The Expositor's Bible: The Books of Chronicles — John Shaqi
The Expositor's Bible: The Books of ChroniclesBennett, W. H. (William Henry)
Religion
The Expositor's Bible: The Books of Chronicles
Bennett, W. H. (William Henry)
Bible. Chronicles -- Commentaries
From the beginning of the second chapter onwards the genealogies are
wholly occupied with Israelites. The author’s special interest in Judah is
at once manifested. After giving the list of the twelve Patriarchs he
devotes two and a half chapters to the families of Judah. Here again the
materials have been mostly obtained from the earlier historical books.
They are, however, combined with more recent traditions, so that in this
chapter matter from different sources is pieced together in a very
confusing fashion. One source of this confusion was the principle that the
Jewish community could only consist of families of genuine Israelite
descent. Now a large number of the returned exiles traced their descent to
two brothers, Caleb and Jerahmeel; but in the older narratives Caleb and
Jerahmeel are not Israelites. Caleb is a Kenizzite,(60) and his
descendants and those of Jerahmeel appear in close connection with the
Kenites.(61) Even in this chapter certain of the Calebites are called
Kenites and connected in some strange way with the Rechabites.(62) Though
at the close of the monarchy the Calebites and Jerahmeelites had become an
integral part of the tribe of Judah, their separate origin had not been
forgotten, and Caleb and Jerahmeel had not been included in the Israelite
genealogies. But after the Exile men came to feel more and more strongly
that a common faith implied unity of race. Moreover, the practical unity
of the Jews with these Kenizzites overbore the dim and fading memory of
ancient tribal distinctions. Jews and Kenizzites had shared the Captivity,
the Exile, and the Return; they worked, and fought, and worshipped side by
side; and they were to all intents and purposes one nation, alike the
people of Jehovah. This obvious and important practical truth was
expressed as such truths were then wont to be expressed. The children of
Caleb and Jerahmeel were finally and formally adopted into the chosen
race. Caleb and Jerahmeel are no longer the sons of Jephunneh the
Kenizzite; they are the sons of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of
Judah.(63) A new genealogy was formed as a recognition rather than an
explanation of accomplished facts.
Of the section containing the genealogies of Judah, the lion’s share is
naturally given to the house of David, to which a part of the second
chapter and the whole of the third are devoted.
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