1Ch 4:1 The sons of Judah; Pharez, Hezron, and Carmi, and Hur, and Shobal.
The sons of Judah - A genealogy of this tribe has already been given in the second chapter. It is here introduced again, with some variations. Probably there were different copies in the public registers; and the writer of this book, finding that this second one contained some remarkable particulars, thought proper to insert it in this place: and no reader will regret the insertion, when he carefully considers the matter.
The sons of Judah - The posterity of Judah in the line of Pharez, for he only is mentioned: Hezron was the son of Pharez, and Carmi is supposed to be Chelubai, or Caleb, the son of Hezron; and Hur the son of Caleb; and Shobal was the son of the second Caleb the son of Hur; see 1Ch_2:5. They are all mentioned here only to shew Shobal's descent from Judah .
1Ch 4:2 And Reaiah the son of Shobal begat Jahath; and Jahath begat Ahumai, and Lahad. These are the families of the Zorathites.
Reaiah the son of Shobal - Reaiah is the same with Haroeh, 1Ch_2:52 the names are of the same signification:
Jahath - of the descendant of David nothing further is known. His sons Ahumai and Lahad founded the families of the Zorathites, the inhabitants of Zora, who also, according to 1Ch_2:53, were descended from sons of Shobal.
1Ch 4:3 And these were of the father of Etam; Jezreel, and Ishma, and Idbash: and the name of their sister was Hazelelponi:
These were of the father of Etam - Or of the prince of Etam: or, as the Targum, these are princes that dwelt in Etam, a place not far from Zorah, Jdg_15:8 and is mentioned with Bethlehem and Tekoa in the tribe of Judah , 2Ch_11:6.
Jezreel, and Ishma, and Idbash - these were the sons of the governor of Etam:
the name of their sister was Hazelelponi - who, perhaps, was a person of great note in those days, though now unknown; a Jewish chronologer tells us (tradition not scripture) that the mother of Samson was Hazalelponith, of the tribe of Judah .
1Ch 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 Bethlehem.
Penuel the father of Gedor - The prince of that place, according to some, and the same with Hareph, 1Ch_2:51,
Ezer the father of Hushah - thought to be the same with Shuah, 1Ch_4:11,
who was the father of Bethlehem - of the inhabitants of that city, at least part of them, or prince of that place, as his grandson Salma also was, 1Ch_2:51.
1Ch 4:5 And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.
Ashur the father of Tekoa - A son of Hezron by Abiah, 1Ch_2:24.
1Ch 4:6 And Naarah bare him Ahuzam, and Hepher, and Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah.
Ahuzam, Temani, Haahashtari - of whom nothing further is known.
Hepher - also unknown, but to be distinguished from the Gileadite of the same name in 1Ch_11:36 and Num_26:32.
1Ch 4:7 And the sons of Helah were, Zereth, and Jezoar, and Ethnan.
Zereth, and Zoar, and Ethnan - nowhere else mentioned.
1Ch 4:8 And Coz begat Anub, and Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum.
The son of Harum - 1Ch_4:8-10 contain a fragment, the connection of which with the sons of Judah mentioned in 1 Chron 2 is not clear.
And Coz - Another son of Helah, and brother of those in the previous verse.
Anub, and Zobebah - of whom we nowhere else read:
1Ch 4:9 And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.
Jabez was more honorable - It is remarkable that Jabez should be introduced without description, or patronymic, as if a well-known personage. We can only suppose that he was known to those for whom Chronicles was written, either by tradition, or by writings which have perished. In 1Ch_4:10 Jabez alludes to his name, “sorrowful”: “Grant that the grief implied in my name may not come upon me!”
Jabez was more honorable than his brethren - who he was is not easy to say, probably a son or brother of Harum, or however that belonged to one of the families of Aharhel, mentioned in the preceding verse.
I bare him with sorrow - either with sorrow for her husband, being dead, or by reason of very sharp pains she endured at the birth of him.
