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1 Chronicles 4

KJV · Chapter 4/29

1The sons of Judah; Pharez, Hezron, and Carmi, and Hur, and Shobal.

2And Reaiah the son of Shobal begat Jahath; and Jahath begat Ahumai, and Lahad. These are the families of the Zorathites.

3And these were of the father of Etam; Jezreel, and Ishma, and Idbash: and the name of their sister was Hazelelponi:

4And Penuel the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These are the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah, the father of Beth–lehem.

5And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.

6And Naarah bare him Ahuzam, and Hepher, and Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah.

7And the sons of Helah were, Zereth, and Jezoar, and Ethnan.

8And Coz begat Anub, and Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum.

9And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.

10And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.

11And Chelub the brother of Shuah begat Mehir, which was the father of Eshton.

12And Eshton begat Beth–rapha, and Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Ir–nahash. These are the men of Rechah.

13And the sons of Kenaz; Othniel, and Seraiah: and the sons of Othniel; Hathath.

14And Meonothai begat Ophrah: and Seraiah begat Joab, the father of the valley of Charashim; for they were craftsmen.

15And the sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh; Iru, Elah, and Naam: and the sons of Elah, even Kenaz.

16And the sons of Jehaleleel; Ziph, and Ziphah, Tiria, and Asareel.

17And the sons of Ezra were, Jether, and Mered, and Epher, and Jalon: and she bare Miriam, and Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa.

18And his wife Jehudijah bare Jered the father of Gedor, and Heber the father of Socho, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. And these are the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, which Mered took.

19And the sons of his wife Hodiah the sister of Naham, the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maachathite.

20And the sons of Shimon were, Amnon, and 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, and Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of them that wrought fine linen, of the house of Ashbea,

22And Jokim, and the men of Chozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who had the dominion in Moab, and Jashubi–lehem. And these are ancient things.

23These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work.

24The sons of Simeon were, Nemuel, and Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul:

25Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son.

26And the sons of Mishma; Hamuel his son, Zacchur his son, Shimei his son.

27And Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brethren had not many children, neither did all their family multiply, like to the children of Judah.

28And they dwelt at Beer–sheba, and Moladah, and Hazar–shual,

29And at Bilhah, and at Ezem, and at Tolad,

30And at Bethuel, and at Hormah, and at Ziklag,

31And at Beth–marcaboth, and Hazar–susim, and at Beth–birei, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities unto the reign of David.

32And their villages were, Etam, and Ain, Rimmon, and Tochen, and Ashan, five cities:

33And all their villages that were round about the same cities, unto Baal. These were their habitations, and their genealogy.

34And Meshobab, and Jamlech, and Joshah the son of Amaziah,

35And Joel, and Jehu the son of Josibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel,

36And Elioenai, and Jaakobah, and Jeshohaiah, and Asaiah, and Adiel, and Jesimiel, and Benaiah,

37And Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah;

38These mentioned by their names were princes in their families: and the house of their fathers increased greatly.

39And they went to the entrance of Gedor, even unto the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks.

40And they found fat pasture and good, and the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceable; for they of Ham had dwelt there of old.

41And these written by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and smote their tents, and the habitations that were found there, and destroyed them utterly unto this day, and dwelt in their rooms: because there was pasture there for their flocks.

42And some of them, even of the sons of Simeon, five hundred men, went to mount Seir, having for their captains Pelatiah, and Neariah, and Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi.

43And they smote the rest of the Amalekites that were escaped, and dwelt there unto this day.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

The genealogies of Judah continue with additional details, including the brief but striking story of Jabez, who prays to God asking for blessing and protection, and is answered. Then comes the genealogy of the tribe of Simeon and its territories.

Explanation

Amid so many names, the story of Jabez stands out as a small emotional narrative: he is described as 'more honorable than his brothers,' and his mother named him Jabez (which sounds like 'pain' in Hebrew) because of the suffering she endured in childbirth. Despite a name associated with pain, he prays asking for blessing, expanded territory, and protection from evil, and God grants his request. This small account, surrounded by genealogical lists, shows that even amid seemingly impersonal records, there is room for individual stories of genuine faith. Jabez's prayer became, centuries later, a popular model of prayer for blessing and purpose.

