1 Chronicles Chapter 4

The Tribes of Israel and Their Descendants

Adam Clarke observed that genealogical records often appear barren to modern readers, yet they serve an essential role in the unfolding of God’s providence. As he wrote, “How barren to us is this register, both of incident and interest! And yet, as barren rocks and sandy deserts make integral and necessary parts of the globe, so do these genealogical tables make necessary parts of the history of providence and grace in the maintenance of truth, and the establishment of the church of Christ. Therefore, no one that fears God will either despise or lightly esteem them.” G. Campbell Morgan likewise noted that tribes and individuals gain importance according to how they cooperate with the purpose of God. With that foundation, the Chronicler begins with Judah, the leading tribe of the later southern kingdom and the royal line of David.

A. The Tribes Comprising the Later Kingdom of Judah

The Descendants of Judah (1 Chronicles 4:1–23)

The sons of Judah were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. And Reaiah the son of Shobal begot Jahath, and Jahath begot Ahumai and Lahad. These were the families of the Zorathites. These were the sons of the father of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash, and the name of their sister was Hazelelponi, and Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah. These were the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah the father of Bethlehem. And Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah. Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah. The sons of Helah were Zereth, Zohar, and Ethnan, and Koz begot Anub, Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum. Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested. Chelub the brother of Shuhah begot Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. And Eshton begot Beth-Rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Ir-Nahash. These were the men of Rechah. The sons of Kenaz were Othniel and Seraiah. The sons of Othniel were Hathath, and Meonothai who begot Ophrah. Seraiah begot Joab the father of Ge Harashim, for they were craftsmen. The sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh were Iru, Elah, and Naam. The son of Elah was Kenaz. The sons of Jehallelel were Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel. The sons of Ezrah were Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon, and Mered’s wife bore Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. (His wife Jehudijah bore Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Sochoh, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah.) And these were the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered took. The sons of Hodiah’s wife, the sister of Naham, were the fathers of Keilah the Garmite and of Eshtemoa the Maachathite. And the sons of Shimon were Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan, and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi were Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth. The sons of Shelah the son of Judah were Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of the linen workers of the house of Ashbea, also Jokim, the men of Chozeba, and Joash, Saraph, who ruled in Moab, and Jashubi-Lehem. Now the records are ancient. These were the potters and those who dwell at Netaim and Gederah, there they dwelt with the king for his work.

The Chronicler begins with Judah because the genealogy’s purpose is to anchor the Davidic line. The sons listed at the head of the chapter trace back to earlier records, and as scholars note, these names represent successive generations rather than literal brothers. Within this long list emerges the notable figure Jabez. His mother named him with a term associated with pain, likely due to the circumstances surrounding his birth. In Hebrew culture, a name conveyed identity and destiny, so this association with sorrow likely cast a shadow over his early life.

Yet the Scripture says Jabez was “more honorable than his brothers,” not because of bloodline or achievements, but because he was a man of prayer whose heart sought the blessing and presence of God. His prayer contains four requests. He asked to be blessed indeed, expressing a desire for genuine spiritual abundance rather than merely outward gifts. He asked for enlarged territory, which older commentators generally understand as a prayer connected to the conquest of Canaan. He wanted to carry out God’s command faithfully in driving out the wicked and expanding Israel’s inheritance. Some ancient traditions even render the line, “and enlarge my borders with disciples,” indicating that Jabez desired not only more land but greater influence for godliness.

He pleaded for the hand of the Lord to be with him, a prayer for divine guidance and strength, for Scripture often uses “the hand of the Lord” to speak of God’s active power. And finally, he prayed to be kept from evil so that he would not cause pain. This may be an allusion to his name, essentially asking God to reverse the curse implied by his identity. The Lord granted all he requested, demonstrating the effectiveness of humble prayer when aligned with God’s purposes.

The genealogy continues by highlighting key families and their functions. Some were craftsmen such as the inhabitants of Ge Harashim. Others were connected to notable marriages, including Mered’s marriage to Bithiah, daughter of Pharaoh, which likely occurred early during Israel’s time in Egypt when Joseph’s influence made such a union possible. The closing verses identify certain descendants of Shelah as potters and workers associated with the king, living at Netaim and Gederah. Their mention shows that service to the king, even in practical trades, carried honor because they lived and worked in close proximity to royal authority. As Spurgeon observed, the King has many types of servants and all who are with the King must labor faithfully. Those who labor for the King ought to live near Him, and those who know the King’s heart gain insight into His will.

