1 Chronicles 4 Study Notes

4:1-23 Having paused to cite David’s descendants, the author returns to conclude Judah’s kin. The list of names is interrupted by a narrative in vv. 9-10. The descendants of Perez are listed in vv. 1-20, and of Shelah in vv. 21-23. The genealogy is discontinuous and fragmentary and mixes personal names and place names.

4:1 In this verse the word sons refers loosely to “descendants,” as happens frequently in biblical genealogies. Skipping several generations, the Chronicler emphasizes certain individuals in Judah’s line. Adding to Perez and Hezron, he focuses on Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. Carmi may be the same person as the Carmi mentioned in 2:7.

4:4 Hur has already been mentioned in 2:20. As the father of Ephrathah (Bethlehem), he was an important ancestor.

4:5 Ashhur was mentioned earlier as the son who was born to Hezron posthumously.

4:9 We are not told in which way Jabez’s brothers were dishonorable. He obviously took his walk with God seriously. Jabez also labored under the stigma of a name with negative connotations because it means pain. People often thought that having a negative name would produce negative consequences for the person’s life.

4:10 Jabez prayed a personal prayer, asking God for his blessing. He wanted more land, he wanted God’s hand to be with him, and he wanted God to keep him from harm. Nothing in this passage indicates that we should pray these same words, let alone that we should pray them as if they represented a formula for blessing; instead, Jabez’s prayer is an example for us in its honesty and fervency.

4:13 Othniel was the first judge (Jdg 2), and he must have been significantly younger than his uncle Caleb.

4:15 This Caleb is the spy of Nm 13 who, along with Joshua, trusted God.

4:17-18 Once again a Gentile is part of the line, this time a daughter of a Pharaoh named Bithiah.

4:21-23 Shelah was Judah’s third son (2:3). His older brothers Er and Onan had been killed and he should have become the husband of Tamar, but Judah prevented this (Gn 38:11-14). Shelah’s descendants distinguished themselves as craftsmen.

4:24-37 Because Simeon was violent and cruel, his father Jacob predicted that his tribe would be dispersed in the land (Gn 49:7). At the time of the conquest, the tribe of Simeon received a territory that was adjacent to and intermingled with Judah. The parts that belonged to Simeon alone were mostly desert. As a consequence, Simeon became increasingly absorbed into Judah and Benjamin, and its identity faded. Despite numerous offspring, particularly from Shimei, the tribe as a whole remained undistinguished.

4:38-41 Some Simeonites retained their identity into the time of Hezekiah, when they took some fertile land from a group of Hamites. This accomplishment is particularly noteworthy since they went on this military adventure to acquire further pasture land while the Assyrians were rampaging throughout the country.

4:42-43 Another group of Simeonites distinguished themselves by an excursion to Mount Seir (Edom), where they finally eliminated the Amalekites who were hiding out in that area. The Amalekites had frequently caused trouble for Israel (Ex 17; Nm 14:45; Jdg 3:13). They had been brought close to extinction by King Saul (1Sm 15:1-35) and defeated by David (1Sm 30:17), though a few escaped. These Simeonites finally finished the job.