1 Chronicles 2:47

2:1-55 Genealogies. - We are now come to the register of the children of Israel, that distinguished people, who were to dwell alone, and not be reckoned among the nations. But now, in Christ, all are welcome to his salvation who come to him; all have equal privileges according to their faith in him, their love and devotedness to him. All that is truly valuable consists in the favour, peace, and image of God, and a life spent to his glory, in promoting the welfare of our fellow-creatures.

And the sons of Jahdai,.... Who is not mentioned by this name before; perhaps the same with Moza, who might have two names, though, according to Hillerus (t), he was the son of Moza; some take it to be the name of another of Caleb's concubines, by whom he had the six following sons: Regem, and Jotham, and Geshan, and Pelet, and Ephah, and Shaaph; one of these, Pelet perhaps, gave name to Bethpalet in the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:27. (t) Onomast. Sacr. p. 841.

Verse 47 offers us another name, Jahdai, not to be accounted for with any certainty. It is not linked to the context, and nothing is known of the six sons assigned to the person owning it. That Gazez occurs twice in the previous verse is remarkable, and suggestive, possibly, of mistake. The Septuagint omits altogether the clause in which it is found the second time. Houbigant translates, "Porro Haran genuit Jahdai," and so summarily removes the difficulty from his way (Barrington's 'Genealogies,' 1:210). Hiller ('Onomasticon,' S.) would make it the same name as Moza, but without any pretence of argument. A more reasonable suggestion than this might be that Jahdai is the name of yet another concubine of Caleb (Lange, 'O.T. Comm.,' in loc .). 1 Chronicles 2:47

Verse 13. - Aijalon . A similar kind of history belongs to this place. It was assigned to Dan ( Joshua 19:40-48 ). Unsubdued by them ( Judges 1:34-36 ), the Ephraimites possessed it awhile ( 1 Chronicles 6:47-49 ), until it came to be more like the common property or care of Benjamin and Judah, situated as it was on their boundary line ( 1 Samuel 14:31 ; 2 Chronicles 11:10 ; 2 Chronicles 28:18 ). 1 Chronicles 8:13

A third line of descent from Caleb, the son of Hezron, the issue probably of a different mother, perhaps Jerioth 1 Chronicles 2:18 . The supposed omissions in this verse have been supplied as follows: (1) "Mesha, the father of Ziph; and the sons of Ziph, Mareshah, the father of Hebron;" or (2) "Mareshah, the father of Ziph; and the sons of Mareshah, the father of Ziph, Hebron." Ziph, like Jorkoam 1 Chronicles 2:44 and Beth-zur 1 Chronicles 2:45, is the name of a place where the respective chiefs ("fathers") settled. Similarly Madmannah, Machbenah, and Gibea 1 Chronicles 2:49, Kirjath-jearim (Joshua 9:17 note), Bethlehem and Beth-gader (Jedur, 1 Chronicles 2:51) are unmistakeable names of places in the list, names which it is not probable were ever borne by persons.

The genealogical connection of the names in this verse is entirely wanting; for Jahdai, of whom six sons are enumerated, appears quite abruptly. Hiller, in Onomast., supposes, but without sufficient ground, that יהדּי is another name of Moza. Of his sons' names, Jotham occurs frequently of different persons; Ephah, as has been already remarked, is in 1 Chronicles 1:33 the name of a chief of a Midianite tribe; and lastly, Shaaph is used in 1 Chronicles 2:49 of another person.

Descendants of Caleb by two concubines. - The name עיפה occurs in 1 Chronicles 2:47 and 1 Chronicles 1:33 as a man's name. Caleb's concubine of this name bore three sons: Haran, of whom nothing further is known; Moza, which, though in Joshua 18:26 it is the name of a Benjamite town, is not necessarily on that account the name of a town here; and Gazez, unknown, perhaps a grandson of Caleb, especially if the clause "Haran begat Gazez" be merely an explanatory addition. But Haran may also have given to his son the name of his younger brother, so that a son and grandson of Caleb may have borne the same name.

40 . of their fathers’ house ] R.V. of the fathers’ houses . the number … to battle was ] R.V. the number of them reckoned by genealogy for service in war was , etc. twenty and six thousand ] In 1 Chronicles 12:36 the men of war of Asher are reckoned at forty thousand (cp. Numbers 1:41 ; Numbers 26:47 , where still higher reckonings are given). The numbers here and in 1 Chronicles 7:5 ; 1 Chronicles 7:7 ; 1 Chronicles 7:9 ; 1 Chronicles 7:11 (as well as in 1 Chronicles 7:2 , which see) seem to refer to the time of David. The numbers may be based on family traditions, but it would be unsafe to draw any important conclusions from them.