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Commentary on 1 Chronicles 2 verses 1–17
1 ¶ These are the sons of Israel; Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun,
2 Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
3 The sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah: which three were born unto him of the daughter of Shua the Canaanitess. And Er, the firstborn of Judah, was evil in the sight of the LORD; and he slew him.
4 And Tamar his daughter in law bare him Pharez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five.
5 The sons of Pharez; Hezron, and Hamul.
6 And the sons of Zerah; Zimri, and Ethan, and Heman, and Calcol, and Dara: five of them in all.
7 And the sons of Carmi; Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed.
8 And the sons of Ethan; Azariah.
9 The sons also of Hezron, that were born unto him; Jerahmeel, and Ram, and Chelubai.
10 And Ram begat Amminadab; and Amminadab begat Nahshon, prince of the children of Judah;
11 And Nahshon begat Salma, and Salma begat Boaz,
12 And Boaz begat Obed, and Obed begat Jesse,
13 And Jesse begat his firstborn Eliab, and Abinadab the second, and Shimma the third,
14 Nethaneel the fourth, Raddai the fifth,
15 Ozem the sixth, David the seventh:
16 Whose sisters were Zeruiah, and Abigail. And the sons of Zeruiah; Abishai, and Joab, and Asahel, three.
17 And Abigail bare Amasa: and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmeelite.
Here is, I. The family of Jacob. His twelve sons are here named, that illustrious number so often celebrated almost throughout the whole Bible, from the first to the last book of it. At every turn we meet with the twelve tribes that descended from these twelve patriarchs. The personal character of several of them was none of the best (the first four were much blemished), and yet the covenant was entailed on their seed; for it was of grace, free grace, that it was said, Jacob have I loved - not of works, lest any man should boast.
II. The family of Judah. That tribe was most praised, most increased, and most dignified, of any of the tribes, and therefore the genealogy of it is the first and largest of them all. In the account here given of the first branches of that illustrious tree, of which Christ was to be the top branch, we meet, 1. With some that were very bad. Here is Er, Judah's eldest son, that was evil in the sight of the Lord, and was cut off, in the beginning of his days, by a stroke of divine vengeance: The Lord slew him, Ch1 2:3. His next brother, Onan, was no better, and fared no better. Here is Tamar, with whom Judah, her father-in-law, committed incest, Ch1 2:4. And here is Achan, called Achar - a troubler, that troubled Israel by taking of the accursed thing, Ch1 2:7. Note, The best and most honourable families may have those belonging to them that are blemishes. 2. With some that were very wise and good, as Heman and Ethan, Calcol and Dara, who were not perhaps the immediate sons of Zerah, but descendants from him, and are named because they were the glory of their father's house; for, when the Holy Ghost would magnify the wisdom of Solomon, he declares him wiser than these four men, who, though the sons of Mahol, are called Ezrahites, from Zerah, Kg1 4:31. That four brothers should be eminent for wisdom and grace was a rare thing. 3. With some that were very great, as Nahshon, who was prince of the tribe of Judah when the camp of Israel was formed in the wilderness, and so led the van in that glorious march, and Salman, or Salmon, who was in that post of honour when they entered into Canaan, Ch1 2:10, Ch1 2:11.
III. The family of Jesse, of which a particularly account is kept for the sake of David, and the Son of David, who is a rod out of the stem of Jesse, Isa 11:1. Hence it appears that David was a seventh son, and that his three great commanders, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel, were the sons of one of his sisters, and Amasa of another. Three of the four went down slain to the pit, though they were the terror of the mighty.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–17. Public domain.
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Theodoret of CyrusAD 458
QUESTIONS ON FIRST CHRONICLES, PROLOGUE
The Chronicles also speak about the tabernacle because a temple of the Lord had not yet been built by either Samuel or David. The text also adds that that the holy services were held in the tabernacle. Worship was observed at that time according to the number of the days of the week. For it also says, “and their kindred who were in their villages were obliged to come in every seven days, in turn, to be with them.” With regard to the holy utensils it says, “Some of them had charge of the utensils of service, for they were required to count them when they were brought in and taken out. Others of them were appointed over the furniture, and over all the holy utensils, also over the choice flour, the wine, the oil, the incense and the spices.” And about the priests it says, “Others, of the sons of the priests, prepared the mixing of the spices.” With regard to the tomb of Saul the Chronicles gives us much information, and in the Book of Kings itself we read that his bones were gathered and buried in the land of Jabesh.
