1 Chronicles 2

1 Chronicles 1 surveyed the genealogies from Adam to the descendants of Esau. Chapter 2 lists the twelve sons of Israel and then turns first to the tribe of Judah. The Davidic line traced in this chapter continues in the list of David's descendants in 1 Chronicles 3.

Outline

• Verses 1–2 The twelve sons of Israel
• Verses 3–8 Judah's five sons, Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah, and the descendants of Zerah. Achar, who troubled Israel, appears here
• Verses 9–17 The line from Hezron through Ram, Boaz, and Jesse to David. David's brothers, sisters, and nephews are also recorded
• Verses 18–24 The descendants of Caleb son of Hezron, including Bezalel; Hezron's descendants Jair and Ashur
• Verses 25–41 The descendants of Jerahmeel, including the line descended from Sheshan's daughter and the Egyptian servant Jarha
• Verses 42–55 Further descendants of Caleb and various towns, the families of scribes, and the Kenites who came from the house of Rechab

Key Verses

• 1 Chronicles 2:15 "David the seventh." This shows that David is the focal point of Judah's genealogy.
• 1 Chronicles 2:7 "Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed." Amid the genealogies, a record of failure is also preserved.

People and Places

• The ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel appear in verses 1–2.
• Hezron: the son of Perez and the father of Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai (Caleb).
• Boaz and Jesse are ancestors of David, and David is listed as Jesse's seventh son.
• Zeruiah and Abigail are David's sisters. The sons of Zeruiah are Joab, Abishai, and Asahel.
• Achar: regarded as the same person as Achan in Joshua 7.
• Bezalel: the craftsman who made the tabernacle and a grandson of Hur.
• Place names such as Bethlehem, Kirjath-jearim, and Hebron appear in the expression "the father of…." This expression is commonly understood to refer to the person who founded or governed the town.

Points to Consider

• 1 Samuel 16 records that Jesse had eight sons, whereas this chapter lists only seven. Several explanations have been proposed, including the suggestion that a son who died young was omitted.
• "The daughter of Caleb was Achsa" in verse 49 shares the name of the daughter of Caleb son of Jephunneh. For this reason, opinions differ on whether Caleb son of Hezron and Caleb son of Jephunneh should be regarded as the same person.
• The names Ethan and Heman in verse 6 also appear in 1 Kings 4:31 and in the superscriptions of Psalm 88 and Psalm 89. It is uncertain, however, whether they refer to the same individuals.
• The genealogy from Perez to David matches the end of Ruth 4. This line is carried forward in the genealogies of Jesus in Matthew 1 and Luke 3.