דברי הימים א, פרק ב׳, פסוק ל״א

Tracing family lines establishes a clear path of heritage and continuity for the Israelites. As the historical record continues, the focus shifts to the descendants of Appaim, the other son of Nadab [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

As the generations unfold, a curious pattern emerges in the family tree. For several successive generations—specifically those of Ishi, Sheshan, and Ahlai—the record refers to multiple sons for each father, yet proceeds to name only a single child. This apparent mismatch offers a glimpse into how these historical archives were compiled. Ezra, the author of the record, drew his information from an older, much more comprehensive family registry. In that original source document, each of these men was indeed listed with multiple sons. However, when compiling his own account, Ezra chose to highlight just one specific son for each generation. In doing so, he faithfully preserved the exact plural phrasing of the ancient text he was copying from, even though he recorded only a single name from the broader family tree [מלבי״ם].