²⁰And the sons of Ephraim; Shuthelah, and Bered his son, and Tahath his son, and Eleadah his son, and Tahath his son,
20. Shuthelah ... Bered ... Tahath ... Eleadah] These four names appear to correspond with Shuthelah ... Becher ... Tahan ... Eran in Numbers xxvi. 35, 36.
²¹and Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son, and Ezer, and Elead, whom the men of Gath that were born in the land slew, because they came down to take away their cattle.
21. the men of Gath that were born in the land] i.e. the Philistine population.
they came down] This phrase suits a descent from the hills of Ephraim into the Philistine lowlands. The raid presumably took place after the period of the Exodus and the settlement of Israel in Canaan. Yet it is also possible that the story should be classed with certain traditions which ignore the narrative of the Egyptian sojourn and the Exodus—see Cook, Encyclopedia Britannica¹¹, s.v. Genesis, p. 584, col. 2.
²²And Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him.
22. And Ephraim their father] i.e. the tribe, or district, to which the clans, Ezer and Elead, belonged.
²³And he went in to his wife, and she conceived, and bare a son, and he called his name Beriah, because it went evil with his house.
23. Beriah, because it went evil] Hebrew Beri‘ah because it went berā‘ah, a play on the sound of the name. This is a feature characteristic of the patriarchal narratives in Genesis, compare Genesis xxx. 11, etc. It is interesting to find it in the tradition upon which the Chronicler here depends. Compare also iv. 9 (note).
²⁴And his daughter was Sheerah, who built Beth-horon the nether and the upper, and Uzzen-sheerah. ²⁵And Rephah was his son, and Resheph, and Telah his son, and Tahan his son; ²⁶Ladan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son; ²⁷Nun[¹] his son, Joshua his son.