Matthew Poole and continuators on 1 Chronicles 4

THe sons of Judah; Pharez, Hezron, and Carmi, and Hur, and Shobal.

i. e. The Posterity: For onely Pharez was his immediate Son. But they are all mentioned here onely to shew Shobals Descent from Iudah, of whom he intended to speak more particularly.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 word]. 38. 29. [illegible: 1+ letters]. 12.; [illegible: 1 span].

2 And ‖ Reajah the son of Shobal, begat Jahath, and Jahath begat Ahumai, and Lahad. These are the families of the Zorathite .

Call[illegible: 1+ letters] Haroch, ch. 2. 52. of whom see there.

Of whom see [illegible: 1 word] ch. 2. 5[illegible: 1+ letters].

Marginal references: Or, [illegible: 1 word], [illegible: 1+ letters]. 52.

3 And these were of the father of Etam ; Jezreel, and Ishma, and Idbash: and the name of their sister was Hazelelponi.

Etam is the Name either of a Man, or of a Place: of which see below, v. 32. & 2 Chron. 11. 6. Whose Inhabitants descended from him. The Name of this Father is not here expressed.

4 And Penuel the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These are the sons of Hur, the first-born of Ephratah , the father of Beth-lehem .

Either they are other Sons besides those mentioned ch. 2. or there is some variation in their Names, which is most frequent among the Hebrews, as hath been oft proved.

This Title is here given to the Father, and ch. 2. 51. to Salma, his Son, who had it either with, or after his Father. See the Notes on ch. 2. 51, 52.

7 And the sons of Helah were, Zereth, and Jezoar, and Ethnan .

Understand here, and Coz, out of the beginning of the following Verse. The like Ellipses we have in the end of v. 13. and of ch. 7. v. 18.

9 And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren : and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.

One of the Fathers of the Families of Aharhel last mentioned.

For Courage, and especially for true and servent Piety expressed in the following Petition.

Marginal references: That is sorrowful.

10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel , saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed , and enlarge my coast , and that thine hand might be with me , and that thou wouldest keep me from evil , that it may not grieve me . And God granted him that which he requested.

When he was undertaking some great and dangerous Service.

I trust not to my own or Peoples Valour, but onely to thy Blessing and Help.

Drive out these Wicked and Cursed Canaanites, whom thou hast commanded us to root out, and therefore I justly beg and expect thy Blessing in the Execution of thy Command.

To protect and strengthen me against my Adversaries.

Or, work with (for so the Hebrew Prefix Mem is sometimes used, as Cant. 1. 2. & 3. 9. Isa, 5. 7, 8.) evil, i. e. so restrain and govern it.

That it may not oppress and overcome me, which will be very grievous to me. The consequent put for the antecedent; and more is understood than is expressed. He useth this Expression in allusion to his Name, which signifies grief, q. d. Lord▪ let me not have that Grief which my Name implies, and which my Sin deserves.

Marginal references: Heb. If tho[illegible: 1+ letters] wilt, &c.; Heb. Do [illegible: 1 word]

12 And Eshton begat Beth-rapha, and Paseah, and Tehinnah the Father of Irnahash. These are the men of Rechah .

From these are sprung the present Inhabitants of Rechah, a Town not elsewhere mentioned.

Marginal references: Or, the City of Nahash▪

13 And the sons of Kenaz ; Othniel, and Serajah: and the sons of Othniel; Hathath .

The Son either of Chelub, v. 11. or of his Son Eshton, v. 12. and the Father of Iepha[illegible: 1+ letters]neh, and consequently Calebs Grandfather, v. 15. Whence Caleb is called a Kenezite, Numb. 32. 12.

Understand, and Meonothai, out of v. 14. See above on v. 7.

Marginal references: Or, Hathath and Men[illegible: 1+ letters]thai, who begat, &c.

14 And Meonothai begat Ophrah: and Serajah begat Joab, the father of the valley of Charashim, for they were Crastsmen.

i. e. Of the Inhabitants of the Valley.

Marginal references: Nehem. 11. 35.; Or, Inhabitants of the Valley, &c.; That is, Craftsmen.

15 And the sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh; Iru, Elah, and Naam: and the sons of Elah; even Kenaz .

