Poole on 1 Chronicles 2:50-55: The Sons of Caleb of Hur

Verse 50:[1]  These were the sons of Caleb the son of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah (or, Ephrath, 1 Chron. 2:19[2]); Shobal the father of Kirjath-jearim…

[These were the sons of Caleb, the son of Hur]  This second Caleb was the son of Hur, as it is here said, and was the grandson of that first Caleb of Hur, verses 18, 19 (Malvenda out of Junius, similarly Vatablus).  Sons here are grandsons, or descendants (Osiander).

[The firstborn by Ephratah]  That is, the wife (Osiander).  Or of Ephratah (Junius and Tremellius).

[The father of Kirjath-jearim]  That is, of the Israelites inhabiting that place (Dutch).

Verse 51:[3]  Salma the father of Beth-lehem, Hareph the father of Beth-gader.

[Salma, the father of Beth-lehem]  Namely, in part:  for this Salma is different from Salma, the father of Boaz, Prince of the Bethlehemites, of whom 1 Chronicles 2:11 (Malvenda out of Junius), who was the son of Nahshon (Dutch).  Father, that is, Prince of the citizens of Beth-lehem (Vatablus, similarly Osiander).  Or, the father of Beth-lehem, for of his families were the villages and towns.  See Aristotle, the beginning of his Politics (Grotius).

Salma the father of Beth-lehem, to wit, in part; for Boaz descended from another Salmon, who was the son of Nahshon, 1 Chronicles 2:11.

[Hareph]  Hebrew:  Chareph,[4] elsewhere Penuel, 1 Chronicles 4:4 (Piscator out of Junius).

Hareph the father of Beth-gader, called also Penuel the father of Gedor, 1 Chronicles 4:4.

Verse 52:[5]  And Shobal the father of Kirjath-jearim had sons; Haroeh (or, Reaiah,[6] 1 Chron. 4:2), and half of the Manahethites (or, half of the Menuchites, or, Hatsi-hammenuchoth[7]).

[Who saw half of the rests (thus Montanus), ‎הָרֹאֶ֖ה חֲצִ֥י הַמְּנֻחֽוֹת׃ [8]]  He was seeing the middle of the region of rests (Munster).  Rest, or calm, is put for tarrying, or a place where one has a lasting lodging (Sanchez).  He was seeing, that is, was obtaining, and was taking possession as much with his feet as with his eyes, half of the region in which his parents quietly dwelt.  Shobal passed this to his sons (Tirinus).  But the brother of Kirjath-jearim was possessing the other half of Shobal.  Moreover, we are said to look upon or to see an inheritance, when we enter or take possession (Lapide).  Others:  who was contemplating, or was regarding, or  was seeing, half of Hammenuchoth (Pagnine, Vatablus, Tigurinus, Strigelius), or Manuchoth (Strigelius), that is, a place perhaps so called from the fertility and pleasantness of the field (Vatablus).  Who was taking care, or was the Prince, of that place.  For רֹאֶה here signifies a prince; for it belongs to a Prince to contemplate his own (Vatablus, similarly Estius).  Hence the name of Bishop, or Overseer, whose office it is diligently to regard the behavior of his flock (Estius).  Others:  the prophet of half of Manuchoth (Castalio).  The sense:  Shobal discharged there the office of Prophet or Doctor; for Prophets were formerly called Seers[9] (Osiander, Jerome in Lapide).  Others:  Haroaeh was the father of the inhabitants of part of the Menuchothites (Junius and Tremellius), that is, of the region of Manahath, on the border of Judah, Benjamin, and Dan; as it appears both from this passage, and 1 Chronicles 8:6 (Junius, Malvenda).  [Others thus:]  It is the proper name of the son of Shobal, Haroeh hatsi hammenuchoth (Lapide, similarly the Septuagint, Malvenda), who in 1 Chronicles 4:2 is called by almost the same name of Reaiah:  which is demonstrated with certainty to me.  But our Translator often converts Hebrew proper names into Latin (Malvenda).

Haroeh; which may signify an overseer, a prophet, or teacher, or ruler; but here is a proper name, as appears from 1 Chronicles 4:2, where he is called Reaiah, with no great variation in the Hebrew.

Verse 53:[10]  And the families of Kirjath-jearim; the Ithrites, and the Puhites, and the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; of them came the Zareathites, and the Eshtaulites.

