1 Chronicles 4 in Hebrew & English

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Tenakh Study · Read 1 Chronicles in Hebrew and English, one chapter per page. Our Tenakh study meets every Wednesday at 7 pm (Central Time) on Zoom. Text us for the Zoom link. Our Messianic Jewish notes appear below each passage; tap Commentary above to hide them. The full commentary on this chapter is on our 1 Chronicles commentary page.

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Tenakh Study · 1 Chronicles 4:1–43

1 Chronicles, Chapter 4

דברי הימים א ד

More families of Yehudah, among them the prayer of Ya’betz and the clans of Kalev and Shelah; then the sons of Shim’on, their towns from Be’er Sheva to Tziklag, and how in the days of Yechizkiyahu they took the pastures of Gedor and Mount Se’ir.

4:1The sons of Yehudah (Judah); Peretz (Pharez), Chetzron (Hezron), and Karmi (Carmi), and Chur (Hur), and Shoval (Shobal).

אבְּנֵ֖י יְהוּדָ֑ה פֶּ֧רֶץ חֶצְר֛וֹן וְכַרְמִ֖י וְח֥וּר וְשׁוֹבָֽל׃

4:2And Re’ayah (Reaiah) the son of Shoval begat Yachat (Jahath); and Yachat begat Achumai (Ahumai) and Lahad. These are the families of the Tzor’ati (Zorathites).

בוּרְאָיָ֤ה בֶן־שׁוֹבָל֙ הוֹלִ֣יד אֶת־יַ֔חַת וְיַ֣חַת הֹלִ֔יד אֶת־אֲחוּמַ֖י וְאֶת־לָ֑הַד אֵ֖לֶּה מִשְׁפְּח֥וֹת הַצָּֽרְעָתִֽי׃

4:3And these were of the father of Etam; Yizre’el (Jezreel), and Yishma (Ishma), and Yidbash (Idbash): and the name of their sister was Hatzlelponi (Hazelelponi):

גוְאֵ֨לֶּה֙ אֲבִ֣י עֵיטָ֔ם יִזְרְעֶ֥אל וְיִשְׁמָ֖א וְיִדְבָּ֑שׁ וְשֵׁ֥ם אֲחוֹתָ֖ם הַצְלֶלְפּֽוֹנִי׃

4:4And Penu’el (Penuel) the father of Gedor and Ezer the father of Chushah (Hushah). These are the sons of Chur, the firstborn of Efratah (Ephratah), the father of Beit Lechem (Bethlehem).

דוּפְנוּאֵל֙ אֲבִ֣י גְדֹ֔ר וְעֵ֖זֶר אֲבִ֣י חוּשָׁ֑ה אֵ֤לֶּה בְנֵי־חוּר֙ בְּכ֣וֹר אֶפְרָ֔תָה אֲבִ֖י בֵּ֥ית לָֽחֶם׃

4:5And Ashchur (Ashur) the father of Tekoa had two wives, Chel’ah (Helah) and Na’arah (Naarah).

הוּלְאַשְׁחוּר֙ אֲבִ֣י תְק֔וֹעַ הָי֖וּ שְׁתֵּ֣י נָשִׁ֑ים חֶלְאָ֖ה וְנַעֲרָֽה׃

4:6And Na’arah bore him Achuzam (Ahuzam), and Chefer (Hepher), and Temeni, and Ha’achashtari (Haahashtari). These were the sons of Na’arah.

ווַתֵּ֨לֶד ל֤וֹ נַעֲרָה֙ אֶת־אֲחֻזָּ֣ם וְאֶת־חֵ֔פֶר וְאֶת־תֵּימְנִ֖י וְאֶת־הָאֲחַשְׁתָּרִ֑י אֵ֖לֶּה בְּנֵ֥י נַעֲרָֽה׃

4:7And the sons of Chel’ah were, Tzeret (Zereth), and Tzochar (Jezoar), and Etnan (Ethnan).

