Bible Commentaries
1 Chronicles 4

Verse 1

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

Carmi. — Alias Chelubai, or Caleb. 1 Chronicles 2:9 ; 1 Chronicles 2:18

Verse 5

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

And Ashur. — Who was the posthumous son of Hezron. 1 Chronicles 2:24

Verse 8

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

And Coz begat Anub. — Who this Coz was, we read not anywhere: Videntur lacunae quaedam esse in hoc capite. Some think he was one of the sons of Ashur by his wife Helah: though he be not reckoned with the rest. 1 Chronicles 4:7

Verse 9

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

And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren. — Propter opes, saith Piscator, for his wealth; for his holiness rather, see Isaiah 43:4 or for his valour and learning, tam Marte quam Mercurio, if he were that renowned Othniel, Judges 1:13 as some make him to be: others, Othniel’s brother. 1 Chronicles 4:13 In his city, called by his name Jabez, dwelt scribes, 1 Chronicles 2:55 hence Vatablus concludeth that he was doctor insignis. Clarissimus fuit propter foritudinem; deinde doctor fuit. - Lavat.

And his mother called him Jabez, — Jangbets, for Jangtseb; of gnetseb, pain, grief. i.e., Dolorificum; a dear, but doleful child to her, a son of her sorrows, because she had a hard bargain, as they call it, when she brought him forth; and haply died of him, as Rachel did of her Benoni. His father might change his name to Othniel.

Verse 10

And 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.

And Jabez called on the God of Israel. — Upon the point of some warlike exploit: or in some great exigency. And hence he was "more honourable"; 1 Chronicles 4:9 he prayed earnestly, and sped accordingly.

Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed. — Heb., If blessing thou wilt bless me: q.d., then shalt thou have mine utmost service, and I will wholly devote myself to thy fear. This was to "pray in the Holy Ghost"; this was to do, as afterwards Christ did, who "being in an agony prayed more earnestly." Luke 22:44

And enlarge my coast. — Pray we with like fervency, And enlarge my heart.

And that thine hand might be with me. — He labours in prayer lustily, and followeth his suit close.

“ Una est in trepida mihi re medicina, Iehovae

Cot patrium, os verax, omnipotensque manus. ”

And that thou wouldest keep me from evil. — Or, Cause that evil grieve me not. He seemeth in this request to allude to his own name, q.d., I have my name from sorrow; but I would not be crushed with sorrow. This might be his prayer to God, even while he was fighting against his enemies.

Verse 11

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

Brother of Shuah. — Called Hushah. 1 Chronicles 4:4

Verse 12

And Eshton begat Bethrapha, and Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Irnahash. These [are] the men of Rechah.

These are the men of Rechah. — This, Lyra taketh to be the name of a place: others render it teneros vel nobiles, these were gentlemen or nobles.

Verse 13

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

Othniel. — See on 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 .

Verse 14

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

For they were craftsmen. — Opifices Deo curae sunt. God takes notice of, and care for poor handicraftsmen, who live by their hard labour, who get it and eat it. Yea, the apostle Peter showeth that a poor servant, when he suffereth hard words and ill usage from his master, doth herein find acceptance with God. 1 Peter 2:19-20

Verse 15

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

Caleb the son of Jephunneh. — And grandson of Kenez: whence Caleb is called the Kenezite, Numbers 32:12 saith Diodate.

Verse 17

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

And the sons of Ezra. — Not that learned scribe, Ezra 7:1 - there is a difference in the last letter of their names - but the son, as it seems, of Asareel.

And she bare, — i.e., Bithiah 1 Chronicles 4:18 bare.

Miriam. — The name of a man in this place.

Verse 21

The 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,

Of them that wrought fine linen. — Gentis opificii byssini, silk-weavers. See on 1 Chronicles 4:14 .

Verse 22

And Jokim, and the men of Chozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who had the dominion in Moab, and Jashubilehem. And [these are] ancient things.

Who had the dominion in Moab. — Ruled as viceroys under the kings of Judah, who had subdued Moab.

And these are ancient things. — Old and obsolete, Vatablus rendereth it. Ista nomina sunt virorum veterum, these are the names of such as lived long since. Haec sunt nomina prisca priscorum heroum: A Lapide. Thus writeth Ezra; who yet lived before that Socrates taught in Athens, and before any chronicles of the world now extant in the world. Such is the antiquity of holy writ.

Verse 23

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

Those that dwelt among plants and hedges. — Hedge rogues, Mr Dyke Serm. on John v. calleth them: the base brood of their degenerated forefathers, saith another; poor-spirited men; not like that late learned martyr, who in his banishment or flight for conscience, served the mason; nor like Musculus, forced to dig in the town ditch one while for a poor livelihood; but such as choose rather to abide under the hedges of Babylon, and there to plant gardens, make fences and flower pots for the king of Babylon, than to return to their own country, though Cyrus had proclaimed liberty for them so to do.

There they dwelt. — Or, Remained, namely, in Babylon, in the service of the king of that place, being miserable by their own election. These are res obsoletae, things worn out and forgotten; and indeed they deserve to be forgotten. For such the Church prayeth, Psalms 126:4 "Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south." Piscator gathereth from this text, that Ezra wrote this book after the return from Babylon.

Verse 24

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

And the sons of Simeon. — His genealogy is set down next to that of Judah, because his lot fell out to be in the tribe of Judah, for most part, Joshua 19:1 though his posterity took part with the other nine tribes in the revolt from Judah and Benjamin, who clave still to the house of David. Of this tribe was that shameless fornicator, Zimri, Numbers 25:14 as also Judas Iscariot, as Jerome affirmeth.

Verse 27

And 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.

And Shimei had sixteen sons. — None mentioned in these genealogies had so many.

Verse 28

And they dwelt at Beersheba, and Moladah, and Hazarshual,

And Hazarshual, — i.e., In vico vulpis, Vat.

Verse 31

And at Bethmarcaboth, and Hazarsusim, and at Bethbirei, and at Shaaraim. These [were] their cities unto the reign of David.

Unto the reign of David. — Who restored Ziklag and some others of them to the tribe of Judah, saith Lyra.

Verse 32

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

Five cities. — Called before villages, because unwalled, haply. The Hague in Holland hath two thousand households in it: the inhabitants will not wall it, they say, as desiring to have it counted rather the principal village of Europe, than a lesser city.

Verse 40

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

And they found fat pasture and good. — This tempted the Simeonites to set upon them, as the wealth of Cyprus did the old Romans; Sext. Rufus and as the pearls usually cast out with the flood and gathered at the ebb, drew Caesar’s affection for the conquest of Britain. Suetonius, Julius Caesar, l. 1. c. 47. 1:95

For quiet, and peaceable. — See on Judges 18:27-28 .

And they of Ham had dwelt there. — The cursed Canaanites.

Verse 41

And 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.

Came in the days of Hezekiah. — In the beginning of his reign; for in the sixth year of his reign the ten tribes were carried captive by Shalmaneser. 2 Kings 18:10-11 So that it seems these Simeonites did not long enjoy their new conquests God often punisheth the wicked by others as wicked.

Verse 42

And [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.

And some of them, even of the sons of Simeon. — As Simeon himself was a rough-spirited venturous man; so were his posterity.

Verse 43

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

And they smote the rest of the Amalekites. — Whose preservation from the sword of Joshua, Exodus 17:13 of Saul, 1 Samuel 15:7 and of David, 2 Samuel 8:12 was but a reservation to this utter destruction, which God had solemnly sworn, with hand laid upon his own throne. Exodus 17:16