The sons of Shelah, the son of Judah, were
The genealogy of the posterity of Judah, in the lines of Pharez and Zerah, being given, and very largely in that of the former, because of the honour of David, and his kingdom, which sprang from thence, as Jarchi observes, and also the King Messiah, the writer returns to give an account of his posterity by Shelah, a son he had by the daughter of Shuah, ( Genesis 38:2-5 ) and the only one that had children: which were as follow,
Er the father of Lecah:
prince of a city of this name in the tribe of Judah; Shelah gave him the name of Er, in memory of his brother, ( Genesis 38:3 ) ,
and Laadah the father of Mareshah;
prince of a city of this name in the same tribe, ( Joshua 15:44 )
and the families of the house of them that wrought fine linen, of the
house of Ashbea;
which last clause explains what house these families were of, which sprang from Shelah, and were employed in making fine linen; the Targum adds, for the garments of kings and priests, or for the curtains of the tabernacle, as Jarchi; for not with the Egyptians and Greeks only fine linen was made, but among the Hebrews, as Pausanias F6 testifies.