4:1 The sons of Judah The five listed here are descendants of Judah, but only Perez was directly his son. They represent five successive generations from Judah. See note on 1 Chron 2:3–4:23.

4:2 Reaiah Called “Haroeh” in 2:52, but that is likely a misspelling of Reaiah.

4:4 Gedor Genealogies often include place-names, and the phrase “father of” also can be construed as “founder of.” Gedor is part of the territory allotted to Judah (Josh 15:58).

4:9 Jabez This short anecdote about Jabez in vv. 9–10 is a narrative aside, stylistically distinct from the surrounding context.

more honorable than The Hebrew word used here, kaved, denotes weightiness—both literal as the weight of a physical object and metaphorical as honor, glory, or wealth. Most translations follow the latter sense and indicate Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. However, understanding kaved in the physical sense would indicate that Jabez was heavier than his brothers. This reading makes better sense of his mother’s statement that she bore him in pain.

I bore him in pain Jabez’ name in Hebrew, yabets, is a wordplay on the Hebrew word atsab, meaning “pain.” The last part of Jabez’ prayer in v. 10 is a request to be free from pain (atsab).

4:10 And God granted what he asked Jabez’s prayer for a larger border serves as a reminder to the postexilic community that God answers prayers and is able to bring blessing instead of pain.

4:13 Kenaz Brother of Caleb son of Jephunneh (Josh 15:17).

Othniel The nephew of Caleb son of Jephunneh who earned the right to marry Caleb’s daughter Achsah (Judg 1:13).

4:15 Caleb, the son of Jephunneh One of the 12 spies to enter Canaan (Num 13:6) and the only member of his generation besides Joshua son of Nun to take part in the conquest (Josh 14:6–15).

4:21 The sons of Shelah The genealogy of the tribe of Judah ends with a brief list of the descendants from Judah’s son Shelah.

4:24 The sons of Simeon The tribe of Simeon was closely associated with Judah during the conquest and allotment of the land (Judg 1:3; Josh 19:1). In the census at the beginning of the book of Numbers, they were one of the larger tribes (Num 1:23). By the end of Numbers, they had become the smallest (Num 26:14). Eventually they came to be absorbed into the tribe of Judah.

4:27 did not have many children The decline in the size of the tribe is attributed here to its low birth rate.

4:28 they lived in Beersheba The list of cities and villages here essentially repeats the description of the territory allotted to Simeon in Josh 19:1–9 (see note on Josh 19:1).

4:33 they kept a genealogical record The Hebrew term for genealogical record—hithyaches—appears only in postexilic texts, mainly in 1–2 Chronicles (1 Chr 5:7; 7:5; 9:22; 2 Chr 12:15; Ezra 8:1). This likely indicates an increased interest in pedigree after the exile. This reference to the genealogical record of the Simeonites is likely the introduction to the list of names that follows in 1 Chr 4:34–37, since the previous material was geographical.

4:38 leaders The Hebrew word used here, nasi (which means “prince”), often designates those who are leaders of clans or tribes (Num 36:1; Josh 22:14).

4:39 the entrance of Gedor Probably a reference to Gerar, northwest of Beersheba, in territory already allotted to Simeon. Mistaking the letter “r” for “d” (and vice versa) is an extremely common spelling error in ancient Hebrew manuscripts. The Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) reads “Gerar.”

4:41 Meunites An unknown people group mentioned only in postexilic texts (2 Chr 26:7; Ezra 2:50; Neh 7:52). They may have been residents of Maon (Judg 10:12) or even Minaeans. The varied ways of spelling this name suggests the possibility of multiple groups with similar names.