זוּבְנֵ֖י חֶלְאָ֑ה צֶ֥רֶת וְצֹ֖חַר (כתיב יצחר) וְאֶתְנָֽן׃

4:8And Kotz (Coz) begat Anuv (Anub), and Tzovevah (Zobebah), and the families of Acharchel (Aharhel) the son of Harum.

חוְק֣וֹץ הוֹלִ֔יד אֶת־עָנ֖וּב וְאֶת־הַצֹּבֵבָ֑ה וּמִשְׁפְּח֥וֹת אֲחַרְחֵ֖ל בֶּן־הָרֽוּם׃

Commentary · 4:1–8

The families of Chur and Beit Lechem

“The sons of Yehudah; Peretz, Chetzron, and Karmi, and Chur, and Shoval” (4:1). These five are not brothers. Peretz is Yehudah’s son, Chetzron his grandson, and the rest come further down; Radak notes that “sons” here means descendants. Many of the “sons” are towns: Etam, Gedor, Tekoa. A man is called “father” of a place because his family settled it.

One line matters most: “These are the sons of Chur, the firstborn of Efratah, the father of Beit Lechem” (4:4). Beit Lechem has a founding father, and his family belongs to Yehudah through Kalev and Efrat (2:19, 50–51). Micah’s prophecy of the ruler from “Beit Lechem Efratah” (Micah 5:2) gets its address from this family. The Chronicler is writing the register of the town where David was born and where the Son of David would be born.

Read more in the full commentary →

The prayer of Ya’betz

4:9And Ya’betz (Jabez) was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Ya’betz, saying, “Because I bore him with sorrow.”

טוַיְהִ֣י יַעְבֵּ֔ץ נִכְבָּ֖ד מֵאֶחָ֑יו וְאִמּ֗וֹ קָרְאָ֨ה שְׁמ֤וֹ יַעְבֵּץ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר כִּ֥י יָלַ֖דְתִּי בְּעֹֽצֶב׃

4:10And Ya’betz called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!” And God granted him that which he requested.

יוַיִּקְרָ֣א יַ֠עְבֵּץ לֵאלֹהֵ֨י יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל לֵאמֹ֗ר אִם־בָּרֵ֨ךְ תְּבָרֲכֵ֜נִי וְהִרְבִּ֤יתָ אֶת־גְּבוּלִי֙ וְהָיְתָ֤ה יָדְךָ֙ עִמִּ֔י וְעָשִׂ֥יתָ מֵּרָעָ֖ה לְבִלְתִּ֣י עָצְבִּ֑י וַיָּבֵ֥א אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֵ֥ת אֲשֶׁר־שָׁאָֽל׃

Commentary · 4:9–10

The prayer of Ya’betz

Two verses, no father named, and a prayer the Chronicler thought worth keeping: “Oh that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!” And God granted him that which he requested (4:10). Everything around it is names. This is a voice.

Hebrew lesson: יַעְבֵּץ (Ya’betz) and עֹצֶב (otzev), “sorrow.” The name is the word for sorrow with two letters swapped. His mother named him for her pain, and he asked God to turn the name around: “that it may not grieve me” (otzbi) is the same root. He prays his way out of his own name.

The Talmud says Ya’betz is Otni’el ben Kenaz, the first judge of Israel, named three verses later (4:13): “Otni’el, because God answered him (anah El); Ya’betz, because he counseled (ya’atz) and spread Torah in Israel” (Temurah 16a). So the sages read it as a prayer about Torah: “bless me” with Torah, “enlarge my border” with students, “let Your hand be with me” that my learning not be forgotten. Yeshua taught his disciples to pray the same way: “deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13). A community back from exile, with small borders and sorrow in every family, needed to hear that such a prayer is answered.

Read more in the full commentary →

4:11And Keluv (Chelub) the brother of Shuchah (Shuah) begat Mechir (Mehir), which was the father of Eshton.

