and Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant as wife, and she bore him Attai.
A daughter married to a household slave from Egypt seems too small a thing to record. Yet the line that came from Sheshan's daughter and Jarha fills thirteen generations of Judah's family records. Why does Israel keep a foreign servant's name? And what does that say about who God will bless?
Sheshan appears among names that end. One writer points out that other branches of this same family end the same way:
Other members of the family of Caleb the son of Hezron saw grace given to faith. Yet they themselves are unfruitful, and that unfruitfulness is the result of ruin. Consider for example Seled, Jether, and Sheshan, who died without sons (vv. 30, 32, 34).
What looked like the end of a household became the start of a long record. Having no sons is what sets up the surprise:
But in this branch of Hezron's descendants there is one man who stands out. He stands out for what he was, and for what he became through the favour of God. God acted so freely that, while Israel was under law, He honoured a Gentile and made him prominent in Israel. Sheshan had no sons but daughters. Would not his name and family soon be lost among the thousands of Judah? No; for his daughter, though given to his Egyptian servant, stands at the head of thirteen generations (1 Chron. 2:35-41).
The same writer sets Jarha apart from the mixed crowd that left Egypt with Israel and later stirred up complaining:
When Israel came out of Egypt, a mixed multitude was with them, who became the means of temptation and led them to murmur (Num. 11:4). But one of the Egyptians who followed Israel had learned to bow to Jehovah. He counted it an honour to be a servant in the house of Sheshan. Later he becomes a son in the house where he had been a slave. So a Gentile slave enters the commonwealth of Israel. He has an inheritance among them, and he stands not far from the family of David.
This marriage is not a one-off. Outsiders keep appearing in these records at the very points God means to honour:
How sovereign is the grace that will not overlook the outcast Gentile! The Gentile element appears in the direct line of David's ancestry, for Boaz is the son of Rahab and the husband of Ruth. Gentiles are woven into the two leading tribes of Israel: Joseph, who ruled by right of the birthright, and Judah, from whom the true David comes. Egypt's noble daughter, Asenath, was joined with Joseph; the lowborn Tamar, with Judah; lower down, Rahab, of the doomed city; and Ruth, a Moabitess. Here too, in a line running alongside that of Ram, we find an Egyptian slave. When it was a question of showing grace, God would not limit Himself to Israel. As to law He did limit Himself. But even under the old covenant, which belonged to Israel alone, He chooses from among the Gentiles whom He will bless.
Notice the direction. Egypt once held Israel down. Here an Israelite household lifts an Egyptian up, and that points forward:
Is this a sample of that grace which will come upon the Gentile, even upon Egypt, when the Son of David reigns over the whole earth? For here it is not, as of old, Egypt oppressing Israel, but Israel admitting Egypt to share in his blessing. The day is coming when the Egyptian and the Assyrian shall serve, and Israel be a blessing in the middle of the land (Isa. 19:24). The Gentile shall serve Israel, and Israel shall bless the Gentile.
Commentators differ on how to weigh the marriage itself. One writer accepts that Israel counted Jarha's children as its own, yet traces such marriages back to advice Israel ignored in Egypt:
Sheshan married his daughter to his servant Jarha, an Egyptian, and Israel counted their children as its own (1 Chron. 2:34-41)… If Israel had followed Joseph's wise advice (Gen. 46:33-34) over the years, these mixed marriages would never have happened.
The same writer carries the point past Israel altogether:
Now that the work of the cross is done, grace — God's grace — proclaims far more loudly that it has no limits… Once we were outsiders to the commonwealth of Israel. Now we are no longer strangers and foreigners. We are fellow citizens with the saints, and we are of the household of God — a name Israel was never given, and never held as a nation.
- Emptiness — Sheshan died without sons. Scripture notes such empty branches, and they mark a people in ruin.
- Favour — Into that emptiness came an Egyptian servant who had learned to bow to Jehovah. The house he served in made him a son.
- Inheritance — He gained a place in Israel's commonwealth, a portion among them, and a link not far from David's family.
