This chapter appears to be a collection of apparently unrelated fragments yet considered important enough by the Chronicler to incorporate into his overall record.

The Chronicler has drawn heavily upon the biblical accounts of the history of Judah to create the genealogy of the tribe in 1 Chronicles 2:1 – 4:43. The Chronicler has indeed incorporated a considerable portion of material from biblical sources (compare 1 Chronicles 2:5 with Genesis 46:12; 1 Chronicles 2:10–12 with Ruth 4:18–22; 1 Chronicles 3:1–9 with 2 Samuel 3:3–5, 2 Samuel 5:13–16). At other places he has used extensive biblical narrative to bolster his genealogical record (1 Chronicles 2:3–8 with Genesis 38:1–30; 1 Chronicles 3:10–16 and 2 Kings 1:1 – 25:30). At still other times he has gleaned information from extrabiblical sources (1 Chronicles 2:34–41; 1 Chronicles 3:19–24). All this he has combined to form a genealogy with a theological message.¹

The Chronicler is returning to a subject introduced in 1 Chronicles 2:3: the sons of Judah. From another angle and with additional narrative detail, the historian revisits the offspring of Judah in 1 Chronicles 4:1–23, this time tracing the line through the sons Shobal (1 Chronicles 4:2–4a), Hur (1 Chronicles 4:4b), and Shelah (1 Chronicles 4:21–22).²

Six sections can be discerned:

1. Hur (1 Chronicles 4:1–4; see also 1 Chronicles 2:19–20, 1 Chronicles 2:19–20) and Ashhur (1 Chronicles 4:5–8; 1 Chronicles 2:24), who were sons of Caleb and Ephrath

2. Jabez (1 Chronicles 4:9–10)

3. Kelub (1 Chronicles 4:11–12)

4. Othniel and Caleb, the Kenizzites (1 Chronicles 4:13–16)

5. other lesser-known groups (1 Chronicles 4:17–20)

6. Shelah, son of Judah (1 Chronicles 4:21–23; see also 1 Chronicles 2:3)

By finishing with the first of Judah’s sons to produce children, a sense of completeness is given to the list.³ Most interest centres on the narrative portions that provide interesting snippets of information of the various members of the genealogy. The formula father of [personal/place name] is also a regular feature of the passage, betraying an interest in the localities associated with the lesser clans of Judah (1 Chronicles 4:3–5, 1 Chronicles 4:11–12, 1 Chronicles 4:14, 1 Chronicles 4:17–19, 1 Chronicles 4:21). For example, the expression father of common to the genealogies in this section (e.g., Penuel was the father of Gedor, 1 Chronicles 4:4) may be understood in the sense of ancestor and/or as settler or even founding father of a town or village. Finally, the genealogies include an unusual series of notations emphasizing women (1 Chronicles 4:3, 1 Chronicles 4:5, 1 Chronicles 4:17–19), prayer (1 Chronicles 4:9–10), and occupations (1 Chronicles 4:14, 1 Chronicles 4:21, 1 Chronicles 4:23).⁴