יאוּכְל֥וּב אֲחִֽי־שׁוּחָ֖ה הוֹלִ֣יד אֶת־מְחִ֑יר ה֖וּא אֲבִ֥י אֶשְׁתּֽוֹן׃

4:12And Eshton begat Beit Rafa (Beth-rapha), and Paseach (Paseah), and Techinah (Tehinnah) the father of Ir Nachash (Ir-nahash). These are the men of Rechah.

יבוְאֶשְׁתּ֗וֹן הוֹלִ֞יד אֶת־בֵּ֤ית רָפָא֙ וְאֶת־פָּסֵ֔חַ וְאֶת־תְּחִנָּ֖ה אֲבִ֣י עִ֣יר נָחָ֑שׁ אֵ֖לֶּה אַנְשֵׁ֥י רֵכָֽה׃

4:13And the sons of Kenaz; Otni’el (Othniel), and Serayah (Seraiah): and the sons of Otni’el; Chatat (Hathath).

יגוּבְנֵ֣י קְנַ֔ז עָתְנִיאֵ֖ל וּשְׂרָיָ֑ה וּבְנֵ֥י עָתְנִיאֵ֖ל חֲתַֽת׃

4:14And Me’onotai (Meonothai) begat Ofrah (Ophrah): and Serayah begat Yo’av (Joab), the father of the valley of Charashim; for they were craftsmen.

ידוּמְעוֹנֹתַ֖י הוֹלִ֣יד אֶת־עָפְרָ֑ה וּשְׂרָיָ֗ה הוֹלִ֤יד אֶת־יוֹאָב֙ אֲבִי֙ גֵּ֣יא חֲרָשִׁ֔ים כִּ֥י חֲרָשִׁ֖ים הָיֽוּ׃

4:15And the sons of Kalev (Caleb) the son of Yefuneh (Jephunneh); Iru, Elah, and Na’am (Naam): and the sons of Elah, even Kenaz.

טווּבְנֵי֙ כָּלֵ֣ב בֶּן־יְפֻנֶּ֔ה עִ֥ירוּ אֵלָ֖ה וָנָ֑עַם וּבְנֵ֥י אֵלָ֖ה וּקְנַֽז׃

4:16And the sons of Yehalel’el (Jehaleleel); Zif (Ziph), and Zifah (Ziphah), Tirya (Tiria), and Asar’el (Asareel).

טזוּבְנֵ֖י יְהַלֶּלְאֵ֑ל זִ֣יף וְזִיפָ֔ה תִּירְיָ֖א וַאֲשַׂרְאֵֽל׃

4:17And the sons of Ezrah (Ezra) were, Yeter (Jether), and Mered, and Efer (Epher), and Yalon (Jalon): and she bore Miryam (Miriam), and Shamai (Shammai), and Yishbach (Ishbah) the father of Eshtemoa.

יזוּבֶן־עֶזְרָ֔ה יֶ֥תֶר וּמֶ֖רֶד וְעֵ֣פֶר וְיָל֑וֹן וַתַּ֨הַר֙ אֶת־מִרְיָ֣ם וְאֶת־שַׁמַּ֔י וְאֶת־יִשְׁבָּ֖ח אֲבִ֥י אֶשְׁתְּמֹֽעַ׃

4:18And his wife Yehudiyah (Jehudijah) bore Yered (Jered) the father of Gedor, and Chever (Heber) the father of Socho, and Yekuti’el (Jekuthiel) the father of Zanoach (Zanoah). And these are the sons of Bityah (Bithiah) the daughter of Par’oh (Pharaoh), which Mered took.

