1 Chronicles Chapter 4    

“a father of Bethlehem.” This is likely the city of Bethlehem, and so in this context, the word “father” means “founder” or “leader,” or both (cp. 1 Chron. 2:51).

“the father of Tekoa.” In this context, “Tekoa” is likely the city, and in this context, the word “father” means “founder” or “leader,” or both.

“the father of Ir-nahash.” In this context, the word “father” means “founder” or “leader,” or both.

“the father of Ge-harashim.” Ge-harashim means “Valley of Craftsmen.” In this context, the word “father” means “founder” or “leader,” or both.

“the house of fine linen workers.” This likely referred to some kind of guild. For example, the CSB reads, “ the families of the guild of linen workers at Beth-ashbea.”

“The sons of Simeon.” The list of the sons of Simeon is given in Genesis 46:10; Exodus 6:15; Numbers 26:12-14, and here in 1 Chronicles 4:24. The list here in Chronicles agrees with the list in Numbers but is different than the list in Genesis and Exodus, which agree with each other.

“the entrance of Gedor.” The “entrance of Gedor” is the entrance of the territory of the city of Gedor, which is a town in the mountainous part of Judah, likely north of Hebron. The Simeonites did not multiply greatly, but they did multiply enough to move eastward into the hill country of Judah.

“the valley.” This valley is not described well enough to know which one it is. There are many valleys in the hill country of Judah.

“rich.” The Hebrew word is literally “fat,” “fat and good.”

“in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah.” In the days of Hezekiah, descendants of the tribe of Simeon had grown powerful enough to move east into the hill country of Judah and dispossess some of the native peoples that still lived there.

“devoted them to destruction.” That is, destroyed them.

[For more on things “devoted” to Yahweh and devoted to destruction, see commentary on Josh. 6:17.]

“and then they lived there to this day.” It seems that some of the Simeonites lived in the area of northern Edom and they somehow managed to not be exiled to Babylon.