1 Chronicles 4:3-4 -

Etam is, with little doubt, the name of a place ( 2 Chronicles 11:6 ) in Judah, south of Jerusalem. It was near Tekoah ( 1 Chronicles 4:5 , and 1 Chronicles 2:24 ) and Bethlehem (next verse). The hiatus in the first clause may possibly be supplied by "the families of" from the last verse, or, more fitly, by "the sons of," inasmuch as some manuscripts have it so. The Septuagint, however, and Vulgate displace "the father of" ( i.e. chief of ), replacing it by "the sons of." The Syriac Version leaves out any notice of the sister, Hazelelponi, and gives the former part of the verse thus: "These are Amina-dab's sons, Ahizareel, Nesma, and Dibas, Pheguel and Husia; These are the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratha, who was the father," etc. With this the Arabic Version is partly in agreement, but closes the verse with the words, "These are the sons of Hur, son of Ephratha, the father of whom [plural] was of Bethlehem." The Chronicle Targum translates, "the rabbis dwelling at Etam." This variety indicates the difficulty felt by each in turn. The verse, however, purports to give the names of three brothers and one sister (Hazelel-poni, i.e. the shadow looking at me, Gesenius) connected with Etam, as in the following verse Penuel with Gedor ( 1 Chronicles 2:51 ) and Ezer with Hushah ( 1 Chronicles 11:29 ; 2 Samuel 23:27 ). Of no one of these, in all six other descendants of Hur, additional to those found at the close of 1 Chronicles 2:1-55 ; is anything distinct known. It is to be noted that Hut himself is here called father of Bethlehem, while ( 1 Chronicles 2:51 ) his son Salma is so called.