The First Book of Chronicles
Chapter 4
¹ The sons of Judah; Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 1)
Oh God my Father, Judah was the brother of Joseph who had been sold to the Egyptian traders according to Your will. I pray that we be good brothers and sisters to each other Amen.
² Reaiah son of Shobal became the father of Jahath, and Jahath became the father of Ahumai and Lahad. These were the families of the Zorathites.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 2)
Oh God my Father I thank You for all these descendants from whom You chose to give human birth to Your Son Jesus. I believe that You were dwelling in each of the twelve clans of Israel as You are still living in the Church of today on its pathway to Heaven. Amen.
³ These were the sons of Etam; Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash; and the name of their sister was Hazzelponi, ⁴ and Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These were the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah, the father of Bethlehem.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verses 3 to 4)
Oh God my Father Your foresight is incredible. When giving birth to Hur you were already thinking of Bethlehem the place where many years after You were to be born in order to continue the plan of our salvation. I thank You for never stopping Your work, on our behalf Amen.
⁵ Asshur father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah; ⁶ Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah,
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verses 5 to 6)
Oh God my Father as Asshur had two wives, I have many perspectives of my self, meaning my private self, my spiritual self and also my social and emotional self. I pray that with Your grace and mercy they intermarry so that I become one whole self instead of being defragmented Amen.
⁷ The sons of Helah; Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 7)
Oh God my Father as derived from Helah is sickness this person bore three sons, I pray for many women who are unable to bear children that You may give them the capacity to do so if this is Your will Amen.
⁸ Koz became the father of Anub, Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel son of Harum.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 8)
Oh God, my Father I pray that I learn to accept changes in life with thanksgiving instead of with fear, anxiety and hesitation Amen.
⁹ Jabez was honoured more than his brothers; and his mother named him Jabez saying, "Because I bore him in pain."
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 9)
According to the logic of this biblical verse, an increase in pain means an increase in honour. There is another saying that says, no pain no gain. However, in order to be given our salvation, You took on Yourself all the pain and paid the price of our deliverance Amen.
¹⁰ Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from hurt and harm!" And God granted what he asked.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 10)
Oh God, many times we do not know what we need or want, and our prayers in time may end up coming from a prayer book or a common ritual such as the Rosary which in itself is a powerful prayer. I pray that You bless our needs over our petty wants my God and Father Amen.
¹¹ Chelub the brother of Shuhah became the father of Mehir, who was the father of Eshton.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 11)
Oh God my Father out of our dull moments as in the name of Shuhah which means depression You bring Mehir which is the exact opposite meaning determination and positivity Amen.
¹² Eshton became the father of Bethrapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of In nahash. These are the men of Recah.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 12)
Eshton or Ashton meaning creativity became the father of Bethrapha which means house of healing, Paseah which means halting and Tehinnah which reflect stability in the family. Oh God my Father these are the ingredients of a family that is alive in both mind and spirit Amen. Blessed be such families Amen.
¹³ The sons of Kenaz; Othniel and Seraiah; and the sons of Othniel; Hathath and Meonothai.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 13)
Sons of Kenaz sons of a hunter. As Sons of God, we are sons and daughters of a loving and victorious God who will redeem us when the time is proper Amen.
¹⁴ Meonothai became the father of Ophrah; and Seraiah became the father of Joab father of Ge-harashim, so-called because they were artisans.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 14)
Oh God my Father the "my dwellings as in Meonothai became the father of Ophrah, meaning my deer fawn of the dust. May we as Your sons and daughters always find our dwelling in You my God and Father Amen.
¹⁵ The sons of Caleb son of Jephunneh; Iru, Elah, and Naam; and the son of Elah: Kenaz.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 15)
Oh God my Father as in the case of Caleb who had the habit of hurting others unintentionally, however, on the other hand, was a person who stood up for his family as in the case of Jephunneh we also have positive traits and other areas which still some development. I pray that even though we have our differences we share common traits such as love, care and understanding which keep us united as a family unit Amen.
