Bible Commentaries
1 Chronicles 4

Introduction

First Chronicles Chapter 4

1 Chronicles 4:1 "The sons of Judah; Pharez, Hezron, and Carmi, and Hur, and Shobal."

This goes back to the time of the twelve sons of Israel. In this lesson, we are tracing the lineage of the tribe of Judah. Much of this, we dealt with in the last lesson. "Judah" means God be praised. Pharez is one of the twin sons of Judah by his daughter-in-law Tamar. Hezron is Judah’s grandson. Carmi is his descendent through the other twin Zarah. Hur is his descendent through Caleb. Shobal is a descendent of Hur. Many times, the word "sons" is used loosely to mean descendents.

1 Chronicles 4:2 "And Reaiah the son of Shobal begat Jahath; and Jahath begat Ahumai, and Lahad. These [are] the families of the Zorathites."

This is an unusual place to begin, but perhaps, the penman believes enough had already been recorded about the earlier sons and grandsons of Judah. Reaiah is the same as Haroeh. Ahumai and Lahad, brothers formed the Zorathites. They were people of the town of Zorah in the lowlands of Judah.

1 Chronicles 4:3 "And these [were of] the father of Etam; Jezreel, and Ishma, and Idbash: and the name of their sister [was] Hazelelponi:"

1 Chronicles 4:4 "And 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."

Etam was a rocky place just out of Bethlehem. Jezreel, Ishma, Idbash, and Hazelelponi settled there. In 1 Chronicles 4:4, Penuel founded Geder. Ezer founded Hushah. Hur, through Caleb and Salma, founded Beth-lehem. Ephratah and Bethlehem are the same.

1 Chronicles 4:5 "And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah."

1 Chronicles 4:6 "And Naarah bare him Ahuzam, and Hepher, and Temeni, and Haahashtari. These [were] the sons of Naarah."

1 Chronicles 4:7 "And the sons of Helah [were], Zereth, and Jezoar, and Ethnan."

Tekoa is a place that was founded by Ashur. This is speaking of the two wives of Ashur. Ashur was a son of Hezron, who was born after the death of his father. Ashur had two wives named Helah and Naarah. Each of his wives had several sons, and they all seemed to settle in Tekoa.

1 Chronicles 4:8 "And Coz begat Anub, and Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum."

1 Chronicles 4:9 "And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow."

1 Chronicles 4:10 "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."

The families of all the aforementioned people from Coz to Jabez are not mentioned directly. We may safely assume they are of the tribe of Judah, since we are studying that at the moment. We, also, know that Jabez is acquainted with the God of Israel, because he prayed and God answered his prayer. Little else is known.

1 Chronicles 4:11 "And Chelub the brother of Shuah begat Mehir, which [was] the father of Eshton."

1 Chronicles 4:12 "And Eshton begat Beth-rapha, and Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Ir-nahash. These [are] the men of Rechah."

Chelub is unknown, except for the fact mentioned in the Scripture above. Rechah is an unidentified place in Judah, where this family lived.

1 Chronicles 4:13 "And the sons of Kenaz; Othniel, and Seraiah: and the sons of Othniel; Hathath."

1 Chronicles 4:14 "And Meonothai begat Ophrah: and Seraiah begat Joab, the father of the valley of Charashim; for they were craftsmen."

Kenaz was Caleb’s younger brother, according to Judges 3:9. He was connected to the Kenizites. Othniel delivered the people from Kirjath-sepher, and they had peace 40 years. He was the first judge of Israel after the death of Joshua. Seraiah was brother to Othniel, and father to Joab. Hathath was son of Othniel of the tribe of Judah. Meonothai was the father of Ophrah. Possibly, he is the brother of Hathath. Joab seemed to have settled the valley of Charashim. "Charashim" means craftsmen.

1 Chronicles 4:15 "And the sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh; Iru, Elah, and Naam: and the sons of Elah, even Kenaz."

This Caleb is descended from the Caleb who was son of Hur. Kenaz, as well as this Caleb, are the sons of Jephunneh, the Kenezite. The second Caleb had a grandson named Kenaz, who was the son of Elah. Iru and Naam were brothers of Elah.

1 Chronicles 4:16 "And the sons of Jehaleleel; Ziph, and Ziphah, Tiria, and Asareel."

This descendent and his sons are from the tribe of Judah, but we do not know who Jehaleleel’s father was.

1 Chronicles 4:17 "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."

This is not the same Ezra, who penned the book by that name. This is Ezra of Judah, and no more is known of him. This connection with the other names earlier are difficult. Eshtemoa is an area where they settled.

