And Azubah died, and Caleb took him Ephrath, and she bore him Hur.
This verse sits inside a long list of names in Judah's family record. One wife dies, Caleb marries again, and their son Hur begins a line that leads to the man who made the tabernacle furniture, and to the town where Israel's Ruler was to be born.
The Caleb in this verse belongs to Judah's line through Hezron. His family turns up in this chapter more than once, in pieces rather than in order.
Caleb's family record is a striking example of this disorder, and of how incompletely these family registers were kept. Caleb (who is, I think, called Chelubai in verse 9 for a reason) is the son of Hezron and the great-grandson of Judah. We find his genealogy in verses 18-20, along with the descendants of his two wives, Azubah and Ephrath... In verses 50-55 we meet the descendants of Caleb the son of Hezron for the third time in this chapter, through Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah. Part of that line was already given to us in verse 20.
Not everyone reads the family link the same way. Rossier makes this Caleb the son of Hezron; Darby is not sure the record proves it.
There is no proof that Caleb was the son of Hezron, the son of Pharez. If he was the same Caleb as the one in Numbers, he was the son of Jephunneh. One thing is certain: the Hezron in question died in Canaan, at Caleb Ephratah.
Either way, the place named in that note carries both names from this verse: Caleb and Ephratah.
The line of honour ran through another branch of the family, so Hur stands on a side path. The record keeps him anyway, and what he and his grandson did shows why.
The line of honour passed through Ram, but his relatives by blood also have a place in the archives of Judah. No doubt everyone named stood out for some quality or excellence, or for some special blessing given to him that would bring him still greater honour. Hur is the son of Caleb. This is the Hur who joined Aaron in holding up the hands of Moses when Israel fought and overcame Amalek. He also shared with Aaron the care of the people when Moses went up the mountain (Ex. 17:12). God named Hur's grandson Bezaleel and filled him with wisdom for a very special purpose: he was taught to make all the furniture for the tabernacle (Ex. 31). That gave him greater honour than all the riches of Jair, who had twenty-three cities and took sixty more.
Hur's grandson Bezaleel (Bezalel in the ESV) did the work on God's dwelling place, but that work did not come to him through the family tree. It came by God's call, and one writer draws a wider rule from it.
The opening of this brief chapter records how God called and qualified "Bezaleel and Aholiab" to do the work of the tabernacle... Whether it is "the work of the tabernacle" of old, or "the work of the ministry" now, the choosing, the call, the qualifying and the appointing should all be God's. And everything must be done as He commands. Man could not choose, call, qualify, or appoint anyone to do the work of the tabernacle. Neither can he for the work of the ministry.
The name of Caleb's second wife is also the name of a town, and that name changed over time.
It seems the town was first called Ephrath, Gen. 35:16, 19; Gen. 48:7; and later Ephratah, Ruth 4:11; Ps. 132:6. Once it is called Beth-lehem Ephratah, that is, the fruitful, because the ruler of Israel was to come from there. Micah 5:2; Luke 2:4, 15; John 7:42.
One writer finds a lesson in the order of the two words in that double name.
Nature's own power cannot hold anything up; it must come by the gift of grace and mercy. Ephratah, Bethlehem, is man's order — fruitfulness before blessing (Gen. 35:19). Blessing, then fruitfulness, Bethlehem-Ephratah (Micah 5:2), is God's way.
- Kept. The chapter gives Caleb's family three times over, in broken pieces. The record is untidy, and it still came down to us.
- Counted. Nobody in these archives is filler. Each name is there for some quality, excellence, or special blessing.
- Used. The son born of this marriage helped Aaron hold up Moses' hands when Israel beat Amalek. A name in a list turns out to be a man God used.
- Called. Hur's grandson Bezaleel made the furniture for God's dwelling. God named him and gave him wisdom for it; no man could choose, call, or appoint anyone to that work.
- Fulfilled. Ephrath means fruitful, and the same name marks the town Israel's Ruler was to come from. God's order there is blessing first, then fruitfulness.
And Hur begot Uri, and Uri begot Bezaleel.
