What does 1 Chronicles 4:29 mean?
What is the meaning of 1 Chronicles 4:29?

Bilhah

“Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad,” (1 Chronicles 4:29)

• Bilhah is listed among the settlements of the tribe of Simeon, whose inheritance lay within Judah’s larger territory (Joshua 19:1–9).

• God promised that every tribe would receive its portion of land (Numbers 34:13 – 15), and this tiny notice shows that promise being kept in exact detail.

• Although Bilhah is not widely mentioned elsewhere, its inclusion underlines how fully God knows each location and family (Psalm 139:1–3).

• The town’s name echoes another Bilhah in Genesis 30, reminding us how Israel’s family stories reached into their geography.

• By recording Bilhah, Scripture affirms that no place or person in God’s plan is overlooked (Matthew 10:29–31).


Ezem

• Ezem also appears in Joshua 15:29 and 19:3 as a border town between Judah and Simeon, showing how the two tribes shared the Negev region.

• Living at the edge of the wilderness drew Simeon to depend on God’s daily provision, much like Israel in the exodus (Deuteronomy 8:15–16).

• The Lord “determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation” (Acts 17:26), and Ezem’s placement illustrates that sovereign care.

• Generations later, David still found Simeon in these towns (1 Chronicles 4:31), proving the continuity of God’s covenant faithfulness.


Tolad

• Tolad is likely the same town called Eltolad in Joshua 15:30 and 19:4, its shorter form here showing the everyday speech of later generations.

• Though small and otherwise unnoted, Tolad’s presence in the record declares that God honors even unnoticed places (1 Corinthians 1:27–29).

• The verse sits in a list that bridges the wilderness wanderings to the united kingdom, highlighting how God weaves small details into His grand narrative (Ruth 2:3; 2 Samuel 7:8–11).

• Tolad, like Bilhah and Ezem, remained under Simeon “until the reign of David” (1 Chronicles 4:31), stressing historical reliability and continuity.


summary

1 Chronicles 4:29 is more than a bare list of three towns; it is a testimony that God keeps precise track of His people, their boundaries, and their homes. Bilhah, Ezem, and Tolad stand as monuments to the faithfulness that placed Simeon where He intended, sustained them through generations, and recorded their story for our encouragement today.

What archaeological evidence supports the existence of the cities mentioned in 1 Chronicles 4:28?
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