- Reach — Law never fenced grace in. Asenath, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and this Egyptian all show God choosing whom He will bless from the nations.
- Promise — Israel blessing an Egyptian previews the day when Egypt will serve and Israel will bless. Grace reaches further now: those once shut out are of God's household.
And Attai begot Nathan, and Nathan begot Zabad,
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
and Zabad begot Ephlal, and Ephlal begot Obed,
Verse 37 looks like one more link in a long chain of names. But look a few verses back, and the chain starts with a man who had no right to stand in Israel's records at all.
This verse sits in a branch of Hezron's family full of dead ends. One commentator points to men there whose lines stop dead:
Other members of the family of Caleb the son of Hezron do witness grace given to faith. At the same time they are unfruitful, and that unfruitfulness is the result of ruin. Consider for example Seled, Jether, and Sheshan who died without sons (vv. 30, 32, 34).
Sheshan is one of them. Yet his line did not end. The names in verse 37 exist because of what God did with a family that should have vanished:
In this branch of Hezron's descendants there is one man who stands out for what he was and for what he became through the favour of God. God showed that favour so sovereignly that, while Israel is under law, a Gentile is honoured and prominent in Israel. Sheshan had no sons but daughters. Would not his name and family soon be lost among the thousands of Judah? No; for his daughter, though given to his Egyptian servant, stands at the head of thirteen generations (1 Chron. 2:35-41).
The men in this verse descend from a household servant from Egypt — a Gentile, that is, a non-Israelite, from the nation that had enslaved Israel:
When Israel came out of Egypt, a mixed crowd came with them. They became a source of temptation and led the people to murmur (Num. 11:4). But one of the Egyptians who followed Israel had learned to bow to Jehovah. He counted it an honour to be a servant in the house of Sheshan. Later he is raised to be a son in the very house where he had served as a slave. So a Gentile slave is brought into the commonwealth of Israel, given an inheritance among them, and set not very far from the family of David.
This was not a one-off. The same writer traces outsiders through the families God chose to rule, then draws the line forward to us:
How sovereign the grace which will not overlook the outcast Gentile! ... Gentiles are woven into the two tribes that stand out as leaders in the house of Israel. Joseph leads through Ephraim, ruling by right of the birthright, and from Judah comes the true David. Egypt's noble daughter, Asenath, is joined to Joseph, and the disgraced Tamar to Judah. Lower down the line come Rahab, of the doomed city, and Ruth, a Moabitess. Here too we find an Egyptian slave, in a line running alongside that of Ram. God would not be limited to Israel when it was a question of showing grace... Now that the work of the cross is done, how much louder is the message that grace — God's grace — has no limits. From Ephesians we know where that grace brings poor outcasts today. Not into the commonwealth of Israel, but into more: the enjoyment and possession of the highest privilege, far beyond that of the favoured Israelite.
This line is more than an oddity in an old register. The same writer asks whether it points ahead to how God will treat the nations when David's Son reigns:
Is this a sample of that grace which will come upon the Gentile, even upon Egypt, when the Son of David reigns over the whole earth? For here it is not, as of old, Egypt oppressing Israel, but Israel admitting Egypt to share in his blessing. The day is coming when the Egyptian and the Assyrian shall serve, and Israel be a blessing in the midst of the land (Isa. 19:24). The Gentile shall serve Israel, and Israel shall bless the Gentile.
The Bible says nothing else about Ephlal. Another writer explains what a list like this is for:
He also records the names of those who went through the trials in this history and were never blotted out of the book... Not all of Israel is there; but not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. At the same time the Spirit of God goes farther back. He gives us the genealogy from Adam of the generation blessed by grace according to the sovereignty of God, along with what belonged to that generation outwardly, by natural descent.
- Dead end. Sheshan's branch had no sons and should have disappeared from the records of Judah.
- Gift. An Egyptian servant learned to bow to the Lord. He received his master's daughter and rose from slave to son in the house where he had served.
