They went to the entrance of Gedor, even to the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks. They found fat pasture and good, and the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceful; for those who lived there before were descended from Ham. These written by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and struck their tents. The Meunim who were found there, and they destroyed them utterly to this day, and lived in their place; because there was pasture there for their flocks. Some of them, even of the sons of Simeon, five hundred men, went to Mount Seir, having for their captains Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi. They struck the remnant of the Amalekites who escaped, and have lived there to this day.
Parallel Translations
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They went to the entrance of Gedor, even to the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks.
They found fat pasture and good, and the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceful; for those who lived there before were descended from Ham.
These written by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and struck their tents. The Meunim who were found there, and they destroyed them utterly to this day, and lived in their place; because there was pasture there for their flocks.
Some of them, even of the sons of Simeon, five hundred men, went to Mount Seir, having for their captains Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi.
They struck the remnant of the Amalekites who escaped, and have lived there to this day.
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And they went to the entrance of Gedor, even unto the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks.
And they found fat pasture and good, and the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceable; for they of Ham had dwelt there of old.
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.
And some of them, even of the sons of Simeon, five hundred men, went to mount Seir, having for their captains Pelatiah, and Neariah, and Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi.
And they smote the rest of the Amalekites that were escaped, and dwelt there unto this day.
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And they went to the entrance of Gedor, even unto the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks.
And they found fat pasture and good, and the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceable; for they that dwelt there aforetime were of Ham.
And these written by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and smote their tents, and the Meunim that were found there, and destroyed them utterly, unto this day, and dwelt in their stead; because there was pasture there for their flocks.
And some of them, even of the sons of Simeon, five hundred men, went to mount Seir, having for their captains Pelatiah, and Neariah, and Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi.
And they smote the remnant of the Amalekites that escaped, and dwelt there unto this day.
Cross-references (29)
- 1 Samuel 30:17 (v43) David struck them from the twilight even to the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped from there, except four hundred young…
- Judges 18:7-10 (v40) Then the five men departed and came to Laish and saw the people who were there, how they lived in safety, in the way of the Sidonians,…
- Genesis 36:8-9 (v42) Esau lived in the hill country of Seir. Esau is Edom. This is the history of the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill…
- 1 Samuel 15:7-8 (v43) Saul struck the Amalekites, from Havilah as you go to Shur, that is before Egypt. He took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and…
- 2 Samuel 8:12 (v43) of Syria, of Moab, of the children of Ammon, of the Philistines, of Amalek, and of the plunder of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
Show all 29 cross-references
- Genesis 9:22-29 (v40) Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it…
- Genesis 10:6 (v40) The sons of Ham were: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
- Exodus 17:14-16 (v43) Yahweh said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: that I will utterly blot out the memory…
- Deuteronomy 25:17-19 (v43) Remember what Amalek did to you by the way as you came out of Egypt; how he met you by the way, and struck the rearmost of you, all who…
- Joshua 15:58 (v39) Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor,
- 2 Kings 18:8-12 (v41) He struck the Philistines to Gaza and its borders, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city. In the fourth year of king…
- 1 Chronicles 4:4 (v39) Penuel was the father of Gedor and Ezer the father of Hushah. These are the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, the father of…
- 1 Chronicles 4:18 (v39) His wife the Jewess bore Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. These are the sons of…
- Acts 17:26 (v41) He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the…
- Numbers 32:1-4 (v41) Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock. They saw the land of Jazer, and the land of…
- Deuteronomy 1:2 (v42) It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea.
- Deuteronomy 34:6 (v43) He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth Peor, but no man knows where his tomb is to this day.
- Joshua 12:13 (v39) the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one;
- Judges 1:26 (v43) The man went into the land of the Hittites, built a city, and called its name Luz, which is its name to this day.
- Judges 10:12 (v41) The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, oppressed you; and you cried to me, and I saved you out of their hand.
- 1 Chronicles 4:34-38 (v41) Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah the son of Amaziah, Joel, Jehu the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel, Elioenai, Jaakobah,…
- 2 Chronicles 5:9 (v43) The poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the ark in front of the inner sanctuary; but they were not seen outside;…
- Psalms 78:51 (v40) and struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the chief of their strength in the tents of Ham.
- Psalms 105:23 (v40) Israel also came into Egypt. Jacob lived in the land of Ham.
- Isaiah 14:28-32 (v41) This burden was in the year that king Ahaz died. Don’t rejoice, O Philistia, all of you, because the rod that struck you is broken; for out…
- Jeremiah 44:6 (v43) Therefore my wrath and my anger was poured out, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted…
- Jeremiah 49:20 (v41) Therefore hear the counsel of Yahweh, that he has taken against Edom; and his purposes, that he has purposed against the inhabitants of…
- Matthew 27:8 (v43) Therefore that field was called “The Field of Blood” to this day.