1 Chronicles 4:18 "And 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."

It appears, that Jehudijah had children by Jered, the founder of Gedor. Jekuthiel was the founder of Zanoah. Heber settled in Socho. Mered took Bithiah, the daughter of the Pharaoh, and had children by her.

1 Chronicles 4:19 "And the sons of [his] wife Hodiah the sister of Naham, the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maachathite."

Hodiah is one of the wives of Mered. Hodiah is the same as Jehudiah in 1 Chronicles 4:18. She is Hebrew, and Bithiah was Egyptian. Hodiah was the mother of Heber and Jered. Keilah is a city in the plains of Judah. Eshtemoa is a mountain town of Judah just out of Hebron. The Maachathites inhabit a small kingdom near Palestine. They had warriors among the mighty men of Israel.

1 Chronicles 4:20 "And the sons of Shimon [were], Amnon, and Rinnah, Ben-hanan, and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi [were], Zoheth, and Ben-zoheth."

These names must remain as just some of the descendents of Judah. There are no Scriptures which shed more light upon them.

1 Chronicles 4:21 "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,"

In this particular case, the son of Judah was a son of Judah, and not a descendent further down the line. Shelah was a son of Judah by his Canaanite wife, Shuah. This Er was a Shelanite. He was a nephew of the first Er. He was the brother of Laadah. Mareshah is, also, a Shelanite. He founded a place by the same name. It is interesting, to me, that families had a trade, that they taught their children and grandchildren. In this particular case, they wrought fine linen.

1 Chronicles 4:22 "And Jokim, and the men of Chozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who had the dominion in Moab, and Jashubi-lehem. And [these are] ancient things."

Jokim, Joash, and Saraph were descended from Shelah. Chozeba is a city in the lowlands of Judah. Moab is the heathen land that Ruth came from.

"Jashubi-lehem" means returner of bread. This is speaking of a place.

1 Chronicles 4:23 "These [were] the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work."

This is the end of the genealogy of the tribe of Judah. These people, who worked as potters, were primarily workers for the various kings.

1 Chronicles 4:24 "The sons of Simeon [were], Nemuel, and Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, [and] Shaul:"

This jumps to the genealogy of the tribe of Simeon. "Simeon" means hearing. His descendents were called Simeonites. For some reason, Ohad is skipped in the sons of Simeon. Numbers 26:12-14 have the same names as listed here. Ohad is listed as one of the sons in Genesis 46:10. Their mother was a Canaanitish woman. Nemuel is the same as Jemuel. His descendents were Nemulites. "Jamin" means right hand. His descendents were called Jaminites. "Jarib" means he will contend. His descendents became the Jachinites. Zerah is the same as Zohar. They became the Zerahites. "Shaul" means asked of God. They became the Shaulites.

1 Chronicles 4:25 "Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son."

1 Chronicles 4:26 "And the sons of Mishma; Hamuel his son, Zacchur his son, Shimei his son."

1 Chronicles 4:27 "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."

All of these are speaking of the descendents of Shaul. It appears, he was the only son in the family who had large families. Shaul’s descendent, Shimei, was the one who had sixteen sons and six daughters. The tribe of Simeon did not multiply as greatly as the tribe of Judah.

1 Chronicles 4:28 "And they dwelt at Beer-sheba, and Moladah, and Hazar-shual,"

1 Chronicles 4:29 "And at Bilhah, and at Ezem, and at Tolad,"

1 Chronicles 4:30 "And at Bethuel, and at Hormah, and at Ziklag,"

1 Chronicles 4:31 "And at Beth-marcaboth, and Hazar-susim, and at Beth-birei, and at Shaaraim. These [were] their cities unto the reign of David."

1 Chronicles 4:32 "And their villages [were], Etam, and Ain, Rimmon, and Tochen, and Ashan, five cities:"

1 Chronicles 4:33 "And all their villages that [were] round about the same cities, unto Baal. These [were] their habitations, and their genealogy."

All of the above are a list of towns and cities where the tribe of Simeon lived. It shows that even up until the time of David, they lived in these towns, and cities, and the surrounding areas. This area had originally been allotted to Judah, but it was taken out of that area to make the divisions more fair to all concerned. Baal, here, is a town named Baalathbeer. From generation to generation, they lived in these places.

1 Chronicles 4:34 "And Meshobab, and Jamlech, and Joshah, the son of Amaziah,"

1 Chronicles 4:35 "And Joel, and Jehu the son of Josibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel,"

1 Chronicles 4:36 "And Elioenai, and Jaakobah, and Jeshohaiah, and Asaiah, and Adiel, and Jesimiel, and Benaiah,"

1 Chronicles 4:37 "And Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah;"

1 Chronicles 4:38 "These mentioned by [their] names [were] princes in their families: and the house of their fathers increased greatly."