- Reach. Verse 37 sits inside the thirteen generations that followed. God's grace was never limited to Israel, and names like Asenath, Tamar, Rahab and Ruth mark a pattern, not an accident.
- Preview. Egypt's old role is turned around. Egypt no longer oppresses Israel; Israel shares its blessing with Egypt, as it will when David's Son reigns over the earth.
- Record. Ephlal is only a name to us. But God writes down the people He owns, and that same limitless grace now brings outsiders into privilege far beyond that of the favoured Israelite.
and Obed begot Jehu, and Jehu begot Azariah,
Three names pass by here with no story attached: Obed, his son Jehu, and Jehu's son Azariah. They sit deep in the family list of Jerahmeel. Yet this branch of Judah began outside Israel altogether, with an Egyptian slave.
These men belong to a branch the chapter traced a few verses earlier. One writer names Obed by his father, and by the ancestor at the head of the whole group:
Son of Ephlal, a descendant of Jarha, the Egyptian slave of Sheshan.
So every name from verse 36 on, including this one, comes from a household servant. That servant was not born an Israelite. One writer records how it happened, and adds his own verdict:
Sheshan married his daughter to his servant Jarha, an Egyptian. Israel counted their children as its own (1 Chron. 2:34-41). If Joseph's wise advice had been followed (Gen. 46:33-34) as the years went by, these mixed marriages would not have happened.
Sheshan's line had no natural future. One writer asks why this family survived at all:
In this branch of Hezron's descendants there is one man who stands out above the rest. He stands out for what he was, and for what he became through the favour of God. God gave that favour so freely that, while Israel lives under law, a Gentile is honoured and prominent in Israel. Sheshan had no sons, only daughters. Would his name and family not soon be lost among the thousands of Judah? No. His daughter was given to his Egyptian servant, and she stands at the head of thirteen generations (1 Chron. 2:35-41).
Obed, Jehu and Azariah are three of those thirteen generations.
The same writer traces what happened to the Egyptian himself. He sets him beside others who left Egypt with Israel:
When Israel came out of Egypt, a mixed crowd came with them. They became a source of temptation and led Israel to grumble (Num. 11:4). But one of the Egyptians who followed Israel had learned to bow to the Lord. He counted it an honour to serve in the house of Sheshan. Later he was made a son in the house where he had been a slave. So a Gentile slave enters the commonwealth of Israel. He has an inheritance among them, and he stands not far from the family of David.
Commentators read this marriage in two ways. The writer quoted earlier counts it among the mixed marriages that should have been avoided. The writer quoted here sees the favour of God in it.
This branch sits outside the line that matters most in the chapter. Rossier describes the whole Jerahmeel section:
Above all, the line of Jerahmeel is marked by unfruitfulness. He was Hezron's eldest son (v. 9), yet here he again comes last (v. 25)... David's line does not descend from Jerahmeel, but from Ram, his younger brother (vv. 9-16).
The record keeps names like Jehu's, though the throne does not depend on them. That fits the aim of the whole book:
But this chapter sets the sons of Judah before us in special detail... The theme of the book is God's purpose. Judah was the tribe chosen first for the kingdom, and chosen with the Messiah in view. So we can see why his sons are traced out first and at length.
The outsider in this list is not alone. One writer names the others, then follows this grace down to the present:
reason: two very hard sentences; "Jatha" garbles Jarha; restores the sentence that ties this line to Ram's, adding depth
- Slave — Obed, Jehu and Azariah descend from Jarha, the Egyptian servant of Sheshan. A slave's name stands behind the whole list.
- Heir — Sheshan had daughters and no sons. His family should have died out in Judah. Instead his daughter heads thirteen generations.
- Son — the servant who bowed to the Lord became a son in the house where he had served, with an inheritance in Israel.
- Honoured — this is not David's royal branch, yet God still records the names. The book traces His purpose, not just human descent.
- Household — the same grace that brought an Egyptian into the commonwealth of Israel now makes outsiders members of the household of God.
and Azariah begot Helez, and Helez begot Elasah,
Azariah, Helez and Eleasah are three names in a chain running down from Jerahmeel's family, and nothing more is said about them. So why does God record men whose whole story is a name, in a line that is not even the royal one?