Another Kenaz, differing from that Kenaz, v. 13. Or, his Name might be Uknaz.

Marginal references: Or, U[illegible: 1+ letters]naz.

16 And the sons of Jehaleleel ; Ziph, and Ziphah, Tiria, and Azareel.

The Son of Kenaz, or Uknaz last mentioned.

17 And the sons of Ezra were, Jether, and Mered, and Epher, and Jalon: and she bare Miriam, and Shamma, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa.

The Son of Azareel last named.

She, i. e. Bithiah, bare unto Mered, as may seem by comparing this with v. 18.

18 And his wife Jehudijah bare Jered the father of Gedor, and Heber the father of Zocho and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. And these are the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh , which Mered took.

Either Ezra's Wife, or rather, another Wife of Mered.

Or, the Iewess, so called to distinguish her from his Egyptian Wife here following.

To wit, Miriam, and the rest following, v. 17.

Either 1. of Pharaoh King of Egypt: For Mered might be a Person of great Estate and quality: Or this might be onely Pharaohs Illegitimate Daughter. Or, of some other Egyptian or Israelite called by that Name; which might easily happen upon divers occasions.

Marginal references: Or, the Iewes[illegible: 1+ letters].

19 And the sons of his wife Hodiah, , the sister of Naham, the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maachathite.

His third Wife.

Marginal references: Or, Iehudijah, mentioned before.

20 And the sons of Shimon were, Amnon, and Rinnah, Ben-hanan, and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi were Zoheth, and Ben-zoheth.

Another Son of the Father of Keilah, mentioned v. 19.

son of Tilon last mentioned.

21 The sons of Shelah the son of Judah were, Er, the father of Lecah, and Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of them that wrought fine linen, of the house of Ashbea.

Having treated of the Posterity of Iudah by Pharez, and by Zare, he now comes to his Progeny by Shelah, of whom see Gen. 38.

Marginal references: Gen. 38. 1, 5.

22 And Jokim, and the men of Chozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who had the dominion in Moab , and Jashubi-lehem. And, these are ancient things .

Which they ruled in the name and for the use and service of the Kings of Iudah, to whom Moab was Subject from Davids Time. Or, who had Possessions in Moab: or, who married Wives in Moab.

The Sence is either, 1. These Persons and things were in Ancient Times; and therefore it is not strange if now they be so little known. But that might have been with equal truth said of divers other parts of this Account. Or, rather 2. But those Blessed times and Things are long since past and gone. Our Ancestors then had the Dominion over the Heathen, but their degenerate Posterity are now Slaves to them in Chaldea, Persia, &c. where they are employed as Potters or Gardiners, or in other Servile Works.

Marginal references: Or, But.

23 These were the Potters, and those that dwelt amongst plants and Hedges: there they dwelt with the King for his work.

Or rather, these are: for he seems to oppose their present Servitude to their former Glory▪ and to shew their low and mean Spirits that had rather tarry among the Heathen to do their Drudgery, than return to Ierusalem to serve God and enjoy their Freedom.

Or, tarr[illegible: 1+ letters]ed, or, now dwell; when their Brethren are returned.

Of Babylon or▪ Persia▪ Esteeming it a greater Honour and Happiness to serve that Earthly Monarch in the meanest Employments, than to serve the King of Kings in his Temple, and in his most Noble and Heavenly Work.

24 The sons of Simeon were Nemuel, and Jammi, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul:

These are here joyned with Iudah, because their Possession was taken out of Iudahs Portion, Ies. 19. 1. This Account seems to differ from that, Gen. 46. both in the Number and Names of the Persons, which is not strange, considering how Customary it was amongst the Hebrews for one Person to have 2, or 3 Names given to him upon several occasions. And for Ohad, Gen. 46. 10. he may be omitted here, because he left no Posterity or Family after him, as the rest did.

Marginal references: Or, Ie[illegible: 1+ letters]uel, Gen. 46. 10. Exod. 6. 15.

25 Shallum his son , Mibsam his son, Mishma his son.

i. e. Son of Saul last mentioned.