יחוְאִשְׁתּ֣וֹ הַיְהֻדִיָּ֗ה יָלְדָ֞ה אֶת־יֶ֨רֶד אֲבִ֤י גְדוֹר֙ וְאֶת־חֶ֨בֶר֙ אֲבִ֣י שׂוֹכ֔וֹ וְאֶת־יְקֽוּתִיאֵ֖ל אֲבִ֣י זָנ֑וֹחַ וְאֵ֗לֶּה בְּנֵי֙ בִּתְיָ֣ה בַת־פַּרְעֹ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר לָקַ֖ח מָֽרֶד׃

4:19And the sons of his wife Hodiyah (Hodiah) the sister of Nacham (Naham), the father of Ke’ilah (Keilah) the Garmi (Garmite), and Eshtemoa the Ma’achati (Maachathite).

יטוּבְנֵי֙ אֵ֣שֶׁת הֽוֹדִיָּ֔ה אֲח֣וֹת נַ֔חַם אֲבִ֥י קְעִילָ֖ה הַגַּרְמִ֑י וְאֶשְׁתְּמֹ֖עַ הַמַּעֲכָתִֽי׃

4:20And the sons of Shimon were, Amnon, and Rinah (Rinnah), Ben-Chanan (Ben-hanan), and Tilon. And the sons of Yish’i (Ishi) were, Zochet (Zoheth), and Ben-Zochet (Ben-zoheth).

כוּבְנֵ֣י שִׁימ֔וֹן אַמְנ֣וֹן וְרִנָּ֔ה בֶּן־חָנָ֖ן וְתִיל֑וֹן (כתיב ותולון) וּבְנֵ֣י יִשְׁעִ֔י זוֹחֵ֖ת וּבֶן־זוֹחֵֽת׃

Commentary · 4:11–20

Bityah, the daughter of Par’oh

Among the small clans comes a strange sentence: “And these are the sons of Bityah the daughter of Par’oh, which Mered took” (4:18). A daughter of Par’oh married into Yehudah.

The Talmud reads every name (Megillah 13a). Yered is Moshe, because manna came down (yarad) in his days. Mered is Kalev, who rebelled (marad) against the counsel of the spies: “Let the rebel come and take the rebel,” the princess who rebelled against her father’s idols. The Holy One said to her, “Moshe was not your son, and you called him your son; you are not My daughter, and I call you My daughter”: בִּתְיָה (Bityah), “daughter of Yah” (Vayikra Rabbah 1:3). She “bore” Yered though she only raised him, because “whoever raises an orphan in his house, Scripture counts it as if he had borne him” (Megillah 13a). The Chronicler keeps her whole story in one word, Yehudiyah, “the Jewess.”

Rabbi Palvanov, in his class “Understanding Edom #5 – Gog & Mashiach,” brings a midrash: “just as the daughter of Pharaoh raised the boy that would ultimately bring down her father’s dynasty, so too with Mashiach” (Shemot Rabbah 1:26). Moshe was raised as an Egyptian prince and not recognized by his brothers (Acts 7:25); Yeshua has been carried for two thousand years in the arms of the nations. Bityah reminds us that a Gentile who leaves her father’s gods to cling to Israel is called His daughter.

Read more in the full commentary →

The sons of Shelah

4:21The sons of Shelah the son of Yehudah were, Er the father of Lechah (Lecah), and La’dah (Laadah) the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of them that wrought fine linen, of the house of Ashbea,

כאבְּנֵי֙ שֵׁלָ֣ה בֶן־יְהוּדָ֔ה עֵ֚ר אֲבִ֣י לֵכָ֔ה וְלַעְדָּ֖ה אֲבִ֣י מָרֵשָׁ֑ה וּמִשְׁפְּח֛וֹת בֵּית־עֲבֹדַ֥ת הַבֻּ֖ץ לְבֵ֥ית אַשְׁבֵּֽעַ׃

4:22And Yokim (Jokim), and the men of Chozeva (Chozeba), and Yo’ash (Joash), and Saraf (Saraph), who had the dominion in Mo’av (Moab), and Yashuvi-Lechem (Jashubi-lehem). And these are ancient things.

