1 Chronicles 4: 1 – 43
Fleecing the sheep
4 The sons of Judah were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. 2 And Reaiah the son of Shobal begot Jahath, and Jahath begot Ahumai and Lahad. These were the families of the Zorathites. 3 These were the sons of the father of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash; and the name of their sister was Hazelelponi; 4 and Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah. These were the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah the father of Bethlehem. 5 And Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah. 6 Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah. 7 The sons of Helah were Zereth, Zohar, and Ethnan; 8 and Koz begot Anub, Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum. 9 Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” 10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So, God granted him what he requested. 11 Chelub the brother of Shuhah begot Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. 12 And Eshton begot Beth-Rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Ir-Nahash. These were the men of Rechah. 13 The sons of Kenaz were Othniel and Seraiah. The sons of Othniel were Hathath, 14 and Meonothai who begot Ophrah. Seraiah begot Joab the father of Ge Harashim, for they were craftsmen. 15 The sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh were Iru, Elah, and Naam. The son of Elah was Kenaz. 16 The sons of Jehallelel were Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel. 17 The sons of Ezrah were Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. And Mered’s wife bore Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. 18 (His wife Jehudijah bore Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Sochoh, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah.) And these were the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered took. 19 The sons of Hodiah’s wife, the sister of Naham, were the fathers of Keilah the Garmite and of Eshtemoa the Maachathite. 20 And the sons of Shimon were Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan, and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi were Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth. 21 The sons of Shelah the son of Judah were Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of the linen workers of the house of Ashbea; 22 also Jokim, the men of Chozeba, and Joash; Saraph, who ruled in Moab, and Jashubi-Lehem. Now the records are ancient. 23 These were the potters and those who dwell at Netaim and Gederah; there they dwelt with the king for his work. 24 The sons of Simeon were Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul, 25 Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, and Mishma his son. 26 And the sons of Mishma were Hamuel his son, Zacchur his son, and Shimei his son. 27 Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brothers did not have many children, nor did any of their families multiply as much as the children of Judah. 28 They dwelt at Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual, 29 Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, 30 Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, 31 Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities until the reign of David. 32 And their villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan—five cities— 33 and all the villages that were around these cities as far as Baal. These were their dwelling places, and they maintained their genealogy: 34 Meshobab, Jamlech, and Joshah the son of Amaziah; 35 Joel, and Jehu the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel; 36 Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, and Benaiah; 37 Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah— 38 these mentioned by name were leaders in their families, and their father’s house increased greatly. 39 So they went to the entrance of Gedor, as far as the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks. 40 And they found rich, good pasture, and the land was broad, quiet, and peaceful; for some Hamites formerly lived there. 41 These recorded by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and they attacked their tents and the Meunites who were found there, and utterly destroyed them, as it is to this day. So, they dwelt in their place, because there was pasture for their flocks there. 42 Now some of them, five hundred men of the sons of Simeon, went to Mount Seir, having as their captains Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi. 43 And they defeated the rest of the Amalekites who had escaped. They have dwelt there to this day.
In today’s chapter we are going to come across a unique prayer by a man by the name of Jabez who prayed a simple, straightforward prayer and gained the favor and blessings of God. I have an uncomfortable feeling about how this scripture has been used to fleece the Lord’s sheep.
A small book has prompted millions of saints and seekers to memorize and repeat the same prayer daily. Purchasers of the book are encouraged to follow unwaveringly the plan outlined for thirty days by reading the Jabez prayer every morning. By the end of that time, they are told that they will notice significant changes in their lives.
If you have been an advocate of this product you probably think, ‘So, what's the problem with promoting a Biblical prayer that God honored in His Word? After all, our Lord delights in the prayers of His saints -- all the daily thanks, praises and petitions that turn our hearts to Him in faith, worship and surrender. Using Bible verses as a basis for prayer and worship is a wonderful habit. Why be concerned?
Well the first thing I can think of is that our Holy Lord commented unfavorably on repetitious prayer.
Another key thought from Jabez' prayer is that this prayer was in answer to Jabez’s request, not yours or mine—The book promises rewards from God that God doesn't promise to us for just saying it repeatedly.
So, we are going to look in a bit at this prayer and comment a little further but in the meantime let us go verse by verse and review what our Precious Holy Spirit wants to say to us today.
The Chronicler now expands on information given in chapter 2, with further details supplied of which the tribe of Judah had been built up and established by God, an assurance to the returnees that God could do the same again.
