How does Juda’s family lead to David, and what other family branches does the chapter keep?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The chapter starts with Israel’s twelve sons and follows Juda through Phares, Hesron and Ram to Isai, whose seventh son is David. It also names Juda’s other descendants, the branches of Caleb and Jerameel, the family through Sesan’s daughter and his Egyptian servant Jeraa, and the families connected with Sobal, Salma and the scribes at Jabes.

Chapter breakdown

Israel’s sons are Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Juda, Issachar, Zabulon, Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Nephtali, Gad and Aser. Juda has three sons by the Chanaanitess, the daughter of Sue: Her, Onan and Sela. Her is Juda’s firstborn; he is wicked in the Lord’s sight, and the Lord kills him. Juda’s daughter-in-law Thamar bears him Phares and Zara, making five sons of Juda in all.

Phares’s sons are Hesron and Hamul. Zare’s sons are Zamri, Ethan, Eman, Chalchal and Dara, five in all. Charmi’s son Achar troubles Israel and sins by stealing the anathema.

Challoner identifies Achar as Achan, with a reference to Josue 7. He explains the anathema as the thing devoted or accursed, namely the spoils of Jericho.

Ethan’s son is Azarias. Hesron’s sons are Jerameel, Ram and Calubi. Ram begets Aminadab, and Aminadab begets Nahasson, prince of the children of Juda.

Challoner says Ram is commonly called Aram. He explains that the same person commonly had different names among the Hebrews. With so many names in this book’s first nine chapters, he also says it is possible that those who copied the ancient Hebrew texts made some spelling slips. He presents those slips as a possibility, not a proven explanation for each name.

Nahasson begets Salma, the father of Booz. Booz begets Obed, and Obed begets Isai. Isai’s sons are Eliab his firstborn, Abinadab second, Simmaa third, Nathanael fourth, Raddai fifth, Asom sixth and David seventh. Their sisters are Sarvia and Abigail. Sarvia’s three sons are Abisai, Joab and Asael. Abigail bears Amasa, whose father is Jether the Ismahelite.

Caleb, son of Hesron, takes Azuba as his wife and has Jerioth by her. The verse then names her sons as Jaser, Sobab and Ardon.

Challoner identifies Caleb here as Calubi in verse 9.

After Azuba dies, Caleb marries Ephrata, who bears him Hur. Hur begets Uri, and Uri begets Bezeleel. Afterwards Hesron marries the daughter of Machir, the father of Galaad, when he is sixty years old. She bears him Segub, who begets Jair. Jair has twenty-three cities in the land of Galaad. The next verse says he takes Gessur, Aram the towns of Jair, and Canath with its villages: sixty cities. It describes all these as the sons of Machir, father of Galaad. When Hesron dies, Caleb goes in to Ephrata. Hesron also has Abia as a wife; she bears him Ashur, the father of Thecua.

Jerameel is Hesron’s firstborn. His sons are Ram his firstborn, Buna, Aram, Asom and Achia. Jerameel marries another wife, Atara, who is Onam’s mother. Ram, Jerameel’s firstborn, has Moos, Jamin and Achar. Onam has Semei and Jada, and Semei has Nadab and Abisur. Abisur’s wife Abihail bears him Ahobban and Molid.

Nadab’s sons are Saled and Apphaim; Saled dies without children. Apphaim’s son is Jesi, who begets Sesan, and Sesan begets Oholai. Jada, Semei’s brother, has Jether and Jonathan. Jether also dies without children. Jonathan begets Phaleth and Ziza. These are the sons of Jerameel.

Sesan has no sons, but daughters and an Egyptian servant named Jeraa. He gives his daughter to Jeraa as a wife, and she bears Ethei. Ethei begets Nathan; Nathan begets Zabad; Zabad begets Ophlal; Ophlal begets Obed; Obed begets Jehu; Jehu begets Azarias; Azarias begets Helles; Helles begets Elasa; Elasa begets Sisamoi; Sisamoi begets Sellum; Sellum begets Icamia; and Icamia begets Elisama.

The register returns to Caleb, Jerameel’s brother. Mesa is his firstborn and the father of Siph; it also names the sons of Maresa, father of Hebron. Hebron’s sons are Core, Thaphua, Recem and Samma. Samma begets Raham, the father of Jercaam. Recem begets Sammai; Sammai’s son is Maon, the father of Bethsur.

Caleb’s concubine Epha bears Haran, Mosa and Gezez, and Haran begets Gezez. Jahaddai’s sons are Rogom, Joathan, Gesan, Phalet, Epha and Saaph. Caleb’s concubine Maacha bears Saber and Tharana. Saaph, the father of Madmena, begets Sue, the father of Machbena and the father of Gabaa. Caleb’s daughter is Achsa.

The next group is introduced as the sons of Caleb, son of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrata. It names Sobal, father of Cariathiarim; Salma, father of Bethlehem; and Hariph, father of Bethgader. Sobal, father of Cariathiarim, has sons described with the words “he that saw half of the places of rest.”

