Jerahmeel

Biblical Record

Jerahmeel was a son of Hezron and belonged to the Perez line of the tribe of Judah. His Hebrew name is commonly interpreted as meaning "God has compassion." 1 Chronicles 2:9 lists Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai as the sons of Hezron, and 1 Chronicles 2:25 calls him "the firstborn of Hezron."

First Chronicles 2:25-41 records his descendants. His sons are listed as Ram, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. By another wife, Atarah, he had Onam (1 Chronicles 2:26). The genealogy also includes the account of Sheshan, who had daughters but no sons and who gave one of his daughters in marriage to Jarha, his Egyptian servant, to continue his line (1 Chronicles 2:34-35). First Chronicles 2:42 calls Caleb "the brother of Jerahmeel"; this Caleb is usually understood to be the same person as the Chelubai of 2:9. Scripture does not record anything of Jerahmeel's life or deeds.

1 Samuel 30:29 mentions "the cities of the Jerahmeelites" among the places to which David sent spoil taken from the Amalekites to the elders of Judah. First Samuel 27:10 also refers to "the south of the Jerahmeelites." These Jerahmeelites are understood to be a clan descended from Jerahmeel.

Significance Within Scripture

Although Jerahmeel was the firstborn, the Chronicler records the line of the second son, Ram, first (1 Chronicles 2:10-17). This is commonly explained as a deliberate effort to give precedence to Ram's line, which leads to the royal house of David. The New Testament does not mention Jerahmeel; the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:3 passes from Hezron to Ram.

Interpretation and Debated Points

• Others of the same name: Scripture mentions other men named Jerahmeel. One is Jerahmeel the son of Kish, a Levite descended from Merari (1 Chronicles 24:29). Another is Jerahmeel "the king's son" (Jeremiah 36:26; KJV "the son of Hammelech"), who in the reign of Jehoiakim was ordered to seize the scribe Baruch and the prophet Jeremiah. These men are distinct from the son of Hezron. Interpreters differ on whether "the king's son" in Jeremiah denotes an actual prince or is a title for a royal official.
• Origin of the clan: Some scholars hold that the Jerahmeelites were originally an independent clan of the south (the Negev) that was later incorporated into Judah. Others read the genealogical record at face value as a line of physical descent.
• Ahijah in 1 Chronicles 2:25: Because of the structure of the Hebrew text, some suggest that this name should be read not as that of a son but as the name of Jerahmeel's first wife.
• Distinguishing Caleb: "Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel" is usually distinguished from Caleb the son of Jephunneh, one of the spies in the book of Numbers.

In the Korean Church

Sermons or Sunday school lessons devoted specifically to Jerahmeel are rare. His name is encountered mainly in the course of reading through the Bible, when readers come to the genealogies of 1 Chronicles.