Text -- 1 Chronicles 4:17-43 (NET)

4:17 The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. Mered’s wife Bithiah gave birth to Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah, the father of Eshtemoa. 4:18 (His Judahite wife gave birth to Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah.) These were the sons of Pharaoh’s daughter Bithiah, whom Mered married. 4:19 The sons of Hodiah’s wife, the sister of Naham: the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maacathite. 4:20 The sons of Shimon: Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan, and Tilon. The descendants of Ishi: Zoheth and Ben Zoheth. 4:21 The sons of Shelah son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, the clans of the linen workers at Beth-Ashbea, 4:22 Jokim, the men of Cozeba, and Joash and Saraph, both of whom ruled in Moab and Jashubi Lehem. (This information is from ancient records.) 4:23 They were the potters who lived in Netaim and Gederah; they lived there and worked for the king.

Simeon’s Descendants

4:24 The descendants of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, Shaul, 4:25 his son Shallum, his son Mibsam, and his son Mishma. 4:26 The descendants of Mishma: His son Hammuel, his son Zaccur, and his son Shimei. 4:27 Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters. But his brothers did not have many sons, so their whole clan was not as numerous as the sons of Judah. 4:28 They lived in Beer Sheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual, 4:29 Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, 4:30 Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, 4:31 Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri, and Shaaraim. These were their towns until the reign of David. 4:32 Their settlements also included Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan– five towns. 4:33 They also lived in all the settlements that surrounded these towns as far as Baal. These were their settlements; they kept genealogical records. 4:34 Their clan leaders were: Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of Amaziah, 4:35 Joel, Jehu son of Joshibiah (son of Seraiah, son of Asiel), 4:36 Eleoenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah, 4:37 Ziza son of Shipi (son of Allon, son of Jedaiah, son of Shimri, son of Shemaiah). 4:38 These who are named above were the leaders of their clans. Their extended families increased greatly in numbers. 4:39 They went to the entrance of Gedor, to the east of the valley, looking for pasture for their sheep. 4:40 They found fertile and rich pasture; the land was very broad, undisturbed and peaceful. Indeed some Hamites had been living there prior to that. 4:41 The men whose names are listed came during the time of King Hezekiah of Judah and attacked the Hamites’ settlements, as well as the Meunites they discovered there, and they wiped them out to this very day. They dispossessed them, for they found pasture for their sheep there. 4:42 Five hundred men of Simeon, led by Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi, went to the hill country of Seir 4:43 and defeated the rest of the Amalekite refugees; they live there to this very day.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: 1Ch 4:17

¹ tn The Hebrew text has simply, “and she gave birth to,” without identifying the subject. The words “Mered’s wife Bithiah” are added in the translation for clarification. See v. 18b, which mentions “Bethiah, whom Mered married.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 4:18

¹ tn Heb “took,” referring to taking in marriage.

NET Notes: 1Ch 4:20

¹ tn Or “and the son of Zoheth” (NAB). The word בֶּן (ben) in Hebrew means “son [of].”

NET Notes: 1Ch 4:22

¹ tn Heb “and the words are old.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 4:23

¹ tn Heb “and those who lived in Netaim and Gederah; with the king in his work they lived there.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 4:33

¹ tc Some LXX mss read “Baalath” (cf. Josh 19:8). This is followed by some English versions (e.g., NIV, NCV, TEV, NLT).

NET Notes: 1Ch 4:34

¹ tn The words “their clan leaders were” are added in the translation for clarification. See v. 38a, which makes this clear.

NET Notes: 1Ch 4:41

¹ tn The Hebrew text reads “their tents,” apparently referring to those of the Hamites mentioned at the end of v. 40. Some prefer to emend the text to read, “the tents of Ham.”

² tn Heb “and they lived in place of them.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 4:43

¹ tn Heb “and struck down the remnant that had escaped belonging to Amalek.”