These names sit in the branch of Hezron that runs through his eldest son, not through the son whose line led to David. One writer notes how little that branch produced, and where Chronicles puts it:
Unfruitfulness is what marks the line of Jerahmeel. He was Hezron's eldest son (v. 9), yet here he is put last again (v. 25). The features of the natural man pass down just as readily as the features of a man of faith like Caleb; the difference is that the latter pass down by grace. David's line does not come from Jerahmeel, but from Ram, his younger brother (vv. 9-16).
Follow this list back a few verses and you reach Sheshan, a man with no sons at all. One writer asks whether his name was bound to die out:
Of the family of Jerahmeel there is little but the names. Yet in this branch of Hezron's descendants one man stands out, because of what he was and what he became through the favour of God. God acted so freely that, while Israel was under law, a Gentile was honoured and given a place of note in Israel. Sheshan had no sons, only daughters. Would his name and family not soon be lost among the thousands of Judah? No; for his daughter, though given to his Egyptian servant, stands at the head of thirteen generations (1 Chron. 2:35-41).
So these three names descend from an Egyptian servant. The same writer follows that man, and sets him beside the other outsiders who left Egypt with Israel:
When Israel came out of Egypt, a mixed crowd of other peoples went with them. They became a source of temptation and led Israel to complain (Num. 11:4). But one of the Egyptians who followed Israel had learned to bow to Jehovah, and counted it an honour to serve in the house of Sheshan. Later he was raised to be a son in the very house where he had been a slave. So a Gentile slave came into the commonwealth of Israel, received an inheritance among them, and stood not far from the family of David.
This family record shows Egypt receiving blessing from Israel, not oppressing it. One writer asks whether that points to a day still ahead:
Is this a sample of the grace that will come upon the Gentile, even upon Egypt, when the Son of David reigns over the whole earth? For here it is not Egypt oppressing Israel, as in the old days, but Israel letting Egypt share in its blessing. The day is coming when the Egyptian and the Assyrian will serve, and Israel will be a blessing in the midst of the land (Isa. 19:24). The Gentile will serve Israel, and Israel will bless the Gentile.
Israel was the nation marked out by God's law. Yet outsiders keep turning up in its family records, and the writer brings that home to readers now:
How sovereign is the grace that will not overlook the outcast Gentile! The Gentile element shows up in the direct line of David's ancestors, for Boaz is the son of Rahab and the husband of Ruth. And this side branch of the family has its Jarha. God would not be limited to Israel when it came to showing grace. He limited Himself to Israel as to law. But even under the old covenant, which belonged to Israel alone, He chooses from among the Gentiles whom He will bless. Now that the work of the cross is done, how much more clearly is the boundless character of grace — God's grace — proclaimed. From Ephesians we know that grace now brings poor outcasts into something greater than the commonwealth of Israel: they enjoy and possess the highest privilege, far beyond that of the favoured Israelite.
Nobody today can tell you a single fact about Helez. One writer says what a list like this does to the soul:
It stirs the soul deeply to be allowed to read through such a record of names, long since forgotten by man. Yet God has remembered every one of them, with every detail of their path through this world. One day our own names will be lost to mankind too. But God will not forget us or our ways.
- Line. These names belong to Jerahmeel's line, the eldest son's branch, marked by unfruitfulness and placed last. David came from Ram, the younger brother.
- Slave. The chain starts with Sheshan, who had no sons. He gave his daughter to his Egyptian servant.
- Son. That servant became a son in the house he had served. He gained an inheritance in Israel and a place not far from David's family.
- Sample. Egypt receives blessing from Israel instead of oppressing it — a sample of the day when the Son of David reigns over the whole earth.
- Remembered. Grace was never fenced in by Israel's borders, and God loses no name in these lists. Man forgets them; God does not.
and Elasah begot Sismai, and Sismai begot Shallum,
This verse sits deep inside a list of names that looks like no story at all — three men in a row, each one fathering the next. Yet this chain began in a household with no sons left, and a man who was not an Israelite kept it going.
