(24) And after that Hezron was dead . . .--Or, "And after the death of Hezron in Caleb-ephratah--and the wife of Hezron was Abiah--and she bare him Ashur . . ." The text is evidently corrupt. The best suggestion is based on the reading of the LXX.: ??? ???? ?? ????????? ?????? ????? ????? ??? ??????; "And after Hezron's death Caleb went to Ephrath." Some very slight changes in the Hebrew, affecting only three letters of the entire sentence, will give the sense, "And after Hezron's death Caleb went in to Ephrath, the wife of his father Hezron (1Chronicles 2:19); and she bare him Ash-hur, father (founder, or chief) of Tekoa." (Comp. Genesis 35:22.)

Ashur (Heb., Ash-hur) means "man of Hur"--that is, the chief of the clan of the Hurites, settled at Ephrath or Bethlehem (1Chronicles 2:19). Comp. Ashbel "man of Bel." (Ash is the elder form of Ish "man"; as appears from the Phenician inscriptions.)

That "Caleb" in this verse means the house of Caleb is evident if we consider that the genealogy makes him great grandson of Judah, whereas the individual Caleb son of Jephunneh took part in the conquest of Canaan, more than four centuries after Judah went down to Egypt.

III.--The Jerahmeelites (1Chronicles 2:25-41). Comp. 1Samuel 27:10, "the south (land) of the Jerahmeelites," in the territory of Judah.

Verse 24. - The remaining verse of this section brings another point of difficulty unsolved yet. No place Caleb-ephratah is known, and no sort of accounting for Hezron dying anywhere but in Egypt, whither he went with Jacob (Genesis 46:12), is producible. The Vulgate has Ingressus est Caleb ad Ephratam, but our Hebrew text cannot be made to justify it, if for nothing else, for want of a preposition אֶל before "Ephrata." This reading of the Vulgate has suggested to others that by a slight but still gratuitous alteration of our Hebrew text בָא might be substituted for the preposition בְּ prefixed to the name of Caleb; but upon that showing we have to suppose that Caleb did leave Egypt on his own account and travel to Ephratah, and then there fails any strong connection (but see Septuagint, in loc.) between that fact and what is said about Abiah. Still, the explanation might receive some countenance from the fact that it is said that Abiah's son became the father - or founder - of Tekoa, a place near Bethlehem, in South Judah (1 Samuel 30:14). Bertheau has at this point suggested that Caleb-ephratah, instead of being included in Neger-Caleb, may rather, in distinction from it, designate the northern portion of the territory of Caleb. The solution of the problem will probably not yield to anything but a justly restored text.

2:1-55 Genealogies. - We are now come to the register of the children of Israel, that distinguished people, who were to dwell alone, and not be reckoned among the nations. But now, in Christ, all are welcome to his salvation who come to him; all have equal privileges according to their faith in him, their love and devotedness to him. All that is truly valuable consists in the favour, peace, and image of God, and a life spent to his glory, in promoting the welfare of our fellow-creatures.And after that Hezron was dead in Calebephratah,.... Supposed to be the same with Bethlehem; and was so called, both from Caleb the son of Hezron, and Ephrath his wife, 1 Chronicles 2:19,

then Abiah, Hezron's wife, bare him Ashur the father of Tekoa; being left with child by him at his death; the whole verse is paraphrased thus in the Targum,"and after Hezron died in the house of Caleb his son in Ephrath, the wife of Hezron the daughter of Machir was left with child, and she bare to him after his death Ashur the prince of the Tekoites;''whose son gave name very probably to the city of Tekoa, 2 Samuel 14:2.