Theodoret of CyrusAD 458
QUESTIONS ON 1 CHRONICLES, PROLOGUE
There is abundant information in the books of Chronicles which were written to continue the books of the Kings and to preserve the memory of such important events. The first book begins with a genealogy that sets out to demonstrate how the human race came from a single man. Since it focuses only on the single kingdom of Judah, it can tell us about its cities and the villages, and from where they took their names. Here we come to know Nathan, from whom the blessed Luke constructed the beginning of his genealogy of our Lord and Savior, Son of David and Solomon’s brother4 on his mother’s side: “The following children were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimeah, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon, that is, the four children he fathered with Bersabea, daughter of Ammiel.” And Rechab6 herself, who is mentioned in many books of Scripture, is said to have come from the tribe of Judah.It also clearly explains why Reuben lost his birthright and Joseph gained it and also, finally, the reason why the tribe of Judah obtained the highest honor: “The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel. He was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright; though Judah became prominent among his brothers and a ruler came from him, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph.” It also explains the reason why such a great honor was conceded to Joseph. By the will of God Judah had the dignity of receiving the Lord who was born from him according to the flesh. This is the sense tacitly expressed with the words “a leader from him.” Indeed the passage seems to assert that not only the kings of the earth derived from Judah, but also the eternal king himself who had no beginning and will never end.
It also describes the situation of the tribes beyond the Jordan, those of Reuben and Gad, and even the tribes of Manasseh which later were received into those of the Hagarites and the Itureans, and talks about the tribes of the Naphiseans, and all those peoples who entered into conflict with them. In addition the text relates how they fought and won, and made the Hagarites flee. And it also reports the reason for the victory: “When they received help against them, the Hagarites and all who were with them were given into their hands, for they cried to God in the battle, and he granted their entreaty because they trusted in him.” It also describes the amount of the spoils of war: “They captured their livestock: 50, of their camels, 250, sheep, 2, donkeys and 100, captives. Many were slain because the war was from God. And they lived in their territory until the exile.”
Theodoret of CyrusAD 458
QUESTIONS ON 1 CHRONICLES, PROLOGUE
The genealogy of the priests and the Levites comes after this. It relates that Zadok, who was high priest at the time of David, had been the eleventh from Aaron; that Azariah, nephew of Zadok, had been the first to receive the priestly anointing in the temple built by Solomon. Among them there was also Jehozadak, who was brought to Babylon as a war prisoner. Jesus9 was his son, a high priest as well, who delivered the people from bondage together with Zerubbabel, and built a temple for the Lord. Here we also learn that Korah, who revolted against the great Moses, was a nephew of Isaar, son of Caath and brother of Amram, Aaron’s and Moses’ father. According to this lineage he was related to the first legislator. But he himself paid in the desert for his errors, although his children did not share the punishment of their father. From here Samuel13 came and then Aeman, who intoned Psalms and was a nephew of the prophet Samuel. In fact he was the son of Joel, son of Samuel. On the other hand, Asaph, one of the singers, came from the lineage of Gerson, son of Levi and brother of Caath. Aetham, who also belonged to the group of the singers, had Merari, the third son of Levi, as great-grandfather.The text also explains the difference between the priests and the Levites. It relates that the Levites were initiated into all the ministries of the holy altar of God: “But Aaron and his sons made offerings on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense, doing all the work of the most holy place, to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.” It seems to me, in fact, that this book was written after the return from Babylon. For this reason it also talks about the bondage and explains its cause: “So all Israel was enrolled by genealogies; and these are written in the book of the Kings of Israel. And Judah was taken into exile in Babylon because of their unfaithfulness. Now the first to live again in their possessions in their towns were Israelites, priests, Levites, and temple servants.” These accounts show that the book was begun after the captivity. Indeed no historian ever relates facts that happened afterwards, but what happened before or during his times. And actually only the prophets have the power to foretell the future. In addition it says that also those who had inhabited that land before them had been enslaved. And actually many of them still live with them: the Canaanites, Chettites, Jebusites, who had been their companions in such a misfortune. Also the priests and the Levites were brought into captivity with the Israelites. I believe that those who were called “the saints’ servants” were then called Nathinim. Many of them, in fact, consecrated themselves to the ministries of the priests and the Levites. There were among them also those who were entrusted with the carrying of the water, the gathering of wood and other necessary duties. Indeed, if it was imposed to the Gabaonites, who were foreigners, to follow Joshua in the praises and to perform some works as porters or carpenters, this task was even more the duty of the Israelites. As a proof of this I have found in the interpretation of Hebrew names that this name means “house of Iaō,” that is, “of the God who is.” The text, in fact, mentions the children of Israel and among them Judah and Benjamin, and Ephraim18 and Manasseh. It also mentions the priests and the Levites, who inhabited those cities. About the Korēnites it says that they derived from Korah. It also says that among them there had been the guardians of the temple of God as well, and it seems that this custom had been introduced by Samuel and David. “All these, who were chosen as gatekeepers at the thresholds, were two hundred twelve. They were enrolled by genealogies in their villages. David and the prophet Samuel established them in their office of trust. So they and their descendants were in charge of the gates of the house of the Lord, that is, the house of the tent, as guards. The gatekeepers were on the four sides, east, west, north, and south.”
