1 Chronicles 4:1-23

Descendants of Judah

1 1The sons of Judah: 2Perez, Hezron, 3Carmi, Hur, and Shobal.
2 4Reaiah the son of Shobal fathered Jahath, and Jahath fathered Ahumai and Lahad. These were the clans of the 5Zorathites.
3 These were the sons[a] of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash; and the name of their sister was Hazzelelponi,
4 and 6Penuel fathered 7Gedor, and Ezer fathered Hushah. These were the sons of Hur, the firstborn of 8Ephrathah, the father of Bethlehem.
5 9Ashhur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives, Helah and Naarah;
6 Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah.
7 The sons of Helah: Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan.
8 Koz fathered Anub, Zobebah, and the clans of Aharhel, the son of Harum.
9 Jabez was 10more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him in pain."[b]
10 Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm[c] so that it might not bring me pain!" And God granted what he asked.
11 Chelub, the brother of Shuhah, fathered Mehir, who fathered Eshton.
12 Eshton fathered Beth-rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah, the father of Ir-nahash. These are the men of Recah.
13 The sons of 11Kenaz: 12Othniel and Seraiah; and the sons of Othniel: Hathath and Meonothai.[d]
14 Meonothai fathered Ophrah; and Seraiah fathered Joab, the father of Ge-harashim,[e] so-called because they were craftsmen.
15 The sons of 13Caleb the son of Jephunneh: Iru, Elah, and Naam; and the son[f] of Elah: Kenaz.
16 The sons of Jehallelel: Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.
17 The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. These are the sons of Bithiah, the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered married;[g] and she conceived and bore[h] Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah, the father of Eshtemoa.
18 And his Judahite wife bore 14Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah.
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 Tilon. The sons of Ishi: Zoheth and Ben-zoheth.
21 The sons of 15Shelah the son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the clans 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[i] (now the records[j] are ancient).
23 These were the potters who were inhabitants of Netaim and Gederah. They lived there in the king's service.

1 Chronicles 4:1-23 Meaning and Commentary

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.

Cross References 15

  • 1. [Genesis 46:12]
  • 2. Genesis 38:29
  • 3. 1 Chronicles 2:7
  • 4. [1 Chronicles 2:52]
  • 5. 1 Chronicles 2:53
  • 6. [ver. 18]
  • 7. ver. 18, 39
  • 8. [Genesis 35:19; 1 Chronicles 2:50, 51]
  • 9. 1 Chronicles 2:24
  • 10. [Genesis 34:19]
  • 11. Joshua 15:17
  • 12. Judges 1:13; Judges 3:9, 11
  • 13. Numbers 13:6
  • 14. [ver. 4]
  • 15. 1 Chronicles 2:3; Genesis 38:1, 5; Genesis 46:12; Numbers 26:20

Footnotes 10

  • [a]. Septuagint (compare Vulgate); Hebrew father
  • [b]. Jabez sounds like the Hebrew for pain
  • [c]. Or evil
  • [d]. Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew lacks Meonothai
  • [e]. Ge-harashim means valley of craftsmen
  • [f]. Hebrew sons
  • [g]. The clause These are... married is transposed from verse 18
  • [h]. Hebrew lacks and bore
  • [i]. Vulgate (compare Septuagint); Hebrew and Jashubi-lahem
  • [j]. Or matters
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.