1 Chronicles 4

1 Chronicles 4:1

JL HE sons of Judah; Pharez, Ilezron, Carmi, m Uur, and Shobal. By the sons of Judah are meant his posterity: for here is only one of his sons mentioned in this place; viz. Pharez: whose son Hezron begat Carmi, (the same with Chelubai and Caleb,’ chap. ii. 9. 18.) whose sons were Hur and Shobab: who is the same, I suppose, with Shobal; of whose posterity he intends here to give an account.

1 Chronicles 4:2

And Reaiah the so?i of Shobal begat Jahath, and Jahath begat Ahumai, and Lahad. These are the families of the Zorathites. Zora is not the name of a man, but of a place in the tribe of Judah: where several families of that tribe* settled themselves, who were descended from Jahath, Shumai, and Lahad, the sons and grandsons of Shobal, by whom this city was built and inhabited. Thus Kimchi explains this place. -

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And these were of the father of Et am. Descended from the lord of a place called Etam: which was in this tribe, (ver. 32.) Jezreel, and Ishma, and Idbash.] These were the sons of the lord of Etam: whose name is not here recorded. * And the name of their sister was Hazelelponi.] Who, it is Microsoft® 4A2 A COMMENTARY UPON [chap. IV. likely, was a very eminent woman: and therefore her name is remembered; though now we are ignorant of the particular reason there was then for it.

1 Chronicles 4:4

And Pemtel the father of Gedor. In the eighteenth verse of this chapter, Jered is said to be the father, that is, the lord, of Gcdor. But there might be then two lords of the same city; as there are now among us several lordships in the same town. And Ezer the father of Hushah. These are the sons of Httr.] By some other wife than her, by whom he had the children mentioned chap. ii. ver. 20. 1 The first-born of Ephratah.] Sec there, ver. 19. TIiefatherofBeth-lehem.] In the second chapter, ver. 52. Salma is said to be the father of Beth-lehem; but that doth not contradict this: for they might both be lords of the same place, especially one being the grandfather, the other the son.

1 Chronicles 4:5

And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Ilelah and Naarah. See chap. ii. ver. 24. *

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And Naarah bare him Ahuzam, and Ilepher, and Temeni, and Haahashtari. TJiese were the sons of Naarah.) His first wife being barren for some time, it moved him to take another; who bare him these sonsl

1 Chronicles 4:7

And the sons of Helah were Zereth, and Jezoar, andEthnan. Afterward his first wife grew fruitful, and bare him as many sons as the other. For it is probable thatCoz (mentioned in the next words) was her son.

1 Chronicles 4:8

And Coz begat Anub, and Zobebah, and the families ofAharhel the son of Harum. I suppose several families sprung from Aharhel, who was the son of Coz by his wife Harum.

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And Jabez. It is very uncertain who Jabez was: perhaps the founder of one of the families of Aharhel; But the Targum both here and upon chap. ii. 55. saith, he was the same with Othniel. But this is a Jewish fancy, confuted by ver. 13. Was more honourable than his brethren.) Wiser in the law, as the Targum expounds it: who had respect, it is likely, to his piety and devotion, expressed in the next verse. Others think he was a person of greater courage and valour, for which Othniel was famous. And his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.] She had a very hard labour, when she was in travail with him.

1 Chronicles 4:10

And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast. He prayed for the help of God, to drive out the Canaanites, and make room for his family; that they might dwell more commodiously. And that thy hand might be with me.*] As it was with Othniel, to enable him to take Kirjath-scpher, as we read in the first chapter of Judges. And that thouwouldest keep me from evil, that it may not <jrieve me!] Preserve him in health, and prosper him, when he had enlarged his border: that he might not live in such misery, as that wherewith his mother brought him forth. For in the word grieve, most think he alludes to the pains of his mother in her travail. And God granted him that which he requested.] And the rather, because he had herehy greater leisure for the study of the law, and instructing others in piety, as many understand it. For the Jews think this Jabez was an eminent doctor of the law, and lef behind him a great many disciples, who are mentioned, they suppose, in the last verse of the second chapter of this book; where we read of the family of the scribes that dwelt at Jabez.