[And of the family of Kirjath-jearim, the Ithrites, etc.]  More properly, And these are the kinsmen, or families, in the town of Kirjath-jearim, which descended from the forementioned Shobal, namely, the Ithrites, etc. (Osiander, Dutch).  That is, these familis arose from Shobal, besides Haroeh; from a comparison with the preceding verse.  The families into which the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim were distributed are here enumerated (Piscator).

The families of Kirjath-jearim; or, in Kirjath-jearim; all which descended from Shobal, verse 50.

[‎וגו״ הַיִּתְרִי]  The Ithrite, etc.  Singulars in place of plurals (Vatablus, similarly Piscator).

[Of them went forth]  That going forth signifies either blood relation and ancestry, or colonies settled by them (Vatablus).

Of them, that is, of the family of the Mishraites, last mentioned.

[The Zareathites and the Eshtaulites]  That is, the inhabitants of both towns, Zoreah and Eshtaol (Osiander).  Concerning which see Joshua 15:33 (Malvenda).

The Eshtaulites; the inhabitants of two places called Zoreah and Eshtaol, Joshua 15:33.

Verse 54:[11]  The sons of Salma; Beth-lehem, and the Netophathites, Ataroth, the house of Joab (or, Asarites, or, crowns of the house of Joab[12]), and half of the Manahethites, the Zorites.

[The sons of Salma, etc.]  This passage is of the sort, that I am able to note nothing, except that I understand nothing in it (Castalio).  The sons of Salma (understanding, are [Piscator]) Beth-lehem, or the Bethlehemites, and the Netophathites (Montanus, Pagnine), or the Netophatæ (Junius and Tremellius, similarly Munster, Strigelius).  The sons of Salma are generally those that dwelt in the town of Beth-lehem, and the Netophathites (Osiander).

The sons of Salma; of that Salma mentioned verse 51.  Beth-lehem, that is, the inhabitants of Beth-lehem.

[The crowns (or diadems [Pagnine], ornaments [Castalio], crown[13] [Strigelius]) of the house of Joab]  That is, the principal men in that family (Mariana, similarly Tirinus, Osiander).  From whom arose a number of excellent men, ornaments of that family, namely, Asahel, and Abishai, etc.[14]

[‎עַטְרוֹת]  [To others it is a proper name:]  Ataroth of the house of Joab (Septuagint).  The Hatarothani of the family of Joab (Junius and Tremellius).  Hebrew:  Ataroth, the city in the place of the inhabitants (Piscator).

Ataroth; the name of a person or people.  The house of Joab; the progenitors of Joab’s family.

[And half of the repose of Sarai]  That is, half of the tract that has its name from rest, where the Saraitæ dwelt, was pertaining to their right, of whom he treats (Mariana).

[‎וַחֲצִ֥י הַמָּנַחְתִּ֖י הַצָּרְעִֽי׃]  And half Manachti (or of the Manahethites [Pagnine, similarly Tigurinus, Castalio, Strigelius]) Sorhi (Montanus, Pagnine), or of the Zorites (Tigurinus, Castalio), of Zareita (Strigelius).  The order is inverted, in the place of the Soræi (appositively), the half part of the Manahethites, from the city of Mana.  Or thus, Hasori was the half part of those that were inhabiting Manahath (Vatablus).  And the Zorhani, who were enjoying part of the Menuchothites (Junius and Tremellius).  And part of the Manahethites, namely, the Zoreani; Hebrew, the Zorean (Piscator out of Junius).  And half of the region of rest (or Menuhothi [Osiander]) the Zorites acquired (Munster).

Half of the Manahethites; the other half being mentioned verse 52.  Zorites, for, to wit, the Zorites.

Verse 55:[15]  And the families of the scribes which dwelt at Jabez; the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and Suchathites.  These are the (Judg. 1:16) Kenites that came of Hemath, the father of the house of (Jer. 35:2) Rechab.

[The families of the scribes]  That is, of the Lawyers, Teachers (Vatablus, similarly Menochius, Osiander).  Those were of the tribe of Levi:  but they are here listed, because they dwelt in the tribe of Judah (Piscator).

The scribes; either civil, who were public notaries, who wrote and signed legal instruments; or ecclesiastical.  And these were either Levites, or Simeonites, or rather Kenites, and are here mentioned not as if they were of the tribe of Judah, but because they dwelt among them, and probably were allied to them by marriages, and so in a manner incorporated with them.  Which dwelt, or rather, dwelt; Hebrew, were dwellers.  For the other translation, which dwelt, may seem to insinuate that these were descendants of Judah, which they were not; but this translation only signifies their cohabitation with them, for which cause they are here named with them.  At Jabez; a place in Judah, so named probably from that famous Jabez of that tribe, 1 Chronicles 4:9.

