1 Chronicles 4:5
“And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.”
Passage:“And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.”
Context:The book of 1 Chronicles is a genealogical record that traces the lineage of various individuals and tribes of Israel. Chapter 4 focuses on the descendants of Judah, one of the twelve sons of Jacob. In verse 5, the passage mentions Ashur, who was the father of Tekoa and had two wives named Helah and Naarah.
Understanding the passage:
- Ashur: Ashur is mentioned here as the father of Tekoa. Tekoa was a town located in the territory of Judah, about 11 miles south of Jerusalem. Ashur was likely an ancestor of the people of Tekoa.
- Helah and Naarah: Ashur had two wives, Helah and Naarah. The mention of multiple wives was not uncommon in ancient times, though it deviated from God’s original design for marriage (Genesis 2:24). The Bible often records the names of individuals and their family connections to preserve the genealogical history of the people of Israel.
Historical significance:Tekoa, the son of Ashur, is mentioned several times in the Old Testament. In 2 Samuel 14:2, a wise woman from Tekoa came to King David to appeal for the restoration of her banished son. Additionally, in the book of Amos, the prophet Amos identified himself as a “herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs from Tekoa” (Amos 1:1). Thus, Tekoa holds some historical and biblical significance.
