Who was Lecah in the Bible?

Lecah was a descendant of Judah through his son Er, mentioned in the genealogy of the tribe of Judah (1 Chronicles 4:21). He is listed as a son of Er, but the Bible provides no further details about his life or actions.

Why is Lecah mentioned in the Bible?

Lecah is mentioned solely to establish a genealogical record, tracing the lineage of the tribe of Judah. His inclusion highlights the importance of family heritage and God's faithfulness to the promises made to Judah's line.

Are there any stories or key events about Lecah?

No, there are no stories or key events recorded about Lecah in the Bible. His name appears only in a genealogical list in 1 Chronicles 4:21, with no narrative about his life.

Lecah

Old TestamentDivided MonarchyMaleSon

Lecah, a descendant of Judah through Er (1Ch.4.21).

Lecah

Biography

Lecah is a name found in the genealogical records of the tribe of Judah in 1 Chronicles 4:21, listed as a descendant of Judah through his son Er and grandson Shelah. The text records that the men of Mareshah were the father of Lecah, suggesting that Lecah may be a clan name associated with a particular settlement or region in Judah rather than strictly an individual personal name. In the genealogical style of Chronicles, the language of fathering towns or clans was a common convention for expressing territorial or tribal affiliations. Lecah is therefore likely associated with a place-name or a sub-clan of the Shelanites. Though he receives no individual narrative attention, Lecah's inclusion in the official tribal registers of Judah confirms his place within the covenant community and within the historical memory that Judah's post-exilic descendants preserved.

Significance

Lecah's mention in 1 Chronicles 4:21 is theologically significant in the same way that all the Chronicles genealogies carry weight: they establish that God's covenant with Israel operated through real people, real clans, and real places across centuries of history. For the post-exilic community reading Chronicles, these detailed genealogies served as proof of continuity, that despite exile and catastrophe, the people of Judah had never ceased to exist as God's covenant nation. Lecah's name, embedded in the lineage of Judah's tribe, reminds readers that the community of God's people is built from countless unnamed families whose faithfulness across generations sustained the covenant story. God's purposes are never abstract, they are worked out through specific lineages and households.

Verse Appearances (1)

1Chr

1Chr 4:21

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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