1 Chronicles 2:50

III.—1Ch_2:50-55 : A third register of Calebite clans and settlements.

(50) The sons of Caleb the son of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah.—See 1Ch_2:19-20 and Notes. The statement “These were the sons of Caleb” should be connected with 1Ch_2:49, as a subscription or concluding remark to the list, 1Ch_2:42-49. (Comp. 1Ch_2:33.) A fresh start is then made with “the sons (so the LXX.) of Hur, firstborn of Ephratah,” reverting to the Caleb of 1Ch_2:19 seq., just as 1Ch_2:34 returns to Jerahmeel in the Sheshanite branch.

Shobal the father of Kirjath-jearim.—Shobal is named at 1Ch_4:1 as a chief clan or sub-tribe of Judah, along with Hur.

Kirjath-jearim.—“City of woods,” one of the four cities of the Gibeonites (Jos_9:17), also called Kirjath-Baal and Baalah (Jos_15:9; Jos_15:60), in the hill-country of Judah.

(51) Salma the father of Beth-lehem.—See 1Ch_2:11, where Salma may be the feather-house (clan) of which Boaz was a member. The present Salma, however, is a Calebite, whereas the Salma of 1Ch_2:11 is a Ramite.

Beth-gader (géder).—Jos_12:13, Geder; Jos_15:36, Gederah; or perhaps Gedor (Jos_15:58).

(52) Haroeh, and half of the Manahethites.—Haroeh is probably a relic of Jehoraah (LXX., Ἀραά) =Reaiah (see 1chron iv 2) and perhaps hatsi-hammenuhoth should be altered to hatsi-hammanahti (see 1Ch_2:54), which would give the sense of the Authorised Version. As the Hebrew stands, the Vulg. is a literal rendering of it: qui videbat dimidium requietionum (!). The Manahathites were the people of Manahath (1Ch_8:6). a town near the frontier of Dan and Judah (1Ch_2:54).

(53) This verse is really a continuation of the last, and a comma would be better than a full stop after the word Manahathites. The “families” (clans or groups of families, mishpehôth) dwelling in the canton of Kirjath-jearim, viz., the Ithrites, Puhites (Heb., Puthites), &c, were also sons of Shobâl. Two of David’s heroes, Ira and Gareb (1Ch_11:40), were Ithrites. The three other clans are nowhere else mentioned.

Of them came the Zareathites, and the Eshtaulites.—Rather, from these went forth the Zorathites, &c. The men of Zorah and Eshtaôl were subdivisions of the clans of Kirjath-jearim. Zorah (Jdg_13:2), a Danite town, the home of Samson, now Sura. Eshtaôl, also a Danite town, near Zorah (Jdg_16:31; Jdg_18:11-12), the present Um-Eshteiyeh. Both were on the western border of Judah, a few miles west of Kirjath-jearim.

(54) The sons of Salma; Beth-lehem.—In 1Ch_2:51 Salma is called “father of Bethlehem,” and according to 1Ch_2:50, Salma is a son of Hur and a grandson of Ephratah, i.e., Beth-lehem (see 1Ch_2:19, Note). The recognition of the ethnographical and geographical significance of these expressions at once removes all difficulty. Salma was the principal clan established in Bethlehem-Ephratah; branches of which were settled at Netophah, a neighbouring township (1Ch_9:16; 2Sa_23:28-29), important after the return (Ezr_2:22; Neh_7:26).

Ataroth, the house of Joab.—Rather, Atroth-beth-Joab (comp. Abel-beth-Maachah); an unknown town, whose name means “ramparts of the house of Joab,” i.e., “Joab’s castle,” perhaps a strong city where Joab’s family was settled. (See 1Ch_2:26.)

Half of the Manahethites were sons of Salma, the other half sons of Shobal (1Ch_2:52).

The Zorites.—A by-form of Zorathites (1Ch_2:53). The word really belongs to the next verse, as the sons of Salma are arranged in pairs.

(55) The families (mishpehôth=clans) of the scribes which dwelt at Jabez.—Among the clans calling themselves sons of Salma were three groups of Sopherim (Authorised version, “scribes”) settled at Jabez (Heb., Ia‘bêç), a town of northern Judah, near to Zorah. (See 1Ch_4:9, Note.) The three clans were known as those of Tir‘ah, Shimeah, and Suchah. The Vulg. treats these names as appellatives, and renders canentes atque resonantes et in tabernaculis commorantes, that is, “singing and resounding, and dwelling in tents.” This translation is assumed to be due to Jerome’s Rabbinical teachers, and is justified by reference to the words terû‘âh, “trumpet-blare;” shim‘âh, “report;” or the Aramaic Shema‘tâ “legal tradition” and sûkâh (= sukkah), “a booth.” Hence the conclusion has been drawn that the Sopherim of Jabez were, in fact, ministers of religion, discharging functions precisely like those of the Levites. So Wellhausen, who refers to Jer_35:19, and the title of Psalms 70 in the LXX., and to one or two late fragmentary notices of the Rechabites. On the face of it the supposition is unlikely; nor does it derive any real support from the Kenite origin of these Sopherim, for it is a mere fancy that the house of Jethro, the Kenite priest of Midian, became temple-ministers in Israel. Besides, the etymologies of the names are hardly cogent; and if we try to extract history from etymology here, we might as well do so in the case of the clans of Kirjath-jearim (1Ch_2:53), and make the Ithrites a guild of ropers (yether, “cord, bowstring”), the Puthites hinge-makers (pôthôth—1Ki_1:50—“hinges”), and the Shumathithes garlic-eaters (shûm, “garlic,” Num_11:5). The Vulg. often makes the blunder of translating proper names. (See 1Ch_2:52; 1Ch_2:54).