Three names pass by here in one short line. Scripture tells us elsewhere what two of these men did. The list looks dry, but the question it raises is not: why does God record these fathers and sons at all?
One commentator points to the disorder in these lists. Caleb's descendants appear three times in this one chapter, and our verse sits inside the first.
Caleb's genealogy is a striking example of this disorder, and of how incompletely the genealogical records were kept. Caleb (called Chelubai in verse 9, and not without reason, I think) is the son of Hezron and the great-grandson of Judah. We find his genealogy in verses 18-20, with the descendants of his two wives, Azubah and Ephrath… In verses 50-55, for the third time in this chapter, we meet the descendants of Caleb, the son of Hezron, through Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah. Part of Hur's genealogy was already given to us in verse 20.
Neither Hur nor Bezalel is a blank entry. One writer recalls what each man did, then weighs it against the wealth of a relative listed in the same chapter.
Hur is the son of Caleb. This is the Hur who, with Aaron, held up the hands of Moses when Israel fought and overcame Amalek. He also shared with Aaron the care of the people when Moses went up the mountain (Ex. 17:12). God named Bezaleel, grandson of Hur, gave him wisdom for a very special purpose, and taught him to make all the furniture for the tabernacle (Ex. 31). This gave greater honour than all the riches of Jair, who had twenty-three cities and took sixty more.
The same writer asks why the record includes even Segub, who was only half-brother to Ram:
Is it not because of his connection with the ancestry of David? That line was always so choice with God that even the slightest link with it earns a place in these genealogies.
Everything Bezalel became came to him as a gift:
Son of Uri, of the tribe of Judah. God called him and filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, understanding and knowledge. He was to design skilled works in gold, silver, brass, stone, and timber for the tabernacle, and to oversee the work.
That pattern still holds. One writer takes three things God says He did and applies them to service today:
Jehovah says, "I have called; I have given; I have filled." These words show that He chose the two men and qualified them for the work. The New Testament ministry rests equally in the hands of the Lord. He alone has the right to choose His servants for the ministry… And whoever He calls into that work, He also qualifies. His Spirit gives the wisdom and power to carry out the work into which the Lord calls. It is therefore all of Him; no room for boasting or jealousy.
It can seem strange that metalwork and carving needed the Spirit's filling. One writer points to what the tabernacle was built to show.
It is a great mistake to think these men were only skillful workmen. It is just as wrong to see here nothing more than a recognition that God gives all ability. Something special is going on. Remember what the Tabernacle was to show, and we are not surprised… The Tabernacle was meant to display the glories of Christ. So why wonder that the Holy Spirit gave special gifts and oversight, so that every part would express the thoughts of God exactly?
One writer finds meaning in the three names themselves.
Bezaleel means "in the shadow of God"; this tells of his trust, filled with the Spirit of God in wisdom and understanding. He may well be taken as a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. Uri means "Light of Jehovah," and Hur means "white."… Bezaleel did everything just as God commanded, and God was pleased. In the same way our Lord has done His work in perfect wisdom, to the eternal glory of God His Father.
The wider family carries a consistent character, and Hur is counted among those who show it.
With this name is associated the thought of "virtue," that is, of moral energy which in view of a goal to be attained enables the believer to overcome obstacles, separating him from every weight and the sin which so easily entangles him. 2 Peter 1:5 says, "In your faith have also virtue." Caleb is an example in this. With this name are associated characters of the same caliber as the son of Jephunneh: Othniel, Achsah; Hur…
- Named — nothing here is filler. God records even a distant relative because of his link to David's line.
- Called — Bezalel did not volunteer or qualify himself. God chose him by name, and God still chooses His own servants.
- Filled — the skill was a gift of the Spirit. The work had to display the glories of Christ, not the talent of a craftsman.
- Shadowed — his name means "in the shadow of God." One writer sees in him a picture of the Lord Jesus, who finished His work to the Father's glory.
- Honoured — Hur held up Moses' hands, and his grandson built God's dwelling. That record outweighs any relative's riches.