Shobal

Shobal is a name borne by more than one figure in the Hebrew Bible. Three are distinguished: a Horite chief in the line of Seir, and two later descendants in the tribe of Judah, one through Caleb and one named directly in the Judahite genealogy of 1 Chronicles 4.

Shobal the Horite

The earliest Shobal stands among the pre-Edomite inhabitants of Mount Seir. Genesis names him in the second position among "the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan and Shobal and Zibeon and Anah" (Gen 36:20). His own line is then traced: "And these are the sons of Shobal: Alvan and Manahath and Ebal, Shepho and Onam" (Gen 36:23). The same chapter groups him with the Horite chieftains: "These are the chiefs who came of the Horites: chief Lotan, chief Shobal, chief Zibeon, chief Anah" (Gen 36:29), making him not merely an ancestor but a recognized tribal head.

The Chronicler repeats the genealogy with minor orthographic variation. The list of Seir's sons is given again as "Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah, and Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan" (1Ch 1:38), and Shobal's own sons appear as "Alian, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shephi, and Onam" (1Ch 1:40) — matching Genesis with the spellings Alian for Alvan and Shephi for Shepho.

Shobal Son of Caleb, Father of Kiriath-jearim

A second Shobal belongs to the Calebite branch of Judah. He is introduced as one of the descendants traced through Hur: "These were the sons of Caleb, the son of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah: Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim" (1Ch 2:50). The phrase "father of" here functions genealogically to mark him as the eponymous ancestor of the inhabitants of a town. His own offspring are then summarized: "And Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim had sons: Haroeh, half of the Menuhoth" (1Ch 2:52).

Shobal in the Judahite Line of 1 Chronicles 4

The opening of 1 Chronicles 4 names Shobal again in a compressed Judahite genealogy: "The sons of Judah: Perez, Hezron, and Carmi, and Hur, and Shobal" (1Ch 4:1). The next verse follows his line down through Reaiah: "And Reaiah the son of Shobal begot Jahath; and Jahath begot Ahumai and Lahad. These are the families of the Zorathites" (1Ch 4:2). This Shobal is sometimes treated as a separate figure from the Calebite of 1 Chronicles 2, though the Chronicler does not explicitly distinguish them and the proximity of Hur and Shobal in both passages may reflect overlapping tradition.