamed Israel. The whole nation comes from these twelve. Judah is named fourth here, but his tribe soon takes centre stage, because the royal line will come from him.
BSA: Israel (“Jacob’s descendants, the nation”): The name belongs to the man and also to the whole people who came from him.
See also: Genesis 35:22-26.
1 Chronicles 2:3
Judah’s first three sons were born to a Canaanite wife. Er was so wicked that the LORD himself ended his life. The chosen line is not built on spotless people. It moves forward by God’s mercy and by his judgment on sin.
BSA: wicked (“evil, morally bad”): Er’s trouble was moral, not just bad luck. God saw his character and acted.
Hebrew: רַע (ra’, H7451) — “bad, evil.” This is the common Hebrew word for what is wrong or harmful. It describes a life set against God, not merely a mistake.
See also: Genesis 38:6-7.
1 Chronicles 2:4
Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law, bore him twins, Perez and Zerah. The painful story behind this is told in Genesis 38. Yet the line of promise runs right through it. God works through broken family histories without being stained by them.
BSA: Perez (“meaning breach, a son of Judah”): The name means a breaking through, and it recalls how he came out ahead of his twin at birth.
Hebrew: פֶּרֶץ (perets, H6557) — “a breach, a breaking out.” The name recalls the dramatic birth in which Perez came out first. His line leads to David and, in the end, to Christ.
See also: Genesis 38:27-30; Matthew 1:3.
1 Chronicles 2:5-6
Perez’s sons are named first, since the main line continues through Hezron. Zerah’s sons follow. Ethan, Heman, Calcol and Dara are probably the wise men whose wisdom Solomon was said to surpass, which suggests they were already famous.
See also: 1 Kings 4:31.
1 Chronicles 2:7
Achar is the man usually called Achan. He took things set apart for God from the ruins of Jericho. His secret sin cost Israel a defeat and cost him his life. The Chronicler remembers him by a name that sounds like trouble. One person’s hidden disobedience can hurt a whole community.
BSA: violating (“being unfaithful, acting treacherously”): Taking what belonged to God was a breach of trust, not simple theft. Achar (“Achan, troubler”): The name itself became a label: the one who troubled Israel.
Hebrew: עוֹכֵר (‘okher, H5916) — “troubler, one who brings disaster.” The name Achar sounds like this Hebrew word for troubler, and the writer plays on the sound. The man’s name became his verdict.
See also: Joshua 7:1; Joshua 7:25.
1 Chronicles 2:8
A short branch of Zerah’s family is noted, ending with Azariah. The Chronicler wants every branch of Judah on record, even those who did not become famous. In God’s book, ordinary names are not forgotten.
1 Chronicles 2:9
Hezron’s three sons are listed: Jerahmeel, Ram and Caleb. The royal line to David runs through Ram, though he is not first in the list. Caleb’s family and Jerahmeel’s family are followed later. God’s choice does not always follow birth order.
See also: Ruth 4:19.
1 Chronicles 2:10
The line runs from Ram to Amminadab to Nahshon. Nahshon was the chief of Judah’s tribe in the wilderness, so these ancestors of David already held honour in Israel. Their leadership came well before David was born.
BSA: leader (“a high-ranking official, a captain”): Nahshon held a recognised office as head of Judah’s tribe.
Hebrew: נְשִׂיא (nesi’, H5387) — “a chief, a prince.” The word means someone lifted up to represent his tribe. Nahshon led Judah’s tribe in the camp and on the march.
See also: Numbers 2:3; Matthew 1:4.
1 Chronicles 2:11-12
The line continues through Salmon, Boaz and Obed to Jesse. Boaz is the kind kinsman of the book of Ruth, and Obed is the son born to Ruth, a Moabite woman. So David’s family already included a foreigner who trusted the God of Israel. Matthew’s Gospel gives the same line.
See also: Ruth 4:17-22; Matthew 1:5-6.
1 Chronicles 2:13-15
Jesse’s sons are listed, and David is the seventh. In 1 Samuel he is the youngest of the brothers, so one son may simply be missing from this list. Either way, God chose the overlooked younger son to be king.
See also: 1 Samuel 16:10-13.
1 Chronicles 2:16-17
David’s sisters Zeruiah and Abigail are named because their sons became well-known soldiers: Abishai, Joab and Asahel from Zeruiah, and Amasa from Abigail. These men figure in David’s wars and troubles. Amasa’s father was a foreigner, and that is noted plainly.
See also: 2 Samuel 2:18.
1 Chronicles 2:18-19
The record turns to Caleb, Hezron’s son. His wife Azubah bears sons, and after she dies he marries Ephrath, who bears Hur. The lists tell of a death, a new marriage and a new child. Real lives lie behind these names.
BSA: Azubah (“forsaken, deserted”): The name means forsaken, a reminder that even a name can carry a story of loss.
Hebrew: עֲזוּבָה (‘azuvah, H5806) — “forsaken.” This is a name, but also an ordinary Hebrew word for one who is left behind. Isaiah uses it of Zion, and God promises she will no longer be called that.
