This verse reminds us that God weaves eternal purposes into everyday lives, carrying His promises to fulfillment through each generation.
“The sons of Judah were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur and Shobal” (v.1). Judah was the fourth son of the patriarch Jacob, born perhaps around the early second millennium B.C. The tribal name, Judah, would later be used to identify the southern region of Canaan, and from this lineage arose a rich heritage culminating in the royal line of King David. Perez, named here among Judah’s sons, was born through an unusual circumstance between Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38), and is mentioned multiple times in genealogical records that trace all the way to the Messiah (Matthew 1:3). Hezron likewise became the head of a prominent clan, the Hezronites, and ultimately helped form the ancestral line leading to David. Each name in this list marks a distinct branch of Judah’s growing descent, preserving the family record and underscoring God’s intricate plan working through successive generations.
When 1 Chronicles 4:1 highlights that “the sons of Judah were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur and Shobal,” it reveals the thoroughness of scribes who meticulously transcribed Israel’s family lines. These genealogies were especially vital for recounting the promises God wove into Israel’s national story. They also demonstrated how covenant blessings passed through specific lines, ensuring that each tribe understood its ancestral roots, territory, and responsibilities in worship and society. By naming each of Judah’s sons and preserving their legacy, Scripture shows that God works through ordinary people—whose lives and stories might appear small—in order to bring about His larger redemptive purposes.
Judah himself stands historically as the patriarch who fathered the line of kings, fulfilled centuries later when David ascended to the throne around 1010 B.C., and even more fully when Jesus Christ, “the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah” (Revelation 5:5), came to establish an everlasting kingdom. These early genealogical notes in 1 Chronicles showcase how God’s promises thread from one generation to another, ultimately culminating in the arrival of the Messiah. Even lesser-known figures like Shobal and Carmi are part of this larger tapestry, reminding us that all people, famous or not, have the potential to play significant roles in God’s unfolding plan.
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1 Chronicles 4:1 meaning
“The sons of Judah were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur and Shobal” (v.1). Judah was the fourth son of the patriarch Jacob, born perhaps around the early second millennium B.C. The tribal name, Judah, would later be used to identify the southern region of Canaan, and from this lineage arose a rich heritage culminating in the royal line of King David. Perez, named here among Judah’s sons, was born through an unusual circumstance between Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38), and is mentioned multiple times in genealogical records that trace all the way to the Messiah (Matthew 1:3). Hezron likewise became the head of a prominent clan, the Hezronites, and ultimately helped form the ancestral line leading to David. Each name in this list marks a distinct branch of Judah’s growing descent, preserving the family record and underscoring God’s intricate plan working through successive generations.
When 1 Chronicles 4:1 highlights that “the sons of Judah were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur and Shobal,” it reveals the thoroughness of scribes who meticulously transcribed Israel’s family lines. These genealogies were especially vital for recounting the promises God wove into Israel’s national story. They also demonstrated how covenant blessings passed through specific lines, ensuring that each tribe understood its ancestral roots, territory, and responsibilities in worship and society. By naming each of Judah’s sons and preserving their legacy, Scripture shows that God works through ordinary people—whose lives and stories might appear small—in order to bring about His larger redemptive purposes.
Judah himself stands historically as the patriarch who fathered the line of kings, fulfilled centuries later when David ascended to the throne around 1010 B.C., and even more fully when Jesus Christ, “the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah” (Revelation 5:5), came to establish an everlasting kingdom. These early genealogical notes in 1 Chronicles showcase how God’s promises thread from one generation to another, ultimately culminating in the arrival of the Messiah. Even lesser-known figures like Shobal and Carmi are part of this larger tapestry, reminding us that all people, famous or not, have the potential to play significant roles in God’s unfolding plan.