These names descend from Jerahmeel. One writer notes how little the record says about that branch — until it reaches a household whose future looked closed.
Of the family of Jerahmeel there is little but the names… But in this branch of Hezron's descendants one man stands out, both for what he was and for what he became through the favour of God. God's favour was so sovereign that, while Israel was under law, He honoured a Gentile and made him prominent in Israel. Sheshan had no sons but daughters. Would not his name and family soon be lost among the thousands of Judah? No. Sheshan gave his daughter to his Egyptian servant, and even so she stands at the head of thirteen generations (1 Chron. 2:35-41).
This verse is one link in those thirteen generations. Eleasah, Sismai and Shallum all descend from that marriage.
This Egyptian servant stands in sharp contrast to the crowd of Egyptians who left Egypt with Israel and caused trouble on the way.
When Israel came out of Egypt, a mixed crowd came with them. They became a temptation and led Israel to grumble (Num. 11:4). But one of the Egyptians who followed Israel had learned to bow to the Lord, and he counted it an honour to serve in the house of Sheshan. Later he was raised to be a son in the house where he had been a slave. So a Gentile slave came into the community of Israel, received an inheritance among them, and stood not far from the family of David.
David's own ancestry already held outsiders. The same writer sets this marriage beside them.
How sovereign is the grace that will not overlook the outcast Gentile! Gentiles appear in the direct line of David's ancestry, for Boaz is the son of Rahab and the husband of Ruth… Here too, in a side line running beside Ram's, we find an Egyptian slave. God would not limit Himself to Israel when it came to showing grace. As to law He did. But even under the old covenant, which belonged to Israel alone, He chooses from among the Gentiles whom He will bless. Now that the work of the cross is done, how much louder is the message that God's grace has no limits.
In Egypt, Israel was the one oppressed. Here the direction is reversed, and one writer sees in it a picture of what is still ahead.
Is this a sample of the grace that will come on the Gentile, even on Egypt, when the Son of David reigns over the whole earth? Here it is not Egypt oppressing Israel, as it was long ago, but Israel letting Egypt share his blessing. The day is coming when the Egyptian and the Assyrian will serve, and Israel will be a blessing in the middle of the land (Isa. 19:24). The Gentile will serve Israel, and Israel will bless the Gentile.
Commentators read this branch differently. Rossier looks past the exception. He sees in Jerahmeel's line a picture of what natural descent produces on its own.
Fruitlessness marks the line of Jerahmeel. He was Hezron's eldest son (v. 9), yet here he stands in last place again (v. 25)… The traits of the natural man pass down just as readily as the traits of a man of faith like Caleb; only Caleb's pass down by grace. David's line does not descend from Jerahmeel, but from Ram, his younger brother (vv. 9-16).
God has not lost track of the people the world stopped naming.
It is deeply sobering to be allowed to read a record of names that people forgot long ago. God has remembered every one of them, with every detail of their path through this world. One day the world will lose our names too. But God will never forget us or our ways.
And the whole record has one destination.
Other names come in and shine among their fellows, and side purposes are carried out. But the great purpose of God centres on His Son. The genealogy points to Him.
- Dead end. Sheshan had no sons, and his family line in Judah looked certain to disappear.
- Gift. His daughter married his Egyptian servant, a man who had learned to bow to the Lord. That servant became a son in the house where he had been a slave.
- Reach. Thirteen generations come from that marriage, this verse among them. God would not limit His grace to Israel.
- Preview. Here Israel blesses Egypt instead of Egypt oppressing Israel. That points to the day the Son of David reigns over the whole earth.
- Result. God remembered the names people forgot. Every name in the record moves toward His Son, whom the genealogy announces.
and Shallum begot Jekamiah, and Jekamiah begot Elishama.
Verse 41 closes a list that began in verse 34, where a man of Judah named Sheshan had no sons — only daughters. By human reckoning his family should have vanished from Israel's records.