There are 22 listed here, and very little is known of them, except what we read right here. They were the leaders of the families descended from Simeon.

1 Chronicles 4:39 "And they went to the entrance of Gedor, [even] unto the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks."

1 Chronicles 4:40 "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."

It appeared, they had primarily only towns and cities, and they sought land to graze their flocks. Gedor is unknown, except it was a land that Ham had settled many years before. This pasture land had been prepared for this purpose through the years. It was, now, a land of heathen people, that the LORD had told them to drive out. They wanted the land, because it would be a good place for their sheep.

1 Chronicles 4:41 "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."

This land was of the Philistines, or Amalekites. This does not mean that they attacked Judah, or Hezekiah. This is just dating the time at the reign of Hezekiah. The Amalekites and the Philistines were mutual enemies of Judah and Simeon. It appears, that the princes of Simeon overcame them, and took the pastureland.

1 Chronicles 4:42 "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."

1 Chronicles 4:43 "And they smote the rest of the Amalekites that were escaped, and dwelt there unto this day."

The princes of Simeon were small in number even with their followers. We see that God was with them, and they overcame the Amalekites, and took their land. The captains were sons of Ishi. Nothing is known of Ishi, except that he was a Simeonite, and what we read here.

1 Chronicles 4 Questions

1. Name the sons of Judah?

2. What does "Judah" mean?

3. Who was the mother of Pharez?

4. Are those listed, in verse 1, really sons of Judah?

5. Hur is his descendent through whom?

6. What two brothers founded the Zorathites?

7. What was Etam?

8. Who founded Beth-lehem?

9. Who were the two wives of Ashur?

10. Who was Kenaz?

11. Who was the first judge of Israel, after the death of Joshua?

12. How many years was their peace with him as judge?

13. What does "Charashim" mean?

14. Is the Ezra, in 1 Chronicles 4:17, the same who penned Ezra?

15. Who took Bithiah?

16. Who is the same as Hodiah?

17. What country was Bithiah from?

18. Shela was the son of Judah by whom?

19. Name three descendents of Shelah.

20. What does "Jashubi-lehem" mean?

21. Who were the sons of Simeon listed in 1 Chronicles 4:24?

22. What does "Simeon" mean?

23. What other son is listed in Genesis?

24. What does "Jamin" mean?

25. Zerah is the same as ________.

26. Who was the only son of Simeon, who had many descendents?

27. Who had 16 sons and 6 daughters?

28. Where did they all live?

29. Baal, in 1 Chronicles 4:33, is speaking of where?

30. Who were the princes listed from Simeon’s families?

31. Why did they go to the east side of the valley?

32. Who were the captains, who led them?

33. How many men did they have to fight against the Amalekites?

Verses 1-23

1Ch 4:1-23

1 Chronicles 4:1-23

"The sons of Judah: Perez, Hezron, and Carmi, and Hur, and Shobal. And Reaiah the son of Shobal begat Jahath; and Jahath begat Ahumai and Lahad. These are the families of the Zorathites. And these were the sons of the father of Etam: Jezreel, and Ishma, and Idbash; and the name of their sister was Hazzelelponi; and Penuel the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These are the sons of Hur, the first-born of Ephrathah, the father of Bethlehem. And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah. And Naarah bare him Ahuzzam, and Hepher, and Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah. And the sons of Helah were Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan. And Hakkoz begat Anub, and Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum. And Jabez was more honorable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying I have borne him with sorrow. And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my border, and that thy hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it be not to my sorrow! And God granted him that which he requested. And Chelub the brother of Shuhah begat Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. And Eshton begat Bethrapha, and Passeah, and Tenhinnah the father of Irnahash. These are the men of Recah. And the sons of Kenaz: Othniel, and Seraiah. And the sons of Othniel: Hathath. And Meonothai begat Ophrah: and Seraiah begat Joab the father of Geharashim; for they were craftsmen. And the sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh: Iru, Elah, and Naam; and the sons of Elah; and Kenaz And the sons of Jehalelel: Ziph, and Ziphah, Tiria, and Azarel. And the sons of Ezrah: Jether, and Mered, and Epher, and Jalon; and she bare Miriam, and Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. And his wife the Jewess bare Jared the father of Gedor, and Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. And these are the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh whom Mered took. And the sons of the wife of Hodiah, the sister of Naham, were the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maacathite. And the sons of Shimon: Amnon, and Rinnah, Bnenhanan, and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi: Zohethm and Benzoheth. The sons of Shelah the son of Judah: 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; and Jokim, and the men of Cozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who had dominion in Moab, and Jashubilehem. And the records are ancient. These were the potters, and the inhabitants of Netaim and Gederah: there they dwelt with the king for his work."