- Matthew 28:15 (v43) So they took the money and did as they were told. This saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continues until today.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (15 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv39, 43 For the tribe of Simeon was so great in…
For the tribe of Simeon was so great in number, that in the time of Hezekiah they sought new dwellings unto Gedor, which is in the tribe of Dan.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv40–43 1Ch 4:40 And they found fat pasture and good,…
1Ch 4:40 And they found fat pasture and good, and the land [was] wide, and quiet, and peaceable; for [they] of Ham had dwelt there of old.
Ver. 40. And they found fat pasture and good.] This tempted the Simeonites to set upon them, as the wealth of Cyprus did the old Romans; {a} and as the pearls usually cast out with the flood and gathered at the ebb, drew Caesar’s affection for the conquest of Britain. {b}
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For quiet, and peaceable.] See on Jdg 18:27-28.
And they of Ham had dwelt there.] The cursed Canaanites.
{a} Sext. Rufus
{b} {Suetonius, Julius Caesar, l. 1. c. 47. 1:95}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv39–43 To the entrance of Gedor, to that country that…
To the entrance of Gedor, to that country that belongs to Gedor, or borders upon it; either that Gedor, Jos 15:58, or that called Gederah, Jos 15:36.
Unto the east side of the valley; of which See Poole "1Sa 17:2,52".
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv39–41 And these written by name,.... Before in Ch1 4:34,
And these written by name,.... Before in Ch1 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:
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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: see Jdg 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.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v40 Fat pasture, &c. - Those who thus dwelt (as…
Fat pasture, &c. - Those who thus dwelt (as we do) in a fruitful country, and whose land is wide and quiet and peaceable, have reason to own themselves indebted to that God, who appoints the bounds of our habitation. Of Ham - The Canaanites, who descended from Ham. And accordingly these words contain a reason, why they went and possessed this place, because it was not in the hands of their brethren of Judah, but in the possession of that people which they had authority to expel.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv40, 43 Verse 40. They of Ham had dwelt there of…
Verse 40. They of Ham had dwelt there of old.] These were probably either Philistines or Egyptians, who dwelt at Gedor, which was situated in the environs of Joppa and Samnia.
Those whom the five hundred Simeonites expelled from Seir were Amalekites, 1Ch 4:43.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv40, 41, 43 1Ch 4:40. They found fat pasture, &c. — Those…
1Ch 4:40. They found fat pasture, &c. — Those who thus dwelt (as we do) in a fruitful country, and whose land is wide, and quiet, and peaceable, have reason to own themselves indebted to that God, who appoints the bounds o four habitation. Of Ham — The Canaanites, who descended from Ham. And, accordingly, these words contain a reason why they went and possessed this place, because it was not in the hands of their brethren of Judah, but in the possession of that people which they had authority to expel.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv39, 41, 43 Gedor - Rather read, “Gerar” (Septuagint) a fertile district…
Gedor - Rather read, “Gerar” (Septuagint) a fertile district Gen 26:6-12; 2Ch 14:14-15 in Philistine country.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv40–43 Cham. It is not certain that the Philistines, who…
Cham. It is not certain that the Philistines, who came from the country of the Casluim, were descendants of Mezraim, Genesis x. 14. But it is very clear that the Egyptians sprung from Cham, Psalm lxxvii. 51.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv39, 41, 43 39. They went to… Gedor — So the Simeonites,…
39. They went to… Gedor — So the Simeonites, like the Danites, (Judges xviii,) enlarged their possessions by conquest. Whether this Gedor is the same as that in the mountains of Judah, (Jos_15:58,) which Dr. Robinson identifies with Jedur north of Hebron, is uncertain. Ewald proposes to amend by reading, with the Septuagint, Gerar, the city where Abraham and Isaac dwelt. Gen_20:1; Gen_26:1. But wherever the place, the Simeonites found there the rich pastures they desired, and did not hesitate to destroy the tents of the peaceful occupants, and to take forcible possession of their fields, as the Danites did in the case of the inhabitants of Laish.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv39, 40, 41, 43 39. the entrance of Gedor] R.V. the entering in…
39. the entrance of Gedor] R.V. the entering in of Gedor. The Gedor of Jos_15:58 is identified with Jedur, Ijdur (north of Hebron, Bädeker, p. 135), the neighbourhood of which seems an unlikely scene in the days of Hezekiah for the exploit described in 1Ch_4:41. LXX. has Gerar (cp. Gen_20:1; Gen_26:1), perhaps rightly.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv40–43 (40) And they found fat pasture and good.—If Gerar…
(40) And they found fat pasture and good.—If Gerar was the right reading in 1Ch_4:39, we might compare Gen_26:17 seq.
And the land was wide.—Gen_34:21. Literally, broad of both hands—i.e., on both sides. An open plain is meant.
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And quiet and peaceable.—Like Laish, which the Danites took by surprise (Jdg_18:7; Jdg_18:28).
They of Ham had dwelt there of old.—That is, they who were then dwelling there were Hamites or Canaanites (1Ch_1:8).
