UNROLL
The broad, gnarled trunk of an ancient olive tree on a terraced hillside below Bethlehem, a ring of young green shoots springing from its roots in low spring sunlight.

The Book of

1 Chronicles 2

Twelve sons, and the list starts with Judah: through a widow’s twins, a servant and a shepherd’s family, to David seventh.

55 verses≈ 6 min8 peopleBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

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In this chapter

Where we are

  1. 1–9GenealogiesAll Israel, from AdamChapter 2
  2. 10Saul fallsThe kingdom turned to David
  3. 11–12David kingAll Israel gathers
  4. 13–16The arkBrought home with songs
  5. 17The covenantA house forever
  6. 18–20David's warsThe LORD gave victory
  7. 21The siteOrnan's threshing floor
  8. 22–27Preparing the templePriests, Levites and singers
  9. 28–29David's farewellBe strong, and do the work

The Sons of Israel

Family line

The sons of Israel

  1. Israel
    • Reuben
    • Simeon
    • Levi
    • Judah
    • Issachar
    • Zebulun
    • Dan
    • Joseph
    • Benjamin
    • Naphtali
    • Gad
    • Asher

    Twelve sons

    These were the sons of Israel:

    Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,

    Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

    • Er
    • Onan
    • Shelah

    By Bath-shua

    The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, and Shelah. These three were born to him by Bath-shua the Canaanite.

Tap to go deeper: meaning, history and related Scripture

Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death.

Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law, bore to him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all.

Family line

Perez and Zerah

  1. Perez
    • Hezron
    • Hamul

    The sons of Perez:

    Hezron and Hamul.

  2. Zerah
    • Zimri
    • Ethan
    • Heman
    • Calcol
    • Dara

    Five in all

    The sons of Zerah:

    Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara—five in all.

The son of Carmi:

Achar, who brought trouble upon Israel by violating the ban on devoted things.

Bethlehem’s ridge and the terraced fields of Ephrathah below in golden late-afternoon light, flocks on the far slopes and smoke rising from the houses.

Family line

Hezron to David

  1. Ethan

    Zerah’s line

    The son of Ethan:

    Azariah.

  2. Hezron
    • Jerahmeel
    • Ram
    • Caleb

    The sons who were born to Hezron:

    Jerahmeel, Ram, and Caleb.

  3. RamAmminadabNahshon

    Nahshon, leader of Judah

    Ram was the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab was the father of Nahshon, a leader of the descendants of Judah.

  4. SalmonBoaz

    Nahshon was the father of Salmon, and Salmon was the father of Boaz.

  5. Obed
    • Jesse

    Boaz was the father of Obed, and Obed was the father of Jesse.

  6. Jesse
    • Eliab
    • Abinadab
    • Shimea
    • Nethanel
    • Raddai
    • Ozem
    • David

    David seventh

    Jesse was the father of Eliab his firstborn; Abinadab was born second, Shimea third,

    Nethanel fourth, Raddai fifth,

    Ozem sixth, and David seventh.

  7. Zeruiah
    • Abishai
    • Joab
    • Asahel

    David’s sister

    Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. And the three sons of Zeruiah were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel.

  8. Abigail

    Amasa’s father: Jether

    Abigail was the mother of Amasa, whose father was Jether the Ishmaelite.

and David seventh

1 Chronicles 2:15

A master craftsman seen from behind and the side at his bench under a goat-hair awning, bending over a piece of gold in morning light, apprentices working behind him.

Family line

Caleb, Hur and Bezalel

  1. Married Azubah and Jerioth

    • Jesher
    • Shobab
    • Ardon

    Son of Hezron

    Caleb son of Hezron had children by his wife Azubah and by Jerioth. These were the sons of Azubah: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon.

  2. Hur

    Son of Ephrath

    When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who bore to him Hur.

  3. UriBezalel

    The tabernacle’s craftsman

    Hur was the father of Uri, and Uri was the father of Bezalel.

Why Judah comes first

passed overTwelve sons2:1–2 · all IsraelReuben thefirstborn5:1 · his birthrightlostJudah first2:3–4:23 · the longestlistA ruler fromJudah5:2 · Genesis 49:10David seventh2:15 · the kingThe Son ofDavidMatthew 1:1–6

Whiteboard

Reuben was Israel’s firstborn, but the Chronicler begins with Judah, because the ruler came from Judah. The line runs to David, and the New Testament carries it on to Jesus.

Reflect

The names it keeps

Er, Tamar, Achar: Judah’s list keeps its failures and its scandals, and still runs on to David. Nothing is tidied away, and nothing stops the line God promised. Is there a part of your own story you would rather leave out? Write how God’s grace might be written into it.

Later, Hezron slept with the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead. He had married her when he was sixty years old, and she bore to him Segub.

Segub was the father of Jair, who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead.

But Geshur and Aram captured Havvoth-jair, along with Kenath and its sixty surrounding villages. All these were descendants of Machir the father of Gilead.

After Hezron died in Caleb-ephrathah, his wife Abijah bore to him Ashhur the father of Tekoa.

A clan's small settlement of flat-roofed mud-brick and stone houses on a low rise above a dry wadi in the northern Negev, sheep pens and a stone well in late afternoon light.

