Ephrathah, Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim; 51Salma the father of Bethlehem, Hareph the father of Beth-gader. And 52Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim had sons; Haroeh, half of the Menuhoth. 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. 54The sons of Salma; Beth-lehem, and the Netophathites, Atroth-beth-Joab, and half of the Manahathites, the Zorites. 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.
3Now these were the sons of David, which were born unto him in Hebron: the firstborn, Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second, Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess;
52. Haroeh, half of the Menuhoth] The Heb. 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. Cp. similar details in iv. 21—23, and the title Prince of the resting-places (mg. quarter-master) given to Seraiah in Jer. li. 59. Almost certainly, however, the text in the present passage is corrupt, and, following iv. 2 and ver. 54, we may read Reaiah and half of the Manahathites. For the latter see below, ver. 54.
53. Zorathites, Eshtaolites] for Zorah (mod. Surah) and Eshtaol (mod. Eshua), cp. Judg. xiii. 25.
54. Manahathites, the Zorites] The Manahathites of Zorah must be associated with Manoah, the father of Samson, according to the tradition of Judg. xiii. 2, 25, and an inhabitant of Zorah (see Cooke, Judges, pp. 131, 138, in this series).
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.
father of the house of Rechab] The verse is somewhat obscure, but it is most probable that the Chronicler preserves a correct tradition in the connection here alleged between the Rechabites and the Kenites. On the ancient zeal for Jehovah displayed by the Rechabites, see 2 Kin. x. 15 ff.; and for their distinctive standpoint, Jer. xxxv.
Ch. III. 1—24.The Genealogy of the House of David.
1—4 (= 2 Sam. iii. 2—5).The Sons born to David
in Hebron.
1. Daniel] LXX. (B) Δαμνιήλ, (A) Δαλουιά. In 2 Sam. iii. 3 Chileab, but LXX. Δαλουιά. The real name of David's second son remains therefore uncertain.