1 Chronicles 4:11

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

1 Chronicles 4:12

And Eshton begat Beth-rapha, and Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Ir-nahash. These are the men ofRechah. The persons whose posterity possessed the city of Rcchah: of which we have no mention elsewhere. -

1 Chronicles 4:13

TJiesons ofKenaz. It is not said whose son he was: it is likely of Chelub, mentioned ver. 11. Othniel, and Seraiah: and the sons of Othniel; Hathqth.] And likewise Meonothai, mentioned in the next verse: for • after his sons follow the sons of Othniel’s younger brother.

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And Meonothai begat Ophrah: and Seraiah begat Joab, the father of the valley of Charashim. Or, of those that dwelt in Gecharashim: which was a, city in the tribe of Benjamin, mentioned in Nehcm. xi.35. For tltey were craftsmen.] The smiths that dwelt and wrought there gave it the name of Charashim: by which word some understand carpenters. For in this catalogue several such-like sort of persons are mentioned: such as potters, and weavers, and gardeners, (ver. 21. 23.) For societies cannot consist only of one sort of persons; but must be composed of men of different and various employments. As Strigelius observes out of Aristotle, “A city is not composed of physicians and physicians; but of physicians and ploughmen/’ So the son of Sirach discourses, that though such kind of men are not fit to be admitted to counsel,’* yet they maintain the state of the world,” (Ecclus. xxxviii. 34.) When Solomon, indeed, began to reign, there were not many craftsmen in Israel, but afterward they increased: and such honour was paid unto arts, that they took care to preserve the memory of such persons and families as applied themselves that way; as appears by this very verse,* and ver. 21. 23. of this chapter. Whence the prophet Isaiah foretells this as a judgment God would send upon them, that he would take away their artificers, (chap, iii. 5.) And when Jerusalem was taken by the Babylonians, it is said, they carried away all the craftsmen, (2 Kings xxiv. 14.)

1 Chronicles 4:15

And the sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh; Irn,Elah> and Naam. Some take this Jephunneh to be the same with Hczron, whose son Caleb was: and had this son by a different wife from her mentioned chap. ii. 18. And the sons of Elah, even Kenaz.] Or rather Uknaz was the son of Elah: as some of the Jews understand it.

1 Chronicles 4:16

And the sons of JehaleleeL. Who was the son of Uknaz last mentioned. Ziph, and Ziphah, Tiria, and Asareel.

1 Chronicles 4:17

And the sons of Ezra. Who was the son of Asareel last named. Were Jether, and Mered, and Epher, andJalon: and site bare] That is, Bithiah the wife of Mered (mentioned in the next verse) bare the sons following. Miriam, and Shammai.] Miriam was the name of a man, as well as of a woman: and there are several such instances in Scripture, as Kimchi observes on this place. And Jshbah thefather of Eshtemoa.] It is uncertain whether Eshtcraoa be the name of a person, or of a place whereof he was lord.

1 Chronicles 4:18

And his tvife Jehudijah bare Jered. Mered had this son by another wife called Jehudijah. Tlie father of Gedor, and Heber the father of Socho, and Jekuthiel the father ofZanoah.] The Targum, and Jarchi, with others, by father, in all these three instances, understand the lord or ruler of those cities, which were in the tribe of Judah. (See Josh. xv. 34, 35.) And these are the sons ofBithiah.] Mentioned in the foregoing verse. The daughter of Pharaoh, which Mered took.] That is, married. But it is not likely he married the daughter of the king of Egypt, unless some natural daughter: but rather of some other person, called by the name of Pharaoh; who might be an Israelite as well as an Egyptian: names being, upon several occasions, given from other countries.

1 Chronicles 4:19

And the sons of his wife Hodiah. This was his third wife. Tlie sister ofNaham.] It seems to me more reasonable to translate it Achotnaam: who was his son by Hodiah. The father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maachathite.] These were his grandsons, who are frequently in Scripture called sous.

1 Chronicles 4:20

And the sons of Shimon. Who is supposed to be another son of Mered by his last wife. Were Amnon, and Rinnah, Ben-hanan, and Tilon. And the sons oflshi.] Who is thought to be the son of Tilon last mentioned. Were Zoheth, and Ben-zoheth.

