4:1 The descendants of Judah: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. 

Ezra most likely wrote these genealogies after the Babylonian Captivity. He concentrated mostly on two major tribes. The tribe of Judah was the tribe of kings and the tribe of the Messiah. The Levites were the priestly tribe. The people returning from captivity needed to be aware of the monarchical and priestly functions of these two tribes.

Perez was the only son of Judah. The other four men were descendants of Judah.

4:2 Reaiah the son of Shobal was the father of Jahath, and Jahath was the father of Ahumai and Lahad. These were the clans of the Zorathites. 4:3 These were the sons of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash. Their sister was Hazzelelponi. 4:4 Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah. These were the descendants of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah and the father of Bethlehem. 

Notice that Hur was the first born of Ephrathah and the founder of Bethlehem. There were two Bethlehems during the days of Jesus. Micah 5:2 predicted that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem Ephrathah.

4:5 Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah. 4:6 Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah. 4:7 The sons of Helah: Zereth, Zohar, Ethnan, 4:8 and Koz, who was the father of Anub, Hazzobebah, and the clans of Aharhel the son of Harum. 4:9 Jabez was more respected than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, for she said, “I experienced pain when I gave birth to him.” 4:10 Jabez called out to the God of Israel, “If only you would greatly bless me and expand my territory! May your hand be with me! Keep me from harm so I might not endure pain!” God answered his prayer. 4:11 Kelub, the brother of Shuhah, was the father of Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. 4:12 Eshton was the father of Beth-Rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah, the father of Ir Nahash. These were the men of Recah. 4:13 The sons of Kenaz: Othniel and Seraiah. The sons of Othniel: Hathath and Meonothai. 4:14 Meonothai was the father of Ophrah. Seraiah was the father of Joab, the father of those who live in Ge Harashim, who were craftsmen. 4:15 The sons of Caleb son of Jephunneh: Iru, Elah, and Naam. The son of Elah: Kenaz.  

This was the same Caleb who was one of the original two good spies. Joshua and Caleb were the only two people born in Egypt over the age of 20 who were able to enter into the Promised Land.

4:16 The sons of Jehallelel: Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel. 4:17 The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. Mered’s wife Bithiah gave birth to Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah, the father of Eshtemoa. 4:18 (His Judahite wife gave birth to Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah.) These were the sons of Pharaoh’s daughter Bithiah, whom Mered married. 4:19 The sons of Hodiah’s wife, the sister of Naham: the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maacathite. 4:20 The sons of Shimon: Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan, and Tilon. The descendants of Ishi: Zoheth and Ben Zoheth. 4:21 The sons of Shelah son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, the clans of the linen workers at Beth-Ashbea,

Shelah was Judah’s third and youngest son. Shelah named his son Er, possibly in the memory of his older brother, whom the Lord had slain because of wickedness.

4:22 Jokim, the men of Cozeba, and Joash and Saraph, both of whom ruled in Moab and Jashubi Lehem. (This information is from ancient records.) 4:23 They were the potters who lived in Netaim and Gederah; they lived there and worked for the king. 

The author of Chronicles received much of his information from ancient written records which no longer exist.

4:24 The descendants of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, Shaul, 4:25 his son Shallum, his son Mibsam, and his son Mishma.

Simeon was living in the territory of Judah, so Simeon eventually became identified with Judah.

4:26 The descendants of Mishma: His son Hammuel, his son Zaccur, and his son Shimei. 4:27 Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters. But his brothers did not have many sons, so their whole clan was not as numerous as the sons of Judah. 4:28 They lived in Beer Sheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual, 4:29 Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, 4:30 Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, 4:31 Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri, and Shaaraim. These were their towns until the reign of David. 4:32 Their settlements also included Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan—five towns. 4:33 They also lived in all the settlements that surrounded these towns as far as Baal. These were their settlements; they kept genealogical records. 

The descendants of Mishma kept genealogical records of Israel.

4:34 Their clan leaders were: Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of Amaziah, 4:35 Joel, Jehu son of Joshibiah (son of Seraiah, son of Asiel), 4:36 Eleoenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah, 4:37 Ziza son of Shipi (son of Allon, son of Jedaiah, son of Shimri, son of Shemaiah). 4:38 These who are named above were the leaders of their clans. Their extended families increased greatly in numbers. 4:39 They went to the entrance of Gedor, to the east of the valley, looking for pasture for their sheep. 4:40 They found fertile and rich pasture; the land was very broad, undisturbed and peaceful. Indeed some Hamites had been living there prior to that. 

The land of Egypt was called “the land of Ham,” so these may have been Egyptians.

4:41 The men whose names are listed came during the time of King Hezekiah of Judah and attacked the Hamites’ settlements, as well as the Meunites they discovered there, and they wiped them out to this very day. They dispossessed them, for they found pasture for their sheep there. 4:42 Five hundred men of Simeon, led by Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi, went to the hill country of Seir 4:43 and defeated the rest of the Amalekite refugees; they live there to this very day.  

Mount Seir was the land of the Edomites. The Tribe of Simeon removed the Amalekites during the days of King Hezekiah.