1 Chronicles 4:24–43

Read the passage.

Ed.: I’m chronically running short on sleep, so length and frequency of posts are probably going to go down. My wife is also going to have a baby any day now, so I don’t see a lot of sleep in my forseeable future.

The genealogy finally turns away from the tribe of Judah and begins listing the other tribes. This is interesting because the exiles were mostly from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, being from the southern kingdom of Judah. The ten northern tribes were exiled earlier by the Assyrians and dispersed throughout that empire, and did not maintain their cultural identity the way the Jews did in Babylon.

The tribe of Simeon was often associated with Judah, however, and many of the cities listed here were given to the tribe of Judah in the time of King David, so it makes sense for the Chronicler to remind the people of what their territory would be as they returned to the land. When the land allotments were first given, Simeon settled in an enclave within Judah’s territory. We are told here that they did not multiply very much like Judah did, despite Shimei’s twenty-two children. Over time, they probably mixed with the surrounding Judahites and ceased being a separate tribe.

Even though they had few numbers, the Simeonites expanded their borders and grew rich. Their herds and flocks increased on the good pasture land. Some historical markers are given for the timeframe of this expansion, as it is linked with the reign of King Hezekiah.

You have glorified Yourself and will continue to do so throughout history.