See also: Isaiah 62:4.
1 Chronicles 2:20
Hur’s grandson is Bezalel, the craftsman God filled with his Spirit to build the tabernacle. This Hur is probably the man who helped hold up Moses’ arms in battle. God gives gifts for his own worship and places them in ordinary families.
BSA: Bezalel (“in the shadow of God, a skilled artisan”): The name speaks of living under God’s protective shade, and this man’s skill came from God.
Hebrew: בְּצַלְאֵל (betsal’el, H1212) — “in the shadow of God.” The name joins ‘shadow’ and ‘God’. The shadow stands for shelter and care, and Bezalel built the place where God’s presence dwelt.
See also: Exodus 31:1-5; Exodus 17:10-12.
1 Chronicles 2:21
Late in life, at sixty, Hezron married a daughter of Machir, a leading man of Manasseh in Gilead. Their son was Segub. This links a family of Judah to land east of the Jordan, and explains why Judah’s relatives show up in Gilead.
1 Chronicles 2:22-23
Segub’s son Jair held twenty-three towns in Gilead. Later, Geshur and Aram captured some of these towns, including Kenath and its villages. Gains can be lost. The Chronicler records both Jair’s growth and Israel’s later loss without comment.
See also: Numbers 32:41.
1 Chronicles 2:24
After Hezron died, his wife Abijah bore him Ashhur, who became the father of Tekoa. Tekoa was a hill town south of Bethlehem, later the home of the prophet Amos. Even a father’s death does not stop his family’s story.
Hebrew: אֲבִי (avi, H1) — “father, founder.” The word often means the founder or ancestor of a town or clan, not only a parent. Ashhur is remembered as the one from whom Tekoa’s people came.
See also: Amos 1:1.
1 Chronicles 2:25-27
The family of Jerahmeel, Hezron’s firstborn, is followed next. His sons are Ram, Bunah, Oren, Ozem and Ahijah, and a second wife, Atarah, bore Onam. This Ram is a different man from the Ram of verse 9. The lists show how many branches Judah grew into.
BSA: firstborn (“born first, holding a special status”): The firstborn held a place of honour in the family.
1 Chronicles 2:28-33
Onam’s sons and grandsons are named. Some lines flourish and some stop: Seled died without children, and so did Jether. Not every family goes on, and the Chronicler honestly records that. He sums these up as the descendants of Jerahmeel.
1 Chronicles 2:34-35
Sheshan had only daughters, so he gave one of them in marriage to his Egyptian servant, Jarha. Their son Attai carried on the family. A foreign servant becomes the father of a line in Judah. God’s people have always had room for outsiders brought in.
BSA: servant (“slave, bondservant”): Jarha was a bound worker in the household, yet he became part of the family line.
Hebrew: עֶבֶד (’eved, H5650) — “servant, slave.” This common Hebrew word means a person who works under another’s authority. Jarha was a servant, yet his son carried on Sheshan’s house.
See also: Ruth 1:16.
1 Chronicles 2:36-41
A single line of descendants runs from Attai down through many generations to Elishama. It is a plain list, but it shows the family kept going and was remembered. Many of these names are not mentioned again, yet God had them recorded.
See also: Luke 10:20.
1 Chronicles 2:42-45
Another set of Caleb’s descendants is given, with names that are also places: Ziph, Mareshah, Hebron, Maon and Beth-zur. Clans and the towns they settled share names, which shows how Judah’s families spread across their land. The people and the land were bound together.
1 Chronicles 2:46-49
Caleb’s concubines, Ephah and Maacah, bore sons who also became founders of towns. A concubine was a secondary wife, a custom of the time that Scripture records without approving it. Caleb’s daughter Acsah is named at the end. She appears in the story of Caleb’s land gift in Joshua.
See also: Joshua 15:16-19.
1 Chronicles 2:50-51
The record returns to Hur’s line. Salma is named as the father, or founder, of Bethlehem, the little town that later became David’s home and the birthplace of Jesus. Shobal is tied to Kiriath-jearim, where the ark of the covenant stayed for many years.
BSA: Bethlehem (“house of bread, a place of abundance”): The name means house of bread, a fitting birthplace for the one who called himself the bread of life.
See also: Micah 5:2; John 6:35.
1 Chronicles 2:52-53
Shobal’s descendants are traced, with the clans of Kiriath-jearim. From these came the people of Zorah and Eshtaol, towns in the lowland where Samson grew up. The Chronicler wants his readers to see which families lived where in their ancestral land.
See also: Judges 13:25.
1 Chronicles 2:54-55
Salma’s descendants are listed, and with them families of scribes at Jabez and the Kenites. The Kenites were connected to Moses’ father-in-law and lived among Israel. Rechab’s house is the family later known for faithfully obeying their ancestor’s command.
BSA: scribes (“record-keepers, secretaries”): These were people who wrote and kept records, so careful writing was part of Judah’s life.
See also: Judges 1:16; Jeremiah 35:18-19.