1 Chronicles 2:35
Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to his servant Jarha, and she bore to him Attai.
Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to his servant Jarha,

Sheshan, a descendant of Judah through Jerahmeel, had no son to continue his household. By giving his daughter to Jarha, an Egyptian servant, Sheshan provided a lawful means for his family line to endure. Jarha’s foreign origin did not prevent his incorporation into the household of Judah. The genealogy records this union without reproach, showing that God’s covenant purposes continued through those received into Israel’s people.

Exo 21:4-6 If his master gives him a wife and she bears him…
1Sa 18:22-27 Then Saul ordered his servants, “Speak to David privately…
Gen 16:3-4 So after he had lived in Canaan for ten years,…

and she bore to him Attai.

Attai became the heir through whom Sheshan’s line was preserved. His place in Judah’s genealogy testifies that the Lord did not allow the absence of sons to extinguish a family entrusted with an inheritance in Israel. God’s faithfulness works through ordinary family decisions as well as extraordinary acts, preserving the line of Judah from which David and, ultimately, the Messiah came.

Gen 16:15-16 And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael…
Rut 4:13-17 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife.…
1Sa 1:20-21 So in the course of time, Hannah conceived and gave birth…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Sheshan
A member of the tribe of Judah, specifically from the family of Jerahmeel. He had no sons, only daughters, which was significant in the context of inheritance and lineage in ancient Israel.

2. Jarha
An Egyptian servant of Sheshan. His marriage to Sheshan's daughter is notable because it reflects a crossing of cultural and social boundaries, as he was not an Israelite by birth.

3. Attai
The son born to Sheshan's daughter and Jarha. His birth signifies the continuation of Sheshan's lineage through an unconventional means.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty in Lineage
God's plans often transcend human traditions and expectations. Sheshan's lineage continued through unconventional means, showing that God's purposes are not limited by human constraints.

Breaking Social Barriers
The marriage of Sheshan's daughter to Jarha, an Egyptian, illustrates the breaking of social and ethnic barriers. This can encourage believers to embrace diversity within the body of Christ.

Inheritance and Legacy
The account highlights the importance of spiritual inheritance and legacy. Believers are called to consider how they can pass on their faith and values to the next generation, even in unexpected ways.

Faithfulness in Uncertainty
Sheshan's decision to give his daughter in marriage to Jarha reflects trust in God's provision. Believers are encouraged to remain faithful and trust God in uncertain situations.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the account of Sheshan and Jarha challenge our understanding of cultural and social boundaries within the church today?

2. In what ways can we see God's sovereignty at work in situations that seem to go against traditional norms or expectations?

3. How can the account of Sheshan's family encourage us to embrace diversity and inclusion within our own communities?

4. What are some ways we can ensure that our spiritual legacy is passed on to future generations, even when circumstances are not ideal?

5. How does the inclusion of non-Israelites in the lineage of Judah foreshadow the New Testament teaching of unity in Christ?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Numbers 27:1-11
This passage discusses the daughters of Zelophehad, who also faced issues of inheritance due to the absence of male heirs. It highlights God's provision for inheritance rights for daughters, similar to Sheshan's situation.

Ruth 4:13-22
The account of Ruth and Boaz, where a foreigner (Ruth) is integrated into the Israelite community, parallels the inclusion of Jarha, an Egyptian, into the lineage of Judah.

Galatians 3:28
This New Testament verse emphasizes the breaking down of social and ethnic barriers in Christ, reflecting the inclusion seen in Sheshan's family.
The Human FamilyW. Clarkson 1 Chronicles 2:1-55
On the Genealogical TablesR. Glover 1 Chronicles 1-6
GenealogiesJ.R. Thomson 1 Chronicles 1-9
People
Abiah, Abigail, Abihail, Abijah, Abinadab, Abishai, Abishur, Achan, Achar, Achsa, Achsah, Ahban, Ahijah, Ahlai, Amasa, Amminadab, Appaim, Aram, Ardon, Asahel, Asher, Ashur, Atarah, Attai, Azariah, Azubah, Bathshua, Benjamin, Bezaleel, Boaz, Bunah, Calcol, Caleb, Carmi, Chelubai, Dan, Dara, Darda, David, Eker, Elasah, Eleasah, Eliab, Elishama, Ephah, Ephlal, Ephratah, Ephrath, Er, Eshtaolites, Eshtaulites, Ethan, Gad, Gazez, Gesham, Geshem, Hamul, Haran, Hareph, Haroeh, Hazi-hammana-hethites, Helez, Heman, Hemath, Hezron, Hur, Ishi, Issachar, Ithrites, Jabez, Jada, Jahdai, Jair, Jamin, Jarha, Jehu, Jekamiah, Jerahmeel, Jerioth, Jesher, Jesse, Jether, Jithrites, Joab, Jonathan, Joseph, Jotham, Kenites, Korah, Levi, Maacah, Maachah, Maaz, Machir, Manahathites, Manahethites, Maon, Menahethites, Mesha, Mishraites, Molid, Moza, Nadab, Nahshon, Naphtali, Nathan, Nethaneel, Netophathites, Obed, Onam, Onan, Oren, Ozem, Pelet, Peleth, Perez, Pharez, Puhites, Puthites, Raddai, Raham, Rechab, Regem, Rekem, Reuben, Salma, Salmon, Segub, Seled, Shaaph, Shallum, Shammai, Sheber, Shelah, Shema, Sheshan, Sheva, Shimea, Shimeathites, Shimma, Shobab, Shobal, Shua, Shumathites, Simeon, Sisamai, Sucathites, Suchathites, Tamar, Tappuah, Tirathites, Tireathites, Tirhanah, Uri, Zabad, Zareathites, Zaza, Zebulun, Zerah, Zereathites, Zeruiah, Zimri, Zorathites, Zoreathites, Zorites, Zur
Places
Aram, Edom, Geshur, Gilead, Hammath, Havvoth-jair, Jabez, Kenath
Topics
Attai, Bare, Beareth, Bore, Daughter, Giveth, Jarha, Marriage, Servant, Sheshan, Slave, Wife
Dictionary of Bible Themes
1 Chronicles 2:34-35

     5711   marriage, restrictions

Library
Canaan
Canaan was the inheritance which the Israelites won for themselves by the sword. Their ancestors had already settled in it in patriarchal days. Abraham "the Hebrew" from Babylonia had bought in it a burying-place near Hebron; Jacob had purchased a field near Shechem, where he could water his flocks from his own spring. It was the "Promised Land" to which the serfs of the Pharaoh in Goshen looked forward when they should again become free men and find a new home for themselves. Canaan had ever been
Archibald Sayce—Early Israel and the Surrounding Nations

The Quotation in Matt. Ii. 6.
Several interpreters, Paulus especially, have asserted that the interpretation of Micah which is here given, was that of the Sanhedrim only, and not of the Evangelist, who merely recorded what happened and was said. But this assertion is at once refuted when we consider the object which Matthew has in view in his entire representation of the early life of Jesus. His object in recording the early life of Jesus is not like that of Luke, viz., to communicate historical information to his readers.
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Chronicles
The comparative indifference with which Chronicles is regarded in modern times by all but professional scholars seems to have been shared by the ancient Jewish church. Though written by the same hand as wrote Ezra-Nehemiah, and forming, together with these books, a continuous history of Judah, it is placed after them in the Hebrew Bible, of which it forms the concluding book; and this no doubt points to the fact that it attained canonical distinction later than they. Nor is this unnatural. The book
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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