I hope you like names, because we will be reading the names
of Jews for the next week or so. The last chapter basically covered Adam to
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Esau. This chapter covers from Jacob (Israel) to
David with a few family offshoots covered as well. Really, this seems to be aimed at listing
mostly the descendants of Jacob's son, Judah.
Judah did have some famous... and some infamous... sons. Er,
Onan and Achan (I Chronicles 2:7) were certainly not descendants to be proud
of. However, Hur, Caleb, Boaz, David, Abishai, Joab, Asahel and Amasa most
certainly are names to be conveniently dropped into a conversation.
These genealogies must have had great significance in the
decades immediately after they were recorded. For example, when the remnant of
the Jews came back to Jerusalem in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah to rebuild the
walls and the temple, these inspired genealogies and others (though not
inspired of God) would surely have been invaluable in reestablishing families
in their rightful places.
In our day, these genealogies probably function mostly in
increasing our curiosity. For example, what do you make of the ''families of
scribes" mentioned in I Chronicles 2:55? Perhaps they were the writers of
parts of the Chronicles?
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