Discovery Box1 Chronicles 2:24-55
Context2:24 After Hezron’s death, Caleb had sexual relations with Ephrath, his father Hezron’s widow, and she bore to him Ashhur the father of Tekoa. 1
2:25 The sons of Jerahmeel, Hezron’s firstborn, were Ram, the firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. 2:26 Jerahmeel had another wife named Atarah; she was Onam’s mother.
2:27 The sons of Ram, Jerahmeel’s firstborn, were Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.
2:28 The sons of Onam were Shammai and Jada.
The sons of Shammai:
Nadab and Abishur.
2:29 Abishur’s wife was Abihail, who bore him Ahban and Molid.
2:30 The sons of Nadab:
Seled and Appaim. (Seled died without having sons.)
Ishi.
The son of Ishi:
Sheshan.
The son of Sheshan:
Ahlai.
2:32 The sons of Jada, Shammai’s brother:
Jether and Jonathan. (Jether died without having sons.)
2:33 The sons of Jonathan:
Peleth and Zaza.
These were the descendants of Jerahmeel.
2:34 Sheshan had no sons, only daughters. Sheshan had an Egyptian servant named Jarha. 2:35 Sheshan gave his daughter to his servant Jarha as a wife; she bore him Attai.
2:36 Attai was the father of Nathan, and Nathan was the father of Zabad. 2:37 Zabad was the father of Ephlal, and Ephlal was the father of Obed. 2:38 Obed was the father of Jehu, and Jehu was the father of Azariah. 2:39 Azariah was the father of Helez, and Helez was the father of Eleasah. 2:40 Eleasah was the father of Sismai, and Sismai was the father of Shallum. 2:41 Shallum was the father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah was the father of Elishama.
2:42 The sons of Caleb, Jerahmeel’s brother:
His firstborn Mesha, the father of Ziph, and his second son Mareshah, 3 the father of Hebron.
2:43 The sons of Hebron:
Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema.
2:44 Shema was the father of Raham, the father of Jorkeam. Rekem was the father of Shammai. 2:45 Shammai’s son was Maon, who was the father of Beth-Zur.
2:46 Caleb’s concubine 4 Ephah bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez. Haran was the father of Gazez.
2:47 The sons of Jahdai:
Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.
2:48 Caleb’s concubine Maacah bore Sheber and Tirhanah. 2:49 She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah and Sheva the father of Machbenah and Gibea. Caleb’s daughter was Achsah.
2:50 These were the descendants of Caleb.
The sons 5 of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrath: 6
Shobal, the father of Kiriath Jearim, 2:51 Salma, the father of Bethlehem, Hareph, the father of Beth-Gader.
2:52 The sons of Shobal, the father of Kiriath Jearim, were Haroeh, half of the Manahathites, 7 2:53 the clans of Kiriath Jearim – the Ithrites, Puthites, Shumathites, and Mishraites. (The Zorathites and Eshtaolites descended from these groups.) 8
2:54 The sons of Salma:
Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth Beth-Joab, half the Manahathites, the Zorites, 2:55 and the clans of the scribes 9 who lived in Jabez: the Tirathites, Shimeathites, and Sucathites. These are the Kenites who descended 10 from Hammath, the father of Beth-Rechab. 11
[2:24] 1 tn Heb “And after the death of Hezron in Caleb Ephrathah, and the wife of Hezron, Abijah, and she bore to him Ashhur the father of Tekoa.” Perhaps one could translate: “After Hezron died in Caleb Ephrathah, Abijah, Hezron’s wife, bore to him Ashhur, the father of Tekoa” (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV). In this case the text suggests that Abijah was born after his father’s death. Because of the awkward syntax and the odd appearance of “Caleb Ephrathah” as a place name, some prefer to emend the text. Some alter בְּכָלֵב אֶפְרָתָה (bÿkhalev ’efratah, “in Caleb Ephrathah”) to בָּא כָלֵב אֶפְרָתָה (bo’ khalev ’efratah, “Caleb had sexual relations with Ephrath”) and then change אֲבִיָּה (’aviyyah, “Abijah”) to אָבִיהוּ (’avihu, “his father”). This results in the following translation: “And after Hezron’s death, Caleb had sexual relations with Ephrath, his father Hezron’s wife, and she bore to him Ashhur the father of Tekoa” (cf. NAB). This would mean that Caleb’s second wife Ephrath had actually been his late father’s wife (probably Caleb’s stepmother). Perhaps the text was subsequently altered because Caleb’s actions appeared improper in light of the injunctions in Lev 18:8; 20:11; Deut 22:30; 27:20 (which probably refer, however, to a son having sexual relations with his stepmother while his father is still alive).
[2:31] 2 tn Heb “sons.” The Hebrew text has the plural “sons” in all three instances in this verse, even though the following lists have only one name each.
[2:42] 3 tc Heb “and the sons of Mareshah,” but this does not fit contextually. Perhaps the text originally had וּבְנוֹ מִשְׁנֶה מָרֵשָׁה (uvÿno mishneh mareshah, “and his second son, Mareshah”), with מִשְׁנֶה (“second”) later accidentally falling out by homoioteleuton (cf. the note in BHS here).
[2:46] 4 sn See the note on the word “concubine” in 1:32.
[2:50] 5 tn Heb “son.” The Hebrew text has the singular, but the following list contains more than one name.
[2:50] 6 tn The Hebrew text reads “Ephrathah” here, but see v. 19, which mentions “Ephrath” as the wife of Hur.
[2:52] 7 tn The Hebrew text has “Menuchites” here, but v. 54 has “Manachathites.”
[2:53] 8 tn Heb “from these went forth the Zorathites and Eshtaolites.”
[2:55] 9 tn Or perhaps “the Sopherim.” The NAB transliterates this term and treats it as a proper name.
[2:55] 11 tn Or (if בֵּית [beth] is translated as “house” rather than considered to be part of the name) “the father of the house [i.e., family] of Rechab.”
