Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Chronicles 2:10-17

"And Ram begat Amminadab, and Amminadab begat Nahshon, prince of the children of Judah; and Nahshon begat Salma, and Salma begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, and Obed begat Jesse; and Jesse begat his first-born Eliab, and Abinadab the second, and Shimea the third, Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, Ozem the sixth, David the seventh; and their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. And the sons of Zeruiah: Abishai, and Joab, and Asahel, three. And Abigail bare Amasa; and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite." — 1 Chronicles 2:10-17 (ASV)

I.— (1 Chronicles 2:10–17) The descent of David from Amminadab, of the house of Ram. The royal line naturally takes precedence over the other two. Ruth 4:18–22 gives this line from Pharez to David. (Compare the genealogies of Christ, Matthew 1 and Luke 3). Nahshon is called chief of Judah in Numbers 2:3 (compare 1 Chronicles 1:7; 1 Chronicles 7:12), at the time of the Exodus.

Salma.—So in Ruth 4:20; but in 1 Chronicles 2:21, Matthew 1:4, and Luke 3:32, Salmon.

The family of Jesse (Hebrew, Yishai in 1 Chronicles 2:12, but ‘Ishai in 1 Chronicles 2:13).

Seven sons are here named. 1 Samuel 17:12–13 states that Jesse had eight sons; and from 1 Samuel 16:6–10 (Hebrew text) it appears that he had that number. In both passages, Eliab, Abinadab, and Shimma (Hebrew, Shim‘â, here and in 1 Chronicles 20:7) occur, the last under the form Shammah. He is called Shimei (2 Samuel 21:21); but Shimeah is the same as Shim’ah (2 Samuel 13:3; 2 Samuel 13:32); and this appears to have been his real name.

Nethaneel ... Raddai ... Ozem.—Not named elsewhere in the Scriptures. The son of Jesse, omitted in our present Hebrew text, is called Elihu in the Syriac version, which makes him seventh and David the eighth. The name Elihu occurs in 1 Chronicles 27:18 for Eliab.

Whose sisters were Zeruiah, and Abigail.—Literally, And their sisters, etc. If the reading in 2 Samuel 17:25 is correct, these two women were daughters of Nahash, who must therefore have been a wife of Jesse. Abigail (there called Abigal) was mother of the warrior Amasa, who became Absalom’s general (2 Samuel 19:13), and was afterwards assassinated by Joab (2 Samuel 20:10).

Abishai.—Abshai, here and elsewhere in the chronicle.

Joab, the famous commander-in-chief of David’s forces (see 1 Chronicles 11:6–8); and for Joab and Abishai, who, like Asahel, was one of David’s heroes (1 Chronicles 11:20; 1 Chronicles 11:26), compare 1 Chronicles 18:12; 1 Chronicles 18:15; 1 Chronicles 19:10 and following, 1 Chronicles 21:2 and following, 1 Chronicles 27:24. David’s champions were thus his immediate kin, just as Abner was to Saul.

Jether the Ishmeelite.—Incorrectly called “Ithra an Israelite” in 2 Samuel 17:25. The later abhorrence of alien marriages seems to have been unknown in the age of David. The name of Zeruiah’s husband is unknown.

II.—The Calebite stock (1 Chronicles 2:18–24).