כבוְיוֹקִ֞ים וְאַנְשֵׁ֣י כֹזֵבָ֗א וְיוֹאָ֧שׁ וְשָׂרָ֛ף אֲשֶׁר־בָּעֲל֥וּ לְמוֹאָ֖ב וְיָשֻׁ֣בִי לָ֑חֶם וְהַדְּבָרִ֖ים עַתִּיקִֽים׃

4:23These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work.

כגהֵ֚מָּה הַיּ֣וֹצְרִ֔ים וְיֹשְׁבֵ֥י נְטָעִ֖ים וּגְדֵרָ֑ה עִם־הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ בִּמְלַאכְתּ֖וֹ יָ֥שְׁבוּ שָֽׁם׃

Commentary · 4:21–23

Linen workers and potters “with the king”

Shelah’s family were weavers of בּוּץ (butz), the fine linen of the Temple veil and the Levite singers (2 Chronicles 3:14; 5:12), and potters who “dwelt with the king for his work” (4:23). The Temple needed linen and clay as much as gold.

The Talmud reads these verses as the story of Ruth in code (Bava Batra 91b; Ruth Rabbah 2:1–2). Yo’ash and Saraf are Machlon and Kilyon: Yo’ash because they despaired (nitya’ashu) of redemption, Saraf because they deserved burning. “Who had the dominion in Mo’av” means they married Moabite women. Yashuvi-Lechem is Ruth, who returned (shavah) to Beit Lechem. “These are ancient things” are things spoken by the Ancient of Days. And “there they dwelt with the king” is Ruth, who lived to see the kingdom of Shlomo, her great-great-grandson. It is midrash, not translation, but it shows how the sages heard this chapter: the family of the Messiah is hidden in the lists, Mo’av and all.

Matthew does not hide Ruth either (Matthew 1:5). Our Sukkot 5787 shiur “The Son of David” made the point: Hashem’s hand is in the line of the King in ways no one expects, and a Moabite convert is one of them. And the bride of the Lamb is dressed in fine linen, “for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints” (Revelation 19:8). “With the king for his work” describes every servant in the kingdom.

Read more in the full commentary →

The sons of Shim’on

4:24The sons of Shim’on (Simeon) were, Nemu’el (Nemuel), and Yamin (Jamin), Yariv (Jarib), Zerach (Zerah), and Shaul:

כדבְּנֵ֖י שִׁמְע֑וֹן נְמוּאֵ֣ל וְיָמִ֔ין יָרִ֖יב זֶ֥רַח שָׁאֽוּל׃

4:25Shalum (Shallum) his son, Mivsam (Mibsam) his son, Mishma his son.

כהשַׁלֻּ֥ם בְּנ֛וֹ מִבְשָׂ֥ם בְּנ֖וֹ מִשְׁמָ֥ע בְּנֽוֹ׃

4:26And the sons of Mishma; Chamu’el (Hamuel) his son, Zakur (Zacchur) his son, Shimei his son.

כווּבְנֵ֖י מִשְׁמָ֑ע חַמּוּאֵ֥ל בְּנ֛וֹ זַכּ֥וּר בְּנ֖וֹ שִׁמְעִ֥י בְנֽוֹ׃

4:27And 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 Yehudah.

כזוּלְשִׁמְעִ֞י בָּנִ֨ים שִׁשָּׁ֤ה עָשָׂר֙ וּבָנ֣וֹת שֵׁ֔שׁ וּלְאֶחָ֕יו אֵ֖ין בָּנִ֣ים רַבִּ֑ים וְכֹל֙ מִשְׁפַּחְתָּ֔ם לֹ֥א הִרְבּ֖וּ עַד־בְּנֵ֥י יְהוּדָֽה׃

The towns of Shim’on

4:28And they dwelt at Be’er Sheva (Beer-sheba), and Moladah, and Chatzar Shu’al (Hazar-shual),