Jabez was more honorable - was, as many think, the son of Coz, or Kenaz, and is here eulogized for his sincere and fervent piety, as well, perhaps, as for some public and patriotic works which he performed. The Jewish writers affirm that he was an eminent doctor in the law, whose reputation drew so many scribes around him that a town was called by his name (1Ch_2:55); and to the piety of his character this passage bears ample testimony. The memory of the critical circumstances which marked his birth was perpetuated in his name; and yet, in the development of his high talents or distinguished worth in later life, his mother must have found a satisfaction and delight that amply compensated for all her early trials. His prayer which is here recorded, and which, like Jacob's, is in the form of a vow (Gen_28:20), seems to have been uttered when he was entering on an important or critical service, for the successful execution of which he placed confidence neither on his own nor his people's prowess, but looked anxiously for the aid and blessing of God. The enterprise was in all probability the expulsion of the Canaanites from the territory he occupied; and as this was a war of extermination, which God Himself had commanded, His blessing could be the more reasonably asked and expected in preserving them from all the evils to which the undertaking might expose him. In these words, "that it may not grieve me," and which might be more literally rendered, "that I may have no more sorrow," there is an allusion to the meaning of his name, Jabez, signifying "grief"; and the import of this petition is, Let me not experience the grief which my name implies, and which my sins may well produce.
Jabez was more honorable - The most remarkable person in this chapter is Jabez. We are not told upon what account Jabez was more honorable than his brethren; but we find that he was a praying man. The way to be truly great, is to seek to do God's will, and to pray earnestly. Here is the prayer he made. Jabez prayed to the living and true God, who alone can hear and answer prayer; and, in prayer he regarded him as a God in covenant with his people.
1Ch 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.
enlarge my coast - an enlargement of the borders of his country, by expelling the Canaanites that might dwell in it.
that thine hand might be with me - the Targum adds, in business, prospering and succeeding him; the sense may be, that his hand of providence might be with him to protect him, of grace and love to comfort and help him in every time of need, of wisdom to direct him, and of power to keep him:
that thou wouldest keep me from evil - from the evil of affliction, and especially from the evil of sin, and from the evil one, Satan, and from all evil men and evil company. Compare to the Lord’s prayer Matthew 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil. For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
God granted him that which he requested - as he does whatever is asked in faith, according to his will, and will make for his glory, and the good of his people; 1Jo_5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him. God, in this instance, proved that He was not only the hearer, but the answerer of prayer.
That it may not grieve me - That it may not oppress and overcome me. More is understood than is expressed. He useth this expression in allusion to his name, which signifies grief.
1Ch 4:11 And Chelub the brother of Shuah begat Mehir, which was the father of Eshton.
Chelub the brother of Shuah begat Mehir - If Shuah is the same with Hushah, 1Ch_4:4, then Chelub was the son of Ezer.
Chelub the brother of Shuah begat Mehir - It has also been conjectured from the strangeness of all the names in this list, that we have here a fragment of Canaanite record, connected with the family of the “Shua,” whose daughter Judah took to wife 1Ch_2:3; Gen_38:2, and whose family thus became related to the tribe of Judah.
Chelub - another form of the name Caleb or Chelubai, is distinguished from the better known Caleb son of Hezron (1Ch_2:18 and 1Ch_2:42), and from the son of Jephunneh (1Ch_4:15), by the additional clause, “the son of Shuah.”
Shuah - is not met with elsewhere.
Mehir - is likewise unknown.
1Ch 4:12 And Eshton begat Bethrapha, and Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Irnahash. These are the men of Rechah.
Irnahash - or the city of Nahash ; Tehinnah seems to have been the prince or governor of a city. Another scholar believes that the latter name is probably not properly the name of a town, but rather the name of a person Nahash, not unlikely the same as the father of Abigail (2Sa_17:25), the step-sister of David (cf. 1Ch_2:16).
these are the men of Rechah - these sons of Eshton dwelt in a place called Rechah.
Eshton fathered Beth-rapha - Eshton begat the house (the family) of Rapha, of whom also nothing further is said; for they can be connected neither with the Benjamite Rapha (1Ch_8:2) nor with the children of Rapha (1Ch_20:4, 1Ch_20:6, 1Ch_20:8).
Paseah - is also unknown, for it is uncertain whether the sons of Paseah mentioned among the Nethinim, Ezr_2:49; Neh_7:51, have any connection with our Paseah.
1Ch 4:13 And the sons of Kenaz; Othniel, and Seraiah: and the sons of Othniel; Hathath.
Othniel - the first judge in Israel :
the sons of Kenaz--the grandfather of Caleb, who from that relationship is called a Kenezite (Num_32:12). Othniel and Seraiah are not sons (in the narrower sense of the word), but more distant descendants of Kenaz; for Othniel and Caleb the son of Jephunneh were, according to Jos_15:17 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it. And he gave him Achsah his daughter for a wife. Jdg_1:13 And Othniel, the son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz, took it. And he gave him Achsah his daughter for a wife. Kenaz can neither have been the father of Othniel nor father of Caleb (in the proper sense of the word), but must at least have been the grandfather or great-grandfather of both. Othniel is the famous first judge of Israel , Jdg_3:9. Of Seraiah nothing further is known, although the name is often met with of different persons.
