1 Chronicles 4:1-23

1 Chronicles 4:1-23

[1] The sons  of Judah;  Pharez,  Hezron,  and Carmi,  and Hur,  and Shobal.  [2] And Reaiah  the son  of Shobal  begat  Jahath;  begat  Ahumai,  and Lahad.  These are the families  of the Zorathites.  [3] And these were of the father  of Etam;  Jezreel,  and Ishma,  and Idbash:  and the name  of their sister  was Hazelelponi:  [4] And Penuel  the father  of Gedor,  and Ezer  the father  of Hushah.  These are the sons  of Hur,  the firstborn  of Ephratah,  the father  of Bethlehem.  [5] And Ashur  the father  of Tekoa  had two  wives,  Helah  and Naarah.  [6] And Naarah  bare  him Ahuzam,  and Hepher,  and Temeni,  and Haahashtari.  These were the sons  of Naarah.  [7] And the sons  of Helah  were, Zereth,  and Ethnan.  [8] And Coz  begat  Anub,  and Zobebah,  and the families  of Aharhel  the son  of Harum.  [9] And Jabez  was more honourable  than his brethren:  and his mother  called  his name  Jabez,  saying,  Because I bare  him with sorrow.  [10] And Jabez  called  on the God  of Israel,  saying,  Oh that  thou wouldest bless  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.  [11] And Chelub  the brother  of Shuah  begat  Mehir,  which was the father  of Eshton.  [12] And Eshton  begat  Bethrapha,  and Paseah,  and Tehinnah  the father  of Irnahash.  of Rechah.  [13] And the sons  of Kenaz;  Othniel,  and Seraiah:  and the sons  of Othniel;  Hathath.  [14] And Meonothai  begat  Ophrah:  and Seraiah  begat  Joab,  the father  of the valley  of Charashim;  [15] And the sons  of Caleb  the son  of Jephunneh;  Iru,  Elah,  and Naam:  and the sons  of Elah,  even Kenaz.  [16] And the sons  of Jehaleleel;  Ziph,  and Ziphah,  Tiria,  and Asareel.  [17] And the sons  of Ezra  were, Jether,  and Mered,  and Epher,  and Jalon:  and she bare  Miriam,  and Shammai,  and Ishbah  the father  of Eshtemoa.  [18] And his wife  Jehudijah  bare  Jered  the father  of Gedor,  and Heber  the father  of Socho,  and Jekuthiel  the father  of Zanoah.  And these are the sons  of Bithiah  the daughter  of Pharaoh,  which Mered  took.  [19] And the sons  of his wife  Hodiah  the sister  of Naham,  the father  of Keilah  the Garmite,  and Eshtemoa  the Maachathite.  [20] And the sons  of Shimon  were, Amnon,  and Rinnah,  Benhanan,  and Tilon.  And the sons  of Ishi  were, Zoheth,  and Benzoheth.  [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,  [22] And Jokim,  and the men  of Chozeba,  and Joash,  and Saraph,  who had the dominion  in Moab,  and Jashubilehem.  And these are ancient  things.  [23] These were the potters,  and those that dwelt  among plants  there they dwelt  with the king  for his work. 

What does 1 Chronicles 4:1-23 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Jacob prophesied that his fourth Song of Solomon , Judah, would become the leader of the Israelites. Through him God would provide the greatest promised blessing to come ( Genesis 49:8-12). The Davidic dynasty was one branch of Jacob"s descendants, so the writer had special interest in Judah.
"Many unrelated fragments have been brought together here in the interests of completeness." [1]
Jabez"s prayer ( 1 Chronicles 4:10) shows that prayer and a prayer-answering God can overcome the threat of evil. [2] This writer believed in the efficacy of prayer, and he emphasized prayer much in his narrative.
"As a Judahite and ancestor of David, it seems quite likely that Jabez was a type of David and that his fervent appeal was made in anticipation of God"s selection and blessing of the yet unborn house of David." [3]