Commentary - 1 Chronicles 2:5-8

Bird's-eye view

In these few verses of 1 Chronicles 2, the Chronicler is laying down the foundational stones of Israel's history, with a particular focus on the royal tribe of Judah. These genealogies are far more than dusty lists of forgotten names; they are the skeletal structure of redemptive history. God is showing us, through this meticulous accounting, that He is a God of detail, a God of history, and a God who keeps His promises. From the line of Perez, the son of the scandalous union of Judah and Tamar, will come King David, and ultimately, the King of Kings. But this is no sanitized history. Right in the middle of this recitation of honored names, the narrative hits a jagged rock: Achar, the troubler of Israel. This jarring inclusion is intentional. It serves as a potent reminder that sin is not a private affair. It has corporate, covenantal consequences that ripple through the entire community. The glory of the line of Judah is real, but so is the stain of sin within it, highlighting from the very beginning our desperate need for the one perfect Son of Judah who would take all the trouble upon Himself.

So, as we walk through this list, we see two principles at war. On the one hand, we have the steady, generational faithfulness of God, tracing a line of grace from father to son. On the other hand, we have a stark warning about the devastating impact of covenantal unfaithfulness. It is the story of the gospel in miniature: God's determined grace working its way through a history marred by human sin, all pointing to the one who would resolve the conflict.

Outline

Context In 1 Chronicles

The book of 1 Chronicles was written to the generation that had returned from the Babylonian exile. They were a people seeking to reconnect with their identity, their history, and their God. They needed to be reminded of who they were. And who were they? They were the covenant people of the living God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These genealogies, which can seem so tedious to us, were a lifeline to them. They were a deed to their land, a title to their heritage, and a map that showed them where they had come from and where God was taking them.

The Chronicler places a heavy emphasis on the tribe of Judah, and for good reason. The promises of God concerning the forever-King were tethered to this tribe (Gen. 49:10). By meticulously tracing this lineage, the author is stoking the fires of Messianic expectation. He is reminding the returned exiles that even though the throne was currently empty, God had not forgotten His promise to David. This particular section, focusing on the sons of Judah's sons, Perez and Zerah, establishes the main branches of this crucial tribe right at the outset.

Key Issues

Verse by Verse Commentary

5 The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.

Right away, the Chronicler focuses on the line of Perez. If you recall the story from Genesis 38, Perez's birth was, to put it mildly, irregular. He was the product of a sordid affair between Judah and his daughter-in-law, Tamar. And yet, this is the line God chose. This is a bucket of cold water on any notion of human merit or genealogical purity. God's grace is not constrained by our tidy respectability. He draws straight lines with crooked sticks. From Perez comes Hezron, and from Hezron's line will eventually come Boaz, David, and ultimately, Jesus. These are not just names; they are anchor points for the promises of God. Each name is a testament to God's sovereign grace, a declaration that His plan will not be thwarted by the sins and scandals of men. God is building His house, and He is using the materials at hand.

6 The sons of Zerah were Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara; five of them in all.

Next, we have the line of Zerah, Perez's twin brother. While the royal line runs through Perez, the line of Zerah was not without its own distinction. Several of these names are associated with great wisdom. In 1 Kings 4:31, Solomon's wisdom is said to have surpassed that of "all the sons of Mahol, Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Calcol, and Darda." It is highly likely these are the same men. So here we have a lesson in the diverse giftings of God within His covenant people. The line of Perez was given the scepter, the authority to rule. The line of Zerah was renowned for its wisdom. A kingdom needs both. It needs righteous rule and it needs profound wisdom. God does not put all His eggs in one basket, but distributes His blessings throughout the family. The Chronicler notes there were "five of them in all," a small detail that underscores the precision of the record. God is keeping track. No one is forgotten.

7 The son of Carmi was Achar, the troubler of Israel, who violated what was devoted to destruction.

And then we hit this verse like a wagon hitting a pothole. The smooth cadence of the genealogy is broken. We are moving down the line of Zerah, through Zimri, to Carmi, and then to his son. But he is not just named. He is branded. He is "Achar, the troubler of Israel." His name in the book of Joshua is Achan, but the Chronicler here uses a play on words. The name Achar sounds like the Hebrew word for "trouble" (achar). His name becomes his identity, his legacy. He is the man who brought trouble on the whole nation.

