1 Chronicles 2:51

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.

Salma the father of Bethlehem,.... Or prince of Bethlehem, as the Targum; not the same as in 1 Chronicles 2:11 he was the son of Nahshon, this of the younger Caleb: Hareph, the father of Bethgader; prince of a place of that name called Gedor, 1 Chronicles 4:4, and where this man's name is Penuel; Gedor was in the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:58.

Either they are other sons besides those mentioned 1Ch 2 , or there is some variation in their names, which is most frequent among the Hebrews, as hath been oft proved. The father of Beth-lehem: this title is here given to the father, and 1 Chronicles 2:51 , to Salma, his son, who had it either with or after his father. See Poole "1 Chronicles 2:51" , See Poole "1 Chronicles 2:52" .

The families descended from Caleb through his son Hur. - 1 Chronicles 2:50 . The superscription, "These are the sons (descendants) of Caleb," is more accurately defined by the addition, "the son of Hur, the first-born of Ephratah;" and by this definition the following lists of Caleb's descendants are limited to the families descended from his son Hur. That the words וגו בּן־חוּר are to be so understood, and not as apposition to כּלב, "Caleb the son of Hur," is shown by 1 Chronicles 2:19 , according to which Hur is a son of Caleb and Ephrath. On that account, too, the relationship of Hur to Caleb is not given here; it is presupposed as known from 1 Chronicles 2:19 . A famous descendant of Hur has already been mentioned in 1 Chronicles 2:20 , viz., Bezaleel the son of Uri. Here, in 1 Chronicles 2:50 and 1 Chronicles 2:51 , three sons of Hur are named, Shobal, Salma, and Hareph, with the families descended from the first two. All information is wanting as to whether these sons of Hur were brothers of Uri, or his cousins in nearer or remoter degree, as indeed is every means of a more accurate determination of the degrees of relationship. Both בּן and הוליד in genealogies mark only descent in a straight line, while intermediate members of a family are often omitted in the lists. Instead of בּן־חוּר, בּני־חוּר might have been expected, as two sons are mentioned.

The singular בּן shows that the words are not to be fused with the following into one sentence, but, as the Masoretic punctuation also shows, are meant for a superscription, after which the names to be enumerated are ranged without any more intimate logical connection. For the three names are not connected by the w copul. They stand thus: "sons of Hur, the first-born of Ephratah; Shobal...Salma...Hareph." Shobal is called father of Kirjath-jearim, now Kureyet el Enab (see on Joshua 9:17 ). Salma, father of Bethlehem, the birth-place of David and Christ. This Salma is, however, not the same person as Salma mentioned in 1 Chronicles 2:11 and Ruth 4:20 among the ancestors of David; for the latter belonged to the family of Ram, the former to the family of Caleb. Hareph is called the father of Beth-Geder, which is certainly not the same place as Gedera, Joshua 15:36 , which lay in the Shephelah, but is probably identical with Gedor in the hill country, Joshua 15:58 , west of the road which leads from Hebron to Jerusalem (vide on 1 Chronicles 12:4 ). Nothing further is told of Hareph, but in the following verses further descendants of both the other sons of Hur are enumerated.

2 Chronicles 5:1 contains the conclusion of the account of the preparation of the sacred utensils as in 1 Kings 7:51 , and with it also the whole account of the building of the temple is brought to an end. The ו before את־הכּסף and את־הזּהב corresponds to the Lat. et - et, both - and also. As to David's offerings, cf. 1 Chronicles 18:10 and 1 Chronicles 18:11 ; and on the whole matter, compare also the remarks on 1 Kings 7:51 .