And the sons of Zerah ,.... The other twin of Judah: Zimri, and Ethan, and Heman, and Calcol, and Dara : five of them in all; the Targum calls them governors, and adds, on whom the spirit of prophecy dwelt; and in the Jewish chronology F14 Seder Olam Rabba, c. 20. p. 52. they are said to prophesy in Egypt; and the four last are supposed to be the same with those in 1 Kings 4:31 . See Gill on 1 Kings 4:31 . read more
Five of them in all - "These were all chief men; and on them the spirit of prophecy rested." - T. read more
2. THE LINE OF JUDAH , TO HIS THREE GREAT - GRANDSONS . The line of Judah is, with a well-known object, the first to be taken up, although Judah stands fourth of Israel's sons. Judah has five sons: three, Er, Onan, Shelah , by a Canaanitess, the daughter of Shad ; and two, Pharez and Zerah , by Tamar , his own daughter-in-law, under the circumstances described ( Genesis 38:6-30 ). There all these names are found in exact accord in the Authorized Version, in the... read more
The sons of Zerah - Here, for the first time, the writer of Chronicles draws from sources not otherwise known to us, recording facts not mentioned in the earlier Scriptures. Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara, sons of Zerah, are only known to us from this passage, since there are no sufficient grounds for identifying them with the “sons of Mahol” (marginal reference). read more
1 Chronicles 2:6. And Dara If these be the same who are mentioned as the sons of Mahol, (1 Kings 4:31,) either the same man had two names, Zerah and Mahol, as was usual among the Hebrews, or one of these was their immediate father, and the other their grandfather. These are named, because they were the glory of their father’s house. When the Holy Ghost would magnify the wisdom of Solomon, he saith, he was wiser than these four men. That four brothers should be so eminent, was a rare... read more
Descendants of Judah and Simeon (2:1-4:43)Having listed the children of Jacob (Israel) starting with the eldest son Reuben, the writer immediately turns his attention to the tribe of Judah, the tribe that produced the dynasty of David (2:1-17). He traces the line of David first, then goes back to deal with a number of other important people in Judah and lists their descendants (18-55). On completing this, he returns to list the family of David (3:1-9), the descendants of David who reigned after... read more
6. Zimri, and Ethan, and Heman, and Calcol, and Dara—These five are here stated to be the sons of Zerah, that is, of Ezra, whence they were called Ezrahites ( :-). In that passage they are called "the sons of Mahol," which, however, is to be taken not as a proper name, but appellatively for "sons of music, dancing," &c. The traditional fame of their great sagacity and acquirements had descended to the time of Solomon and formed a standard of comparison for showing the superior wisdom of... read more
Genealogies (continued)The genealogies in this chapter comprise the descendants of Isaac through Israel (Jacob), and the descendants of Judah.3. The sons of Judah] Some of the names that follow are given differently in the other books where they occur. 9. Chelubai] the Caleb of 1 Chronicles 2:18, 1 Chronicles 2:42. 15. David the seventh] In 1 Samuel 17:12 it is implied that Jesse had eight sons.18. And of Jerioth] The passage is probably corrupt, and Jerioth may be the name of Azubah’s father.... read more
(6) Zimri.—This name is probably a merely accidental variant of Zabdi. Both are genuine Hebrew names occurring elsewhere. But the fact that Zimri here, and Zabdi at Joshua 7:1, are both called sons of Zerah, seems to prove their identity; especially as m is often confused with b, and d with r.Ethan, and Heman, and Calcol, and Dara.—It is stated (1 Kings 4:31) that Solomon was “wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol.” It will be seen... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Chronicles 2:1-17
Here is, I. The family of Jacob. His twelve sons are here named, that illustrious number so often celebrated almost throughout the whole Bible, from the first to the last book of it. At every turn we meet with the twelve tribes that descended from these twelve patriarchs. The personal character of several of them was none of the best (the first four were much blemished), and yet the covenant was entailed on their seed; for it was of grace, free grace, that it was said, Jacob have I loved?not... read more