E.M. Zerr:

1 Chronicles 4:1-4. Plurality of wives was tolerated in ancient times, and that gave occasion to think of a man’s posterity in different groups. Hence we have an account of Judah’s sons in this paragraph, although we had one in Ch. 2:3. And again, we should keep in mind the special reason for the importance of family registration in view of property inheritances, and also the interest in the promises to be fulfilled through the descendants of Abraham and David

1 Chronicles 4:5-8. Evidently the point in this paragraph is signified by Ashur’s having two wives, and their respective sons were named

1 Chronicles 4:9. It was decreed from the beginning that childbirth should be attended with pain; and after the sin of Eve that pain was to be increased. See my comments at Genesis 3:16 regarding this subject- While this increase of pain was to be general, there would be exceptions where still greater suffering would have to be endured. The last word of this verse means pain, and the word Jabez in the Hebrew means sorrow. The birth of this son was attended with unusual pain and sorrow, so he was given a name that signified the experience.

1 Chronicles 4:10. While it was through no fault of his that Jabez was so named, he seemed to fear it might act as a "bad luck" omen in his life. In view of this, he earnestly prayed to God for help, that he would bless and prosper him in the ways of life- It is pleasant to read that the prayer was granted

1 Chronicles 4:11-12. Chelub is mentioned to begin this paragraph. The only reason I can find for his mention is the fact that he was a part of the family tree of Judah. All that Smith’s Bible Dictionary says of him is, "A man among the descendants of Judah."

1 Chronicles 4:13. Othniel is the name to have our attention here. He was the man who fought a battle to obtain a wife. (Joshua 15:16-17).

1 Chronicles 4:14. Craftsmen. is from CHARASH and Strong defines it, "a fabricator of any material-" These people were engaged in the special trade of preparing materials to become parts of some larger unit. They happened to live in this certain valley which gave it the name Charashim, which means "craftsmen-"

1 Chronicles 4:15 - Caleb is a familiar name to us because he was one of the 12 spies who went to search out the land of Canaan. He was one of the faithful ones, who, with Joshua, was permitted to enter the promised land.

1 Chronicles 4:16-20. All of the persons named in this paragraph were members of Judah’s family stock- Some of them are identical with others of note, such as Ezra, Miriam, Heber, Pharaoh, Amnon; but the similarity to the ones of note is purely a coincidence.

1 Chronicles 4:21. Er was the grandson of Judah, not his son who was slain by the Lord for his evil conduct. Sometimes the thing that won a place of honorable mention was some special trade. As an instance of it, we read of the fabricators in V. 14, and now the workers in linen in this verse.

1 Chronicles 4:22. The verse means that these men were dominant persons in the land of Moab. Ancient things means that it had been a matter of established note, from ancient times, that the men referred to did occupy that sort of dominion in the land of Moab.

1 Chronicles 4:23. This verse is a kind of detail of the preceding one. The statement is there made that the men were prominent. This verse explains that they had a special trade, that of working in pottery, and that they were employed by the king. So important was this work that it made them something like the "indispensable man." They not only worked in pottery, but had care of the shrubbery so important in the palace grounds.

Verses 24-43

1Ch 4:24-43

1 Chronicles 4:24-43

"The sons of Simeon: Nimuel, and Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, Shaul; Shallum his son. Mibsam his son, Mishma his son. And the sons of Mishma: Hammuel his son, Zaccur his son, Shimei his son. 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 they dwelt at Beersheba, and Moladah, and Hazarshual, and at Bilhah, and at Ezem, and at Tolad, and at Bethuel, and at Hormah, and at Ziklag. and at Beth-marcaboth, and at Hazarsusim, and at Beth-bari, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities unto the reign of David. And their villages were Etham, and Ain, and Rimmon, and Tochen, and Ashan, five cities. And all their villages which were round about the same cities, unto Baal. These were their habitations, and they have their genealogy. And Meshobab, and Jamlech, and Joshah the son of Amaziah, and Joel, and Jehu the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel, and Elioenai, and Jaakobah, and Jeshohaiah, and Asaiah, and Adiel, and Jesemiel, and Benaiah, and Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah - these mentioned by name were princes in their families: and their fathers’ houses increased greatly. And they went to the entrance of Gedor, even to the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks. And they found fat pasture and good, and the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceable; for they that dwelt there aforetime were of Ham. And these written by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and smote their tents, and the Meunim that were found there, and destroyed them utterly unto this day, and dwelt in their stead; because there was pasture there for their flocks. 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 they smote the remnant of the Amalekites that escaped, and have dwelt there unto this day."