4 The sons of Judah were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal.
Perez was Judah’s natural son, Hezron was Judah’s grandson, Carmi was descended from Perez’ brother Zerah, and begat Achan the destroyer of Israel, Hur was the grandson of Hezron and begat Bezalelel, the Spirit-filled architect of the Tabernacle and its furnishings, and Shobal was descended at some distance from Hur and produced influential offspring.
At first it might appear strange that Carmi, who was not prominent, should be mentioned in this way, but when we think about it we realize that it is to convey a message. Carmi was the father of Achan, the one who brought destruction on Israel by appropriating for himself what belonged to God, Hur on the other hand was the father of Bezalel, the one who though the Spirit constructed the Tabernacle and its furnishings. From Shobal Israel grew and spread and established itself. Thus, these names are warnings and encouragements. Each chose the way that he would go, the first to bring cursing, the second to bring blessing, the third to establish Israel, and the Chronicler saw Israel as once again having the same choice before them. Let them therefore beware. They were descended from all three, Carmi, Hur and Shobal. Let them choose whom they will imitate.
Shobal continues to be productive and details of ‘the families of the Zorathites’ who were descended from Shobal are now provided. The Zorathites were the inhabitants of Zorah and as we have seen were said to be descended from Kiriath-jearim families (2.53), for Shobal was ‘the father of Kiriath-jearim’ (2.52). Zorah was a town in the lowlands of Judah (Joshua 15.33), and was the birthplace of Samson (Judges 13.2, 25).
2 And Reaiah the son of Shobal begot Jahath, and Jahath begot Ahumai and Lahad. These were the families of the Zorathites.
Shobal had a son named Reaiah, who begat Jahath. Jahath in turn begat Ahumai and Lahad. From their families were established the families of the Zorathites who lived in and around Zorah.
3 These were the sons of the father of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash; and the name of their sister was Hazelelponi; 4 and Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah. These were the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah the father of Bethlehem.
Etam was in the hill country of Judah and refortified by Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 11.6). Its site is usually identified with modern Khirbet el-Hoh, seven miles SSW of Jerusalem. Gedor was also in the hill country of Judah (Joshua 15.58), sited at Khirbet Jedur just off the central ridge, 7 miles north of Hebron.
These are all then stated to be descendants (at some distance) of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, mentioned earlier in 2.19, 50, whose descendants ruled over Bethlehem through Salma. Hur clearly produced men who had great authority and he had numerous influential descendants. He was a prime example of what God could achieve.
Ashhur, the son of Hezron, son of Perez, was previously mentioned in 2.24. The expansion of his family is now described. He was the father of Tekoa, who in turn was the lord, and establisher, of the Tekoites, who would eventually settle in Tekoa.
5 And Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.
Previously our knowledge of Ashhur was limited to the fact that he begat Tekoa (2.24). Now we learn more about his family. He had two wives, Helah and Naarah, and they bore him further sons.
6 Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah. 7 The sons of Helah were Zereth, Zohar, and Ethnan;
As well as Tekoa his wives bore to him seven sons, whose names are given.
8 and Koz begot Anub, Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum.
Coz was seemingly a man of enough importance to justify informing us of his contribution to further offspring and to introduce Jabez. He had two sons, Anub and Zobebah. The families of Aharhel the son of Harum were also descended from him. So, did Judah grow and establish itself. It demonstrated how God could take the comparatively few and make them many.
Jabez is highlighted with all who have gone before, as a uniquely outstanding man. He was uniquely a man of prayer. To be ‘more honorable’ in this way is something to which we should all seek to attain.
9 Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” 10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So, God granted him what he requested.
The language here by Jabez’s mom (I bore in pain) intentionally alludes to Gen. 3:16 (in pain you shall bear sons). She has recognized the reality of the curse in her own life and hopes for the undoing of it in the life of her son.
The first petition from Jabez to Adoni Yahweh is ‘Oh that you would indeed bless me.’ It is an overall wish for our Holy God to let His favor shine on him.
He then expands this request of blessing in asking for a second petition ‘And you would multiply my territory.’