1 Chronicles 4:21

Tlie sons ofShelah the son of Judah were Er. Having given an account of those descended from Pbarez the eldest son of Judah, and Zcrah,whom Judah had by Tamar, (chap. ii. 4, 5.) he now relates the posterity of Shclah, whom he had by his wife Shuah, (Gen. xxxviii. 5.) The father of Lecah.] This was a city in the tribe of Judah, of which Er was the lord. And Laadah, the father of 3Iareshah.] Another city in the same tribe. And the families of the house of them that wrought fine linen.’] From him came all those families that were famous for this sort of workmanship in fine linen: wherewith their kings. and priests were clothed, as the Targum notes. Of the house ofAshbea.] The principal of which, I suppose, were those of this man’s posterity.

1 Chronicles 4:22

, And Jokim. This was cither a person or a family descended from Shelah. And the men of Chozeba.] They were another family sprung from the same root: who settled in this place. And Joash, and Saraph, who had the dominion in Moab.] Conquered several places there, in the time of David: or had the government of them given by him. The Targum takes the Hebrew word Baalu, as if it signified that they married wives in the country of Moab. And Jashubi-lehem.] Or rather, the inhabitants ofLehem: a place where some of Shelah’s posterity settled. And these are ancient things.] That is, these things which have been related concerning Joash and Saraph (as Kimchi interprets it), who had dominion in Moab,.shew that they were long ago: but now, as it follows, their condition was altered.

1 Chronicles 4:23

TJtese were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges. Or rather, these now are potters, &c. being fallen from the glory and splendour wherein they formerly lived, to common and mean employments^ Tliere they dwelt with the king for his work.] This is commonly understood, as if they stayed in Babylon (for there was no king now in Jndea) to be vine-dress.ers, gardeners, and husbandmen, under that monarch: whose service they liked so well, that they chose to continue in it, rather than return to Jerusalem.

1 Chronicles 4:24

Tlie sons of Simeon were Nemuel, and Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul. This tribe is mentioned next to* Judah, because they were neighbours to them: part of their possessions being taken out of the tribe of Judah, (Josh. xix. 1, &c.) But the names of some of Simeon’s sons were much altered, by length of time, from what they were when they went down into Egypt, (Gen. xlvi.10.) And Ohad, there mentioned, is not here remembered: because, it is likely, he had no issue.

1 Chronicles 4:25

Shallum his son. That is, he was the son of Shaul, last mentioned. Mibsam his son, Mishma his son.

1 Chronicles 4:26

And the sons of Mishma; Hamuel his son, Zacchur his son, Shimei his son. It seems Mibsam had no son. *

1 Chronicles 4:27

And Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters. The posterity of his eldest sons are not taken notice of: but only, as it follows, that they had not many. But his brethren had not many children, neither did all their family multiply like to the children of Judah.] Which evidently appears by the number that was taken of them at their first muster, Numb. L 23. where we find that they were but fifty-nine thousand and three hundred: when the children of Judah were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred, (ver. 26.) And at the next muster there was a far greater inequality, (Numb. xxvi. 14..22.)

1 Chronicles 4:28

And they dwelt at Beer-sheba, and Moladah, and Hazar-Shual. These places arc mentioned in Josh, xix. 2, 3.

1 Chronicles 4:29

And at Bilhah. Called Balah, in the place abovenamed. And at Ezem, and at Tolad.] These are called. Azem, and Eltolad, the former part of names being often cut off; as Hermon for Baal-Hcrmon, (Judg. iii.3.) Shittim, (Numb. xxv. 1.) for Abcl-Shittim, (Numb, xxxiii. 49, &c.)

1 Chronicles 4:30

And at Bethuel, andat Hormah, andat Ziklag. See Josh. xix. 4, 5.

1 Chronicles 4:31

And at Beth-marcaboth, and at Hazar-susim. Called there, Josh. xix. 5. Hazar-susah. And at Beth-birei, and at Shaaraim.] The names are different in Josh. xix. 6. Tliese were their cities unto the reign of David.] Who, the Jews fancy, took these cities from them, and gave them? again to Judah. Which is not likely, nor doth the word tinto’ denote that they held them no longer, than till the reign of David: but that when he came to the crown their families dwelt here; though Ziklag had been in the possession of the Philistines, who gave it to David, as his own town.

1 Chronicles 4:32

And their villages were Etam, and Ain, Rimmon,and Tochen,and Ashan. Here is one place mentioned, more than is in Josh. xix. 7, which they had some way acquired since his days.

1 Chronicles 4:33

And all their villages that were round about the same cities,nnto BaaL. Called Baalath-beer, Josh. xix. 8,