Challoner says the Latin interpreter seems to have given the meaning of the Hebrew names here instead of the names themselves. He says the interpreter has done likewise in verse 55. The note’s “seems” leaves its explanation uncertain.

The kindred of Cariathiarim are the Jethrites, Aphuthites, Semathites and Maserites; from them come the Saraites and Esthaolites. The sons of Salma are listed as Bethlehem, Netophathi, the crowns of the house of Joab, and half of the place of rest of Sarai. The families of scribes at Jabes sing, make melody and live in tents. They are the Cinites, who come of Calor (Chamath), father of the house of Rechab.

The story inside

The chapter works through family branches. It starts with Israel’s twelve sons, then lists Juda’s five sons with their mothers and the Lord’s killing of Her for wickedness. Phares leads to Hesron, whose three sons are Jerameel, Ram and Calubi. Ram’s branch runs through Aminadab, Nahasson, Salma, Booz and Obed to Isai and his seven sons, with David seventh. Their sisters and the sons of those sisters also belong to the record. Caleb’s family follows, with Azuba’s death preceding his marriage to Ephrata and the line from Hur through Uri to Bezeleel. Hesron’s later marriage at sixty leads to Segub and Jair, with the city numbers and Galaad links kept. Jerameel’s branch names wives, sons and brothers, and records Saled and Jether dying without children. The text says Sesan begets Oholai and later says he has no sons but daughters; it supplies no explanation of those two statements here. It records Sesan giving his daughter to his Egyptian servant Jeraa as a wife, then traces their child Ethei’s line to Elisama. Caleb’s later groups include concubines, sons and his daughter Achsa. The closing groups attach father relationships to named places and end with the scribes at Jabes, their singing, melody, tents and descent from Calor (Chamath), father of the house of Rechab. Challoner’s notes identify alternate names and explain difficult words, while keeping possible copying slips and a possible translation of names as meanings uncertain.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The register gives more than a line to David. It includes all seven of Isai’s sons in their order, their sisters and those sisters’ sons, as well as the branches of Jerameel and Caleb. Keeping the branches and relationships helps the reader follow where each name belongs, rather than treating the other entries as names that can be dropped.
2
The short notices about deaths and marriages change what follows in the register. Her’s wickedness is given as the reason the Lord kills him. Azuba’s death precedes Caleb’s marriage to Ephrata, while Saled and Jether die without children. Sesan has daughters and an Egyptian servant, and the marriage of his daughter to Jeraa is followed by Ethei’s line. These are the stated events; the chapter does not say Sesan adopts Jeraa or explain a legal plan behind the marriage.
3
The notes call for care with names and difficult wording. Challoner identifies Achar with Achan and Caleb with Calubi, but treats copying slips as possible and says the interpreter seems to have translated the meaning of some names. Keeping those qualifications prevents a possible explanation from becoming a claim of certainty. The text’s two statements about Sesan also remain visible without an invented solution.