¹⁶ The sons of Jehallelel; Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 16)
Oh God my Father the sons of Jehallelel which means "He shall praise God", were Ziph which defines "Falsehood" and Ziphah which has an uncertain meaning such as pitch, Tiria which means searching out and Asarel which means The Joy of God all reflect the faces of humanity. Truth and Falsehood make part of one family however the Joy of God is always with us even though we are sinners Amen.
¹⁷ The sons of Ezrah; Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. These are the sons of Bithiah, the daughter of Pharoah, whom Mered married, and she conceived and bore Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah father of Eshtemoa.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 17)
Oh God my Father as in the Bible the sons of Ezrah which means help, Jether which means excellence, Mered which means rebellion, Epher which means a calf or young deer and Jalon which means murmuring where all the sons of Bithiah which means daughter of Yahweh. The names denote different characteristics which are both positive as in help and negative as in murmuring. However, even if we share such traits we are always the sons and daughters of God Amen.
¹⁸ And his Judean wife bore Jered father of Gedor, Heber father of Soco, and Jekuthiel father of Zanoah.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 18)
Oh God my Father You permit people with strong leadership skills to be born as we can understand by the name of Jered who was the father of Gedor which means, The Wall' which also symbolizes strength and fortitude. Heber, on the other hand, means a person who does not become angry but let's it go behind him bore a son who was called Soco which means a thicket or a hedge which is also a form of boundary similar to the wall. He also fathered Jekuthiel which means that God will support. On reflecting these names denote strength and fortitude. May we also have this spiritual strength which is reflected in our family. Moreover, Jekuthiel named his son Zanoah which is after the name of a city from the tribe of Judah which also denotes strength and power Amen.
¹⁹ The sons of the wife of Hodiah the sister of Naham, were the fathers of Keilah the Garmite and Eshtemoa the Maacathite.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 19)
The sons of the wife of Hodiah or "Majesty of Yahweh" the sister of Naham or Nahum which means "The comforter" were the fathers of Keilah which means "fortress or citadel" and Eshtemoa that means "Obedience" all reflect positive values of a family that is obedient and faithful to God with all its weaknesses and shortcomings Amen. I pray that such qualities are nourished in our families Amen.
²⁰ The sons of Shimon; Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-hanan, and Tilon. The sons of Ishi: Zoheth and Ben-zoheth.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 20)
The sons of Shimon or that providence of oil and Fat as his name means, Amnon which means faithful, and Rinnah which means joyful song are all positive qualities and attributes which are reflected in this family. Ben-hanan which means son of Grace . Tilon, on the other hand, means murmur which can also appear in prayer.
I pray that when we name our children as in the above we keep in mind the Holy Name of God and other positive qualities. Amen
In the case of the sons of Ishi which means "My husband and Zoheth which means separation we find a stark contrast in definition this is also reflected in the name ben-zoheth which means the son of Zoheth which was said to mean separation. On reflecting this character may have been a means leading to separation during his times.
Therefore from the meaning of the descendants of Shimon and Ishi we are given these positive and negative connotations from which we can learn a lot Amen.
² Reaiah son of Shobal became the father of Jahath, and Jahath became the father of Ahumai and Lahad. These were the families of the Zorathites.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 2)
Oh God my Father I thank You for all these descendants from whom You chose to give human birth to Your Son Jesus. I believe that You were dwelling in each of the twelve clans of Israel as You are still living in the Church of today on its pathway to Heaven. Amen.
³ These were the sons of Etam; Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash; and the name of their sister was Hazzelponi, ⁴ and Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These were the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah, the father of Bethlehem.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verses 3 to 4)
Oh God my Father Your foresight is incredible. When giving birth to Hur you were already thinking of Bethlehem the place where many years after You were to be born in order to continue the plan of our salvation. I thank You for never stopping Your work, on our behalf Amen.