"The sons of Simeon" (1 Chronicles 4:24). "This list differs from that in Genesis 46:10 and in Numbers 26:12; and this may have been occasioned by the same person having different names, one list giving one name, and another list giving the other. The matter is really of no importance."

"In these chapters there is a sense of the grand sweep of human history and of the purpose of God which runs through it. None of us are mere creatures of today; we are the product of generations and generations of mankind; and in our lives there are tides of influence that began to move in the remotest antiquity. Our lives gain enormously in depth and meaning when we see our small existence as part of the whole adventure of man upon the earth."

The first paragraph here (1 Chronicles 4:1-23) gives further genealogies connected with the tribe of Judah. It is by no means clear why these particular genealogies were kept or considered important enough to be included here.

"Caleb the son of Jephunneh" (1 Chronicles 4:15). This man, along with Joshua, was one of the faithful spies sent out by Moses to spy out the land of Canaan.

"Jabez ... named in sorrow" (1 Chronicles 4:9). The mother’s statement that she bore him in sorrow is "probably a reference to unusual suffering in childbirth."[3] Jabez’s prayer is one of the noblest found in the O.T., and has often been used as a sermon text. Basing his criticism on an alleged meaning of the word `evil,’ Elmslie called this prayer un-Christian. "His prayer was crude and selfish. His conscience was not troubled by the thought that others would suffer if he gained his wishes." We do not agree with such opinions, because God’s answering Jabez’s prayer indicates the purity of the petitioner’s motives.

"The sons of Simeon" (1 Chronicles 4:24). "The genealogy of Simeon is fragmentary, reflecting the fact this tribe lost its identity quite early and was absorbed into the tribe of Judah."

E.M. Zerr:

1 Chronicles 4:24-31. Simeon was the 2nd son of Jacob. He was put out of the direct blood line on account of murder (Genesis 49:5-7), so that his posterity was not recorded for the purpose of showing his right to that position. It was still important in connection with the settling of inheritances. They retained their hold on the cities named until the time of David. We are not told why it was changed then.

1 Chronicles 4:32-38. After giving this group of names, the last verse states the occasion for their being recorded. Mentioned is from BOW and Strong defines it, "to go or come." Names is from SHEM and we have the definition, "an appellation, as a mark or memorial of individuality; by implication, honor, authority, character."--Strong. Princes is from NASI, which Strong defines, "properly an exalted one, i. e.. a king or sheik." With this critical information as a basis, the conclusion is that the persons presented were entitled to special notice due to their important character or personality; that as a result of their influence, they added to the prestige of the house of their fathers.

1 Chronicles 4:39. According to Young, Gedor was a place in the extreme south of Judah. It was not far from the vicinity of the Edomites. These people were industrious and willing to bestir themselves to make their condition better. They dealt in cattle and went in search of pasture for their flocks.

1 Chronicles 4:40. Their activities were rewarded, and they found fat or rich pasture with plenty of room. Some of the descendants of Ham had occupied the territory several years before, and had left the country quiet.

1 Chronicles 4:41. This verse is a detail of the preceding one, and states the time when their activities for territory took place. These written means the ones named in 1 Chronicles 4:34-38. Tents . . . habitations. The first word means the same as the word denotes today; the next means the places of residence in general. The idea of conquest by might seems to be outstanding in the account, and we might be inclined to shrink from their conduct. However, we should remember that these people were of the seed of Abraham and had been promised this land, even though they had to fight to obtain it.

1 Chronicles 4:42. This is another specification of the activities referred to in 1 Chronicles 4:39. Mount Seir was the territory in general, of which the mount of that name was a part. This was a rather wide stretch of country, and sometimes was occupied by the various portions of Esau’s seed.

1 Chronicles 4:43. In 1 Samuel 15 is the account of Saul’s attack on the Amalekites. He was told to smite all of them, and the record says he did so, except the king. But that was to be understood as applying to the ones engaged in combat. I mean, the claim that Saul had killed all but the king was his own declaration. He had actually been commanded to destroy all the people, including the women and children. We know, however, that he restricted his movements to the combatants, letting others escape. Those whom he allowed to escape are the ones meant in our present verse, where it says Amalekites that were escaped.