Fun facts

  • The Prayer of Jabez, though it takes up only two verses, became extremely popular in contemporary Christian culture after a best-selling book published in the late 1990s based on this text.
  • The name Jabez, related to the Hebrew word for 'pain,' is an example of how names in ancient culture often reflected the circumstances of birth, and overcoming that meaning through prayer is the central point of this small story.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 1 Chronicles 4:1The chapter returns to Judah, but now following Hur’s branch — Pharez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal — to detail families and cities the earlier list had not explored.
  2. 1 Chronicles 4:2Reaiah, Shobal’s grandson, gives rise to the families of the Zorathites — the same clan linked to the city of Zorah, Samson’s birthplace much later in Israel’s history.
  3. 1 Chronicles 4:3One more small branch of Judah, linked to the city of Etam near Bethlehem — it even includes the sister’s name, Hazelelponi, a rare detail in a list that is almost always only men.
  4. 1 Chronicles 4:4Penuel and Ezer appear as “fathers” — that is, founders — of Gedor and Hushah, and the list reminds us again that Hur is the father of Ephratah, linking this branch directly to Bethlehem.
  5. 1 Chronicles 4:5Ashur, the same one mentioned earlier as “the father of Tekoa,” had two wives, Helah and Naarah — the list will detail the sons of each one in the next two verses.
  6. 1 Chronicles 4:6The four sons Naarah bore to Ashur — one more branch within Judah’s great tree that keeps spreading into smaller and smaller clans.
  7. 1 Chronicles 4:7The three sons of Ashur’s other wife, Helah — the list treats the two families separately, the usual way when a man had more than one wife.
  8. 1 Chronicles 4:8Coz fathers two more sons and the list names the families of Aharhel — names that set the stage for the next verse, the most famous in the whole chapter.
  9. 1 Chronicles 4:9In the middle of hundreds of names with no story, the text pauses to tell about Jabez: his own mother gave him this name, which recalls the word “sorrow,” because the birth was difficult — but even with such a heavy name, he becomes more honorable than his brothers.
  10. 1 Chronicles 4:10Jabez’s prayer asks for quite concrete things — a larger territory, protection, freedom from the suffering his own name (which recalls the word “sorrow”) had carried since birth. In the middle of an immense list of names with no story at all, it is one of the few verses that pauses to tell about a real person, and that is why it stands out.
  11. 1 Chronicles 4:11Chelub, Shuah’s brother, fathers Mehir, father of Eshton — the genealogical list returns to its normal rhythm right after the breather that was Jabez’s story.
  12. 1 Chronicles 4:12Eshton fathers three sons, among them Tehinnah, called the father of Ir-nahash — and the list calls this group the “men of Rechah,” a city or clan that appears only here in the Bible.
  13. 1 Chronicles 4:13Here appears Othniel, son of Kenaz — the same Othniel who, in Joshua and Judges, conquers the city of Debir, marries Achsah, and becomes the first judge of Israel after the death of Joshua.
  14. 1 Chronicles 4:14Seraiah’s son, Joab, is called “father” of the Valley of Craftsmen — a place named that way because a whole family of craftsmen lived and worked there.
  15. 1 Chronicles 4:15Take note: this Caleb is the son of Jephunneh, the famous faithful spy who enters Canaan together with Joshua — different from the other Caleb, son of Hezron, mentioned earlier in chapter 2.
  16. 1 Chronicles 4:16The four sons of Jehaleleel close out one more small branch of Judah’s tree, with no story attached beyond the names.
  17. 1 Chronicles 4:17Among the sons of Ezra is Mered, whose marriage will gain a curious detail right in the next verse.
  18. 1 Chronicles 4:18Mered marries Bithiah, described as Pharaoh’s daughter — an Egyptian princess entering Judah’s genealogy — besides also having sons with a Jewish wife, each family recorded separately.
  19. 1 Chronicles 4:19One more branch through the wife of Hodiah, whose sons carry the names of two different cities, the Garmite and the Maachathite, showing how these families spread across several territories.
  20. 1 Chronicles 4:20These sons of Shimon and of Ishi have nothing to do with the tribe of Simeon that comes later — it is just a coincidence of name within Judah’s own genealogy.
  21. 1 Chronicles 4:21The sons of Shelah, Judah’s third son, include founders of cities and even a whole family of linen weavers — showing that these genealogies also recorded the trade of each clan.
