And the sons of Kenaz; Othniel, and Seraiah: and the sons of Othniel; Hathath.
The verse names Othniel and Seraiah as the sons of Kenaz, and Hathath as a son of Othniel, carefully recording that family line. It stands in the first division of Chronicles, in the first nine chapters which consist almost wholly of genealogies. Chronicles takes knowledge of the preceding books for granted and supplies what was left out of Samuel and Kings. Chronicles and Kings cover parallel history, but Chronicles gives more detail about Judah.
Such records of descent were kept because after the exile the land had to be assigned to its hereditary owners and the temple service had to be taken up by those whose hereditary duty it was. The genealogical record preserves the names and family lines of God's people, including Judah's line through which Christ came. That careful recording reflects God's particular care and the faithful record kept of each soul. As part of the inspired record of the origin and distribution of races, such long lists of names may not be equally interesting or useful to everyone, but they hold value for those who study them.
The verse names Othniel and Seraiah as the sons of Kenaz, and Hathath as a son of Othniel, carefully recording that family line. It stands in the first division of Chronicles, in the first nine chapters which consist almost wholly of genealogies. Chronicles takes knowledge of the preceding books for granted and supplies what was left out of Samuel and Kings. Chronicles and Kings cover parallel history, but Chronicles gives more detail about Judah.
Such records of descent were kept because after the exile the land had to be assigned to its hereditary owners and the temple service had to be taken up by those whose hereditary duty it was. The genealogical record preserves the names and family lines of God's people, including Judah's line through which Christ came. That careful recording reflects God's particular care and the faithful record kept of each soul. As part of the inspired record of the origin and distribution of races, such long lists of names may not be equally interesting or useful to everyone, but they hold value for those who study them.