כחוַיֵּֽשְׁב֛וּ בִּבְאֵֽר־שֶׁ֥בַע וּמוֹלָדָ֖ה וַחֲצַ֥ר שׁוּעָֽל׃

4:29And at Bilhah, and at Etzem (Ezem), and at Tolad,

כטוּבְבִלְהָ֥ה וּבְעֶ֖צֶם וּבְתוֹלָֽד׃

4:30And at Betu’el (Bethuel), and at Chormah (Hormah), and at Tziklag (Ziklag),

לוּבִבְתוּאֵ֥ל וּבְחָרְמָ֖ה וּבְצִֽיקְלָֽג׃

4:31And at Beit Markavot (Beth-marcaboth), and Chatzar Susim (Hazar-susim), and at Beit Bir’i (Beth-birei), and at Sha’arayim (Shaaraim). These were their cities unto the reign of David.

לאוּבְבֵ֤ית מַרְכָּבוֹת֙ וּבַחֲצַ֣ר סוּסִ֔ים וּבְבֵ֥ית בִּרְאִ֖י וּֽבְשַׁעֲרָ֑יִם אֵ֥לֶּה עָרֵיהֶ֖ם עַד־מְלֹ֥ךְ דָּוִֽיד׃

4:32And their villages were, Etam, and Ayin (Ain), Rimon (Rimmon), and Tochen, and Ashan, five cities:

לבוְחַצְרֵיהֶם֙ עֵיטָ֣ם וָעַ֔יִן רִמּ֥וֹן וְתֹ֖כֶן וְעָשָׁ֑ן עָרִ֖ים חָמֵֽשׁ׃

4:33And all their villages that were round about the same cities, unto Ba’al (Baal). These were their habitations, and their genealogy.

לגוְכָל־חַצְרֵיהֶ֗ם אֲשֶׁ֧ר סְבִיב֛וֹת הֶעָרִ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה עַד־בָּ֑עַל זֹ֚את מוֹשְׁבֹתָ֔ם וְהִתְיַחְשָׂ֖ם לָהֶֽם׃

4:34And Meshovav (Meshobab), and Yamlech (Jamlech), and Yoshah (Joshah) the son of Amatzyah (Amaziah),

לדוּמְשׁוֹבָ֣ב וְיַמְלֵ֔ךְ וְיוֹשָׁ֖ה בֶּן־אֲמַצְיָֽה׃

4:35And Yo’el (Joel), and Yehu (Jehu) the son of Yoshivyah (Josibiah), the son of Serayah, the son of Asi’el (Asiel),

להוְיוֹאֵ֑ל וְיֵהוּא֙ בֶּן־י֣וֹשִׁבְיָ֔ה בֶּן־שְׂרָיָ֖ה בֶּן־עֲשִׂיאֵֽל׃

4:36And Elyo’enai (Elioenai), and Ya’akovah (Jaakobah), and Yeshochayah (Jeshohaiah), and Asayah (Asaiah), and Adi’el (Adiel), and Yesimi’el (Jesimiel), and Benayah (Benaiah),

לווְאֶלְיוֹעֵינַ֡י וְֽיַעֲקֹ֡בָה וִ֠ישׁוֹחָיָה וַעֲשָׂיָ֧ה וַעֲדִיאֵ֛ל וִישִׂימִאֵ֖ל וּבְנָיָֽה׃

4:37And Ziza the son of Shif’i (Shiphi), the son of Alon (Allon), the son of Yedayah (Jedaiah), the son of Shimri, the son of Shema’yah (Shemaiah);

לזוְזִיזָ֨א בֶן־שִׁפְעִ֧י בֶן־אַלּ֛וֹן בֶּן־יְדָיָ֥ה בֶן־שִׁמְרִ֖י בֶּן־שְׁמַֽעְיָֽה׃

4:38These mentioned by their names were princes in their families: and the house of their fathers increased greatly.

