1 Chronicles 4

THe sons i. e. The Posterity: For only Pharez was his immediate Son. But they are all mentioned here only to show Shobals Descent from Iudah, of whom he intended to speak more particularly. of Judah; Pharez, Hezron, and Carmi, and Hur, and Shobal.

And ‖ Reajah Call... Haroch, ch. 2. 52. of whom see there. the son of Shobal, begat Jahath, and Jahath begat Ahumai, and Lahad. These are the families of the Zorathite Of whom see ch. 2. 5.....

And these were of the father of Etam Etam is the Name either of a Man, or of a Place: of which see below, v. 32. & 2 Chron. 11. 6. Whose Inhabitants descended from him. The Name of this Father is not here expressed.; Jezreel, and Ishma, and Idbash: and the name of their sister was Hazelelponi.

And Penuel the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These are the sons of Hur, the first-born of Ephratah Either they are other Sons besides those mentioned ch. 2. or there is some variation in their Names, which is most frequent among the Hebrews, as has been oft proved., the father of Beth-lehem This Title is here given to the Father, and ch. 2. 51. to Salma, his Son, who had it either with, or after his Father. See the Notes on ch. 2. 51, 52..

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

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

And the sons of Helah were, Zereth, and Jezoar, and Ethnan Understand here, and Coz, out of the beginning of the following Verse. The like Ellipses we have in the end of v. 13. and of ch. 7. v. 18..

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

And Jabez One of the Fathers of the Families of Aharhel last mentioned. was more honourable than his brethren For Courage, and especially for true and servent Piety expressed in the following Petition.: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.

And Jabez called on the God of Israel When he was undertaking some great and dangerous Service., saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed I trust not to my own or Peoples Valour, but only to thy Blessing and Help., and enlarge my coast Drive out these Wicked and Cursed Canaanites, whom thou hast commanded us to root out, and therefore I justly beg and expect thy Blessing in the Execution of thy Command., and that thine hand might be with me To protect and strengthen me against my Adversaries., and that thou wouldest keep me from evil Or, work with (for so the Hebrew Prefix Mem is sometimes used, as Cant. 1. 2. & 3. 9. Isa, 5. 7, 8.) evil, i. e. so restrain and govern it., that it may not grieve me That it may not oppress and overcome me, which will be very grievous to me. The consequent put for the antecedent; and more is understood than is expressed. He useth this Expression in allusion to his Name, which signifies grief, q. d. Lord let me not have that Grief which my Name implies, and which my Sin deserves.. And God granted him that which he requested.

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

And Eshton begat Beth-rapha, and Paseah, and Tehinnah the Father of Irnahash. These are the men of Rechah From these are sprung the present Inhabitants of Rechah, a Town not elsewhere mentioned..

And the sons of Kenaz The Son either of Chelub, v. 11. or of his Son Eshton, v. 12. and the Father of Iepha... neh, and consequently Calebs Grandfather, v. 15. Whence Caleb is called a Kenezite, Numb. 32. 12.; Othniel, and Serajah: and the sons of Othniel; Hathath Understand, and Meonothai, out of v. 14. See above on v. 7..

And Meonothai begat Ophrah: and Serajah begat Joab, the father of the valley i. e. Of the Inhabitants of the Valley. of Charashim, for they were Crastsmen.

And the sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh; Iru, Elah, and Naam: and the sons of Elah; even Kenaz Another Kenaz, differing from that Kenaz, v. 13. Or, his Name might be Uknaz..

And the sons of Jehaleleel The Son of Kenaz, or Uknaz last mentioned.; Ziph, and Ziphah, Tiria, and Azareel.

And the sons of Ezra The Son of Azareel last named. were, Jether, and Mered, and Epher, and Jalon: and she bare She, i. e. Bithiah, bare unto Mered, as may seem by comparing this with v. 18. Miriam, and Shamma, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa.

And his wife Either Ezra's Wife, or rather, another Wife of Mered. Jehudijah Or, the Iewess, so called to distinguish her from his Egyptian Wife here following. bare Jered the father of Gedor, and Heber the father of Zocho and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. And these To wit, Miriam, and the rest following, v. 17. are the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh Either 1. of Pharaoh King of Egypt: For Mered might be a Person of great Estate and quality: Or this might be only Pharaohs Illegitimate Daughter. Or, of some other Egyptian or Israelite called by that Name; which might easily happen upon divers occasions., which Mered took.

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

And the sons of Shimon Another Son of the Father of Keilah, mentioned v. 19. were, Amnon, and Rinnah, Ben-hanan, and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi son of Tilon last mentioned. were Zoheth, and Ben-zoheth.

The sons of Shelah Having treated of the Posterity of Iudah by Pharez, and by Zare, he now comes to his Progeny by Shelah, of whom see Gen. 38. 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.

And Jokim, and the men of Chozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who had the dominion in Moab Which they ruled in the name and for the use and service of the Kings of Iudah, to whom Moab was Subject from Davids Time. Or, who had Possessions in Moab: or, who married Wives in Moab., and Jashubi-lehem. And, these are ancient things The Sense is either, 1. These Persons and things were in Ancient Times; and therefore it is not strange if now they be so little known. But that might have been with equal truth said of divers other parts of this Account. Or, rather 2. But those Blessed times and Things are long since past and gone. Our Ancestors then had the Dominion over the Heathen, but their degenerate Posterity are now Slaves to them in Chaldea, Persia, &c. where they are employed as Potters or Gardiners, or in other Servile Works..

