1 Chronicles 2:54

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.

The sons of Salma,.... Another son of the younger Caleb, 1 Chronicles 2:50 whose sons were Bethlehem, the inhabitants of the place, at least many of them, of which he was prince, 1 Chronicles 2:51 and the Netophathite; the inhabitants of Netophah, a place in the tribe of Judah, mentioned along with Bethlehem, Nehemiah 7:26 these sprung from Salma: Ataroth, the house of Joab; Ataroth seems to be the name of a place in the tribe of Judah, where the family of Joab lived, the inhabitants of which were the descendants of Salma: and half of the Manahethites; the other half of the inhabitants of Manahath, see 1 Chronicles 2:52, the Zorites; part also of them, called Zareathites, 1 Chronicles 2:53.

1 Chronicles 2:54 . The sons of Salma; Beth-lehem — That is, the inhabitants of Beth-lehem: and so of Ataroth, and the house of Joab, or, as it should rather be rendered, Beth-joab, for the writer is not speaking of a family, but of a place. The people of those towns, and the Manahethites, and the Zorites, were all the descendants of this Salma, the son of Caleb. So that, it appears, he had a very numerous posterity.

1 Chronicles 9:16-17 . The villages of the Netophathite — Or, Netophathites: which were in Judah, 1 Chronicles 2:54 . Here they now dwelt, either because their proper cities were not yet built; or because they were not yet numerous enough to replenish them. The porters were, &c. — Whose office it was to keep all the gates of the temple, that no unclean person or thing might enter into it.

The sons of Salma; of that Salma mentioned 1 Chronicles 2:51 . Beth-lehem, i.e. the inhabitants of Beth-lehem. Ataroth; the name of a person or people. The house of Joab; the progenitors of Joab’s family. Half of the Manahethites; the other half being mentioned 1 Chronicles 2:52 . Zorites, for, to wit, the Zorites .

The descendants of Salma: Bethlehem, i.e., the family of Bethlehem (see on 1 Chronicles 2:52 ), the Netophathites, i.e., the inhabitants of the town of Netophah, which, according to our verse and Ezra 2:22 , and especially Nehemiah 7:26 , is to be looked for in the neighbourhood of Bethlehem (cf. 1 Chronicles 9:16 ); a family which produced at various times renowned men (cf. 2 Samuel 23:28 .; 2 Kings 25:23 ; Ezra 2:22 ). The following words, י עטחרות ב, i.e., "crowns of the house of Joab," can only be the name of a place which is mentioned instead of its inhabitants; for עטרות occurs elsewhere, sometimes alone, and sometimes in conjunction with a proper name, as the name of places: cf. Numbers 32:34 .; Joshua 16:2 , Joshua 16:5 , Joshua 16:7 ; Joshua 18:13 . Hazi-Hammanahath is certainly to be sought in the neighbourhood of Manahath, 1 Chronicles 8:6 , whose position has, however, not yet been ascertained. הצּרעי is only another form of הצּרעתי, and is derived from the masculine of the word. The Zorites here spoken of formed a second division of the inhabitants of Zoreah and the neighbourhood, along with the Zoreathites descended from Shobal, 1 Chronicles 2:53 .

Now, although מנוּחה signifies resting-place ( Numbers 10:33 ; Judges 20:43 ), and the words "the half of the resting-place," or "of the resting-places," point in the first instance to a district, yet not only does the context require that Hazi-Hammenuhoth should signify a family sprung from Shobal, but it is demanded also by a comparison of our phrase with hmnchty chtsy in 1 Chronicles 2:54 , which unquestionably denotes a family. It does not, however, seem necessary to alter the המּנחות into המּנחתּי; for as in 1 Chronicles 2:54 Bethlehem stands for the family in Bethlehem descended from Salma, so the district Hazi-Hammenuhoth may be used in 1 Chronicles 2:52 to denote the family residing there. As to the geographical position of this district, see on 1 Chronicles 2:54 .