The sons of Othniel are Hathath - The plural even when only one name follows, is met with elsewhere.
1Ch 4:14 And Meonothai begat Ophrah: and Seraiah begat Joab, the father of the valley of Charashim; for they were craftsmen.
Meonothai - Another son of Othniel:
Joab - not David's general, but another of the same name, who lived long before him, 1Ch_2:54.
The father of the valley of Charashim - of the inhabitants of the valley, or the prince of them, called the valley of craftsmen.
for they were craftsmen - carpenters and smiths, both which the word signifies, men that wrought in stone, wood, and iron. They dwelt together, according to a custom which, independently of any law, extensively prevailed in Eastern countries for persons of the same trade to inhabit the same street or the same quarter, and to follow the same occupation from father to son, through many generations. Their occupation was probably that of carpenters, and the valley where they lived seems to have been in the neighborhood of Jerusalem (Neh_11:35).
1Ch 4:15 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 - We have already met with this eminent person in Num_13:6, Num_13:30; Num_14:24, and elsewhere.
the son of Jephunneh - Jephunneh is not the same with Hezron but another son of Kenaz, hence called the Kenezite, Jos_14:6; and Caleb his son is the same that was sent one of the spies of the land of Canaan by Moses, see Num_13:6.
Iru, Elah, and Naam - of whom we nowhere else read:
1Ch 4:16 And the sons of Jehaleleel; Ziph, and Ziphah, Tiria, and Asareel.
And the sons of Jehaleleel - Who probably was the son of Uknaz: He is not mentioned elsewhere.
Ziph, and Ziphah, Tiria, and Asareel - there were two cities in the tribe of Judah of the name of Ziph, Jos_15:24, which may or may not be called from these men, or from Ziph in 1Ch_2:42.
1Ch 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.
She bare Miriam - The mother is not mentioned.
Jether, and Epher, and Jalon – are not mentioned again in scripture.
she bare Miriam--It is difficult, as the verses stand at present, to see who is meant. The following readjustment of the text, using the next verse, clears away the obscurity: "These are the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, which Mered took, and she bare Miriam, and his wife Jehudijah bare Jezreel," The name Miriam, which Moses' sister bore, is here a man's name.
Ezra - Ezra seems to be the person before called Asareel in 1Ch_4:16. He is unknown otherwise.
Ishbah, Eshtemoa's father - The names introduced by אבי are the names of towns. Ishbah is father (lord) of the town Eshtemoa, in the mountains of Judah .
1Ch 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.
Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh - From the circumstance, however, that the one wife was a daughter of Pharaoh, we may conclude that Mered lived before the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt . Mered, it would seem, had two wives, Bithiah, an Egyptian woman, and a Jewish wife, whose name is not given. If Mered was a chief of rank, Bithlah may have been married to him with the consent of her father, for the Egyptian kings often gave their daughters in marriage to foreigners. Or she may have elected to forsake her countrymen and cleave to a Jewish husband, becoming a convert to his religion. Her name, Bithiah, “daughter of Yahweh,” is like that of a convert.
Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh - This passage records a very interesting fact--the marriage of an Egyptian princess to a descendant of Caleb. The marriage must have taken place in the wilderness. The barriers of a different national language and national religion kept the Hebrews separate from the Egyptians; but they did not wholly prevent intimacies, and even occasional intermarriages between private individuals of the two nations. Before such unions, however, could be sanctioned, the Egyptian party must have renounced idolatry, and this daughter of Pharaoh, as appears from her name, had become a convert to the worship of the God of Israel.
And his wife Jehudijah - Another wife of Ezra; or, according to some scholars, of Mered; a Jewess, as the word is by some rendered, to distinguish her from another wife, an Egyptian, in the latter part of the verse:
Jered the father of Gedor, and Heber the father of Socho, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah - who were princes of several cities of these names in the tribe of Judah , as of Gedor, see Jos_15:58, of Socoh, Jos_15:35, of Zanoah, Jos_15:34.
1Ch 4:19 And the sons of his wife Hodiah the sister of Naham, the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maachathite.