לחאֵ֚לֶּה הַבָּאִ֣ים בְּשֵׁמ֔וֹת נְשִׂיאִ֖ים בְּמִשְׁפְּחוֹתָ֑ם וּבֵית֙ אֲב֣וֹתֵיהֶ֔ם פָּרְצ֖וּ לָרֽוֹב׃

Commentary · 4:24–38

Shim’on, scattered in Yehudah

“Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brethren had not many children” (4:27). Shim’on comes right after Yehudah because Shim’on lived inside Yehudah. Joshua gave the tribe its towns “within the inheritance of the children of Yehudah” (Joshua 19:1, 9), most of them in the Negev, and “these were their cities unto the reign of David” (4:31).

Why so small? At Sinai Shim’on numbered 59,300 (Numbers 1:23). After Ba’al Pe’or, where Zimri the Shim’onite led the sin, the count was 22,200, the smallest tribe (Numbers 26:14). Ya’akov had said of Shim’on and Levi, “I will divide them in Ya’akov, and scatter them in Israel” (Genesis 49:7), and Moshe blesses every tribe in Deuteronomy 33 except Shim’on. Rashi, on Genesis 49:7, brings the midrash that the poor scribes and teachers of little children came from Shim’on. A curse of dispersion became a tribe of schoolteachers.

FFOZ reads Ya’akov’s words the same way: “The tribe of Judah absorbed Simeon’s territory under the Davidic monarchy” (End of Days, Lesson 12, “Acharit HaYamim”). Yet the Chronicler still writes Shim’on’s princes “by their names” (4:38). In Hashem’s register no tribe disappears: “of the tribe of Shim’on were sealed twelve thousand” (Revelation 7:7).

Read more in the full commentary →

Shim’on at Gedor and Mount Se’ir

4:39And they went to the entrance of Gedor, even unto the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks.

לטוַיֵּלְכוּ֙ לִמְב֣וֹא גְדֹ֔ר עַ֖ד לְמִזְרַ֣ח הַגָּ֑יְא לְבַקֵּ֥שׁ מִרְעֶ֖ה לְצֹאנָֽם׃

4:40And they found fat pasture and good, and the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceable; for they of Cham (Ham) had dwelt there of old.

מוַֽיִּמְצְא֤וּ מִרְעֶה֙ שָׁמֵ֣ן וָט֔וֹב וְהָאָ֨רֶץ֙ רַחֲבַ֣ת יָדַ֔יִם וְשֹׁקֶ֖טֶת וּשְׁלֵוָ֑ה כִּ֣י מִן־חָ֔ם הַיֹּשְׁבִ֥ים שָׁ֖ם לְפָנִֽים׃

4:41And these written by name came in the days of Yechizkiyahu (Hezekiah) king of Yehudah, and struck 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.

מאוַיָּבֹ֡אוּ אֵלֶּה֩ הַכְּתוּבִ֨ים בְּשֵׁמ֜וֹת בִּימֵ֣י ׀ יְחִזְקִיָּ֣הוּ מֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֗ה וַיַּכּ֨וּ אֶת־אָהֳלֵיהֶ֜ם וְאֶת־הַמְּעוּנִ֨ים (כתיב המעינים) אֲשֶׁ֤ר נִמְצְאוּ־שָׁ֨מָּה֙ וַיַּחֲרִימֻם֙ עַד־הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה וַיֵּשְׁב֖וּ תַּחְתֵּיהֶ֑ם כִּֽי־מִרְעֶ֥ה לְצֹאנָ֖ם שָֽׁם׃

4:42And some of them, even of the sons of Shim’on, five hundred men, went to mount Se’ir (Seir), having for their captains Pelatyah (Pelatiah), and Ne’aryah (Neariah), and Refayah (Rephaiah), and Uzzi’el (Uzziel), the sons of Yish’i.

מבוּמֵהֶ֣ם ׀ מִן־בְּנֵ֣י שִׁמְע֗וֹן הָלְכוּ֙ לְהַ֣ר שֵׂעִ֔יר אֲנָשִׁ֖ים חֲמֵ֣שׁ מֵא֑וֹת וּפְלַטְיָ֡ה וּ֠נְעַרְיָה וּרְפָיָ֧ה וְעֻזִּיאֵ֛ל בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׁעִ֖י בְּרֹאשָֽׁם׃

4:43And they struck the rest of the Amaleki (Amalekites) that were escaped, and dwelt there unto this day.

