1 Chronicles 4

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First Chronicles chapter four primarily details the genealogies of the tribe of Judah, tracing various family lines and their settlements. A notable interlude recounts the prayer of Jabez, who sought divine blessing, enlarged territory, God's hand, and protection from evil, which God granted. The chapter then shifts to the genealogies of the tribe of Simeon, describing their cities and later accounts of their expansion and conquests.

The Descendants of Judah 1–8

¶ The sons of Judah; Pharez, Hezron, and Carmi, and Hur, and Shobal.

And Reaiah the son of Shobal begat Jahath; and Jahath begat Ahumai, and Lahad. These are the families of the Zorathites.

And these were of the father of Etam; Jezreel, and Ishma, and Idbash: and the name of their sister was Hazelelponi:

And Penuel the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These are the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah, the father of Bethlehem.

And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.

And Naarah bare him Ahuzam, and Hepher, and Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah.

And the sons of Helah were, Zereth, and Jezoar, and Ethnan.

And Coz begat Anub, and Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum.

The Prayer of Jabez 9–10

And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.

And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.

Further Families of Judah 11–20

¶ And Chelub the brother of Shuah begat Mehir, which was the father of Eshton.

And Eshton begat Bethrapha, and Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Irnahash. These are the men of Rechah.

And the sons of Kenaz; Othniel, and Seraiah: and the sons of Othniel; Hathath.

And Meonothai begat Ophrah: and Seraiah begat Joab, the father of the valley of Charashim; for they were craftsmen.

And the sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh; Iru, Elah, and Naam: and the sons of Elah, even Kenaz.

And the sons of Jehaleleel; Ziph, and Ziphah, Tiria, and Asareel.

And the sons of Ezra were, Jether, and Mered, and Epher, and Jalon: and she bare Miriam, and Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa.

And his wife Jehudijah bare Jered the father of Gedor, and Heber the father of Socho, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. And these are the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, which Mered took.

And the sons of his wife Hodiah the sister of Naham, the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maachathite.

And the sons of Shimon were, Amnon, and Rinnah, Benhanan, and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi were, Zoheth, and Benzoheth.

Families of Specialized Craftsmen 21–23

The sons of Shelah the son of Judah were, Er the father of Lecah, and Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of them that wrought fine linen, of the house of Ashbea,

And Jokim, and the men of Chozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who had the dominion in Moab, and Jashubilehem. And these are ancient things.

These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work.

The Tribe of Simeon 24–27

¶ The sons of Simeon were, Nemuel, and Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul:

Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son.

And the sons of Mishma; Hamuel his son, Zacchur his son, Shimei his son.

And Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brethren had not many children, neither did all their family multiply, like to the children of Judah.

Simeon’s Settlements and Territory 28–37

And they dwelt at Beersheba, and Moladah, and Hazarshual,

And at Bilhah, and at Ezem, and at Tolad,

And at Bethuel, and at Hormah, and at Ziklag,

And at Bethmarcaboth, and Hazarsusim, and at Bethbirei, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities unto the reign of David.

And their villages were, Etam, and Ain, Rimmon, and Tochen, and Ashan, five cities:

And all their villages that were round about the same cities, unto Baal. These were their habitations, and their genealogy.

And Meshobab, and Jamlech, and Joshah the son of Amaziah,

And Joel, and Jehu the son of Josibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel,

And Elioenai, and Jaakobah, and Jeshohaiah, and Asaiah, and Adiel, and Jesimiel, and Benaiah,

And Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah;

Simeon’s Expansion and Conquest 38–43

These mentioned by their names were princes in their families: and the house of their fathers increased greatly.

And they went to the entrance of Gedor, even unto the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks.

And they found fat pasture and good, and the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceable; for they of Ham had dwelt there of old.

And these written by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and smote their tents, and the habitations that were found there, and destroyed them utterly unto this day, and dwelt in their rooms: because there was pasture there for their flocks.

And some of them, even of the sons of Simeon, five hundred men, went to mount Seir, having for their captains Pelatiah, and Neariah, and Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi.

And they smote the rest of the Amalekites that were escaped, and dwelt there unto this day.

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for 1 Chronicles 4

Verse 1

Pharez, Hezron, and Carmi, and Hur, and Shobal — The five names are not brothers. Pharez was Judah's son by Tamar, named for the verb parats, 'How hast thou broken forth?' (Gen 38:29); Hezron is Pharez's son (1 Chr 2:5) and Hur Caleb's son by Ephrath (1 Chr 2:19). Pharez's line leads to David (Ruth 4:18–22) and to Christ (Matt 1:3).

Verse 4

the firstborn of Ephratah, the father of Bethlehem — Ephratah is Ephrath, the wife of Caleb who bore Hur (1 Chr 2:19); 'Ephrath, which is Bethlehem' is the old name of the town (Gen 35:19), and Micah calls it 'Bethlehem Ephratah' (Mic 5:2). Penuel and Ezer are named as 'father of' Gedor and Hushah, as 'father' is used for founders in 2:50–51.

