1 Chronicles 4:28 — Word Study
WLCוַיֵּֽשְׁב֛וּ בִּבְאֵֽר־ שֶׁ֥בַע וּמוֹלָדָ֖ה וַחֲצַ֥ר שׁוּעָֽל׃
BSAThey livedyâshab▸ [dwelt, remained, and abided] in BeershebaBᵉʼêr Shebaʻ [well of the sevenfold oath] MoladahMôwlâdâh [birth or race] Hazar-shualChătsar Shûwʻâl [jackal village, a place of refuge]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַיֵּֽשְׁב֛וּ | and they dwelt | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine plural |
| בִּבְאֵֽר־ | in Beer | Preposition, noun proper |
| שֶׁ֥בַע | Sheba | Noun proper |
| וּמוֹלָדָ֖ה | and Moladah | Conjunction, noun proper |
| וַחֲצַ֥ר | and Hazar | Conjunction, noun proper |
| שׁוּעָֽל׃ | Shual | Noun proper |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | They lived in Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar-shual, |
| KJV | And they dwelt at Beer-sheba, and Moladah, and Hazar-shual, |
| ASV | And they dwelt at Beer-sheba, and Moladah, and Hazar-shual, |
| YLT | And they dwell in Beer-Sheba, and Moladah, and Hazar-Shaul, |
| WEB | They lived at Beersheba, Moladah, Hazarshual, |
| BBE | And they were living at Beer-sheba and Moladah and Hazar-shual, |
Where they part company is in the verb יָשַׁב — see How Translations Differ.
The structure is straightforward, with one main clause followed by prepositional and noun phrases detailing the places of residence.
6 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbיָשַׁב
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — 1 Chronicles 4:28
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Descendants of Shimeigenerated
1 Chronicles 4:28 provides a brief account of the settlements of the descendants of Shimei, emphasizing their geographical locations. This verse is part of a genealogical section that highlights the lineage and heritage of the tribes of Israel, illustrating their historical presence in the land.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua 15:28–29 | Hazar-shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah, |
| 2 | Joshua 19:2–3 | and included Beersheba (or Sheba), Moladah, |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 2 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — יָשַׁב, vai.ye.she.Vugenerated
The verb יָשַׁב (yashab) means to dwell, sit, or remain. It conveys the idea of establishing a residence or living in a particular place. The parsing indicates that it is a sequential imperfect verb in the third person masculine plural, meaning 'they dwelt'.
This verb is used throughout the Hebrew Bible to describe the act of living in a location, indicating permanence or stability in one's dwelling. It reflects the importance of place in the identity and history of the people of Israel.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The verse is presented in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses lived to convey the action of יָשַׁב.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb יָשַׁב governs the entire clause, indicating the action of dwelling. The structure is straightforward, listing the places where the people lived.
The sentence follows a simple order: the verb is followed by a prepositional phrase indicating the location, and then additional noun phrases that specify the places.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates יָשַׁב as κατῴκησαν, meaning 'they inhabited'. This choice emphasizes the act of settling in a place rather than merely living there, suggesting a deeper sense of permanence.
This translation aligns with the context of establishing a home, reflecting the significance of these locations in the narrative.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
1 Chronicles 4:28 lists the places where the descendants of Shimei settled: Beersheba, Moladah, and Hazar-shual. These locations are significant in the history of Israel, representing the areas where these people lived.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Beersheba means 'well of the sevenfold oath', indicating its importance in biblical history.
Moladah means 'birth or race' and is noted as a town in southern Canaan, highlighting its role in the heritage of the tribes.
Hazar-shual translates to 'jackal village', indicating a place of refuge or habitation.
This record emphasizes the lineage and settlements of the tribes of Israel, showcasing their historical presence in the land.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- Why do you think the chronicler chose to list these specific locations?
- How do these places reflect the identity of the tribes of Israel?
- What can we learn about the importance of heritage from this verse?
- In what ways do locations shape our understanding of history and community?
Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on 1 Chronicles 4:28 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd 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 1
Read John Gill on 1 Chronicles 4 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd they dwelt at Beersheba, and Moladah, and Hazar-shual, And they dwelt at Beer-sheba ... - (see the notes at Joshua 19:1-51.)
Read Robert Jamieson on 1 Chronicles 4 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleThese and the following cities are mentioned , &c., with no great alterations.
Read Matthew Poole on 1 Chronicles 4 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments1 Chronicles 4:28 And they dwelt at Beersheba, and Moladah, and Hazarshual,Ver. 28. And Hazarshual,] i.e., In vico vulpis, Vat.