מגוַיַּכּ֕וּ אֶת־שְׁאֵרִ֥ית הַפְּלֵטָ֖ה לַעֲמָלֵ֑ק וַיֵּ֣שְׁבוּ שָׁ֔ם עַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃

Commentary · 4:39–43

Gedor and Mount Se’ir: the remnant of Amalek

Here the list becomes a story. In the days of Yechizkiyahu, the years when Ashur was carrying the northern tribes away, little Shim’on was pushing out: toward Gedor, where the land was “wide, and quiet, and peaceable” (4:40), and south-east to Mount Se’ir, where five hundred men “struck the rest of the Amaleki that were escaped” (4:43).

Shaul was told to blot out Amalek and spared Agag (1 Samuel 15). David struck the Amalekites who burned Tziklag, but four hundred young men on camels escaped (1 Samuel 30:17). Their remnant lived on in Esav’s country until Shim’on’s shepherds came looking for grass. Rabbi Palvanov, in his class “Understanding Mashiach ben Yosef,” teaches that “Mashiach ben Yosef has the ability to destroy Amalek.” Amalek’s end belongs to the redemption: “saviours shall come up on mount Tziyon to judge the mount of Esav; and the kingdom shall be Hashem’s” (Obadiah 1:21). Shim’on’s small victory is a down payment on that verse.

The sages say Hashem wished to make Yechizkiyahu the Messiah and Sancheriv Gog and Magog (Sanhedrin 94a). His days were a picture of redemption, not the thing itself. The Chronicler’s readers, back in a small Yehudah, could look at that picture and hope.

Read more in the full commentary →

Sources & method

Hebrew text: The Masoretic text with vowels (nikkud) and cantillation marks (ta’amim), from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain) as published by the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (CC BY 4.0). Where the written text (ketiv) differs from the reading (qere), the reading is shown and the written form follows in small type. A paragraph mark (ס or פ) inside a verse is shown in small type.
English translation: The King James Version (public domain), lightly modernized by Benei Avraham: “thee/thou/ye” become “you,” older verb forms are updated (“hath” to “has”), and archaic words are replaced only where the meaning would otherwise be unclear. People and places carry their Hebrew names, with the King James spelling in parentheses the first time on each page (e.g., Yehudah (Judah)). The Divine Name (יהוה, “the LORD” in the KJV) is written “Hashem”; “God” (Elohim) is unchanged, and “law” is “Torah” where the Hebrew is תּוֹרָה.
Verse numbers: Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible. In 1 Chronicles they differ from most English Bibles in chapters 5, 6 and 12; a note under the summary on those pages explains how.
Commentary: Written for our Wednesday Tenakh study from a Messianic Jewish perspective, in line with the Benei Avraham Statement of Faith. It reads the passage first in its Torah setting, then with the Sages, and then with the witness of the Brit Hadashah. Its sources include the Talmud and Midrash, Rashi, Radak, Rambam, the First Fruits of Zion End of Days lessons, and teachings of Rabbi Efraim Palvanov and Ariel Cohen Alloro. Numerical readings (gematria) are offered as hints, not proofs. The notes here are short versions of our full 1 Chronicles commentary, which is a draft for our teachers to review. They are shown by default; tap Commentary to hide them.
Quiz: Written by Benei Avraham for young readers (about 11 and up). Every answer is in the chapter on this page. Answers and scores are kept only in this browser (local storage) and can be cleared with Start over.
Hebrew font: SBL Hebrew, by the Society of Biblical Literature.

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1 Chronicles 4 (Divrei HaYamim Alef) in Hebrew and English

1 Chronicles, Chapter 4

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