⁵ Asshur father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah; ⁶ Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah,
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verses 5 to 6)
Oh God my Father as Asshur had two wives, I have many perspectives of my self, meaning my private self, my spiritual self and also my social and emotional self. I pray that with Your grace and mercy they intermarry so that I become one whole self instead of being defragmented Amen.
⁷ The sons of Helah; Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 7)
Oh God my Father as derived from Helah is sickness this person bore three sons, I pray for many women who are unable to bear children that You may give them the capacity to do so if this is Your will Amen.
⁸ Koz became the father of Anub, Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel son of Harum.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 8)
Oh God, my Father I pray that I learn to accept changes in life with thanksgiving instead of with fear, anxiety and hesitation Amen.
⁹ Jabez was honoured more than his brothers; and his mother named him Jabez saying, "Because I bore him in pain."
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 9)
According to the logic of this biblical verse, an increase in pain means an increase in honour. There is another saying that says, no pain no gain. However, in order to be given our salvation, You took on Yourself all the pain and paid the price of our deliverance Amen.
¹⁰ Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from hurt and harm!" And God granted what he asked.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 10)
Oh God, many times we do not know what we need or want, and our prayers in time may end up coming from a prayer book or a common ritual such as the Rosary which in itself is a powerful prayer. I pray that You bless our needs over our petty wants my God and Father Amen.
¹¹ Chelub the brother of Shuhah became the father of Mehir, who was the father of Eshton.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 11)
Oh God my Father out of our dull moments as in the name of Shuhah which means depression You bring Mehir which is the exact opposite meaning determination and positivity Amen.
¹² Eshton became the father of Bethrapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of In nahash. These are the men of Recah.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 12)
Eshton or Ashton meaning creativity became the father of Bethrapha which means house of healing, Paseah which means halting and Tehinnah which reflect stability in the family. Oh God my Father these are the ingredients of a family that is alive in both mind and spirit Amen. Blessed be such families Amen.
¹³ The sons of Kenaz; Othniel and Seraiah; and the sons of Othniel; Hathath and Meonothai.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 13)
Sons of Kenaz sons of a hunter. As Sons of God, we are sons and daughters of a loving and victorious God who will redeem us when the time is proper Amen.
¹⁴ Meonothai became the father of Ophrah; and Seraiah became the father of Joab father of Ge-harashim, so-called because they were artisans.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 14)
Oh God my Father the "my dwellings as in Meonothai became the father of Ophrah, meaning my deer fawn of the dust. May we as Your sons and daughters always find our dwelling in You my God and Father Amen.
¹⁵ The sons of Caleb son of Jephunneh; Iru, Elah, and Naam; and the son of Elah: Kenaz.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 15)
Oh God my Father as in the case of Caleb who had the habit of hurting others unintentionally, however, on the other hand, was a person who stood up for his family as in the case of Jephunneh we also have positive traits and other areas which still some development. I pray that even though we have our differences we share common traits such as love, care and understanding which keep us united as a family unit Amen.
¹⁶ The sons of Jehallelel; Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 16)
Oh God my Father the sons of Jehallelel which means "He shall praise God", were Ziph which defines "Falsehood" and Ziphah which has an uncertain meaning such as pitch, Tiria which means searching out and Asarel which means The Joy of God all reflect the faces of humanity. Truth and Falsehood make part of one family however the Joy of God is always with us even though we are sinners Amen.
¹⁷ The sons of Ezrah; Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. These are the sons of Bithiah, the daughter of Pharoah, whom Mered married, and she conceived and bore Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah father of Eshtemoa.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 17)
Oh God my Father as in the Bible the sons of Ezrah which means help, Jether which means excellence, Mered which means rebellion, Epher which means a calf or young deer and Jalon which means murmuring where all the sons of Bithiah which means daughter of Yahweh. The names denote different characteristics which are both positive as in help and negative as in murmuring. However, even if we share such traits we are always the sons and daughters of God Amen.
