1 Chronicles4
New King James Version
1The sons of Judah were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal.
2And Reaiah the son of Shobal begot Jahath, and Jahath begot Ahumai and Lahad. These were the families of the Zorathites.
3These were the sons of the father of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash; and the name of their sister was Hazelelponi;
4and 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.
5And Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.
6Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah.
7The sons of Helah were Zereth, Zohar, and Ethnan;
8and Koz begot Anub, Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum.
9Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.”
10And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.
11Chelub the brother of Shuhah begot Mehir, who was the father of Eshton.
12And Eshton begot Beth-Rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Ir-Nahash. These were the men of Rechah.
13The sons of Kenaz were Othniel and Seraiah. The sons of Othniel were Hathath,
14and Meonothai who begot Ophrah. Seraiah begot Joab the father of Ge Harashim, for they were craftsmen.
15The sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh were Iru, Elah, and Naam. The son of Elah was Kenaz.
16The sons of Jehallelel were Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.
17The sons of Ezrah were Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. And Mered’s wife bore Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa.
18(His wife Jehudijah bore Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Sochoh, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah.) And these were the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered took.
19The sons of Hodiah’s wife, the sister of Naham, were the fathers of Keilah the Garmite and of Eshtemoa the Maachathite.
20And the sons of Shimon were Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan, and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi were Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth.
21The sons of Shelah the son of Judah were Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of the linen workers of the house of Ashbea;
22also Jokim, the men of Chozeba, and Joash; Saraph, who ruled in Moab, and Jashubi-Lehem. Now the records are ancient.
23These were the potters and those who dwell at Netaim and Gederah; there they dwelt with the king for his work.
24The sons of Simeon were Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul,
25Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, and Mishma his son.
26And the sons of Mishma were Hamuel his son, Zacchur his son, and Shimei his son.
27Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brothers did not have many children, nor did any of their families multiply as much as the children of Judah.
28They dwelt at Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual,
29Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad,
30Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag,
31Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities until the reign of David.
32And their villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan—five cities—
33and all the villages that were around these cities as far as Baal. These were their dwelling places, and they maintained their genealogy:
34Meshobab, Jamlech, and Joshah the son of Amaziah;
35Joel, and Jehu the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel;
36Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, and Benaiah;
37Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah—
38these mentioned by name were leaders in their families, and their father’s house increased greatly.
39So they went to the entrance of Gedor, as far as the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks.
40And they found rich, good pasture, and the land was broad, quiet, and peaceful; for some Hamites formerly lived there.
41These recorded by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and they attacked their tents and the Meunites who were found there, and utterly destroyed them, as it is to this day. So they dwelt in their place, because there was pasture for their flocks there.
42Now some of them, five hundred men of the sons of Simeon, went to Mount Seir, having as their captains Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi.
43And they defeated the rest of the Amalekites who had escaped. They have dwelt there to this day.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for 1 Chronicles 4.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Genealogies. (1-43).
vv1-43
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.
Key Words
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
יְהוּדָה: Jehudah (or Judah), the name of five Israelites; also of the tribe descended from the first, and of its territory
פֶּרֶץ: Perets, the name of two Israelites
חֶצְרוֹן: Chetsron, the name of a place in Palestine; also of two Israelites
כַּרְמִי: Karmi, the name of three Israelites
חוּר: Chur, the name of four Israelites and one Midianite
שׁוֹבָל: Shobal, the name of an Edomite and two Israelites
רְאָיָה: Reajah, the name of three Israelites
יָלַד: to bear young; causatively, to beget; medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show lineage
יַחַת: Jachath, the name of four Israelites
Cross References
1 Chronicles 4Name given in remembrance of maternal sorrow during birth, matching Rachel naming Ben-oni.
Supported by JFB
Identifies Othniel's descent from Kenaz and Caleb's family line.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Verifies Hur as the firstborn of Ephratah and father of Bethlehem.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Identifies the valley of craftsmen near Jerusalem, matching the ancestral trade of Joab.
Supported by JFB
Connects the remnant of the Amalekites to those who escaped Saul's earlier destruction.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Links the families of the Zorathites back to Shobal's line.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Biblical origin of bearing children in sorrow, directly alluded to in Jabez's name.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Another historical name given because of tragedy or grief in the family.
Supported by JFB
Lists the sons of Simeon, matching Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Parallels finding a quiet, secure land previously inhabited by tranquil, unsuspecting residents.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Traces Ashur, the father of Tekoa, within the families of Judah.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Caleb the son of Jephunneh's inheritance and Kenizzite family connection.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The divine command to blot out the memory of Amalek, fulfilled here.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Identifies Hezron as a son of Pharez, tracing Judah's early line.
Supported by Matthew Poole