the firstborn of Ephrathah] see note verse 24.
⁵²And Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim had sons; Haroeh, half of the Menuhoth.
52. Haroeh, half of the Menuhoth] The Hebrew is quite obscure, but may perhaps be rendered, who provided for half the resting-places, the description applying to Shobal, i.e. his work was to supervise some of the halting stations of the caravans which passed through the territory of Judah. Compare similar details in iv. 21–23, and the title Prince of the resting-places (margin quarter-master) given to Seraiah in Jeremiah li. 59. Almost certainly, however, the text in the present passage is corrupt, and, following iv. 2 and verse 54, we may read Reaiah and half of the Manahathites. For the latter see below, verse 54.
⁵³And the families of Kiriath-jearim; the Ithrites, and the Puthites, and the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; of them came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites.
53. Zorathites, Eshtaolites] for Zorah (modern Surah) and Eshtaol (modern Eshua), compare Judges xiii. 25.
⁵⁴The sons of Salma; Beth-lehem, and the Netophathites, Atrothbeth-Joab, and half of the Manahathites, the Zorites.
54. Manahathites, the Zorites] The Manahathites of Zorah must be associated with Manoah, the father of Samson, according to the tradition of Judges xiii. 2, 25, and an inhabitant of Zorah (see Cooke, Judges, pp. 131, 138, in this series).
⁵⁵And the families of scribes which dwelt at Jabez; the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, the Sucathites. These are the Kenites that came of Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab.
55. families of scribes] an indication of post-exilic date.
the Kenites that came of Hammath] or perhaps, the Kenites who came in (i.e. who attached themselves to Israel), who were from Hammath.