(Hezʹron) [Courtyard; Settlement].

1. Son of Reuben and ancestral head of “the Hezronites.”​—Ge 46:9; Ex 6:14; Nu 26:4-6; 1Ch 5:3.

2. Son of Perez and family head of the Judean “Hezronites”; ancestor of King David and of Jesus Christ. (Ge 46:12; Nu 26:20, 21; Ru 4:18-22; Mt 1:3; Lu 3:33) At the age of 60, Hezron took the daughter of Machir as wife and by her became father to Segub. (1Ch 2:21) His sons Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai (Caleb) apparently were born earlier.​—1Ch 2:9, 18, 25.

According to the reading of 1 Chronicles 2:24 in the Masoretic text, Hezron died at Caleb-ephrathah, and after this his widow Abijah bore Ashhur, the father of Tekoa. However, some scholars believe that the Masoretic text does not preserve the original reading, since Hezron is  listed among the 70 “souls of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt” and so must have died in that land (Ge 46:12, 26, 27), and it seems to them unlikely that a place in Egypt bore the Hebrew name Caleb-ephrathah. Hence, many translators have emended 1 Chronicles 2:24 to correspond more to the readings of the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate. The Jerusalem Bible renders this text: “After Hezron’s death, Caleb married Ephrathah, wife of Hezron his father, who bore him Ashhur, father of Tekoa.” The translation by J. B. Rotherham reads: “And after the death of Hezron Caleb entered Ephrathah, and the wife of Hezron was Abiah who bare him Ashhur father of Tekoa.” So, according to these alterations, “Ashhur” is either the “son” of Hezron by Abiah (Abijah) or the “son” of Caleb by Ephrathah.

3. A city on the southern border of Judah situated between Kadesh-barnea and Addar. (Jos 15:1-3) However, the parallel account at Numbers 34:4 does not list Hezron and Addar separately but reads “Hazar-addar,” implying that Hezron, or Hazar, likely was near Addar, if not actually the same place.​—See ADDAR No. 2.