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
1 Chronicles 2:5 precisely records Hezron and Hamul as the sons of Pharez, a pivotal figure in the lineage of Judah. This seemingly simple genealogical entry serves a profound purpose within the Chronicler's post-exilic narrative, meticulously preserving the ancestral lines that establish tribal identity, validate land claims, and, most significantly, trace the divinely ordained path leading to the royal house of David and, ultimately, to the promised Messiah. It underscores God's meticulous attention to detail in the unfolding of His redemptive plan across generations.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: This verse is situated within the extensive and foundational genealogies that open the book of 1 Chronicles (chapters 1-9), which meticulously trace the lineage from Adam through the patriarchs and the twelve tribes of Israel. Specifically, 1 Chronicles 2 focuses on the descendants of Judah, the tribe from which kings would emerge. Following the broader list of Jacob's sons and their initial descendants in 1 Chronicles 2:1-2, the narrative quickly narrows its focus to Judah's line, emphasizing its preeminence. The mention of Pharez and his sons, Hezron and Hamul, immediately follows the broader introduction of Judah's children, signaling their direct importance within this royal and Messianic lineage. The Chronicler's deliberate inclusion of these names, even seemingly minor ones, highlights a continuous, unbroken chain of divine faithfulness.
Historical & Cultural Context: The book of 1 Chronicles was likely compiled in the post-exilic period, when the Jewish community had returned to Judah from Babylonian captivity. Facing a fragmented identity, a ruined temple, and a lost monarchy, the Chronicler's primary aim was to re-establish a sense of continuity, heritage, and covenant connection for the returned exiles. Genealogies were not merely dry lists of names; they were vital legal and social documents. They confirmed tribal affiliations, justified claims to ancestral land, validated priestly and Levitical service, and, crucially, affirmed the legitimacy of the Davidic covenant. By meticulously tracing the lineage of Judah through figures like Pharez, Hezron, and Hamul, the Chronicler provided the community with an anchor to their past, reminding them of God's enduring promises despite their present circumstances and reinforcing their identity as the chosen people.
Key Themes: The inclusion of 1 Chronicles 2:5 contributes significantly to several overarching themes in the book. Firstly, it exemplifies Genealogical Precision, emphasizing the meticulous care with which God's people preserved their lineage, crucial for understanding tribal inheritances, priestly roles, and the Messianic line. Secondly, it underscores the Continuity of God's Plan, demonstrating God's unwavering faithfulness in preserving a chosen people and a specific lineage through countless generations, even amidst human failings and challenging historical periods. The very existence of these names in the sacred record testifies to God's sovereign oversight of history. Thirdly, and most profoundly, this verse serves as a foundational link in the Messianic Lineage. As a descendant of Judah through Tamar, Pharez's line is explicitly stated in the genealogy of King David in Ruth 4:18-22, and subsequently appears in the New Testament genealogies of Jesus Christ, notably in Matthew 1:3. Thus, 1 Chronicles 2:5 is a vital thread in the unfolding tapestry of God's redemptive history.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Hezron, whose name is related to "courtyard," and Hamul, meaning "pitied," represent the two direct sons of Pharez, establishing the two primary clans descended from him. While their individual names do not carry profound etymological significance for the overarching narrative in this context, their precise presence is crucial for the genealogical record. Hezron, in particular, is highlighted elsewhere (e.g., Numbers 26:21) as a significant ancestral figure, with his own descendants forming distinct families within Judah. The Chronicler's meticulous inclusion of both sons ensures a complete and accurate tracing of the family tree, validating the identity and inheritance of their respective clans within post-exilic Israel.