27 And 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 Judah .

The Tribe of Simeon did not increase proportionably to the Tribe of Iudah in which they dwelt; as appears by those two Catalogues, Numb. 1. 22. & 26. 14. Which is to be ascribed to Gods Curse upon them delivered by the Mouth of Holy Iacob, Gen. 49. and signified by Moses his neglect of them when he Blessed all the other Tribes.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 span].

28 And they dwelt at Beer-sheba , and Moladah, and Hazar-shual,

This, and the following Cities are mentioned, Ios. 19. 2, &c. with no great Alterations.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 span].

31 And at Beth-marcaboth, and Hazar-susim, and at Beth-birei, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities unto the reign of David .

Either 1. of Davids Posterity; i. e. as long as the Kingdom of Iudah lasted, or until the Captivity of Babylon. But this seems not to be true; for Simeon was gone into Captivity with the rest of the Ten Tribes long before that time. Or rather 2. of David himself. And this may seem to be added, because some of these Cities though given to Simeon by Ioshua, yet through the Sloth or Cowardize of that Tribe, were not taken from the Philistins, until Davids Time, who took some of them; and, the Simeonites having justly forfeited their Right to them by their neglect, gave them to his own Tribe. For it is evident concerning Ziklag, one of them, that it was in the Philistins Hands in Davids Time, and by them given to him, and by him annexed to the Tribe of Iudah, 1 Sam. 27. 6.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 span].

34 And Meshobah, and Jamlech , and Joshah, the son of Amaziah.

These and the rest here following are particularly mentioned for their Valiant and Successful Atchievements related v. 39▪ &c.

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

Named v. 34, 35, 36, 37.

Which forced them to seek for new and larger Habitations.

Marginal references: Heb. [illegible: 1 word].; [illegible: 1 span]

39 And they went to the entrance of Gedor , even unto the eastside of the valley , to seek Pasture for their flocks.

To that Country that belongs to Gedor, or borders upon it: either that Gedor, Ios. 15. 58. or that called Gederah, Ios. 15. 36.

Of which see on 1 Sam. 17. 1, 52.

40 And they [illegible: 1+ letters]ound [illegible: 1+ letters]at pasture and good, and the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceable: for they of Ham had dwelt there of old .

i. e. The Posterity of that cursed Ham, either the Arabians: or the Canaanites, or Philistins, who descended from Ham, Gen. 10. 6. And accordingly these words contain a Reason, either 1. to prove that the land was good; because the Arabians, who being wholly given to Pasturage, used to find out the Choicest Grounds, had formerly pitched their Tents there. Or, 2. Why they went and possessed this Place, because it was not in the Hands of their Brethren of Iudah, but in the Possession of that People which they had Authority and Command to expel.

i. e. Had possessed it of old and hitherto. Or, dwelt there before, i. e. before they came and cast them out of their Possessions.

41 And these written by name, came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah , and smote their tents , and the habitations that were [illegible: 1+ letters]ound there, and destroyed them utterly unto this day , and dwelt in their rooms: because there was pasture there for their flocks.

But a little before their Captivity, which was in the sixth year of Hezekiah, 2 Kings 17. So their Joy in their new, and pleasant, and fruitful Possessions lasted but for a very little while.

i. e. The People dwelling in Tents: for so it seems these still did for the conveniency of Pasturage.

i. e. so as they could never after recover themselves.

42 And some of them, even of the sons of Simeon, five hundred men, went to mount Seir , having for their captains Pelatiah, and Neariah, and Rephajah, and Uzziel the sons of Ishi.

Probably about the same time.

Marginal references: Heb. in the [illegible: 1 word] of [illegible: 1 word], [illegible: 1 word]. 10. 9.

43 And they smote the rest of the Amalekites that were escaped, and dwelt there unto this day .

No[illegible: 1+ letters] destroyed by Saul, or David, or his Successors.

Either 1. until the Captivity of the Ten Tribes. But that happening so speedily after this time, this Expression may seem to be very improper and insignificant here. Or rather 2. until the Babylonish Captivity or the time next after it, when these books were written. For although the main Body of that Tribe dwelling in Canaan were carried into Captivity, yet this small Remnant of them having removed their Dwellings, and being planted in Mount Seir, which by Southward from Iudah, might possibly be continued and preserved in those Parts, when their Brethren were gone into Captivity.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 span].