This genealogy shows that every family within God’s covenant people held a place within His purpose. Some names are prominent, others obscure, yet all are woven into the fabric of redemptive history because God preserves every thread that leads ultimately to the Messiah.

The Descendants of Simeon (1 Chronicles 4:24–43)

The sons of Simeon were Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul, Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, and Mishma his son. And the sons of Mishma were Hamuel his son, Zacchur his son, and Shimei his son. Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers did not have many children, nor did any of their families multiply as much as the children of Judah. They dwelt at Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual, Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities until the reign of David. And their villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan, five cities, and all the villages that were around these cities as far as Baal. These were their dwelling places, and they maintained their genealogy. Meshobab, Jamlech, and Joshah the son of Amaziah, Joel, and Jehu the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel, Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, and Benaiah, 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 leaders in their families, and their father’s house increased greatly. So they went to the entrance of Gedor, as far as the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks. And they found rich, good pasture, and the land was broad, quiet, and peaceful, for some Hamites formerly lived there. These recorded by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and they attacked their tents and the Meunites who were found there, and utterly destroyed them, as it is to this day. So they dwelt in their place, because there was pasture for their flocks there. Now some of them, five hundred men of the sons of Simeon, went to Mount Seir, having as their captains Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi. And they defeated the rest of the Amalekites who had escaped. They have dwelt there to this day.

The genealogy of Simeon reinforces what earlier Scripture reveals about the tribe’s destiny. Simeon and Levi committed the violent massacre at Shechem, recorded in Genesis 34:24–30, and Jacob later declared that their tribes would be scattered in Israel according to Genesis 49:5–7, which says, “Simeon and Levi are brothers, instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. Let not my soul enter their council, let not my honor be united to their assembly, for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self will they hamstrung an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel. I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.” This prophecy was fulfilled in the fact that Simeon never possessed a clearly defined territory of its own. Instead, its cities were tucked within the southern boundaries of Judah, reflecting a tribe whose inheritance was absorbed and dispersed rather than consolidated.

The cities listed in this passage, including Beersheba, Moladah, and Ziklag, identify Simeon’s settlements deep within Judah’s land. They remained Simeonite cities “until the reign of David,” which implies that their distinct tribal identity gradually diminished and folded into Judah’s structure. This helps explain why Simeon rarely appears in the historical narratives, and when it does, it usually operates in cooperation with Judah rather than independently. As Payne notes, Simeon was granted land only within the dry, southern region of Judah, and even then, the tribe often lived a seminomadic existence. After the kingdom divided in 930 BC, some elements of Simeon migrated north or adopted the idolatrous northern practices condemned by the prophets. Meanwhile, other Simeonites roamed secluded regions, a fulfillment of Jacob’s prophecy that they would be scattered.

The Chronicler emphasizes that Simeon’s population never recovered its earlier strength. This aligns with the census data in the Book of Numbers. In Numbers 1, Simeon was among the largest tribes, numbering more than 59,000 men. Yet by Numbers 26, during the wilderness wanderings, the tribe had decreased to about 22,000, making it one of the smallest tribes in Israel. This dramatic drop underscores the long term consequences of sin and unfaithfulness in their lineage. As the commentator Trapp observed, Simeon produced notorious figures such as Zimri, the bold rebel in Numbers 25, and, according to ancient tradition preserved by Jerome, Judas Iscariot himself was from Simeon’s tribe.

In later generations, leaders of Simeon such as Meshobab, Jehu, and Ziza expanded the tribe’s settlements by seeking pasture beyond their original boundaries. They discovered land that was broad, quiet, and peaceful, formerly inhabited by Hamite peoples. During the days of Hezekiah, Simeonite warriors attacked the tents of the Meunites and destroyed them completely. This military action allowed them to settle securely in that region. Another group of five hundred Simeonites pushed further south into Mount Seir, led by Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel. There they defeated surviving Amalekites and settled in their place permanently.

Simeon’s history is marked by dispersion and reduction, yet the Chronicler traces their names carefully to show that even less prominent tribes have a preserved place within Israel’s covenant story. Their scattered presence across the land of Judah and beyond displays both the consequences of past sin and the faithfulness of God in maintaining every tribe within His redemptive plan.