Family line

The sons of Jerahmeel

  1. Jerahmeel
    • Ram
    • Bunah
    • Oren
    • Ozem
    • Ahijah

    Hezron’s firstborn

    The sons of Jerahmeel the firstborn of Hezron:

    Ram his firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah.

  2. Married Atarah

    Another wife

    Jerahmeel had another wife named Atarah, who was the mother of Onam.

  3. Ram
    • Maaz
    • Jamin
    • Eker

    The sons of Ram the firstborn of Jerahmeel:

    Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.

  4. Onam
    • Shammai
    • Jada

    The sons of Onam: Shammai and Jada.

  5. Shammai
    • Nadab
    • Abishur

    The sons of Shammai: Nadab and Abishur.

  6. Abishur

    Married Abihail

    • Ahban
    • Molid

    Abishur’s wife was named Abihail, and she bore to him Ahban and Molid.

  7. Nadab
    • Seled
    • Appaim

    Seled had no children

    The sons of Nadab:

    Seled and Appaim. Seled died without children.

  8. AppaimIshiSheshan

    The son of Appaim:

    Ishi.

    The son of Ishi:

    Sheshan.

    The son of Sheshan:

    Ahlai.

  9. Jada
    • Jether
    • Jonathan

    Jether had no children

    The sons of Jada the brother of Shammai:

    Jether and Jonathan. Jether died without children.

  10. Jonathan
    • Peleth
    • Zaza

    The sons of Jonathan:

    Peleth and Zaza.

    These were the descendants of Jerahmeel.

Pray

No family forgotten

Twice in a few lines the record says a man “died without children.” Seled and Jether are still written down by name. Pray for those who are childless, or whose family seems to be coming to an end, and thank God that no one is forgotten by Him.

Sheshan had no sons, but only daughters. He also had an Egyptian servant named Jarha.

Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to his servant Jarha, and she bore to him Attai.

Years later in the same Negev courtyard at dusk: a very old man with an Egyptian look holds a small child on his knee by a clay lamp, four generations of his family around him.

Attai was the father of Nathan, Nathan was the father of Zabad,

Zabad was the father of Ephlal, Ephlal was the father of Obed,

Obed was the father of Jehu, Jehu was the father of Azariah,

Azariah was the father of Helez, Helez was the father of Elasah,

Elasah was the father of Sismai, Sismai was the father of Shallum,

Shallum was the father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah was the father of Elishama.

0:27

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

The low foothills of Judah in spring: rounded hills with olive groves and wheat, a broad green valley between them with a dry streambed of white stones, and a small town on a hill at its head.

Family line

The descendants of Caleb

    • Mesha
    • Mareshah

    Brother of Jerahmeel

    The sons of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel:

    Mesha his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph, and Mareshah his second son, who was the father of Hebron.

  2. Hebron
    • Korah
    • Tappuah
    • Rekem
    • Shema

    The sons of Hebron:

    Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema.

  3. Shema

    Rekem: father of Shammai

    Shema was the father of Raham the father of Jorkeam, and Rekem was the father of Shammai.

  4. ShammaiMaon

    The son of Shammai was Maon, and Maon was the father of Beth-zur.

    • Haran
    • Moza
    • Gazez

    By Ephah, a concubine

    Caleb’s concubine Ephah was the mother of Haran, Moza, and Gazez. Haran was the father of Gazez.

  6. Jahdai
    • Regem
    • Jotham
    • Geshan
    • Pelet
    • Ephah
    • Shaaph

    The sons of Jahdai:

    Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.

    • Sheber
    • Tirhanah

    By Maacah, a concubine

    Caleb’s concubine Maacah was the mother of Sheber and Tirhanah.

    • Shaaph
    • Sheva

    Fathers of towns

    She was also the mother of Shaaph father of Madmannah, and of Sheva father of Machbenah and Gibea.

  9. Acsah

    Caleb’s daughter

    Caleb’s daughter was Acsah.

  10. Caleb’s descendants

    These were the descendants of Caleb.

BethlehemTekoaBeth-zurHebronZiphMaonMareshahKiriath-jearimZorah

Stylised map · locations approximate

On the map

Judah’s clans and towns

Hezron’s sons settled the hills of Judah. Caleb’s clans held Ziph, Mareshah, Hebron, Maon and Beth-zur in the south; Hur’s sons, Kiriath-jearim and Bethlehem near Jerusalem; the Zorathites and Eshtaolites lived on the western slopes, and Ashhur founded Tekoa at the edge of the wilderness. Jair’s cities lay east of the Jordan in Gilead, off this map. Ziph, Maon, Kiriath-jearim, Tekoa and Beth-zur are probable sites; Eshtaol shares Zorah’s dot.

Question

Quick question

One family in Jerahmeel’s line nearly ran out of sons.

Sheshan had no sons. What did he do?

You’ve experienced

1 Chronicles 2

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A verse to carry with you

Jesse was the father of Eliab his firstborn; Abinadab was born second, Shimea third, Nethanel fourth, Raddai fifth, Ozem sixth, and David seventh.

1 Chronicles 2:13–15

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