Read John Trapp on 1 Chronicles 4 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English ReadersII.—THE SEATS OF THE UNTIL THE REIGN OF DAVID (1 Chronicles 4:28-33). This list is parallel to Joshua 19:2-8. There are some variations, partly accidental. (28) Beer-sheba, and Moladah, and Hazar-shual.—Joshua 19:2 adds Sheba after Beer-sheba—an obviously mistaken repetition, making fourteen towns in all, whereas 1 Chronicles 4:6 concludes, “thirteen cities and their villages.” Beer-sheba is Bir-esseba; Moladah, Tel-Milh, south of Hebron; Hazar-shual (fox-village) is unknown.
Read Charles John Ellicott on 1 Chronicles 4 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges28–33 (= Joshua 19:1-8). The Territory of Simeon 28. Beer-sheba] at the southern extremity of Palestine, as Dan was at the northern (1 Samuel 3:20).
Read Cambridge on 1 Chronicles 4 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
They lived in Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar-shual,
They lived at Beersheba, Moladah, Hazarshual,
They lived in Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar-shual,
They lived in Beer Sheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual,
Tyndale line
And they dwelt at Beer-sheba, and Moladah, and Hazar-shual,
And they dwelt at Beer-sheba, and Moladah, and Hazar-shual,
And they dwelt at Beer-sheba, and Moladah, and Hazar-shual;
And they dwelt at Beer-sheba, and Moladah, and Hazar-shual,
And they dwelt at Beer-sheba, and at Moladah, and at Hazar Shual,
Strictly literal
And they abode at Beer-sheba, and Moladah, and Hazar-Shual,
And they dwell in Beer-Sheba, and Moladah, and Hazar-Shaul,
And they dwell in Beer-Sheba, and Moladah, and Hazar-Shaul,
And they dwelt at Beer-sheba', and Moladah, and Chazar-shu'al.
They lived at Beersheba, Moladah, and at Hazar Shual.
From the Latin
And they dwelt in Bersabee, and Molada, and Hasarsuhal,
Simplified
They lived in Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual,
And they were living at Beer-sheba and Moladah and Hazar-shual,
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint largely agree in this verse, with four out of the six words matching. The Septuagint's word order and articles differ, but the core meaning remains consistent.
וַיֵּֽשְׁב֛וּ בִּבְאֵֽר־ שֶׁ֥בַע וּמוֹלָדָ֖ה וַחֲצַ֥ר שׁוּעָֽל׃
4 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in 1 Chronicles 4:28
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
יָשַׁב (yashab) is a Hebrew verb meaning to sit, remain, or dwell. It encompasses a range of actions from simply sitting down to more complex ideas like establishing a home or causing a place to be inhabited. The entries indicate various forms, including Qal (to sit), Niphal (to be inhabited), and Hiphil (to cause to dwell). There is an Aramaic equivalent, יְתִב (ye.tiv), meaning 'to dwell'.
יָשַׁב 1090 vb. sit, remain, dwell
Qal
sit
sit, sit down
sit down
sit = be set (as a jewel)
remain, stay, tarry
with special emphasis of qualifying phr.
dwell, have one’s abode
of a land or city, sit, abide, seated in its place, fig. for be inhabited
Niph. be inhabited, of land
Pi. and they shall set their encampments in thee
Hiph.
cause to sit
cause to abide
cause to dwell
cause cities to be inhabited
marry (prop. give a dwelling to)
Hoph. and ye be made to dwell alone in the midst of the land
base
H3427 יָשַׁב sit, remain, dwell
3427 yashab yaw-shab'
a primitive root; properly, to sit down (specifically as
judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to
remain; causatively, to settle, to marry:--(make to)
abide(-ing), continue, (cause to, make to) dwell(-ing), ease
self, endure, establish, X fail, habitation, haunt, (make to)
inhabit(-ant), make to keep (house), lurking, X marry(-ing),
(bring again to) place, remain, return, seat, set(- tle),
(down-)sit(-down, still, -ting down, -ting (place) -uate),
take, tarry.
יָשַׁב (ya.shav) — to dwell.
