1 Chronicles 2 · WEB
The Sons of Israel and the Line of Judah
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These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,
2Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
3The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, and Shelah; which three were born to him of Shua's daughter the Canaanitess. Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of Yahweh; and he killed him.
4Tamar his daughter-in-law bore him Perez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five.
5The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.
6The sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara — five of them in all.
7The son of Carmi: Achar, the troubler of Israel, who committed a trespass in the devoted thing.
8The son of Ethan: Azariah.
9The sons also of Hezron, who were born to him: Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai.
10Ram became the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, prince of the children of Judah;
11and Nahshon became the father of Salma, and Salma became the father of Boaz,
12and Boaz became the father of Obed, and Obed became the father of Jesse;
13and Jesse became the father of Eliab his firstborn, and Abinadab the second, and Shimea the third,
14Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth,
15Ozem the sixth, David the seventh;
16and their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. The sons of Zeruiah: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel — three.
17Abigail bore Amasa; and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite.
18Caleb the son of Hezron became the father of children by Azubah his wife, and by Jerioth; and these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon.
19Azubah died, and Caleb took Ephrath as his wife, who bore him Hur.
20Hur became the father of Uri, and Uri became the father of Bezalel.
21Afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead, whom he took as wife when he was sixty years old; and she bore him Segub.
22Segub became the father of Jair, who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead.
23Geshur and Aram took the towns of Jair from them, with Kenath and its villages, even sixty cities. All these were the sons of Machir the father of Gilead.
24After that Hezron was dead in Caleb Ephrathah, then Abijah Hezron's wife bore him Ashhur the father of Tekoa.
25The sons of Jerahmeel the firstborn of Hezron were Ram the firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah.
26Jerahmeel had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam.
27The sons of Ram the firstborn of Jerahmeel were Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.
28The sons of Onam were Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai: Nadab and Abishur.
29The name of Abishur's wife was Abihail; and she bore him Ahban and Molid.
30The sons of Nadab: Seled and Appaim; but Seled died without children.
31The son of Appaim: Ishi. The son of Ishi: Sheshan. The son of Sheshan: Ahlai.
32The sons of Jada the brother of Shammai: Jether and Jonathan; and Jether died without children.
33The sons of Jonathan: Peleth and Zaza. These were the sons of Jerahmeel.
34Now Sheshan had no sons, only daughters. Sheshan had a servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Jarha.
35Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant as wife; and she bore him Attai.
36Attai became the father of Nathan, and Nathan became the father of Zabad,
37and Zabad became the father of Ephlal, and Ephlal became the father of Obed,
38and Obed became the father of Jehu, and Jehu became the father of Azariah,
39and Azariah became the father of Helez, and Helez became the father of Eleasah,
40and Eleasah became the father of Sismai, and Sismai became the father of Shallum,
41and Shallum became the father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah became the father of Elishama.
42The sons of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel: Mesha his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph; and the sons of Mareshah the father of Hebron.
43The sons of Hebron: Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema.
44Shema became the father of Raham, the father of Jorkeam; and Rekem became the father of Shammai.
45The son of Shammai was Maon; and Maon was the father of Beth Zur.
46Ephah, Caleb's concubine, bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez; and Haran became the father of Gazez.
47The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.
48Maacah, Caleb's concubine, bore Sheber and Tirhanah.
49She bore also Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbenah and the father of Gibea; and the daughter of Caleb was Achsah.
50These were the sons of Caleb, the son of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah: Shobal the father of Kiriath Jearim,
51Salma the father of Bethlehem, Hareph the father of Beth Gader.
52Shobal the father of Kiriath Jearim had sons: Haroeh, half of the Menuhoth.
53The families of Kiriath Jearim: the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; of them came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites.
54The sons of Salma: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth Beth Joab, and half of the Manahathites, the Zorites.
55The families of scribes who lived at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, the Sucathites. These are the Kenites who came of Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab.
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Summary
This chapter lists the twelve sons of Israel (Jacob), then focuses on Judah's line — the tribe from which David and ultimately the Messiah would come. The genealogy moves through Perez, Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, Boaz, Obed, Jesse, and finally David. Subsidiary lines of Judah through Jerahmeel, Caleb, and others are also traced, including connections to towns like Bethlehem and Hebron.
Themes
- The royal line of Judah leading to David
- God's faithfulness across generations
- The inclusion of unexpected people (Tamar, Rahab's line) in Israel's story
Key verses
- 1 Chr 2:12 — “Boaz became the father of Obed, and Obed became the father of Jesse.”
- 1 Chr 2:15 — “Ozem the sixth, David the seventh.”
- 1 Chr 2:3 — “The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, and Shelah...”
Context & background
The tribe of Judah receives the most detailed genealogical treatment in Chronicles because David — the central figure of 1–2 Chronicles — came from Judah. The Chronicler traces the messianic line carefully from Perez (born of Judah and Tamar) through Boaz, Obed, Jesse, and David. Bethlehem (modern Bethlehem, West Bank) and Hebron (modern Hebron, West Bank) are identified as Judahite towns, both of which play major roles in David's story. The mention of Achar (Achan) as "the troubler of Israel" alludes to the sin at Jericho (modern Jericho, West Bank) in Joshua 7.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 16:1-13 — Jesse's sons presented before Samuel; David anointed
- Genesis 38 — The story of Judah and Tamar, which produced Perez
- Joshua 7 — The sin of Achan (Achar), referenced in verse 7
- Matthew 1:1-17 — Matthew traces Jesus' lineage through this same Judahite line
- Ruth 4:18-22 — The genealogy from Perez to David parallels this passage