EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)
(41)
These who were written by name.—The Ameers enumerated in
1Chronicles 4:34-37.
Smote their tents.—These Hamites, like the men of Laish, were nomades.
And the habitations that were found there.—Heb. text,the wells: Heb. marg.,the Maonites, in Hebrew a very similar word. LXX.,τοὺςMivaíovs, the Maonites or Minacans. The text may be compared with the Syriac, which reads, “And all springs of water that were there they stopped up.” But the Margin is probably correct, as the verb which the Syriac supplies is wanting in the Hebrew. The Maonites appear to have been sojourners from Maon, south of the Dead Sea, near Petra, now calledMaân. (Comp.2Chronicles 20:1.)
Destroyed them utterly.—Devoted them to God for destruction;Joshua 6:17, “the city shall be accursed unto the Lord.” This practice was not peculiar to Israel, but was common to the Semitic races. Mesha, king of Moab, in like manner devoted the inhabitants of Nebo, 7,000 in number, to destruction in the name of ‘Ashtar-Chemosh. (See the Stele of Dibân, lines 14-17, in Dr. Ginsburg’sThe Moabite Stone.)
Unto this day—That is,to the time when this record was first written, long before the chronicler borrowed it from his sources.
1 Chronicles 4:41.
These came in the days of Hezekiah —But a little before their captivity, which was in the sixth year of Hezekiah, 2 Kings 17. So their joy in their new, pleasant, and fruitful possessions, lasted but for a very little while.
And smote their tents —The people dwelling in tents; in which, it seems, they continued to dwell for the convenience of pasturage.
And destroyed them unto this day —So as that they could never after recover themselves.
4:1-43 Genealogies. - In this chapter we have a further account of Judah, the most numerous and most famous of all the tribes; also an account of Simeon. The most remarkable person in this chapter is Jabez. We are not told upon what account Jabez was more honourable than his brethren; but we find that he was a praying man. The way to be truly great, is to seek to do God's will, and to pray earnestly. Here is the prayer he made. Jabez prayed to the living and true God, who alone can hear and answer prayer; and, in prayer he regarded him as a God in covenant with his people. He does not express his promise, but leaves it to be understood; he was afraid to promise in his own strength, and resolved to devote himself entirely to God. Lord, if thou wilt bless me and keep me, do what thou wilt with me; I will be at thy command and disposal for ever. As the text reads it, this was the language of a most ardent and affectionate desire, Oh that thou wouldest bless me! Four things Jabez prayed for. 1. That God would bless him indeed. Spiritual blessings are the best blessings: God's blessings are real things, and produce real effects. 2. That He would enlarge his coast. That God would enlarge our hearts, and so enlarge our portion in himself, and in the heavenly Canaan, ought to be our desire and prayer. 3. That God's hand might be with him. God's hand with us, to lead us, protect us, strengthen us, and to work all our works in us and for us, is a hand all-sufficient for us. 4. That he would keep him from evil, the evil of sin, the evil of trouble, all the evil designs of his enemies, that they might not hurt, nor make him a Jabez indeed, a man of sorrow. God granted that which he requested. God is ever ready to hear prayer: his ear is not now heavy.
The habitations - Rather, "the Mehunim" (compare
2 Chronicles 36:7), called also "Maonites" (see
Judges 10:12 note).
38, 39. increased greatly, and they went to the entrance of Gedor—Simeon having only a part of the land of Judah, they were forced to seek accommodation elsewhere; but their establishment in the new and fertile pastures of Gederah was soon broken up; for, being attacked by a band of nomad plunderers, they were driven from place to place till some of them effected by force a settlement on Mount Seir.
In the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; but a little before their captivity, which was in the sixth year of Hezekiah,
2Ki 17. So their joy in their new, and pleasant, and fruitful possessions lasted but for a very little while.
Smote their tents, i.e. the people dwelling in tents; for so it seems these still did for the conveniency of pasturage.
Destroyed them utterly unto this day, i.e. so as they could never after recover themselves.
And these written by name,.... Before in
1 Chronicles 4:34,
came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; as Dr. Lightfoot (m) thinks, not within the first fourteen years of his reign, when the Syrian army was abroad, and none dost peep out, but in his last fifteen years, when the army was destroyed and gone:
and smote their tents; the tents of those who dwelt there for the sake of feeding their flocks, and whose pasturage the Simeonites wanted:
and the habitations that were found there; or the Meunaim or Maonites, which the Septuagint Version here calls Mineans, a people sometimes mentioned along with the Philistines, and others: seeJudges 10:11.
and destroyed them utterly unto this day: to the writing of this book; they had not then recovered their possessions:
and dwelt in their room, because there was pasture there for their flocks; which was the thing they were in search of.
(m) Works, vol. 1. p. 111.
And these written by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and smote their tents, and the habitations that were found there, and destroyed them utterly unto this day, and dwelt in their rooms: because there was pasture there for their flocks.