1) to dwell, remain, sit, abide
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to sit, sit down
1a2) to be set
1a3) to remain, stay
1a4) to dwell, have one's abode
1b) (Niphal) to be inhabited
1c) (Piel) to set, place
1d) (Hiphil)
1d1) to cause to sit
1d2) to cause to abide, set
1d3) to cause to dwell
1d4) to cause (cities) to be inhabited
1d5) to marry (give an dwelling to)
1e) (Hophal)
1e1) to be inhabited
1e2) to make to dwell
Aramaic equivalent: ye.tiv (יְתִב "to dwell" H3488)
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine pluralHc/Vqw3mp
בְּאֵר שֶׁ֫בַע (B'er Sheba) refers to Beersheba, a location in Palestine. The name means 'well of an oath,' derived from the roots for 'well' and 'oath.' It is noted as a city at the southern edge of Israel.
בְּאֵר שֶׁ֫בַע n.pr.loc. Beersheba
base
H884 בְּאֵר שֶׁ֫בַע Beersheba
884 B'er Sheba` be-ayr' sheh'-bah
from 875 and 7651 (in the sense of 7650); well of an oath;
Beer-Sheba, a place in Palestine:--Beer-shebah.
see HEBREW for 0875
see HEBREW for 07651
see HEBREW for 07650
בְּאֵר שֶׁ֫בַע (be.er she.va) — Beersheba.
§ Beer-sheba = "well of the sevenfold oath"
a city at the south edge of Israel
Adj — Preposition · noun properHR/Npl
be'-er (be'er; phrear; Latin puteus = "well"):
(1) A station on the march of the Israelites to the North of the Arnon (Nu 21:16). Here it was that they sang round the well this song: `Spring up O well; greet it with song, Well, that the princes have dug, The nobles of the people have bored, With the scepter--with their staves' (Nu 21:16 ff). The place is not identified.
(2) The town to which Jotham fled from his brother Abimelech after declaring his parable from Mt. Gerizim (Jud 9:21). This may be identical with BEEROTH, which see.
Beer
Well. (1.) A place where a well was dug by the direction of Moses, at the forty-fourth station of the Hebrews in their wanderings (Num. 21:16-18) in the wilderness of Moab. (See WELL.)
(2.) A town in the tribe of Judah to which Jotham fled for fear of Abimelech (Judg. 9:21). Some have identified this place with Beeroth.
(a well). One of the latest halting-places of the Israelites, lying beyond the Arnon. (Numbers 21:16-18) This is possibly the BEER-ELIM of (Isaiah 15:8) A place to which Jotham, the son of Gideon, fled for fear of his brother Abimelech. (Judges 9:21)
A well,
1. A station of the Hebrews in Moab, where God gave them water, Nu 21:16-18; Isa 15:8.
2. A town in Judah, according to Eusebius and Jerome a few miles west of Jerusalem, near Beth-shemesh. Jotham took refuge there from his brother Abimelech, Jud 9:21.
בְּאֵר שֶׁ֫בַע (B'er Sheba) refers to Beersheba, a location in Palestine. The name means 'well of an oath,' derived from the roots for 'well' and 'oath.' It is noted as a city at the southern edge of Israel.
בְּאֵר שֶׁ֫בַע n.pr.loc. Beersheba
base
H884 בְּאֵר שֶׁ֫בַע Beersheba
884 B'er Sheba` be-ayr' sheh'-bah
from 875 and 7651 (in the sense of 7650); well of an oath;
Beer-Sheba, a place in Palestine:--Beer-shebah.
see HEBREW for 0875
see HEBREW for 07651
see HEBREW for 07650
בְּאֵר שֶׁ֫בַע (be.er she.va) — Beersheba.
§ Beer-sheba = "well of the sevenfold oath"
a city at the south edge of Israel
HNpl — Noun properHNpl
Sheba
An oath, seven. (1.) Heb. shebha, the son of Raamah (Gen. 10:7), whose descendants settled with those of Dedan on the Persian Gulf.
(2.) Heb. id. A son of Joktan (Gen. 10:28), probably the founder of the Sabeans.
(3.) Heb. id. A son of Jokshan, who was a son of Abraham by Keturah (Gen. 25:3).
(4.) Heb. id. A kingdom in Arabia Felix. Sheba, in fact, was Saba in Southern Arabia, the Sabaeans of classical geography, who carried on the trade in spices with the other peoples of the ancient world. They were Semites, speaking one of the two main dialects of Himyaritic or South Arabic. Sheba had become a monarchy before the days of Solomon. Its queen brought him gold, spices, and precious stones (
one of the towns of the allotment of Simeon, (Joshua 19:2) probably the same as Shema. (Joshua 15:26)
1. Son of Raamah, Ge 10:7. His posterity is supposed to have settled near the head of the Persian Gulf. See CUSH and RAAMAH.