Jabez was part of the generations after the initial entry into the Promised Land under Joshua. Thus, in asking that God multiply his territory, Jabez is not asking for more real estate. Jabez is asking for God's help to take the territory that had been allotted to him. As the information in Joshua 13-20 makes clear, the land was divided among the tribes, with each tribe to divide up the land among the families of the tribe, and these then responsible to drive out the inhabitants from the land. That Israel as a whole did not do this is one of their great sins, the consequences of which the Book of Judges describes.
The third petition makes more explicit the request of the second petition, ‘And your hand would be with me.’
Jabez asks for God's power to assist him in his task of taking territory. The image of God's hand as his power against his enemies is common in the Old Testament, particularly in the narratives about the Exodus and the conquest.
The final request is, ‘and you would keep me from evil, lest I cause pain.’
Jabez had received his name because he had caused pain in his birth. He asks, then, that that causing of pain not be characteristic of his life.
The conclusion of his pray to our Great and Gracious God is, ‘And God brought that which he asked.’
God honored his request and brought it to pass. The statement implies that the fulfillment of that request took place over time and was not immediate. What I take away from this prayer was that overall Jabez asked our Holy Lord God for the blessing to obey all His commands. Our Gracious God acknowledge that prayer request and over Jabez’s life time our Merciful God helped him do exactly that. This is my prayer request also.
Now looking at his prayer close would you join in with all those who want all the goodies in life by thinking a certain prayer has magic to force our Holy Master to respond?
11 Chelub the brother of Shuhah begot Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. 12 And Eshton begot Beth-Rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Ir-Nahash. These were the men of Rechah.
This Chelub begat a son called Mehir, and he in turn begat Eshton. Eshton in turn begat Beth-rapha (house of rapha) and Paseah and Tehinnah. And Tehinnah begat Ir-nahash (city of Nahash). Note how individuals bore what appear to be the names of towns (Beth-rapha; Ir-nahash). In some cases this may have been because they were born there, and they may even have been lords over them as well. In other cases, their individual names might have preceded the names being given to towns. We can understand a man being called ‘house of bread’ (beth-lehem) when harvests have been particularly fruitful. This is what often makes it tricky to know whether a person or a town is being spoken of. But we are probably to see in some cases that the towns were later ruled over by the persons whose families lived and developed there, descended from those named.
We are now introduced to Othniel, the son of Kenaz (Joshua 15.17), the general who acted in response to the plea of Caleb of Jephunneh, and captured Kiriath-sepher (Joshua 15.17; Judges 1.13), thereby earning the right to marry the daughter of Celeb the son of Jephunneh, the Kennizite. Othniel later delivered Israel from the invasion of Cushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia (Judges 3.9-11).
13 The sons of Kenaz were Othniel and Seraiah. The sons of Othniel were Hathath, 14 and Meonothai who begot Ophrah. Seraiah begot Joab the father of Ge Harashim, for they were craftsmen.
Kenaz was the father of Othniel, and the younger brother of Caleb, the son of Jephunneh (Joshua 15.17; Judges 1.13; 3.9, 11). As often the least important one comes first. He had two sons, Othniel and Seraiah. Othniel had two sons, Hathath and Meonothai, and Meonothai in turn begat Ophrah. Meanwhile Seraiah begat Joab, the father of Ge-harashim (the valley of Harashim; in Nehemiah 11.35 ‘the valley of craftsmen’).
Caleb the son of Jephunneh was one of the two spies who were faithful to God after spying out Canaan (the other was Joshua). He also led the Judean onslaught on the southern hill country (afterwards known as the hill country of Judah), driving out the sons of Anak from Hebron (Kiriath-arba), and encouraging Othniel to capture Debir (Kiriath-sepher). He was another example to the returned Exiles that God could raise up men when needed.
15 The sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh were Iru, Elah, and Naam. The son of Elah was Kenaz.
The descendants of Caleb are listed. His sons Iru, Elah and Naam, the sons of Elah, and a later descendant also called Kenaz.
16 The sons of Jehallelel were Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.
Jehallelel means ‘him who praises God’. Like Jabez earlier he was true to God when others were not so, an encouragement to the worshippers in the new Temple.
Jehallelel had four children, Ziph, and Ziphah, Tiria and Asarel. It is probable that Ziphah was a daughter. Ziph and Ziphah were probably twins. They were probably not connected with the region of Ziph (see 2.42).
17 The sons of Ezrah were Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. And Mered’s wife bore Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. 18 (His wife Jehudijah bore Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Sochoh, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah.) And these were the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered took.
