1 Chronicles 2

Jehovah

LORD (Jehovah) — the covenant name, "I AM" / He who is

The sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah: which three were born unto him of the daughter of Shua the Canaanitess. And Er, the firstborn of Judah, was evil in the sight of the LORD; and he slew him. 1 Chronicles 2:3

The LORD here is Jehovah acting as judge over His covenant family. Latter-day Saints understand Jehovah to be the premortal Jesus Christ.

How we know: Jehovah is the premortal Christ (Abraham 1:16; D&C 110:3–4)

Stem of Jesse (royal line of Judah)

And Tamar his daughter in law bore him Pharez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five. 1 Chronicles 2:4–15

This is the same line, Pharez to Boaz to Jesse to David, that Matthew uses for the genealogy of Jesus. Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would come from the stem of Jesse, and this list shows that stem.

• alludes to Matthew 1:3-6 — Phares, Esrom, Aram, Aminadab, Naasson, Salmon, Booz, Obed, Jesse, and David in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
• alludes to Isaiah 11:1 — A rod out of the stem of Jesse and a Branch out of his roots.

Bethlehem Ephratah, birthplace of the Messiah

Bethlehem — house of bread; Ephratah — fruitful

These were the sons of Caleb the son of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah; Shobal the father of Kirjathjearim, 1 Chronicles 2:50–51

Ephratah and Bethlehem appear together here as the family origins of the town. Micah later names Bethlehem Ephratah as the place the ruler of Israel would come from, fulfilled when Jesus, the Bread of Life, was born in the house of bread.

• alludes to Micah 5:2 — Out of Bethlehem Ephratah shall come the ruler in Israel whose goings forth have been from everlasting.