Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Chronicles 4

The sons of Judah. —Pharez only of these five was literally a son of Judah, 1 Chronicles 2:3–4. We have, however, seen that all these names, with the possible exception of Carmi, represent great tribal divisions or clans; and as such they are called sons of Judah. For Carmi it is proposed to read the more famous name of Chelubai (1 Chronicles 2:9).

This would give a line of direct descendants from Judah to the fifth generation, according to the genealogical presentation of 1 Chronicles 2:4; 1 Chronicles 2:9; 1 Chronicles 2:18–19. But the result thus obtained is of no special value. It has no bearing on the remainder of the section. Moreover, Carmi is mentioned (1 Chronicles 2:7) among the great Judean houses, and might have been prominent in numbers and influence at the unknown period when the original of the present list was drafted.

Reaiah (or Jehoraah) the son of Shobal ... —See 1 Chronicles 2:52, which also calls Shobal father of Kirjath-jearim. 1 Chronicles 2:53 adds that the Zorathites (Authorised Version, Zareathites) came from the clans of Kirjath-jearim. The present verse supplements the data of 1 Chronicles 2:0, by putting the clans of Zorah in immediate genealogical connection with Shobal. Their names—Ahumai and Lahad—occur nowhere else.

Branches and settlements of the Hurites.

And these were of the father of Etam. —The Hebrew text reads, And these (were) the father of Etam. Some manuscripts, the Septuagint, and the Vulgate read “and these (were) the sons of Etam;” other manuscripts, with the Syriac and Arabic versions, have “the sons of the father of Etam.” Both variants look like evasions of a difficulty.

The unusual expression “and these—Abi-Etam” may be a brief way of stating that the clans whose names are given were the dominant houses of Etam (or Abi-Etam; compare Abiezer, Judges 7:11 and Judges 8:2). Etam is known from the history of Samson (Judges 15:8 and 2 Chronicles 11:6); Jezreel—not Ahab’s capital—from Joshua 15:56, and as the city of Ahinoam, wife of David, from 1 Chronicles 3:1. Both places were in the hill-country of Judah. The other three names are unknown.

Their sister. —Their sister-town (see 1 Chronicles 1:39 and 1 Chronicles 1:52, and Notes).

Hazelelponi. —Means “make shadow, O you who regard me!”

And Penuel the father of Gedor. —Penuel occurs as a trans-Jordan town in Judges 8:8, and elsewhere. Here a Judean town or clan is meant.

Gedor. —See 1 Chronicles 2:51, and Note; Joshua 15:58. Now the ruin called Jedur.

Ezer the father of Hushah. —Ezer occurs as a name of clans and localities, as well as of persons. (Compare to Judges 7:24, Abi-ezri; 1 Chronicles 8:2, Abi-ezer; and 1 Samuel 4:1, Eben-ezer.) In 1 Chronicles 12:9 and Nehemiah 3:19 it is a man’s name.

Hushah. —The place is unknown, but several celebrated persons are called Hushathites— e.g., Sibbechai, one of David’s heroes, 1 Chronicles 11:29.

These are the sons of Hur. —A subscription to the short list of 1 Chronicles 4:2–4. Both the Shobalite clans of Zorah (1 Chronicles 4:2) and those enumerated in 1 Chronicles 4:3–4 were sons of Hur.

The firstborn of Ephratah. —See 1 Chronicles 2:19; 1 Chronicles 2:50.

The father of Beth-lehem. —At 1 Chronicles 2:51, Salma, son of Hur, is called father of Bethlehem.