Verse 9

Because I bare him with sorrow — The name Jabez sounds like otseb, sorrow, from the root atsab, to grieve. A related word stands in God's word to Eve, 'in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children' (Gen 3:16). The same root returns in his prayer in v.10, 'that it may not grieve me'. He is called 'more honourable than his brethren'.

Verse 10

enlarge my coast — 'Coast' is gebul, a boundary or territory. The LORD had said to Israel, 'I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders' (Ex 34:24). The first request, 'bless me indeed', doubles the verb (barak), and the last uses atsab, to grieve, the root of his name. He 'called on the God of Israel', and God granted what he asked.

Verse 14

the valley of Charashim — Joab here is the son of Seraiah, not David's commander. Charashim is the Hebrew for craftsmen, and the same valley, 'the valley of craftsmen', stands in Neh 11:35 beside Lod and Ono among the places where the children of Benjamin dwelt. 'Father of' marks Joab as the head of the families who settled it.

Verse 18

Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh — Her name, Bithyah, means 'daughter of Jah', the LORD. Mered's other wife is Jehudijah, 'the Jewess'. The sons named in this verse are called 'father of' Gedor (Josh 15:58), Socho (Josh 15:35) and Zanoah (Josh 15:34), towns of Judah. The verse does not say when Bithiah came to Judah.

Verse 21

them that wrought fine linen — Buts is the fine white linen of the temple's veil (2 Chr 3:14), of the singers' garments (2 Chr 5:12) and of David's robe when the ark was brought up (1 Chr 15:27). Huram sent Solomon a man skilled 'in fine linen' (2 Chr 2:14). Shelah is Judah's third son (1 Chr 2:3), and Mareshah is a town of Judah (Josh 15:44).

Verse 22

who had the dominion in Moab — The verb is ba'al, to be master of, which also means to marry; Isa 62:5 uses it for the bridegroom, 'so shall thy sons marry thee'. The KJV takes it as rule. 'Ancient things' (debarim attiqim) is a remark on the age of these records.

Verse 23

These were the potters — Yotsrim, from yatsar, to form, the verb of God 'formed man of the dust' (Gen 2:7) and of Isaiah's 'we are the clay, and thou our potter' (Isa 64:8). They 'dwelt with the king for his work', in the king's own service, in a place described as 'among plants and hedges'.

Verse 24

The sons of Simeon — Five sons, as in Num 26:12 (Nemuel, Jamin, Jachin, Zerah, Shaul). Gen 46:10 gives Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar and Shaul. Jacob had said of the tribe, 'I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel' (Gen 49:7), and its inheritance lay 'within the inheritance of the children of Judah' (Josh 19:1).

Verse 27

his brethren had not many children — Simeon numbered 59,300 men at Sinai (Num 1:23) and 22,200 at the second census (Num 26:14), against Judah's 76,500 (Num 26:22). Josh 19:9 explains why the tribe's cities were within Judah: 'the part of the children of Judah was too much for them'. Shimei's 'sixteen sons and six daughters' are the exception the verse notes.

Verse 31

unto the reign of David — The cities match the list of Josh 19:2–8 (Beersheba, Moladah, Hazarshual, Ziklag, Bethmarcaboth and others). Ziklag was given to David by Achish of Gath, 'wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day' (1 Sam 27:6), after which the town belonged to Judah's kings.

Verse 38

increased greatly — Parats, to break out, the verb of Gen 28:14, 'thou shalt spread abroad', and of Jacob who 'increased exceedingly' (Gen 30:43). It answers v.27, where Simeon had not multiplied like Judah. The heads are called 'princes' (nasi), the title given to the chief of a tribe, such as Nahshon of Judah (Num 2:3).

Verse 40

the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceable — 'Wide' is literally 'wide of hands' (rachab yadayim), the idiom of Gen 34:21, 'the land, behold, it is large enough'. 'They of Ham had dwelt there of old': Ham's sons were Cush, Mizraim, Phut and Canaan (Gen 10:6). The place lay by Gedor (v.39), and the flocks were the reason for going there.

Verse 41

destroyed them utterly — Charam, the verb of the ban on the nations of Canaan: 'thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them' (Deut 7:2). The days of Hezekiah, who 'did that which was right in the sight of the LORD' (2 Kgs 18:3), are the setting. They settled there 'because there was pasture there for their flocks'.

Verse 43

the rest of the Amalekites that were escaped — The LORD had said, 'I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven' (Ex 17:14; Deut 25:19). Saul spared Agag (1 Sam 15:9), and four hundred young men escaped David on camels (1 Sam 30:17). These Simeonites, on mount Seir (v.42), strike the remnant that was left.