1 Chronicles 2:48

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.

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.

Another concubine of Caleb was called Maachah, a not uncommon woman's name; cf. 1 Chronicles 3:2 ; 1 Chronicles 7:16 ; 1 Chronicles 8:29 ; 1 Chronicles 11:43 , etc. She bore Sheber and Tirhanah, names quite unknown. The masc. ילד instead of the fem. ילדה, 1 Chronicles 2:46 , is to be explained by the supposition that the father who begat was present to the mind of the writer. 1 Chronicles 2:49 . Then she bore also Shaaph (different from the Shaaph in 1 Chronicles 2:47 ), the father of Madmannah, a city in the south of Judah, perhaps identical with Miniay or Minieh, southwards from Gaza (see on Joshua 15:31 ). Sheva (David's Sopher scribe is so called in the Keri of 2 Samuel 20:25 ), the father of Machbenah, a village of Judah not further mentioned, and of Gibea, perhaps the Gibeah mentioned in Joshua 15:57 , in the mountains of Judah, or the village Jeba mentioned by Robinson, Palest. ii. p. 327, and Tobler, Dritte Wanderung, S. 157f., on a hill in the Wady Musurr (vide on Joshua 15:57 ). This list closes with the abrupt remark, "and Caleb's daughter was Achsah." This notice can only refer to the Achsah so well known in the history of the conquest of the tribal domain of Judah, whom Caleb had promised, and gave as a reward to the conqueror of Debir ( Joshua 15:16 .; Judges 1:12 ); otherwise in its abrupt form it would have no meaning. Women occur in the genealogies only when they have played an important part in history.

Since, however, the father of this Achsah was Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who was about forty years old when the Israelites left Egypt, while our Caleb, on the contrary, is called in 1 Chronicles 2:42 the brother of Jerahmeel, and is at the same time designated son of Hezron, the son of Pharez ( 1 Chronicles 2:9 ), these two Calebs cannot be one person: the son of Hezron must have been a much older Caleb than the son of Jephunneh. The older commentators have consequently with one voice distinguished the Achsah mentioned in our verse from the Achsah in Joshua 15:16 ; while Movers, on the contrary (Chron. S. 83), would eliminate from the text, as a later interpolation, the notice of the daughter of Caleb. Bertheau, however, attempts to prove the identity of Caleb the son of Hezron with Caleb the son of Jephunneh. The assertion of Movers is so manifestly a critical tour de force, that it requires no refutation; but neither can we subscribe to Bertheau's view. He is, indeed, right in rejecting Ewald's expedient of holding that 1 Chronicles 2:18-20 and 1 Chronicles 2:45-50 are to be referred to Chelubai, and 1 Chronicles 2:42-49 to a Caleb to be carefully distinguished from him; for it contradicts the plain sense of the words, according to which both Chelubai, 1 Chronicles 2:9 , and Caleb, 1 Chronicles 2:18 and 1 Chronicles 2:42 , is the son of Hezron and the brother of Jerahmeel.

Verse 48. - The all manner of service , from that of the three "leaders of song" on their "cymbals of brass" ( 1 Chronicles 15:19 ) down through the other Levitical grades, is fully illustrated in many places ( 1 Chronicles 15:18-24 ; 1 Chronicles 16:37-42 ; 1 Chronicles 23:2-32 ; 1 Chronicles 25:1-8 ; 1 Chronicles 26:1-26 ). 1 Chronicles 6:48

19–5:1 (= 1 Kings 7:48-51 ). The Vessels of Gold. The Completion of the Work 19 . that were for the house ] R.V. that were in the house . the tables whereon the shewbread was set] R.V. the tables whereon was the shewbread . In 1 Kings 7:48 (parallel passage), the table (sing.); a reading probably to be accepted here also; cp. note on 2 Chronicles 4:8 . 2 Chronicles 4:19