1 Chronicles 2:1-55--A Genealogy of David

1 Chronicles 2
English Standard Version

A Genealogy of David
2 These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, 2 Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 3 The sons of Judah: Er, Onan and Shelah; these three Bath-shua the Canaanite bore to him. Now Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the sight of the LORD, and he put him to death. 4 His daughter-in-law Tamar also bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all.

5 The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul. 6 The sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara, five in all. 7 The son of Carmi: Achan, the troubler of Israel, who broke faith in the matter of the devoted thing; 8 and Ethan's son was Azariah.

9 The sons of Hezron that were born to him: Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai. 10 Ram fathered Amminadab, and Amminadab fathered Nahshon, prince of the sons of Judah. 11 Nahshon fathered Salmon, Salmon fathered Boaz, 12 Boaz fathered Obed, Obed fathered Jesse. 13 Jesse fathered Eliab his firstborn, Abinadab the second, Shimea the third, 14 Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, 15 Ozem the sixth, David the seventh. 16 And their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. The sons of Zeruiah: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel, three. 17 Abigail bore Amasa, and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite.
18 Caleb the son of Hezron fathered children by his wife Azubah, and by Jerioth; and these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. 19 When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who bore him Hur. 20 Hur fathered Uri, and Uri fathered Bezalel.

21 Afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead, whom he married when he was sixty years old, and she bore him Segub. 22 And Segub fathered Jair, who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. 23 But Geshur and Aram took from them Havvoth-jair, Kenath, and its villages, sixty towns. All these were descendants of Machir, the father of Gilead. 24 After the death of Hezron, Caleb went in to Ephrathah, the wife of Hezron his father, and she bore him Ashhur, the father of Tekoa.

25 The sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron: Ram, his firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. 26 Jerahmeel also had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam. 27 The sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel: Maaz, Jamin, and Eker. 28 The sons of Onam: Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai: Nadab and Abishur. 29 The name of Abishur's wife was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid. 30 The sons of Nadab: Seled and Appaim; and Seled died childless. 31 The son of Appaim: Ishi. The son of Ishi: Sheshan. The son of Sheshan: Ahlai. 32 The sons of Jada, Shammai's brother: Jether and Jonathan; and Jether died childless. 33 The sons of Jonathan: Peleth and Zaza. These were the descendants of Jerahmeel. 34 Now Sheshan had no sons, only daughters, but Sheshan had an Egyptian slave whose name was Jarha. 35 So Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to Jarha his slave, and she bore him Attai. 36 Attai fathered Nathan, and Nathan fathered Zabad. 37 Zabad fathered Ephlal, and Ephlal fathered Obed. 38 Obed fathered Jehu, and Jehu fathered Azariah. 39 Azariah fathered Helez, and Helez fathered Eleasah. 40 Eleasah fathered Sismai, and Sismai fathered Shallum. 41 Shallum fathered Jekamiah, and Jekamiah fathered Elishama.

42 The sons of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel: Mareshah his firstborn, who fathered Ziph. The son of Mareshah: Hebron. 43 The sons of Hebron: Korah, Tappuah, Rekem and Shema. 44 Shema fathered Raham, the father of Jorkeam; and Rekem fathered Shammai. 45 The son of Shammai: Maon; and Maon fathered Beth-zur. 46 Ephah also, Caleb's concubine, bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez; and Haran fathered Gazez. 47 The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph. 48 Maacah, Caleb's concubine, bore Sheber and Tirhanah. 49 She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbenah and the father of Gibea; and the daughter of Caleb was Achsah. 50 These were the descendants of Caleb.

The sons of Hur the firstborn of Ephrathah: Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim, 51 Salma, the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth-gader. 52 Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim had other sons: Haroeh, half of the Menuhoth. 53 And the clans of Kiriath-jearim: the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; from these came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites. 54 The sons of Salma: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth-beth-joab and half of the Manahathites, the Zorites. 55 The clans also of the scribes who lived at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites and the Sucathites. These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab.

---

This passage takes us from Jacob to David.  So why focus first on David?  There were certainly many other important people and figures between Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and David.  Just think of Moses, and Joshua, and the Judges.  He was not even the first of the kings of Israel (we'll get to the genealogy for King Saul and his family later).  So why would the priests want to talk about David right after they talk about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?  Because it is through David and his line that the promise of the Messiah continues!  That is the most important thing about who Israel is and what will keep them together!  Messiah is coming and no matter how bad things look now, He will make all things right when He comes to set up His Kingdom.  They thought that was the way He would come the first time that He appeared, but we still wait for His glorious appearing when He will return for all those who believe in Him, and for when He returns as the judge of the living and the dead and the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

There is only one family which God made a covenant with that the family would always have a king on the throne until Messiah, one of the descendants of that family, would appear, and His Kingdom would be without measure in time or space (He would reign in all places for all time in perpetuity).  It would be around this central part of the Israelite's history and identity that could rally and unify.  They were humans descended from Adam, Israelites descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and they were subjects of the son of David who sits on the throne in Jerusalem until the one called the Son of David would appear and take His place on the throne.

David certainly didn't have the pedigree that would expect for a king, and the priests didn't hide any of the "black sheep" in the family, starting with Judah's wicked sons and how Judah ended up having offspring from his daughter-in-law, Tamar.  It was through this line that David and Jesus would come.  While not directly mentioned here, we know from the book of Matthew that Rahab and Ruth are also part of the genealogy of David (and Jesus).  Both were believing Gentiles, but they were Gentiles, and that would be something that some people would never forget.  Isn't it great that God has always planned to make room in His family for those who would be adopted into the family of faith?

Certainly, David didn't always act in a way consistent with the covenant he had received, and we'll see that later as we review his life.  This chapter focuses in on how leadership of the nation belongs to the tribe of Judah and specifically to the family of David.  No one else has that right or responsibility.  Prophets may come out of any tribe, but the rightful king will always come out of the tribe of Judah (Saul was an exception for reasons that we'll see when we get to his story).

Next time we'll come back and talk about the descendants of David (the kings of Judah, and those who were rightfully king even when the people were in Exile).  Watch out for the name of Zerubbabel in chapter 3 verse 20 as that's about where we're at in the story of the Reconstruction of Israel (he's a contemporary with Nehemiah and Ezra and the rightful king of Israel at that point in history).  The third Temple will be called Zerubbabel's Temple by many as he will be instrumental in rebuilding both the walls of Jerusalem and the Temple of the LORD.  We'll talk more about that next time.