How? He "violated what was devoted to destruction." The Hebrew word for this is herem. It refers to things set apart for God, usually through utter destruction. When Israel conquered Jericho, God gave explicit instructions: the whole city was herem. It was the firstfruits of the conquest, and it belonged entirely to Him. To take anything for oneself was to steal from God's altar. Achan saw a fine Babylonian garment, some silver, and a wedge of gold, and his covetous heart got the better of him. He took it and hid it in his tent.

The result was catastrophic. Israel went up to fight the small town of Ai and was soundly defeated. Thirty-six men died. The hearts of the people melted like water. Why? Because one man sinned. This is the doctrine of corporate solidarity, writ large. We modern individualists hate this. We want to believe that what I do in the privacy of my own tent is my business. The Bible says otherwise. Achan's sin was a corporate sin. As a member of the covenant community, his unfaithfulness infected the whole body. Israel could not stand before her enemies because there was sin in the camp. This is why the Chronicler includes this here. He is reminding the returned exiles that their success and security as a nation is tied directly to their covenant faithfulness. One man's sin can trouble the entire nation.

8 The son of Ethan was Azariah.

After the jarring note of Achar, the Chronicler immediately returns to the list. He picks up with another of Zerah's sons, Ethan, and notes his son, Azariah. The pace resumes. Life goes on. This is also instructive. The sin of Achar was a terrible disruption, a grievous wound. But it did not derail the plan of God. God dealt with the sin, the trouble was purged from the camp, and the lineage continued. The river of God's purpose is too deep and powerful to be dammed up by the sins of one man. This is the story of Scripture. There is sin, judgment, and disruption, followed by God's grace, preservation, and continuation of His plan. The line of Judah, though stained by men like Achar, would continue its steady march toward the birth of the one who would be called Jesus, for He would save His people from their sins, and from all their troubles.

Key Words

Achar, "Troubler"

The name Achar (עָכָר) is a direct play on the Hebrew verb achar (עָכַר), which means "to trouble, stir up, or bring disaster upon." By renaming Achan as Achar, the Chronicler is not just identifying him; he is defining his legacy. His very name becomes a sermon. In Joshua 7:25, before Achan is stoned, Joshua says to him, "Why have you troubled us? The LORD will trouble you this day." His sin brought trouble on Israel, and God's judgment brought trouble back onto his own head. This is a foundational principle of biblical justice. The trouble you make for others in violation of God's law will ultimately come back to you.

Application

First, we must learn to see the hand of God in the long, slow march of history. These genealogies teach us patience. God is not in a hurry. He is working His purposes out over generations, and He is meticulously faithful to His promises. We are part of a story that is much bigger than our own lives. We should therefore take comfort that the God who preserved the line of Judah through thick and thin is the same God who holds our lives, our families, and our churches in His hands.

Second, we must take the doctrine of corporate solidarity with the utmost seriousness. We are not rugged individualists. We are members of one another in the body of Christ. Your sin affects me, and my sin affects you. When you pursue holiness, you are strengthening the entire church. When you indulge in secret sin, you are opening a breach in the wall for the enemy to attack the entire community. The story of Achar is a terrifying warning against treating sin lightly. We must be ruthless in putting our own sins to death, for the health of the whole body.

Finally, we must see that the problem of "the troubler" is ultimately solved only in Christ. Achar troubled Israel with his sin. But Christ, the true Son of Judah, took all the trouble of our sin upon Himself at the cross. He became a curse for us. The judgment that Achar experienced in the Valley of Achor is a faint shadow of the judgment Christ endured for His people. Because He took the trouble, we are offered peace. Because He was devoted to destruction for us, we are devoted to eternal life in Him. The genealogies are important because they lead us to Him, the one who resolves the tension between God's faithfulness and man's treachery.