Verses 24-27 repeat some of the information given in verses 17-18, but here only the names in the family line from Shem to Abraham are listed (compare Gen 11.10-26). Shem was the father of Arpachshad, Arpachshad was the father of Shelah, and so on. At the beginning of verse 24 Good News Translation adds “The family line from Shem to Abram is as follows.” It is not correcting the Masoretic Text by adding these words, but it is making the text clear. Different translations present the names in these verses in various ways. Revised English Bible, for example, begins with “The line of Shem: Arphaxad, Shelah….” New Jerusalem Bible and Bible de Jérusalem have the section heading “From Shem to Abraham,” and then omit the name Shem and simply list the other names in these verses. International Children’s Bible begins with “The family line went from Shem to Abraham. It included Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah….”

For the name Arpachshad and its spelling, see the comments on verse 17.

For Shelah and Eber, see the comments on verse 18.

For Peleg see the comments on verse 19.

Reu represents the sixteenth generation from Adam. He was the son of Peleg and the father of Serug.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .