📖WEB · 1 Chronicles 4:32
What does 1 Chronicles 4:32 mean?
"Their villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan, five cities;"
— 1 Chronicles 4:32 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
at Bilhah, at Ezem, at Tolad,
at Bethuel, at Hormah, at Ziklag,
at Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, at Beth Biri, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities until David’s reign.
Their villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan, five cities;
and all their villages that were around the same cities, to Baal. These were their settlements, and they have their genealogy.
Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah the son of Amaziah,
Joel, Jehu the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel,
Explanation
First Chronicles 4:32 comes in the middle of a long genealogical record, and on its surface it simply lists five small settlements — Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan — that belonged to the descendants of Simeon. These were villages within the broader territory that had originally been allotted to Simeon's tribe when Israel first settled the Promised Land under Joshua. The verse itself is not making a theological argument or telling a story; it is a piece of geographical and tribal record-keeping, noting which towns belonged to which clan.
The book of 1 Chronicles was likely compiled after the Babylonian exile, traditionally associated
Compare translations
Go deeper with ScriptureCompanion AI
Ask questions about any verse, follow reading plans, write personal prayers, and track your daily habit — all grounded in verified scripture text.