¹These are the sons of Israel; Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar and Zebulun; ²Dan, Joseph and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
II. 3–IV. 23.
Genealogies of Judah.
3–17.
Descendants of Judah to the Sons of Jesse.
³The sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah: which three were born unto him of Bath-shua the Canaanitess. And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord; and he slew him. ⁴And Tamar his daughter in law bare him Perez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five. ⁵The sons of Perez; Hezron and Hamul.
5. The sons of Perez; Hezron and Hamul] So Genesis xlvi. 12. The only reference in the Old Testament to Hamulites is Numbers xxvi. 21. On the other hand Hezron, a south Judean tribe (Joshua xv. 3), is a clan of the first importance in the genealogies. From Hezron are descended not only the family of David (verse 15), but also the great Calebite and Jerahmeelite clans (verses 18–24, 25–33, etc.). The name Hezron might bear the significance “an enclosed place” as opposed to movable encampments, and Atarah (verse 26) who is said to be the mother of certain Jerahmeelite families has much the same meaning. Both names therefore may not be eponymous either of individuals or places, but may originate in the desire to preserve the fact that the families named as their sons were nomads who had abandoned wandering for settled life. If so, it might help to explain the fact that Hezron (compare Carmi, ii. 7, iv. 1, v. 3) is also mentioned as a son of Reuben (v. 3; Genesis xlvi. 9, etc.).
⁶And the sons of Zerah; Zimri[¹], and Ethan, and Heman, and Calcol, and Dara[²]: five of them in all.
[¹] In Joshua vii. 1, Zabdi.
[²] Many ancient authorities read, Darda. See 1 Kings iv. 31.
6. the sons of Zerah] This genealogy appears only in Chronicles.
Zimri] LXX. (B) Ζαμβρεί (β being merely euphonic) here and also Joshua vii. 1 where Hebrew has “Zabdi.” LXX. is probably right in identifying the two. Either form might arise from the other by easy textual corruption.