1 Chronicles 2:54
The sons of Salma; Beth-lehem, and the Netophathites, Ataroth, the house of Joab, and half of the Manahethites, the Zorites. The sons of Salma; Beth-lehem, and the Netophathites, Ataroth, the house of Joab, and half of the Manahethites, the Zorites.
The sons of Salma are set down as Beth-lehem and the Netophathites, Ataroth, the house of Joab, and half of the Manahethites and the Zorites, as descendants and possessions and towns and groups belonging to Salma. The verse is made up largely of names of descendants and places rather than an expressed promise. It is an example of the Bible's long lists of names whose value may not be immediately clear to every reader.
It belongs to Judah's carefully preserved genealogy in Chronicles, showing the integrity and continuity of the tribes and preserving specific family, settlement, and hereditary details. Those genealogical records preserved hereditary descent needed after the exile for assigning land and maintaining temple service. Such records of ancestry and the distribution of peoples preserve material for the study of human origins and history, while the Bible also contains spiritual truths for readers to discover.
Judah's genealogy matters because Christ came through that tribe. The verse names people otherwise unknown to later generations, showing that God remembers each person by name even when long forgotten by people. This gives comfort because God does not change and a person's name is safe in his keeping.