¹⁸ And his Judean wife bore Jered father of Gedor, Heber father of Soco, and Jekuthiel father of Zanoah.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 18)
Oh God my Father You permit people with strong leadership skills to be born as we can understand by the name of Jered who was the father of Gedor which means, The Wall' which also symbolizes strength and fortitude. Heber, on the other hand, means a person who does not become angry but let's it go behind him bore a son who was called Soco which means a thicket or a hedge which is also a form of boundary similar to the wall. He also fathered Jekuthiel which means that God will support. On reflecting these names denote strength and fortitude. May we also have this spiritual strength which is reflected in our family. Moreover, Jekuthiel named his son Zanoah which is after the name of a city from the tribe of Judah which also denotes strength and power Amen.
¹⁹ The sons of the wife of Hodiah the sister of Naham, were the fathers of Keilah the Garmite and Eshtemoa the Maacathite.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 19)
The sons of the wife of Hodiah or "Majesty of Yahweh" the sister of Naham or Nahum which means "The comforter" were the fathers of Keilah which means "fortress or citadel" and Eshtemoa that means "Obedience" all reflect positive values of a family that is obedient and faithful to God with all its weaknesses and shortcomings Amen. I pray that such qualities are nourished in our families Amen.
²⁰ The sons of Shimon; Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-hanan, and Tilon. The sons of Ishi: Zoheth and Ben-zoheth.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 20)
The sons of Shimon or that providence of oil and Fat as his name means, Amnon which means faithful, and Rinnah which means joyful song are all positive qualities and attributes which are reflected in this family. Ben-hanan which means son of Grace . Tilon, on the other hand, means murmur which can also appear in prayer.
I pray that when we name our children as in the above we keep in mind the Holy Name of God and other positive qualities. Amen
In the case of the sons of Ishi which means "My husband and Zoheth which means separation we find a stark contrast in definition this is also reflected in the name ben-zoheth which means the son of Zoheth which was said to mean separation. On reflecting this character may have been a means leading to separation during his times.
Therefore from the meaning of the descendants of Shimon and Ishi we are given these positive and negative connotations from which we can learn a lot Amen.
²¹ The sons of Shelah son of Judah; Er father of Lecah, Laadah father of Mareshah, and the families of the guild of linen workers at Bethsheba; ²² and Jokim, and the men of Cozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who married into Moab but returned to Lehem (now the records are ancient) ²³ These were the potters and inhabitants of Netaim and Gederah; they lived there with the king in his service.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 21 to 23)
Apparently, these descendants of Judah who were tradesperson potters by name and who worked in the service of the king. Oh God my Father I wish to be a potter of people. I would like to help people in being formed into the shape that You the King of Kings has designed for them Amen. Even though I do not work with Catholics or Christians, however, I would like You to help me form such values in a humanitarian way. Amen.
²⁴ The sons of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, Shaul; ²⁵ Shallum was his son, MIbsam his son, MIshma his son.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 24 to 25)
When reflecting on Nemuel his name means "day of God" which reminds us that every day is a special day in which we are to remember You Amen. Jamin means the right hand which is also positive, I pray that we are always on Your right side and never on Your left Amen. Zerah is also very positive in its meaning for it means "rising". Every day oh God my Father is a present a gift a new beginning Amen. Shaul, on the other hand, meant 'asked for'. On reflecting on such a positive line of descent I thank You for such people Amen.
²⁶ The sons of Mishma; Hammuel his son, Zaccur his son, Shimei his son.
(The First Book of Chronicles Chapter 4 verse 26)
Mishma which means a hearing or a call coming from the Maltese word 'isma' which means listen gives us the lesson that we are to be people with our ears open to listen to the Word of God and applying it in our lives. Zaccur on the other means mindful, which also reflects listening and understanding leading to positive action. On the other hand Shimei which means famous, can also reflect positively in the sense that if we are open to listen and respond to the will of God we will be famous in God's eyes but not that popular in the eyes of the people of the world.
