1The sons of Judah: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. 2And Reaiah the son of Shobal begot Jahath, and Jahath begot Ahumai and Lahad. These, the families of the Zorathites. 3These, the sons of the father of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash; and the name of their sister: Hazelelponi; 4and Penuel the father of Gedor, and Ezer 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, the sons of Naarah. 7The sons of Helah: 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 have borne him with sorrow. 10And Jabez called upon the God of Israel saying, Oh, that You might bless me, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would deal to bless me, keeping me from evil, to not be hurt. And God brought to pass what he had asked. 11Chelub the brother of Shuhah begot Mehir, the father of Eshton. 12And Eshton begot Beth-Rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Ir-Nahash. These, the men of Rechah. 13The sons of Kenaz: Othniel and Seraiah. The sons of Othniel: Hathath, 14and Meonothai who begot Ophrah. Seraiah begot Joab the father of Ge Harashim; who were craftsmen. 15The sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh: Iru, Elah, and Naam. The son of Elah: Kenaz. 16The sons of Jehallelel: Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel. 17The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. And Mered's wife bore Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. 18His 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 Eshtemoa the Maachathite. 20The sons of Shimon: Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan, and Tilon. The sons of Ishi: Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth. 21The sons of Shelah the son of Judah: 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 these records are ancient. 23These were the potters and the inhabitants of Netaim and Gederah; they dwelt there with the king for his work. 24The sons of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul, 25Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, and Mishma his son. 26The sons of Mishma: 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 like the sons of Judah. 28They dwelt at Beer-sheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual, 29Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, 30Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, 31Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri, and at Shaaraim. These, their cities until the reign of David. 32And their villages: Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan; five cities; 33and all the villages that were around these cities as far as Baal; these, their dwelling places. 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 chiefs in their families, and their father's house increased abundantly. 39And 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 those from Ham lived there formerly. 41These recorded by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and they struck their tents and the Meunim 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, with Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi as their heads. 43And they struck the remnant of the escaped Amalekites, and dwelt there to this day.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 POSTERITY OF JUDAH BY CALEB THE SON OF HUR. (
1Χρ. 4:1-8)
the sons of Judah--that is, "the descendants," for with the exception of Pharez, none of those here mentioned were his immediate sons. Indeed, the others are mentioned solely to introduce the name of Shobal, whose genealogy the historian intended to trace (
1Χρ. 2:52).
9 OF JABEZ, AND HIS PRAYER. (
1Χρ. 4:9-20)
Jabez--was, as many think, the son of Coz, or Kenaz, and is here eulogized for his sincere and fervent piety, as well, perhaps, as for some public and patriotic works which he performed. The Jewish writers affirm that he was an eminent doctor in the law, whose reputation drew so many scribes around him that a town was called by his name (
1Χρ. 2:55); and to the piety of his character this passage bears ample testimony. The memory of the critical circumstances which marked his birth was perpetuated in his name (compare
Γέν. 35:15); and yet, in the development of his high talents or distinguished worth in later life, his mother must have found a satisfaction and delight that amply compensated for all her early trials. His prayer which is here recorded, and which, like Jacob's, is in the form of a vow (
Γέν. 28:20), seems to have been uttered when he was entering on an important or critical service, for the successful execution of which he placed confidence neither on his own nor his people's prowess, but looked anxiously for the aid and blessing of God. The enterprise was in all probability the expulsion of the Canaanites from the territory he occupied; and as this was a war of extermination, which God Himself had commanded, His blessing could be the more reasonably asked and expected in preserving them from all the evils to which the undertaking might expose him. In these words, "that it may not grieve me," and which might be more literally rendered, "that I may have no more sorrow," there is an allusion to the meaning of his name, Jabez, signifying "grief"; and the import of this petition is, Let me not experience the grief which my name implies, and which my sins may well produce.
10 God granted him that which he requested--Whatever was the kind of undertaking which roused his anxieties, Jabez enjoyed a remarkable degree of prosperity, and God, in this instance, proved that He was not only the hearer, but the answerer of prayer.
13 the sons of Kenaz--the grandfather of Caleb, who from that relationship is called a Kenezite (
Αρ. 32:12).
14 Joab, the father of the valley of Carashim--literally, "the father of the inhabitants of the valley"--"the valley of craftsmen," as the word denotes. They dwelt together, according to a custom which, independently of any law, extensively prevails in Eastern countries for persons of the same trade to inhabit the same street or the same quarter, and to follow the same occupation from father to son, through many generations. Their occupation was probably that of carpenters, and the valley where they lived seems to have been in the neighborhood of Jerusalem (
Νεεμ. 11:35).
17 she bare Miriam--It is difficult, as the verses stand at present, to see who is meant. The following readjustment of the text clears away the obscurity: "These are the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, which Mered took, and she bare Miriam, and his wife Jehudijah bare Jezreel," &c.
18 Jehudijah--"the Jewess," to distinguish her from his other wife, who was an Egyptian. This passage records a very interesting fact--the marriage of an Egyptian princess to a descendant of Caleb. The marriage must have taken place in the wilderness. The barriers of a different national language and national religion kept the Hebrews separate from the Egyptians; but they did not wholly prevent intimacies, and even occasional intermarriages between private individuals of the two nations. Before such unions, however, could be sanctioned, the Egyptian party must have renounced idolatry, and this daughter of Pharaoh, as appears from her name, had become a convert to the worship of the God of Israel.
21 POSTERITY OF SHELAH. (
1Χρ. 4:21-23)
Laadah . . . the father . . . of the house of them that wrought fine linen--Here, again, is another incidental evidence that in very early times certain trades were followed by particular families among the Hebrews, apparently in hereditary succession. Their knowledge of the art of linen manufacture had been, most probably, acquired in Egypt, where the duty of bringing up families to the occupations of their forefathers was a compulsory obligation, whereas in Israel, as in many parts of Asia to this day, it was optional, though common.
22 had the dominion in Moab, and Jashubi-lehem--"And these are ancient things" seems a strange rendering of a proper name; and, besides, it conveys a meaning that has no bearing on the record. The following improved translation has been suggested: "Sojourned in Moab, but returned to Beth-lehem and Adaberim-athekim. These and the inhabitants of Netaim and Gedera were potters employed by the king in his own work." Gedera or Gederoth, and Netaim, belonged to the tribe of Judah, and lay on the southeast border of the Philistines' territory (
Ιησ. 15:36;
2Χρ. 28:18).
24 OF SIMEON. (1Ch. 4:24-43)
The sons of Simeon--They are classed along with those of Judah, as their possession was partly taken out of the extensive territory of the latter (
Ιησ. 19:1). The difference in several particulars of the genealogy given here from that given in other passages is occasioned by some of the persons mentioned having more than one name [compare
Γέν. 46:10;
Έξ. 6:15;
Αρ. 26:12].
27 his brethren had not many children--(see
Αρ. 1:22;
Αρ. 26:14).
31 These were their cities unto the reign of David--In consequence of the sloth or cowardice of the Simeonites, some of the cities within their allotted territory were only nominally theirs. They were never taken from the Philistines until David's time, when, the Simeonites having forfeited all claim to them, he assigned them to his own tribe of Judah (
1Σαμ. 27:6).
38 increased greatly, and they went to the entrance of Gedor--Simeon having only a part of the land of Judah, they were forced to seek accommodation elsewhere; but their establishment in the new and fertile pastures of Gederah was soon broken up; for, being attacked by a band of nomad plunderers, they were driven from place to place till some of them effected by force a settlement on Mount Seir.