One writer traces how that dead end turned into a long line, and where our verse falls in the count.
Of the family of Jerahmeel there is little but the names… But one man in this branch of Hezron's descendants stands out, because of what he was and what he became through the favour of God. God worked so sovereignly that, while Israel is under law, a Gentile is honoured and prominent in Israel. Sheshan had no sons but daughters. Would not his name and family soon be lost among the thousands of Judah? No; for his daughter, though given to his Egyptian servant, stands at the head of thirteen generations (1 Chron. 2:35-41).
The man at the head of this line, Jarha, was an Egyptian slave. The same writer contrasts him with the crowd that left Egypt with Israel.
When Israel came out of Egypt, a mixed crowd of other peoples went with them. They became a source of temptation and led Israel to murmur (Num. 11:4). But one of the Egyptians who followed Israel had learned to bow to Jehovah, and had found it an honour to be a servant in the house of Sheshan. He is raised afterwards to be a son in the house where he had been a slave. So a Gentile slave is brought into the commonwealth of Israel. He has an inheritance among them, and stands not very far removed from the family of David.
Jarha was not the only outsider in these records. The writer notes both the high-born and the low among them.
How sovereign the grace which will not overlook the outcast Gentile! The Gentile element is found in the direct line of David's ancestry, for Boaz is the son of Rahab and the husband of Ruth. But the collateral line has its Jarha. And how indifferent to rank — the low and vile, and the high and noble alike!… Egypt's noble daughter, Asenath, stands with Joseph. The lowly Thamar stands with Judah. Further down the line come Rahab, from the city marked for destruction, and Ruth, a Moabitess. Here too, in a line running alongside that of Ram, an Egyptian slave is found. God would not be limited to Israel when it was a question of showing grace.
The same writer turns from this one household to Egypt's future.
Is this a sample of that grace which will come upon the Gentile, even upon Egypt, when the Son of David reigns over the whole earth? For here it is not, as of old, Egypt oppressing Israel, but Israel admitting Egypt to share his blessing. The day is coming when the Egyptian and the Assyrian will serve, and Israel will be a blessing in the middle of the land (Isa. 19:24). The Gentile will serve Israel, and Israel will bless the Gentile.
Elishama, the last name in the list, is not a link to the throne. Another writer notes where Jerahmeel stands in the chapter.
Unfruitfulness especially marks the line of Jerahmeel. Although he was Hezron's eldest son (v. 9), he is again put in last place here (v. 25)… The features of the natural man pass down just as readily as the features of a man of faith like Caleb; only the features of faith pass down by grace. David's line does not descend from Jerahmeel, but from Ram, his younger brother (vv. 9-16).
Some claim that such patchy lists make Chronicles unreliable. The same writer answers them.
Must we conclude that the text of Chronicles is a human and arbitrary compilation, with no historical value? This is what the rationalists claim, but thank God, their reasoning is always at fault when it attacks His Word. No enlightened Christian will deny that the genealogies of Chronicles are made up of fragments, gathered while everything was in confusion. Yet they are documents on which God sets His seal of approval.
Such a list looks like nothing but forgotten names. One writer turns that into comfort.
There is something deeply solemn about being allowed to go over such a record of names. Man forgot them long ago. But God has remembered every one, with every detail of their pathway through this world. Some day our names likewise will be lost to mankind, but neither we nor our ways will be forgotten by God.
- Dead end. Sheshan had daughters and no son, so his name in Judah was as good as finished. Thirteen generations followed instead.
- Grace steps in. His daughter married Jarha, an Egyptian slave who had learned to bow to Jehovah. The slave became a son in the house he had served in.
- The reach widens. God did not limit His grace to Israel. Asenath, Thamar, Rahab and Ruth stand in the same records.
- The promise ahead. This is a sample of the day when Israel will bless the Gentile, instead of Egypt oppressing Israel.
- The record stands. Fragments gathered in a time of confusion, yet God has set His seal on them. He remembers every forgotten name.