One possible interpretation of these words is that the Judean wife (who is nameless) bore Bethiah’s three sons acting as a surrogate mother for the Egyptian princess who was barren. Then we would translate as ‘And the children of Ezrah: Jether, and Mered, and Epher, and Jalon; and she (Jalon) bore Miriam, and Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. And his (Mered’s) wife the Judean woman (or Jehudijah) bore Jered the father of Gedor, and Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. And these are the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered took (borne on her behalf by the Judean woman).’ This preserves the order of the text in intelligible form and makes excellent sense.
19 The sons of Hodiah’s wife, the sister of Naham, were the fathers of Keilah the Garmite and of Eshtemoa the Maachathite.
There appears to be a stress on the importance of Naham in that his sister’s name is not mentioned. His importance then seems to have been passed on to his grand-nephews. Hodiah and his sons are very much in the background.
20 And the sons of Shimon were Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan, and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi were Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth. 21 The sons of Shelah the son of Judah were Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of the linen workers of the house of Ashbea; 22 also Jokim, the men of Chozeba, and Joash; Saraph, who ruled in Moab, and Jashubi-Lehem. Now the records are ancient.
Shelah seemingly named his firstborn after his brother Er. And Er had a son named Lecah. Shelah’s second son was named Laadah. Laadah had a son named Mareshah. Mareshah was also the name of a son of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel (2.42).
Shelah’s son Laadah was also the ‘father’ of the families of the house of those who wrought fine linen. This suggests that trades were family oriented, and mainly restricted to those families. The production of fine linen was seemingly the monopoly of the Shelanites.
23 These were the potters and those who dwell at Netaim and Gederah; there they dwelt with the king for his work.
Not all Shelanites would be potters but clearly there were a good number of potters among them, dwelling largely in Netaim and Gederah, where they serviced the king, working on his behalf. Thus, their pottery would be of the exquisite kind, paralleling the makers of fine linen. Once more we note the limitation of a trade to one family. The Shelanites majored in magnificent pottery and fine linen.
We may finish off this section about Judah by bringing out its message. It has demonstrated how the tribe of Judah, with its sub-tribes and clans, was built up and established with adequate leadership, under the hand of God. It has shown how God prospered it and prepared it for the kingship of His chosen king (David), ensured the success and beauty of the Tabernacle/Temple (through Bezalel), and how it established its own chieftains and trades under God’s hand. It would give to the returnees from Exile the heart to move on and wait for God to complete His work, in the confidence that what He had done He could do again. They had only to wait obediently on Him.
Initially Simeon and Judah worked together in the conquest of southern Canaan (Judges 1.3), and the areas occupied by Simeon were within the bounds of Judah (Joshua 19.1, 9). This is probably one reason why the genealogies of Simeon come next.
24 The sons of Simeon were Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul,
Simeon had five sons, Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah and Shaul.
25 Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, and Mishma his son.
Shaul’s son was named Shallum, and Shallum begat Mibsam, who begat Mishma. Mibsam and Mishma are known as names belonging to descendants of Ishmael (1.29-30; Genesis 25.13-14), which may indicate the close relationship between the Shaulites on the southern borders in the Negeb and the Ishmaelites. who roamed the wilderness.
26 And the sons of Mishma were Hamuel his son, Zacchur his son, and Shimei his son.
The line of Shaul continues with Mishma begetting Hammuel, Hammuel begetting Zaccur, and Zaccur begetting Shimei.
27 Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brothers did not have many children, nor did any of their families multiply as much as the children of Judah.
Shimei produced sixteen sons and six daughters. This was in contrast with his relatives and fellow Simeonites who were clearly not very productive. This explains why Simeon remained short in numbers. This is corroborated by Numbers 26 where the sons of Simeon numbered a mere 22,200 compared with Judah’s 76,500. So Shimei wrought mightily on behalf of Simeon.
28 They dwelt at Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual, 29 Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, 30 Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, 31 Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities until the reign of David.
For the first time the dwelling places of some of the Israelites are brought out. It will be noted that among other places, the tribe of Simeon occupied cities on the southern border, that is, Beer-sheba and its accompanying towns.
Moladah, Beersheba, Hazar-shual, Ziklag were re-occupied by the returning Exiles (Nehemiah 11.26-28. Moladah was a city which was close to Beersheba in the Negeb and would have been established beside one of the wells, which were fed by the water table. It was re-occupied by the returning Exiles.