Of old.—Literally, before (lephânîm); that is, before the Simeonite invasion.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv39–43 The place Gedor cannot be identified in this connection.…
The place Gedor cannot be identified in this connection. There is a town of the name situated in the mountainous district of Judah between Halhul and Beth-zur, to the north of Hebron. (Jos_15:58) It is evident that this cannot be the place we require here. There is another town of the name, (1Ch_12:7) probably belonging to Benjamin, and which as little admits of being fitted in here. Both the Alexandrine and the Vatican Codex of the Septuagint, however, evidently read rdG for rdoG.
Now, Gerar of the Philistines would suit well for position and description, and also (Gen_10:14) for the allusion found here (ver. 40) to the dwelling there "of old" of the people of Ham. The Hebrew word, however, generally applied to the valley of Gerar (lj"n," wady) is not the word used here of Gedor (ayg; h," ravine). See Stanley"s "Syria and Palestine," p. 159, and note. Not only are references frequent to the fertility of Gerar, but the significance of that in 2Ch_14:14 speaks for itself. This alteration of reading, however, with acceptance of the Septuagint manuscripts, cannot be regarded as altogether satisfactory, and Keil ("Comm.," in loc.) offers some suggestions of weight against those of Ewald, Bertheau, and others.
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Vers. 39-41.
Might and right.
The place named Gedor is not otherwise mentioned in Scripture. Ewald and Bertheau think Gerar is the true reading; and this is given in the Septuagint Version. Reference, then, is to a portion of the Philistine country, which was remarkable for its fertility (Gen_26:6-12; 2Ch_14:14, 2Ch_14:15) We cannot tell whether these princes had any justifiable ground for their aggression. But we may dwell on this as an instance of "might" overmastering "right;" for the earlier occupiers may be fairly considered to have had the right," and the point of the story is that these princes grew strong, and when they had "might" they used it to drive out, and possess the lands of, those who had only right. " The Eastern mode of keeping flocks by moving them to different parts of wide pasture-grounds should be explained, and the rivalry and the quarrelling which this too often entails may be illustrated in the relations of Abraham and Lot. And the way in which weakening and decaying tribes have to yield before strong and rising tribes and nations, may illustrate the modern doctrine of the "survival of the fittest;" and instances may be found in the story of the great nations, such as Persia, Greece, Rome, etc.
I MAN"S MIGHT IS OFTEN THOUGHT RIGHT. The two things are perfectly distinct. What we can do is not necessarily what we ought to do. And man"s power must ever be held down under the mastery of a will guided by good judgment, right principles, sweet charity, and tender consideration for the claims and rights of others. The Nasmyth steam-hammer affords a good illustration of splendid power held in full control. Yet in the commoner spheres of life, as well as by kings and great men, might is often mistaken for right. It is often one of the easiest pieces of self-deception. One of the master principles swaying men is the love of power. Therefore do men get large numbers of servants, retainers, and workmen; they increase wealth and possessions; push into places of position and influence; and in every possible way seek to gain sway over their fellow-men. And this becomes a peril, and, for many men, the severest test of virtue and charity. Every true-hearted man will feel the peril of confusing might with right; and will accept the fact that these two will often be in conflict, and that, for such conflict, the issue must always be the triumph of the right. Man"s might is a fatal force for the liberty of his fellow-man, unless it not only seems to be to him, but it actually is, the same as the right. So the practical question ever and again recurring in life is this: "I can, but may I? Will it be right?" Man"s nobility is full loyalty to the right.
II GOD"S RIGHT ALWAYS PROVES TO BE MIGHT. Always in the long run," We make many mistakes by only seeing pieces and parts of things; so we sometimes say, "The way of the Lord is not equal. " Yet right does always triumph, if we can properly discern the "right," and properly appraise "triumph," Right is invincible. Nature, all the good there is in the earth, all the long ages, and God himself, are on the side of the right. This is true for the individual man when, in all simplicity and loyalty, he does God"s right, whatever of seeming disabilities it may involve. He may have the most perfect confidence that God will make it might, and in the due time "bring forth his righteousness as the light, and his judgment as the noonday." It may be practically enforced that man"s violence overreaches itself, as did Hamans.
And that all forcings of his way and will by man imply a failing of trust in God"s living love and lead. It is a spirit in striking contrast with that expressed in Jabez"s prayer. R.T. (1Ch_4:10)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv39, 42 This is the name of a town. (See: How…
Gedor
This is the name of a town. (See: How to Translate Names)
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pasture for their flocks
an area of land where their flocks could feed on the grass
abundant and good pasture
"pastures with much good food for their animals"
Hamites
a people group, descendants of Ham
Meunites
a people group. AT: "descendants of Meun" (See: How to Translate Names)
translationWords
flocks
life
Hezekiah
king
Judah
Ham
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv39, 41 4:39 Gerar: The actual territory is not certain, since…
4:39 Gerar: The actual territory is not certain, since Gedor (as in Hebrew) is a common name; the Greek variant Gerar would refer to a city in Philistia, to the west of Judah (Gen 10:19).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.