What is the meaning of 1 Chronicles 4:28? They lived in Beersheba • “Beersheba” was already familiar to Israel long before the tribe of Simeon settled there; Abraham dug a well and called on “the name of the LORD, the Eternal God” in this spot (Genesis 21:33). • By the time of Joshua the town had become the southern marker of the land—“from Dan to Beersheba” (Judges 20:1). Seeing Simeon housed here in 1 Chronicles 4:28 underscores God’s literal fulfillment of the land allotments recorded in Joshua 19:2. • The genealogical note reminds us that the Lord’s promises are not abstract; He plants real families in real places so that His redemptive plan can unfold on visible soil (Psalm 37:3). Moladah • Moladah appears alongside Beersheba when Judah’s borders are described (Joshua 15:26) and again as part of Simeon’s inheritance (Joshua 19:2). The overlap shows how God wove Simeon’s territory into Judah’s larger region, fulfilling Jacob’s prophecy that Simeon would be “scattered” in Israel (Genesis 49:7). • Chronicles records this after the exile to prove that covenant history had not been lost; God kept track of every settlement—even a lesser–known town like Moladah—demonstrating His faithfulness “to a thousand generations” (Deuteronomy 7:9). Hazar-shual • Listed with the same trio of towns in Joshua 19:3, Hazar-shual (“village of the fox”) lay in the Negev’s rugged landscape. The very mention of it signals that no corner of the promised land was too remote for God’s people to inhabit. • Isaiah 35:1 promises that “the desert will rejoice and blossom.” Simeon’s occupation of this arid place previews that restoration, showing that obedience can turn wilderness into a settled home (Isaiah 32:15–18). • By the Chronicler’s day, many exiles had returned to ruined towns (Nehemiah 11:27–30 lists nearby sites). Remembering Hazar-shual encourages readers that God can repopulate and renew any land He once assigned. summary 1 Chronicles 4:28 is more than an address book. By spotlighting Beersheba, Moladah, and Hazar-shual, Scripture certifies that God literally fulfilled the tribal allotments promised in Joshua, honored Jacob’s prophetic words about Simeon, and preserved every family’s heritage—even through exile and return. These place names assure believers today that the Lord who tracks ancient villages also watches over our lives, faithfully planting us where His purposes will flourish. |