The name ‘Beersheba’ means ‘the well of seven’. It was a prolific well in the Negeb, dating back to Abraham, excavated through solid rock, beside which the town of Beersheba had grown up. Beersheba was surrounded by several such wells, which was why towns and tent encampments grew up around it. All towns needed a water supply, especially in the Negeb. Its importance lay in the fact that it was on the trade route to Egypt.
We are now informed that these were Simeonite cities until the reign of David. From David onwards things could never be the same again. A interesting point made here is that if David transformed things, what then would happen when the new and greater David came?
32 And their villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan—five cities— 33 and all the villages that were around these cities as far as Baal. These were their dwelling places, and they maintained their genealogy:
We now have a list of five further towns with their villages inhabited by Simeon. Ain and Rimmon (and Ashan?) were also shared with Judah (Joshua 15.32). Ain and Rimmon were seemingly close together and often designated as En-rimmon.
The Baal mentioned is explicitly a shortened form of ‘Baalath-beer, Ramah (height) of the Negeb’ (Joshua 19.8). This was probably a well-known height in the south of the Negeb near a spring or well.
The Simeonites were not absorbed into Judah but were careful to maintain their own family registers. The places mentioned above were where they dwelt, and they maintained their own ‘family register’. They were together with Judah and yet apart, and in the days of Hezekiah they proved their worth (4.41-43).
The important lesson for us from this is that God, who had promised to Israel towns and cities in their own land, had now fulfilled that promise. They were safely settled in their own land. In the same way the inference was that He would safely settle in their own land the returnees from Exile in Babylon, and from other countries around Israel.
34 Meshobab, Jamlech, and Joshah the son of Amaziah; 35 Joel, and Jehu the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel; 36 Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, and Benaiah; 37 Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah—
The names of exalted men in the families of Simeon are now given. From what follows they were all ‘rulers of families’ at the same time, that is, in the days of Hezekiah.
38 these mentioned by name were leaders in their families, and their father’s house increased greatly.
Under these rulers over family’s things appear to have improved so that the families became more productive child wise. ‘Their houses increased greatly’. The barren spell was over.
Those who lived in the Negeb had constantly to be on the move seeking pasture for their flocks because it was a relatively dry climate with little rain.Thus to find good pasture was a God-send, and men would fight over it in order to gain the ascendancy so that they could feed their flocks there.
39 So they went to the entrance of Gedor, as far as the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks.
The Negeb would be a very competitive place with Israelites vying with wandering tribesmen for adequate pasturage. When it was found, therefore, it would be taken over and guarded carefully.
40 And they found rich, good pasture, and the land was broad, quiet, and peaceful; for some Hamites formerly lived there.
The search proved successful and the Simeonites found pasturage that was fruitful and good. It was in a place where there was plenty of space, and which was not bothered by marauders. It was occupied by peace loving Hamites who caused no trouble to anyone and enjoyed their pasturage securely. These Hamites were like the people of Laish prior to the arrival of the Danites (Judges 18.27), and probably had the same disregard of the need for alliances. They had come over the border from Egypt, or had arrived from Canaan, and had been left alone by their fellow Hamites. They were not expecting the arrival of Semites.
41 These recorded by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and they attacked their tents and the Meunites who were found there, and utterly destroyed them, as it is to this day. So, they dwelt in their place, because there was pasture for their flocks there.
The Hamites soon came to realize their error, for in the days of King Hezekiah the Simeonites swept down on them and smote their encampment, and annihilated them. The Simeonites also destroyed some Meunim who were presumably also feeding their flocks there. And at the day the record was written, the Simeonites were still there, pasturing their flocks and herds.
42 Now some of them, five hundred men of the sons of Simeon, went to Mount Seir, having as their captains Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi.
Having secured their new pasturage in a place where they felt safe, the Simeonites then sent 500 of their warriors to take possession of Mount Seir where the Amalekites were in possession.
43 And they defeated the rest of the Amalekites who had escaped. They have dwelt there to this day.
At Mount Seir the Simeonites routed the Amalekites, and themselves took possession of Mount Seir as a dwelling place, another indication that they themselves were seeking refuge.
The impression we have gained is of a large-scale movement of Simeonites seeking refuge. They may well have escaped the Exile, and been there to welcome back the returnees, combining with them in the true worship of YHWH. If so they may have been a great encouragement to the returnees as they considered what God had done.