  22. 1 Chronicles 4:22The list names men who came to rule over Moab before returning to Bethlehem, and then the text itself remarks, “these are ancient things” — a rare moment when the chronicler admits that even he is not certain of everything.
  23. 1 Chronicles 4:23This part closes with the potters — craftsmen who lived near gardens and hedges, working directly in the king’s service, one more example of a family defined by its trade, not only by blood.
  24. 1 Chronicles 4:24Now the genealogy of the tribe of Simeon truly begins — Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul, the sons of the patriarch Simeon himself, one of Jacob’s twelve sons.
  25. 1 Chronicles 4:25Simeon’s line runs through Shallum, Mibsam, and Mishma — three generations quickly summarized before the list opens up again.
  26. 1 Chronicles 4:26Three more generations after Mishma — Hamuel, Zacchur, and Shimei — setting the stage for the next verse, which explains why the tribe of Simeon was small.
  27. 1 Chronicles 4:27Here is the explanation for an important fact: Shimei had sixteen sons, but his brothers did not have nearly as many, and so Simeon never grew the way Judah did — the reason its territory ends up inside Judah’s own land.
  28. 1 Chronicles 4:28The list of cities where the Simeonites lived begins, among them Beer-sheba — a city linked to Abraham and Isaac since Genesis, now occupied also by the tribe of Simeon.
  29. 1 Chronicles 4:29Three more cities of the tribe of Simeon — names that also appear on the list of Judah’s cities in Joshua, showing the overlap in territory between the two tribes.
  30. 1 Chronicles 4:30The list of cities continues, including Ziklag — the same place that, centuries later, the Philistine king Achish will give David as a refuge while he was fleeing from Saul.
  31. 1 Chronicles 4:31The list of Simeon’s cities closes with the note “unto the reign of David” — a way of saying that this territorial arrangement was ancient, from before the monarchy was firmly established.
  32. 1 Chronicles 4:32Five smaller villages complete Simeon’s territory, a small space compared to Judah’s, reflecting exactly the growth problem mentioned earlier.
  33. 1 Chronicles 4:33A summary closes the section: all the villages around these cities, as far as Baal, made up the dwellings and the recorded genealogy of the tribe of Simeon.
  34. 1 Chronicles 4:34A new list of Simeon’s leaders begins in a more recent generation — family names that set the stage for a story of territorial expansion told next.
  35. 1 Chronicles 4:35More names from this generation of Simeonite leaders, including a chain of four generations named all at once, in the compact way common to these lists.
  36. 1 Chronicles 4:36The list of leaders continues — seven names at once, all heads of families within the tribe of Simeon at this later time.
  37. 1 Chronicles 4:37The list of leaders closes with Ziza, whose lineage is traced back five generations — the chronicler likes to show the full root before telling what these men did.
  38. 1 Chronicles 4:38A summary explains the reason for listing so many names: these were the princes of their families, and these families had grown considerably — the opposite of the problem from centuries before.
  39. 1 Chronicles 4:39These leaders of Simeon set out in search of new pasture for their flocks, going as far as the entrance of Gedor, on the east side of the valley — the start of a small story of land conquest.
  40. 1 Chronicles 4:40They find rich pasture, land that is wide, quiet, and free of conflict — because those who lived there before were descendants of Ham, a people the list does not identify in more detail.
  41. 1 Chronicles 4:41This shift in territory, already in the time of King Hezekiah, shows the Simeonites still on the move centuries after the original conquest of Canaan, still looking for new pasture for their flocks. It is a reminder that these lists of lands are not just ancient bureaucracy: they record flesh-and-blood people struggling to survive.
  42. 1 Chronicles 4:42Five hundred men of Simeon go even farther, to the mountains of Seir (the territory of Edom), led by four captains from the family of Ishi — a military expedition, not just a search for pasture.
  43. 1 Chronicles 4:43These five hundred men finish exterminating the Amalekites who still remained there — carrying out, centuries later, the ancient order against Amalek that goes back to the time of Moses and Saul.

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