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Person Old Testament

Salma

Salma was the son of Hur and the father (ie founder) of Bethlehem, as mentioned in the genealogy of Judah. Mentioned in 2 verses across 1 book, first at 1 Chronicles 2:51.

Why it matters. Son of Hur, founder of Bethlehem

Last reviewed
2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team

About Salma

Salma is mentioned in 1Ch.2.51 and 1Ch.2.54 as the son of Hur, who was a descendant of Judah, though the text is difficult to interpret. He is described as the father (ie founder) of Bethlehem, which suggests that he was an ancestor of the people who inhabited the town of Bethlehem in Judah. The genealogy in 1Chronicles 2 lists the descendants of Judah, including the line of Caleb, which played a significant role in the history of Israel. In verse 54, Salma is also associated with the Netophathites, a group of people who lived in the town of Netophah, near Bethlehem (Ezr.2.22; Neh.7.26). This connection further emphasizes Salma's link to the region of Bethlehem and its surrounding areas. As the father of Bethlehem, Salma's mention in the genealogy highlights the importance of this town, which later became the birthplace of King David and Jesus Christ.

Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.

Connections

No reviewed connections yet.

Family

Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.

Parents
Hur
Children
BethlehemElimelech (?)

Appears in Scripture

Named in 2 verses across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.

Record type: Person. FaithGraph explanations on this page are editorial and are not Scripture.