These are the Kenites that came of Hemath (Heb., Hammath), the father of the house of (Beth-) Rechab.—The three clans of Sopherim were originally Kenites, and traced their descent from Hammath, the traditional founder of the Rechabite stock. When, or under what circumstances these Rechabite Kenites amalgamated with the Calebite clan of Salma is unknown; but comp. Jdg_1:11-16.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

50. These were the sons of Caleb the son of Hur] Read with LXX., These were the sons of Caleb. The sons of Hur (Cp. R.V.). Hur was the son of Caleb (1Ch_2:19).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Caleb the son of Hur - Hur was the son, not the father, of Caleb 1Ch 2:19. The text should perhaps be read: “These (the list in 1Ch 2:42-49) were the sons of Caleb. The sons of Hur, the first-born of Ephratah, were Shobal, etc.”

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Caleb, grandson of Calubi. (Vatable, &c.) --- Sobal, his descendant, was prince of those who established themselves at Cariathiarim. (Calmet) --- The Alexandrian Septuagint seems rather to assert that he was son of Hur, as well as those who follow. "The sons of Hur....Sobal....Salomon, father of Baithlammon, father of Bethleem." But the editions vary. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Vers. 50-55. The opening sentence of these verses has also been already discussed. It may be now added (see Keil, "Commentary," in loc.) that some would understand the words as though they meant, These were the sons of Caleb, in the descending line of Hur, Ephratah"s firstborn. This rendering is got at by altering "the son of Hut" into "the sons of Hur," which seems to have been the reading of the Septuagint manuscripts, and which, at all events, their rendering has. The remainder of ver. 50, with the following four, give three sons of Caleb:

1. Shobal, prince of Kirjath-jearim (city of woods; Jos_9:17 Jos_18:15 Jos_15:9, Jos_15:60; cf. Jos_18:14), on the border-hind of Judah and Benjamin, and about ten miles from Jerusalem on the road to Emmaus (Nicopolis ). It is to be identified, almost with certainty, with the modern Kuriet-el-Enab. Other references of exceeding interest are 1Sa_6:21 1Sa_7:2; Ezr_2:25; Neh_7:29; 1Ch_13:6; 2Ch_1:4; Jer_26:20; Psa_132:6. This Shobal (ver. 52) had two sons, Haroeh , i.e. Reaiah, (1Ch_4:5) and the progenitor, whatever his name, of half of the people called Manahethites (Authorized Version) a form probably suggested by the Masoretic pointing of ver. 54 or Chatsi-hammenon-choth (Hebrew text), which Gesenius treats as a proper name, and which means "the midst of quiet places", (Psa_23:2) from which comes the patronymic of the next verse but one (Barrington, "Genealogies," 1:213). From the Kirjath-jearim family were derived (ver. 53), the Ithrites, Puhites, Shumathites, and Mishraites, of none of whom, except probably the Ithrites (2Sa_11:4) do we find other mention; and from the Mishraites again were derived two offshoots, the Zareathites and Eshtaulites, the towns of both of whom are with great probability to be tracked (Jos_15:33 Jos_19:41; Jud_1:13:25 18:2) They were situated in that part of Judah called the "low" country, or the Shefelah, stretching from Joppa to Gaza on the Mediterranean.

2. Salma, prince of Bethlehem. The so-called "sons" here attributed to him, six in number, including Bethlehem, evidently betoken families rather than the names of individuals. The town Netophah (Ezr_2:21; Neh_7:26) gave the gentile noun Netophathites (Jer_40:8) Ataroth, the house of Joab (i.e. "crowns" of the house of Joab), is not mentioned elsewhere; but the reason of its being distinguished thus may be due to the fact that there was another Ataroth of, (Num_32:3, Num_32:34) and yet another of Ephraim. (Jos_14:5 Jos_18:13) The Zorites (yirxi) Gesenius thinks to be another gentile form from hrx; with ytirxi, but of them we do not read elsewhere.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Hur ... Shobal ... Salma ... Hareph

These are all the names of men. (See: How to Translate Names)

Ephrathah

This is the name of a woman. (See: How to Translate Names)

father of Kiriath Jearim ... father of Bethlehem ... father of Beth Gader

These are all the names of towns. The towns are metonyms for the people who live in the towns. AT: "founder of Kiriath Jearim ... founder of Bethlehem ... founder of Beth Gader" (See: How to Translate Names)

translationWords

Bethlehem

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

These were the sons of Caleb, the son of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah The interpretation is: These were the sons of Caleb. בֶּן חוּר is like בְּנוֹ חוּר, his son was Hur, and that Hur was the firstborn of Ephrath, his wife, not the firstborn of Caleb, and so it is explained above (verse 19): “And Caleb took to himself Ephrath, and she bore him Hur.” Another explanation [is that] “for these were the sons of, etc.” Hur was Caleb’s son, and he begot a son whom he named Caleb, and this is its explanation: And these were the sons of Caleb the son of Hur: Shobal, etc.

the firstborn of Ephrathah but not the firstborn of Caleb. This refers to Hur. So it appears to us.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.