Bible Strands
1 Chronicles 4:12
Eshton was the father of Beth-rapha, of Paseah, and of Tehinnah the father of Ir-nahash. These were the men of Recah.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Chronicler continues a tribal register of Judah, linking the lineage of Chelub and Shuhah to the settlement groups of Recah. The record functions as an administrative inventory of post-exilic clan identities rather than a narrative address.
The words — The verb הוֹלִיד (ho.Lid) literally means he fathered, establishing biological and legal descent. The compound name בֵּית־רָפָא (beit-ra.Fa') translates to House of Rapha, denoting a territorial clan or settlement entity.
The thread — This genealogical structure mirrors the pattern in 1 Chronicles 1:43 and Ezra 2:46, where clan names double as place names. The formula anchors tribal claims to specific landholdings across the restoration period.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that Israelite identity was tied to documented ancestry and territorial inheritance. It requires the reader to treat lineage as a legal record of covenant community boundaries.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Eshton begat Beth–rapha, and Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Ir–nahash. These are the men of Rechah.