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The primary literary device at play in 1 Chronicles 2:5, and indeed throughout the initial chapters of 1 Chronicles, is Genealogy. This is not merely a list of names but a structured literary form that serves multiple theological and historical purposes. The Chronicler employs Conciseness within this genealogical framework, presenting the information in a highly condensed manner, focusing solely on the essential names required to trace the lineage. Despite its brevity, the verse also implies Continuity and Succession, as each named individual represents a link in an unbroken chain of generations, demonstrating God's faithfulness in preserving His covenant people. The very act of listing these names, which appear in other biblical texts (e.g., Genesis 46:12), also utilizes Intertextuality, subtly connecting the Chronicler's record to earlier foundational narratives of Israel's history, reinforcing its authenticity and divine origin.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
1 Chronicles 2:5, though a simple genealogical entry, powerfully underscores the biblical emphasis on God's meticulous sovereignty over history and His unwavering commitment to His covenant promises. The precise recording of names like Hezron and Hamul, descendants of Pharez, highlights that every individual, even those seemingly minor in a long list, plays a part in God's grand narrative. This attention to detail reflects a divine purpose that spans generations, demonstrating that God's plans are not haphazard but are carefully orchestrated through human lineages and historical events. It reminds us that God's faithfulness is concrete and tangible, manifested in the preservation of a chosen people and a specific line through whom His ultimate redemptive purposes would be fulfilled.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
In a world that often values instant gratification and overlooks the seemingly insignificant, 1 Chronicles 2:5 invites us to pause and consider the profound significance of God's patient, generational work. This verse, part of a long list of names, reminds us that God is not hurried by human timelines. He works through the slow, deliberate unfolding of history, meticulously preserving details and individuals to accomplish His overarching purposes. It encourages us to trust in God's sovereign plan, even when our own lives or circumstances feel like small, unheralded entries in a vast, complex narrative. Just as Hezron and Hamul were vital links in a chain leading to God's ultimate salvation, so too are our lives, however ordinary they may seem, part of God's ongoing story. We are invited to find meaning not just in grand achievements, but in faithful presence and participation within the lineage of faith, knowing that every detail matters to a God who orchestrates all things for His glory.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why are genealogies like 1 Chronicles 2:5 so important in the Bible, especially in a historical book like Chronicles?
Answer: Genealogies are far more than mere lists of names; they are foundational to understanding biblical history, theology, and identity. In 1 Chronicles, compiled after the Babylonian exile, these genealogies served several critical purposes for the returned Jewish community. They established tribal identity, allowing individuals to know their heritage and place within the nation of Israel. They validated claims to ancestral land, which was crucial for resettlement. They confirmed eligibility for priestly and Levitical service. Most importantly, they demonstrated God's faithfulness in preserving His covenant people and, specifically, the lineage leading to the promised Messiah. Verses like 1 Chronicles 2:5 are vital threads in this historical and theological tapestry, proving continuity from the patriarchs through the monarchy and beyond.
What is the specific significance of Hezron and Hamul in this verse?
Answer: Hezron and Hamul are significant primarily because they are the direct sons of Pharez, who himself was a son of Judah. Their inclusion in 1 Chronicles 2:5 ensures the complete and accurate tracing of the Judahite lineage. While Hamul's line is less prominent in subsequent biblical narratives, Hezron's descendants became a major clan within Judah, playing a significant role in Israel's history (e.g., Numbers 26:21). Their presence here underscores the Chronicler's meticulous commitment to detailing the foundational families of Israel, particularly the line from which the Davidic kings would emerge, thereby validating the historical continuity and divine purpose of this specific lineage.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
1 Chronicles 2:5, with its concise mention of Hezron and Hamul, the sons of Pharez, serves as a crucial, albeit seemingly minor, link in the grand genealogical chain that ultimately culminates in Jesus Christ. Pharez, born through an unusual set of circumstances in Genesis 38:29, represents a pivotal moment in the lineage of Judah, the tribe from which the Messiah would come. The Chronicler's meticulous preservation of this line, including Hezron and Hamul, highlights God's sovereign oversight of history, ensuring that every generation, every family, and every individual played their part in His unfolding redemptive plan. This seemingly dry list of names becomes vibrant when we recognize that Hezron is explicitly named in the genealogy of David in Ruth 4:18-22, and both Pharez and Hezron appear in the New Testament genealogies of Jesus Christ in Matthew 1:3 and Luke 3:33. Thus, 1 Chronicles 2:5 is a testament to God's faithfulness in preserving the promised seed, demonstrating that from the earliest generations, His plan was meticulously unfolding, leading to the ultimate "breakthrough" of salvation through the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The very existence of these names in the sacred text points to the unwavering purpose of God to bring forth His Son, Jesus, as the fulfillment of all Old Testament promises and the true King of Israel.