1 Chronicles 4

The Descendants of David

1 The sons of Judah: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal.
2 And Reaiah the son of Shobal fathered Jahath, and Jahath fathered Ahumai and Lahad. These [were] the clans of the Zorathites.
3 And these [were] the sons of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash. And the name of their sister [was] Hazzelelponi,
4 and Penuel [was] the father of Gedor, and Ezer [was] the father of Hushah. These [were] the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, the father of Bethlehem.
5 And Ashhur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives: Helah and Naarah.
6 And Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These [were] the sons of Naarah.
7 The sons of Helah: Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan.
8 And Koz fathered Anub, Zobebah, and the clans of Aharhel, the son of Harum.
9 And Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. And his mother called his name Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him in pain."
10 And Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that you would surely bless me and enlarge my border. And may your hand be with me, that you would keep me from evil so that it might not harm me!" And God granted what he asked.
11 Chelub, the brother of Shuhah, fathered Mehir. He [was] the father of Eshton.
12 And Eshton fathered Beth-Rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah, the father of the city of Nahash. These [are] the men of Recah.
13 The sons of Kenaz: Othniel and Seraiah. And the sons of Othniel: Hathath.
14 And Meonothai fathered Ophrah; and Seraiah fathered Joab, the father of Ge-Harashim, because they [were] craftsmen.
15 The sons of Caleb, the son of Jephunneh: Iru, Elah, and Naam. And the sons of Elah: Kenaz.
16 The sons of Jehallelel: Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.
17 The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. And she became pregnant with Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah, the father of Eshtemoa.
18 And his Judahite wife bore Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. And these [were] the sons of Bithiah daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered married.
19 The sons of the wife of Hodiah, the sister of Naham, [were] the fathers of Keilah the Garmite and Eshtemoa the Maacathite.
20 The sons of Shimon: Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan, and Tolon. The sons of Ishi: Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth.
21 The sons of Shelah, the son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of linen workers at Beth Ashbea;
22 and Jokim, and the men of Cozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who ruled in Moab and returned to Lehem. (Now the records are ancient).
23 These [were] the potters and inhabitants of Netaim and Gederah. They lived there with the king in his service.

Descendants of Simeon

24 The sons of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, Shaul.
25 Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son.
26 The sons of Mishma: Hammuel his son, Zaccur his son, Shimei his son.
27 Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers did not have many children. But all their families did not multiply like the men of Judah.
28 And they lived in Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual,
29 Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad,
30 Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag,
31 Beth-Marcaboth, Hazar-Susim, Beth-Biri, and Shaaraim. These [were] their cities until David reigned.
32 And their villages [were] Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Token, and Ashan, five cities
33 and all their villages that surrounding these cities as far as Baal. These [were] their settlements, and they kept a genealogical record for them.
34 Meshobab, Jamlech, and Joshah the son of Amaziah,
35 Joel, and Jehu the son of Joshibiah, son of Seraiah, son of Asiel.
36 And Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah,
37 and Ziza the son of Shiphi, son of Allon, son of Jedaiah, son of Shimri, son of Shemaiah.
38 These {mentioned by name} [were] leaders in their families, and their fathers' households increased greatly.
39 And they went to the entrance of Gedor, up to the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks.
40 And they found fertile and good pasture, and the land [was] very broad, quiet, and at ease, for the former inhabitants there [were] from Ham.
41 These, mentioned by name, came in the days of Hezekiah, king of Judah, and attacked their tents and the Meunites who were found there. And they devoted them to destruction to this day, and they settled among them because [there was] pasture there for their flocks.
42 And some of them from the Simeonites went to Mount Seir, five hundred men. And Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi, [were] under their leadership.
43 And they destroyed the remainder of the Amalekites who had escaped, and they have lived there to this day.

1 Chronicles 4 Commentary

Chapter 4

Genealogies.

- In this chapter we have a further account of Judah, the most numerous and most famous of all the tribes; also an account of Simeon. The most remarkable person in this chapter is Jabez. We are not told upon what account Jabez was more honourable than his brethren; but we find that he was a praying man. The way to be truly great, is to seek to do God's will, and to pray earnestly. Here is the prayer he made. Jabez prayed to the living and true God, who alone can hear and answer prayer; and, in prayer he regarded him as a God in covenant with his people. He does not express his promise, but leaves it to be understood; he was afraid to promise in his own strength, and resolved to devote himself entirely to God. Lord, if thou wilt bless me and keep me, do what thou wilt with me; I will be at thy command and disposal for ever. As the text reads it, this was the language of a most ardent and affectionate desire, Oh that thou wouldest bless me! Four things Jabez prayed for. 1. That God would bless him indeed. Spiritual blessings are the best blessings: God's blessings are real things, and produce real effects. 2. That He would enlarge his coast. That God would enlarge our hearts, and so enlarge our portion in himself, and in the heavenly Canaan, ought to be our desire and prayer. 3. That God's hand might be with him. God's hand with us, to lead us, protect us, strengthen us, and to work all our works in us and for us, is a hand all-sufficient for us. 4. That he would keep him from evil, the evil of sin, the evil of trouble, all the evil designs of his enemies, that they might not hurt, nor make him a Jabez indeed, a man of sorrow. God granted that which he requested. God is ever ready to hear prayer: his ear is not now heavy.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Literally "coming in the names"

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 CHRONICLES 4

In this chapter is a further account of the tribe of Judah, and of some principal families in it, 1Ch 4:1-23 and of the tribe of Simeon, their families, cities, and villages, 1Ch 4:24-38 and of the enlargement of their borders, and conquest of the Amalekites, 1Ch 4:39-43.

1 Chronicles 4 Commentaries

Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.