These were Or rather, these are: for he seems to oppose their present Servitude to their former Glory and to show their low and mean Spirits that had rather tarry among the Heathen to do their Drudgery, than return to Ierusalem to serve God and enjoy their Freedom. the Potters, and those that dwelt amongst plants and Hedges: there they dwelt Or, tarr... ed, or, now dwell; when their Brethren are returned. with the King Of Babylon or Persia Esteeming it a greater Honour and Happiness to serve that Earthly Monarch in the meanest Employments, than to serve the King of Kings in his Temple, and in his most Noble and Heavenly Work. for his work.

The sons of Simeon These are here joyned with Iudah, because their Possession was taken out of Iudahs Portion, Ies. 19. 1. This Account seems to differ from that, Gen. 46. both in the Number and Names of the Persons, which is not strange, considering how Customary it was amongst the Hebrews for one Person to have 2, or 3 Names given to him upon several occasions. And for Ohad, Gen. 46. 10. he may be omitted here, because he left no Posterity or Family after him, as the rest did. were Nemuel, and Jammi, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul:

Shallum his son i. e. Son of Saul last mentioned., Mibsam his son, Mishma his son.

And the sons of Mishma; Hamuel his son, Zacchur 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 The Tribe of Simeon did not increase proportionably to the Tribe of Iudah in which they dwelt; as appears by those two Catalogues, Numb. 1. 22. & 26. 14. Which is to be ascribed to Gods Curse upon them delivered by the Mouth of Holy Iacob, Gen. 49. and signified by Moses his neglect of them when he Blessed all the other Tribes..

And they dwelt at Beer-sheba This, and the following Cities are mentioned, Ios. 19. 2, &c. with no great Alterations., and Moladah, and Hazar-shual,

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

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

And at Beth-marcaboth, and Hazar-susim, and at Beth-birei, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities unto the reign of David Either 1. of Davids Posterity; i. e. as long as the Kingdom of Iudah lasted, or until the Captivity of Babylon. But this seems not to be true; for Simeon was gone into Captivity with the rest of the Ten Tribes long before that time. Or rather 2. of David himself. And this may seem to be added, because some of these Cities though given to Simeon by Ioshua, yet through the Sloth or Cowardize of that Tribe, were not taken from the Philistins, until Davids Time, who took some of them; and, the Simeonites having justly forfeited their Right to them by their neglect, gave them to his own Tribe. For it is evident concerning Ziklag, one of them, that it was in the Philistins Hands in Davids Time, and by them given to him, and by him annexed to the Tribe of Iudah, 1 Sam. 27. 6..

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

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

And Meshobah, and Jamlech These and the rest here following are particularly mentioned for their Valiant and Successful Atchievements related v. 39 &c., and Joshah, the son of Amaziah.

And Joel, and Jehu the son of Josibiah, the son of Serajah, the son of Asiel.

And Elioenai, and Jaakobah, and Jeshohajah, and Asajah, and Adiel, and Jesimiel, and Benajah,

And Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedajah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemajah.

These Named v. 34, 35, 36, 37. mentioned by their names, were princes in their families: and the house of their fathers increased greatly Which forced them to seek for new and larger Habitations..

And they went to the entrance of Gedor To that Country that belongs to Gedor, or borders upon it: either that Gedor, Ios. 15. 58. or that called Gederah, Ios. 15. 36., even unto the eastside of the valley Of which see on 1 Sam. 17. 1, 52., to seek Pasture for their flocks.

And they... ound... at pasture and good, and the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceable: for they of Ham i. e. The Posterity of that cursed Ham, either the Arabians: or the Canaanites, or Philistins, who descended from Ham, Gen. 10. 6. And accordingly these words contain a Reason, either 1. to prove that the land was good; because the Arabians, who being wholly given to Pasturage, used to find out the Choicest Grounds, had formerly pitched their Tents there. Or, 2. Why they went and possessed this Place, because it was not in the Hands of their Brethren of Iudah, but in the Possession of that People which they had Authority and Command to expel. had dwelt there of old i. e. Had possessed it of old and hitherto. Or, dwelt there before, i. e. before they came and cast them out of their Possessions..

And these written by name, came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah But a little before their Captivity, which was in the sixth year of Hezekiah, 2 Kings 17. So their Joy in their new, and pleasant, and fruitful Possessions lasted but for a very little while., and smote their tents i. e. The People dwelling in Tents: for so it seems these still did for the conveniency of Pasturage., and the habitations that were... ound there, and destroyed them utterly unto this day i. e. so as they could never after recover themselves., and dwelt in their rooms: 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 Probably about the same time., having for their captains Pelatiah, and Neariah, and Rephajah, and Uzziel the sons of Ishi.

And they smote the rest of the Amalekites No... destroyed by Saul, or David, or his Successors. that were escaped, and dwelt there unto this day Either 1. until the Captivity of the Ten Tribes. But that happening so speedily after this time, this Expression may seem to be very improper and insignificant here. Or rather 2. until the Babylonish Captivity or the time next after it, when these books were written. For although the main Body of that Tribe dwelling in Canaan were carried into Captivity, yet this small Remnant of them having removed their Dwellings, and being planted in Mount Seir, which by Southward from Iudah, might possibly be continued and preserved in those Parts, when their Brethren were gone into Captivity..