His wife Hodiah - Another wife of Mered. Hodiah is elsewhere always a man’s name Neh_8:7; Neh_9:5; Neh_10:10, Neh_10:13, Neh_10:18.
the father of Keilah the Garmite - prince of the city of Keilah , in the tribe of Judah, Jos_15:44 who sprung from the family of Garmi:
Eshtemoa the Maachathite - the father or prince of the inhabitants of Eshtemoa, another city in the same tribe, see 1Ch_4:17 who sprung from Maachah, see 1Ch_2:48.
1Ch 4:20 And the sons of Shimon were, Amnon, and Rinnah, Benhanan, and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi were, Zoheth, and Benzoheth.
the sons of Shimon - Perhaps another son of Mered by his last wife, or the same with Shammai, 1Ch_4:17 Other scholars say Shimon is supposed to have been another son of Mered, by Jehudijah.
Amnon, and Rinnah, Benhanan, and Tilon - nowhere else mentioned:
and the sons of Ishi - who it may be was the brother of Shimon or Tilon.
Zoheth, and Benzoheth - of whom we know no more than their names.
1Ch 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,
The sons of Shelah, the son of Judah, were - The genealogy of the posterity of Judah, in the lines of Pharez and Zerah, being given, and very largely in that of the former, because of the honor of David, and his kingdom, which sprang from thence and also the King Messiah, the writer returns to give an account of his posterity by Shelah, a son he had by the daughter of Shuah, Gen_38:2 and the only one that had children.
Er the father of Lecah - prince of a city of this name in the tribe of Judah ; Shelah gave him the name of Er, in memory of his brother, Gen_38:3,
Laadah the father of Mareshah - prince of a city of this name in the same tribe, Jos_15:44.
Shelah - Having treated of the posterity of Judah by Pharez, and by Zara, he now comes to his progeny by Shelah, the third son of Judah .
1Ch 4:22 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 - Moab was conquered by David 2Sa_8:2, and again by Omri, after which it remained subject until the death of Ahab 2Ki_3:5. But a more ancient rule, in times of which we have no further record, is probably intended. Others say it is to be understood of some who were governors in Moab in the times of David, when Moab was subdued by him, 2Sa_8:2 or however were such, who, at one time or another, made war with Moab , and overcame them:
And Jokim - The Vulgate Latin version is: and he that made the sun to stand: as if Joshua was meant; and in the Talmud it is said Jokim, this is Joshua, who confirmed the oath to the Gibeonites; and the Targum here is, "and the prophets of the scribes that sprang from the posterity of Joshua;'' This cannot be Joshua as Joshua was of the tribe of Ephraim, and not of Judah; Jokim is no doubt the proper name of some famous man or family that descended from Shelah:
and the men of Chozeba - which signifies a lie; Chezib, or Achzib, a city in the tribe of Judah , very probably is meant, the very place where Shelah was born, Gen_38:5 and where dwelt some of his posterity:
Ancient things - The sense is those blessed times are long since past. The ancestors had the dominion over the pagan, but their degenerate posterity are slaves in Chaldea , were they are employed as potters or gardeners, or in other servile works.
1Ch 4:23 These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work.
With the king - Or, probably, “on the king’s property.” Both David and several of the later kings had large territorial possessions in various parts of Judaea 1Ch_27:25, 1Ch_27:31; 2Ch_26:10; 2Ch_27:4; 2Ch_32:28-29.
These were the potters - They were probably brickmakers; and potters also, who had their dwelling in low grounds, and fabricated the clay into pots and bricks that was digged up in forming fences in the king’s domains. The posterity of those men, who were so famous in their day, are now of mean employments: some of them made earthen pots; and some of them were employed in planting gardens and orchards, and making fences for them. Either for the king of Judah, or it may be for the king of Babylon, where they were carried captive, and now chose to remain, doing those servile works for the king, without the city, in the fields.
1Ch 4:24 The sons of Simeon were, Nemuel, and Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul:
The sons of Simeon - The account of whom, next to the tribe of Judah, is given before Reuben, because its inheritance lay in the tribe of Judah, Jos_19:1 his sons were Nemuel, the same with Jemuel, Gen_46:10. This genealogy is very different from that given in Gen_46:10, and Num_26:12. This may be occasioned by the same person having several names, one list taking one name, another list some other, and so on: to reconcile is impossible.