Test your recall

Why is Her killed, what event comes before Caleb marries Ephrata, how does the line from Ram reach David as Isai’s seventh son, and how does the marriage of Sesan’s daughter to Jeraa lead from Ethei to Elisama?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 41309–41325
1 Paralipomenon Chapter 2 The twelve tribes of Israel. The genealogy of Juda down to David. Other genealogies of the tribe of Juda. 2:1. And these are the sons of Israel: Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Juda, Issachar, and Zabulon, 2:2. Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Nephtali, Gad, and Aser. 2:3. The sons of Juda: Her, Onan and Sela. These three were born to him of the Chanaanitess the daughter of Sue. And Her the firstborn of Juda, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and he slew him. 2:4. And Thamar his daughter in law bore him Phares and Zara. So all the sons of Juda were five.
Lines 41326–41333
2:5. And the sons of Phares, were Hesron and Hamul. 2:6. And the sons also of Zare: Zamri, and Ethan, and Eman, and Chalchal, and Dara, five in all. 2:7. And the sons of Charmi: Achar, who troubled Israel, and sinned by the theft of the anathema.
Lines 41334–41336
Achar.... Alias Achan. Jos. 7.—Ibid. The anathema.... The thing devoted or accursed, viz., the spoils of Jericho.
Lines 41337–41344
2:8. The sons of Ethan: Azarias, 2:9. And the sons of Hesron that were born to him: Jerameel, and Ram, and Calubi. 2:10. And Ram begot Aminadab, and Aminadab begot Nahasson, prince of the children of Juda.
Lines 41345–41351
Ram.... He is commonly called Aram. But it is to be observed here, once for all, that it was a common thing among the Hebrews for the same persons to have different names: and that it is not impossible among so many proper names, as here occur in the first nine chapters of this book, that the transcribers of the ancient Hebrew copies may have made some slips in the orthography.
Lines 41352–41367
2:11. And Nahasson begot Salma, the father of Booz. 2:12. And Booz begot Obed, and Obed begot Isai. 2:13. And Isai begot Eliab his firstborn, the second Abinadab, the third Simmaa, 2:14. The fourth, Nathanael, the fifth Raddai, 2:15. The sixth Asom, the seventh David. 2:16. And their sisters were Sarvia, and Abigail. The sons of Sarvia: Abisai, Joab, and Asael, three. 2:17. And Abigail bore Amasa, whose father was Jether the Ismahelite.
Lines 41368–41370
2:18. And Caleb the son of Hesron took a wife named Azuba, of whom he had Jerioth: and her sons were Jaser, and Sobab, and Ardon.
Lines 41371–41372
Caleb.... Alias Calubi, ver. 9.
Lines 41373–41391
2:19. And when Azuba was dead, Caleb took to wife Ephrata: who bore him Hur. 2:20. And Hur begot Uri: and Uri begot Bezeleel. 2:21. And afterwards Hesron went in to the daughter of Machir the father of Galaad, and took her to wife when he was threescore years old: and she bore him Segub. 2:22. And Segub begot Jair, and he had three and twenty cities in the land of Galaad. 2:23. And he took Gessur, and Aram the towns of Jair, and Canath, and the villages thereof, threescore cities. All these, the sons of Machir father of Galaad. 2:24. And when Hesron was dead, Caleb went in to Ephrata. Hesron also had to wife Abia who bore him Ashur the father of Thecua.
Lines 41392–41406
2:25. And the sons of Jerameel the firstborn of Hesron, were Ram his firstborn, and Buna, and Aram, and Asom, and Achia. 2:26. And Jerameel married another wife, named Atara, who was the mother of Onam. 2:27. And the sons of Ram the firstborn of Jerameel, were Moos, Jamin, and Achar. 2:28. And Onam had sons Semei, and Jada. And the sons of Semei: Nadab, and Abisur. 2:29. And the name of Abisur’s wife was Abihail, who bore him Ahobban, and Molid.
Lines 41407–41418
2:30. And the sons of Nadab were Saled and Apphaim. And Saled died without children. 2:31. But the son of Apphaim was Jesi: and Jesi begot Sesan. And Sesan begot Oholai. 2:32. And the sons of Jada the brother of Semei: Jether and Jonathan. And Jether also died without children. 2:33. But Jonathan begot Phaleth, and Ziza. These were the sons of Jerameel.
Lines 41419–41435
2:34. And Sesan had no sons, but daughters and a servant an Egyptian, named Jeraa. 2:35. And he gave him his daughter to wife: and she bore him Ethei. 2:36. And Ethei begot Nathan, and Nathan begot Zabad. 2:37. And Zabad begot Ophlal, and Ophlal begot Obed. 2:38. Obed begot Jehu, Jehu begot Azarias. 2:39. Azarias begot Helles, and Helles begot Elasa. 2:40. Elasa begot Sisamoi, Sisamoi begot Sellum, 2:41. Sellum begot Icamia, and Icamia begot Elisama.
Lines 41436–41446
2:42. Now the sons of Caleb the brother of Jerameel were Mesa his firstborn, who was the father of Siph: and the sons of Maresa father of Hebron. 2:43. And the sons of Hebron, Core, and Thaphua, and Recem, and Samma. 2:44. And Samma begot Raham, the father of Jercaam, and Recem begot Sammai. 2:45. The son of Sammai, Maon: and Maon the father of Bethsur.
Lines 41447–41457
2:46. And Epha the concubine of Caleb bore Haran, and Mosa, and Gezez. And Haran begot Gezez. 2:47. And the sons of Jahaddai, Rogom, and Joathan, and Gesan, and Phalet, and Epha, and Saaph. 2:48. And Maacha the concubine of Caleb bore Saber, and Tharana. 2:49. And Saaph the father of Madmena begot Sue the father of Machbena, and the father of Gabaa. And the daughter of Caleb was Achsa.
Lines 41458–41465
2:50. These were the sons of Caleb, the son of Hur the firstborn of Ephrata, Sobal the father of Cariathiarim. 2:51. Salma the father of Bethlehem, Hariph the father of Bethgader. 2:52. And Sobal the father of Cariathiarim had sons: he that saw half of the places of rest.
Lines 41466–41469
He that saw, etc.... The Latin interpreter seems to have given us here, instead of the proper names, the meaning of those names in the Hebrew. He has done in like manner, ver. 55.
Lines 41470–41481
2:53. And of the kindred of Cariathiarim, the Jethrites, and Aphuthites, and Semathites, and Maserites. Of them came the Saraites, and Esthaolites. 2:54. The sons of Salma, Bethlehem, and Netophathi, the crowns of the house of Joab, and half of the place of rest of Sarai. 2:55. And the families of the scribes that dwell in Jabes, singing and making melody, and abiding in tents. These are the Cinites, who came of Calor (Chamath) father of the house of Rechab.