📖WEB · 1 Chronicles 4:23
What does 1 Chronicles 4:23 mean?
"These were the potters, and the inhabitants of Netaim and Gederah: they lived there with the king for his work."
— 1 Chronicles 4:23 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
The sons of Shimon: Amnon, Rinnah, Ben Hanan, and Tilon. The sons of Ishi: Zoheth, and Ben Zoheth.
The sons of Shelah the son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of those who worked fine linen, of the house of Ashbea;
and Jokim, and the men of Cozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who had dominion in Moab, and Jashubilehem. These records are ancient.
These were the potters, and the inhabitants of Netaim and Gederah: they lived there with the king for his work.
The sons of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, Shaul;
Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, and Mishma his son.
The sons of Mishma: Hammuel his son, Zaccur his son, Shimei his son.
Explanation
This verse appears at the tail end of a long genealogical list in 1 Chronicles 4, which traces the descendants of Judah, and more specifically here the family line of Shelah, one of Judah's sons. The verse tells us that certain descendants of this family became potters — craftsmen who made pottery — and that they lived in two specific towns, Netaim and Gederah. It further notes that these potters were not independent artisans but worked in service to the king, likely as part of a royal workshop or industry supplying pottery for the crown's use.
To understand this verse rightly, it helps to remember that 1 Chronicles was written after the Babylonian exile, likely by a priestly or scribal author (traditionally associated with Ezra), for the returning Jewish community. Its purpose was to reconnect the post-exilic Israelites with their full history, reminding
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