The sons of Simeon - Shaul who, in Gen_46:10 And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a woman of Canaan, is said to be the son of a Canaanitish woman; and Jarib and Zerah are the same with Jachin and Zohar there: and Obed is here omitted, it may be because he died without issue; Num_26:12-14 12 The sons of Simeon according to their families: of Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the family of the Jaminites; of Jachin, the family of the Jachinites; of Zerah, the family of the Zarchites; of Shaul, the family of the Shaulites-- these are the families of the Simeonites, twenty-two thousand, two hundred.
The sons of Simeon - Shaul, who in Genesis and Exodus is called the son of a Canaanitish woman, and is thereby distinguished from the other sons. His family is traced down, in 1Ch_4:25, 1Ch_4:26, through six generations to one Shimei. But this list is divided into two groups by the words “and the sons of Mishma,” inserted at the beginning of 1Ch_4:26, but the reasons for the division are unknown. The plural, sons of Mishma, refers to Hammuel and his descendants Zacchur and Shimei. Perhaps these two together form, with the sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons mentioned in 1Ch_4:25, a single larger family.
1Ch 4:25 Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son.
Shallum his son - The son of Shaul, and Mibsam was the son of Shallum, and Mishma the son of Mibsam.
1Ch 4:26 And the sons of Mishma; Hamuel his son, Zacchur his son, Shimei his son.
And the sons of Mishma - These were Hamuel, Zacchur, and Shimei.
1Ch 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.
Neither did all their family multiply - In Num_1:23 the number of all the families of Simeon was fifty-nine thousand three hundred; and that of Judah was, Num_1:27, not less than seventy-four thousand six hundred. When the next census was made, Num. 26, the tribe of Judah amounted to seventy-six thousand five hundred, an increase of one thousand nine hundred; while the tribe of Simeon amounted only to twenty-two thousand two hundred, a decrease of thirty-seven thousand one hundred. It was at that time the smallest tribe in Israel .
Neither did all their family multiply - The tribe of Simeon did not increase proportionably to the tribe of Judah in which they dwelt; as appears by those two catalogues, Num_1:22, Num_26:14, which is to be ascribed to God's curse upon them, delivered by the mouth of holy Jacob, Gen_49:5-7 Simeon and Levi are brothers; tools of violence are their weapons. Oh my soul, do not come into their secret. Let not my honor be united with their assembly. For in their anger they killed a man, and in their self-will they hamstrung a bull. Let their anger be cursed, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel, and signified by Moses's neglect of them when he blessed all the other tribes.
And Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters - None of which are mentioned by name:
his brethren had not many children - Hamuel and Zacchur:
1Ch 4:28 And they dwelt at Beersheba, and Moladah, and Hazarshual,
they dwelt at Beersheba - posterity of Simeon, and this and the other places of their habitation are mentioned in the same order, and with very little variation of names to the end of 1Ch_4:31, as in Jos_19:2.
1Ch 4:29 And at Bilhah, and at Ezem, and at Tolad,
1Ch 4:30 And at Bethuel, and at Hormah, and at Ziklag,
1Ch 4:31 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 - It is not quite clear why this clause is added. Perhaps the writer is quoting from a document belonging to David’s reign. Or, he may mean that some of the cities, as Ziklag 1Sa_27:6 And Achish gave him Ziklag that day. And Ziklag belongs to the kings of Judah to this day, were lost to Simeon about David’s time.
Unto the reign of David - Several of these cities though given to Simeon by Joshua, yet through the sloth or cowardice of that tribe, were not taken from the Philistines, until David's 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 Philistines hands in David's time, and by them given to him, and by him annexed to the tribe of Judah , 1Sa_27:6.
1Ch 4:32 And their villages were, Etam, and Ain, Rimmon, and Tochen, and Ashan, five cities:
And their villages were - There are but four mentioned in Jos_19:7 one might be added since, or new built, namely, Tochen; these were all that remained for them to dwell in, in the times of David; and therefore they were obliged to seek out for new settlements for themselves and flocks, as in 1Ch_4:39,
1Ch 4:33 And all their villages that were round about the same cities, unto Baal. These were their habitations, and their genealogy.
And all their villages that were round about the same cities, unto Baal - The same with Baalathbeer, Jos_19:8 and all the villages that were around these cities to Baalath-beer, Ramah of the south. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Simeon according to their families.
their family register was to them - although they were only a small tribe and dwelt in the midst of Judah , they yet had their own family register .
1Ch 4:34 And Meshobab, and Jamlech, and Joshah the son of Amaziah,
And Meshobab, and Jamlech - These, with those that follow to the end of 1Ch_4:37 were famous men in the tribe of Simeon, of rank and dignity, and eminent for courage and valor, as the latter part of the chapter testifies, though they are nowhere else taken notice of.