[Singing, etc.[16]]  [To the rest they are proper names.]  The Tirathites, the Shimeathites, the Suchathites (Osiander, similarly Montanus, Malvenda, Junius and Tremellius, etc.).

[These are the Kenites]  Concerning whom see Genesis 15:19; Numbers 24:21; Judges 1:16 (Malvenda).  He makes mention of these, because among the Israelites they not only dwelt, but applied themselves to propagating and preserving the Law (Osiander).

[That came]  That is, those that had come, that is, to the Israelite people (Piscator).  Foreigners (Junius and Tremellius).

[From Calor[17] of the father, etc.]  Hebrew:  from Hemath,[18] etc. (Malvenda).  Springing from Hemath, the father of the family of Rechab (Junius and Tremellius), that is, the Prince of those that dwelt with the tribe of Judah.  For, this is added for the sake of distinction, because Heber (the Kenite [Malvenda]) with his own, separating from those, is read to have migrated to Manasseh, Judges 4:11 (Junius).

The Kenites that came of Hemath; who dwelt in Judah, Judges 1:16.  Thus they are distinguished from the other branch of the Kenites, who dwelt in the tribe of Manasseh, Judges 4:11.

[1] Hebrew:  ‎אֵ֤לֶּה הָיוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י כָלֵ֔ב בֶּן־ח֖וּר בְּכ֣וֹר אֶפְרָ֑תָה שׁוֹבָ֕ל אֲבִ֖י קִרְיַ֥ת יְעָרִֽים׃

[2] 1 Chronicles 2:19:  “And when Azubah was dead, Caleb took unto him Ephrath (‎אֶפְרָת), which bare him Hur.”

[3] Hebrew:  ‎שַׂלְמָא֙ אֲבִ֣י בֵֽית־לָ֔חֶם חָרֵ֖ף אֲבִ֥י בֵית־גָּדֵֽר׃

[4] Hebrew:  ‎חָרֵף.

[5] Hebrew:  ‎וַיִּהְי֤וּ בָנִים֙ לְשׁוֹבָ֔ל אֲבִ֖י קִרְיַ֣ת יְעָרִ֑ים הָרֹאֶ֖ה חֲצִ֥י הַמְּנֻחֽוֹת׃

[6] Hebrew:  רְאָיָה.

[7] Hebrew:  חֲצִ֥י הַמְּנֻחֽוֹת׃.

[8] מָנוֹחַ signifies a resting place.

[9] See 1 Samuel 9:9.

[10] Hebrew: ‎וּמִשְׁפְּחוֹת֙ קִרְיַ֣ת יְעָרִ֔ים הַיִּתְרִי֙ וְהַפּוּתִ֔י וְהַשֻּׁמָתִ֖י וְהַמִּשְׁרָעִ֑י מֵאֵ֗לֶּה יָצְאוּ֙ הַצָּ֣רְעָתִ֔י וְהָאֶשְׁתָּ֖אֻֽלִֽי׃ ס

[11] Hebrew:  ‎בְּנֵ֣י שַׂלְמָ֗א בֵּ֥ית לֶ֙חֶם֙ וּנְט֣וֹפָתִ֔י עַטְר֖וֹת בֵּ֣ית יוֹאָ֑ב וַחֲצִ֥י הַמָּנַחְתִּ֖י הַצָּרְעִֽי׃

[12] Hebrew:  ‎עַטְר֖וֹת בֵּ֣ית יוֹאָ֑ב.

[13] עָטַר signifies to crown.

[14] See 2 Samuel 18; 1 Chronicles 2:16.

[15] Hebrew: וּמִשְׁפְּח֤וֹת סֹפְרִים֙ יָשְׁב֣וּ יַעְבֵּ֔ץ תִּרְעָתִ֥ים שִׁמְעָתִ֖ים שׂוּכָתִ֑ים הֵ֚מָּה הַקִּינִ֣ים הַבָּאִ֔ים מֵחַמַּ֖ת אֲבִ֥י בֵית־רֵכָֽב׃ ס

[16] 1 Chronicles 2:55a:  “And the families of the scribes which dwelt at Jabez; the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and Suchathites (canentes atque resonantes, et in tabernaculis commorantes, singing and resounding, and abiding in tents, in the Vulgate).” שִׁיר /shir signifies to sing; שָׁמַע/shama, to hear;סֻכָּה /succah, a tabernacle.

[17] In Latin, calor means heat, as does חַמַּת/Hamath.

[18] Hebrew:  ‎מֵחַמַּת.