2. Son of Joktan, of the race of Shem, Ge 10:28. See SABEANS 2.
3. Son of Jokshan, and grandson of Abraham by Keturah, Ge 25:3. He is supposed to have settled in Arabia Deserta.
4. A turbulent Benjamite, who after the death of Absalom made a fruitless effort to excite a rebellion in Israel against David. Being pursued, and besieged in Abel-beth-maachah, near the southern part of Lebanon, he was beheaded by the people of the city, 2Sa 20:1-26.
captivity; old man; repose; oath
מוֹלָדָה (Mowladah) refers to a place in Palestine, specifically a town in the territory of Simeon. The word is derived from the root meaning 'birth' and can also denote 'race.' It appears in the context of geographical locations in the Old Testament.
מוֹלָדָה, מֹלָדָה n.pr.loc. town in Simeon
base
H4137 מוֹלָדָה, מֹלָדָה
4137 Mowladah mo-law-daw'
from 3205; birth; Moladah, a place in Palestine:--Moladah.
see HEBREW for 03205
מוֹלָדָה (mo.la.dah) — Moladah.
§ Moladah = "birth" or "race"
a town in the south of Canaan allocated to Judah then reallocated to Simeon
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
mol'-a-da, mo-la'-da (moladhah; Molada): A place in the far south (Negebh) of Judah, toward Edom (Jos 15:26), reckoned to Simeon (Jos 19:2; 1Ch 4:28). It was repopulated after the captivity (Ne 11:26). It is mentioned always in close proximity to Beersheba. Moladah is probably identical with Malatha, a city in Idumea to which Agrippa at one time withdrew himself (Josephus, Ant, XVIII, vi, 2). The site of this latter city has by Robinson and others been considered to be the ruins and wells of Tell el-Milch, some 13 miles to the East of Beersheba and some 7 miles Southwest of Arad. The chief difficulty is the statement of Eusebius and Jerome that Malatha was "by Jattir,"…
Moladah
Birth, a city in the south of Judah which fell to Simeon (Josh. 15:21-26; 19:2). It has been identified with the modern el-Milh, 10 miles east of Beersheba.
(birth, race), a city of Judah, one of those which lay in the district of "the south." (Joshua 15:26; 19:2) In the latter tribe it remained at any rate till the reign of David, (1 Chronicles 4:28) but by the time of the captivity it seems to have come back into the hands of Judah, by whom it was reinhabited after the captivity. (Nehemiah 11:26) It may be placed at el-Milh , which is about 4 English miles from Tell Arad , 17 or 18 from Hebron, and 9 or 10 due east of Beersheba.
birth; generation
חֲצַר שׁוּעָל n.pr.loc.
place in southern Judah
place in Simeon
base
H2705 חֲצַר שׁוּעָל
2705 Chatsar Shuw`al khats-ar' shoo-awl'
from 2691 and 7776; village of (the) fox; Chatsar-Shual, a
place in Palestine:--Hazar-shual.
see HEBREW for 02691
see HEBREW for 07776
חֲצַר שׁוּעָל (cha.tsar shu.al) — Hazar-shual.
§ Hazar-shual = "jackal village"
a town in southern Judah
N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
ha'-zar (chatsar, construct of chatser, "an enclosure," "settlement," or "village"): Is frequently the first element in Hebrew place-names.
1. Hazar-addar:
Hazar-addar (Hebrew chatsar 'addar), a place on the southern boundary of Judah (Nu 34:4), is probably identical with Hazron (Jos 15:3), which, in this case, however, is separated from Addar (the King James Version "Adar"). It seems to have lain somewhere to the Southwest of Kadesh-barnea.
חֲצַר שׁוּעָל n.pr.loc.
place in southern Judah
place in Simeon
base
H2705 חֲצַר שׁוּעָל
2705 Chatsar Shuw`al khats-ar' shoo-awl'
from 2691 and 7776; village of (the) fox; Chatsar-Shual, a
place in Palestine:--Hazar-shual.
see HEBREW for 02691
see HEBREW for 07776
חֲצַר שׁוּעָל (cha.tsar shu.al) — Hazar-shual.
§ Hazar-shual = "jackal village"
a town in southern Judah
HNpl — Noun properHNpl
shoo'-al (shu`al): An Asherite (1Ch 7:36).
(a jackal), son of Zophah, an Asherite. (1 Chronicles 7:36) (B.C. after 1445.)
fox; path; first