Emigrations of Simeonite families into other districts. - 1Ch_4:34-41 record an expedition of the Simeonites, in the time of Hezekiah, undertaken for purposes of conquest. In 1Ch_4:34-36, thirteen princes of the tribe of Simeon are enumerated who undertook this expedition. The families of some of them are traced through several generations, but in no case are they traced down so far as to show their connection with the families named in 1Ch_4:24-26.
1Ch 4:35 And Joel, and Jehu the son of Josibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel,
1Ch 4:36 And Elioenai, and Jaakobah, and Jeshohaiah, and Asaiah, and Adiel, and Jesimiel, and Benaiah,
1Ch 4:37 And Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah;
1Ch 4:38 These mentioned by their names were princes in their families: and the house of their fathers increased greatly.
These mentioned by their names were princes - The registered chiefs of the cities in the first list 1Ch_4:28-31, in the time of Hezekiah 1Ch_4:41. The principal men of them, heads of their fathers' houses.
and the house of their fathers increased greatly - by them, so that they were obliged to seek out for new habitations.
1Ch 4:39 And they went to the entrance of Gedor, even unto the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks.
they went to the entrance of Gedor -- Rather read, “Gerar” (Septuagint) a fertile district Gen_26:6-12; 2Ch_14:14-15 in Philistine country.
they went to the entrance of Gedor--There was a city of this name in the tribe of Judah, 1Ch_4:18 but this seems to be further off, It is perhaps the same as Gedaris, mentioned along with Azotus and Askelon as cities that belonged to the Philistines; since it was inhabited by the posterity of Ham, of whom the Philistines were. So much is clear, that by Gedor, the Gedor mentioned in Jos_15:58, situated in the high lands of Judah, north of Hebron, cannot be intended, for in that district there is no open valley stretching out on either hand; and the Simeonites, moreover, could not have carried on a war of conquest in the territory of the tribe of Judah in the reign of Hezekiah.
they went to the entrance of Gedor--Simeon having only a part of the land of Judah, they were forced to seek accommodation elsewhere; but their establishment in the new and fertile pastures of Gederah was soon broken up; for, being attacked by a band of nomad plunderers, they were driven from place to place till some of them effected by force a settlement on Mount Seir.
they went - This expedition of the Simeonites took place in the days of Hezekiah, perhaps near the time of the captivity of the ten tribes; when the remnant of Simeon would feel themselves obliged to retire more southward.
1Ch 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.
They of Ham had dwelt there of old - These were probably either Philistines or Egyptians, who dwelt at Gedor.
They of Ham had dwelt there of old - either the Canaanites who descended from Canaan the son of Ham, and had never been expelled from thence; or the Philistines, who were a colony of the Egyptians, the posterity of Ham; and these inhabitants being of this race, the Simeonites scrupled not to dispossess them.
the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceable - there was room enough for them and their flocks, and they had no enemies on either side to disturb them:
1Ch 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.
and smote their tents - the tents of those who dwelt there for the sake of feeding their flocks, and whose pasturage the Simeonites wanted:
Until this day - until the composition of the historical work used by the author of the Chronicle, the time before the exile.
1Ch 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.
Mount Seir - In the land of Edom : A part of the Simeonites undertook a second war of conquest against Mount Seir . Led by four chiefs of the sons of Shimei, 500 men marched thither, smote the remainder of the Amalekites who had escaped. The escaped of Amalek are those who had escaped destruction in the victories of Saul and David over this hereditary enemy of Israel (1Sa_14:48; 1Sa_15:7; 2Sa_8:12). A remnant of them had been driven into the mountain land of Idumea , where they were smitten, i.e., extirpated, by the Simeonites. It is not said at what time this was done, but it occurred most probably in the second half of Hezekiah's reign.
1Ch 4:43 And they smote the rest of the Amalekites that were escaped, and dwelt there unto this day.
they smote the rest of the Amalekites - That escaped the sword of Saul; though, according to the Jews, 100,000 of them were slain by him in one day; and of the sword of David, though he is said not to leave man or woman alive, 1Sa_27:8.
And dwelt there unto this day - in the cities of the Amalekites, even of the posterity of the above; who were some of the remnant of Israel, that were not carried away by the king of Assyria, and who dwelt here after the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity, even in the times of Ezra, the writer of this book; see 2Ch_34:9.
