Salmon

Salmon (also Salma) was the son of Nashon, chief of Judah in the wilderness (Num. 2:3), and is notable as the husband of Rahab the Canaanite woman of Jericho and the father of Boaz (Ruth 4:20–21; Matt. 1:4–5; 1 Chr. 2:11). He thus stands at a significant genealogical junction: through his marriage to Rahab and his son Boaz's marriage to Ruth, Salmon is an ancestor of David and through David of Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:5–16). The inclusion of Rahab in Matthew's genealogy is theologically significant, highlighting God's grace in drawing Gentile women of faith into the royal messianic line. The name Salma appears in 1 Chronicles 2:51, 54 in connection with Bethlehem, where Salmon may have settled after entering Canaan with Joshua's generation. A separate Easton entry notes a "Salmon" as the hill covered with dark forests south of Shechem (cf. Ps. 68:14), which is a distinct place entirely, also known as Zalmon.