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18 villages thereof, even threescore cities. All these were the sons of Machir the father of Gilead. And after that Hezron was dead in Caleb-ephrathah, then Abijah Hezron's wife bare him Ashhur the father of Tekoa. And the sons of Jerahmeel the firstborn of Hezron were Ram the firstborn, and Bunah, and Oren, and Ozem, Ahijah. And Jerahmeel had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam. And the sons of Ram the firstborn of Jerahmeel were Maaz, and Jamin, and Eker. And the sons of Onam were Shammai, and Jada: and the sons of Shammai; Nadab, and Abishur. And the name of the wife of Abishur was Abihail; and she bare him Ahban, and Molid. And the sons of Nadab; Seled, and Appaim: but Seled died without children. And the sons of Appaim; Ishi. And the sons of Ishi; Sheshan. And the sons of

x. 4. The name perhaps means "the tent-villages of Jair" (Arab. ḥǐvâ = "a collection of tents near together").

24. And after that Hezron was dead in Caleb-ephrathah] The Heb. is certainly corrupt, but can easily be emended with the help of the LXX. Read And after Hezron was dead Caleb went in to Ephrath (ver. 19) his father Hezron's wife and she bare him, etc. Ephrath (= Ephrathah, ver. 50, iv. 4) is a name of Bethlehem (Ruth iv. 11; Mic. v. 2). "The taking of a father's wife signified a claim to inherit the father's possessions (cp. 2 Sam. xvi. 22), and the phrase here expresses the legitimacy of Caleb's residence in northern Judea" (see note on ver. 42).

Ashhur] cp. iv. 4, 5. Ashhur might be a younger brother of Hur (vv. 19, 50); but quite possibly they are one and the same (cp. the contraction of Jehoahaz into Ahaz); see also iv. 5.

the father of Tekoa] i.e. the founder of the town or the eponymous ancestor of its inhabitants. For Tekoa see 2 Chr. xx. 20, note.

25—41.&emsp;

25. Jerahmeel] In David's time they were, like Caleb, a semi-nomadic clan in the S. of Judah; cp. 1 Sam. xxvii. 10; xxx. 29. They shared in the northern movements of Caleb (see note on ver. 42), and eventually formed part of the post-exilic Jewish community; hence their records do not appear in earlier parts of the O.T., but are known to the Chronicler.

Ozem, Ahijah] By a slight change in the Heb. we get Ozem his brother (so LXX.); cp. xxvi. 20 for a similar confusion of reading.

26. Atarah] see note on Hezron, ver. 5.

31. the sons of Sheshan; Ahlai] Ahlai is perhaps a gentilic