What is the meaning of 1 Chronicles 4:43? Struck down • “They struck down” (1 Chronicles 4:43) points to decisive action by Simeon’s descendants, not a mere skirmish. • Earlier commands to remove Amalek appear in Exodus 17:14, Deuteronomy 25:17-19, and 1 Samuel 15:2-3. The Simeonites are finishing work left incomplete by Saul (1 Samuel 15:8-9) and only partly accomplished by David (1 Samuel 30:17). God’s justice is being carried out exactly as foretold (Numbers 24:20). The remnant • This final group of Amalekites is called “the remnant,” showing most had already been judged. • A remnant implies God’s patience—He gave the nation many opportunities to turn, yet they persisted in hostility (Exodus 17:16). • Cross references: Judges 7:12 pictures Amalekite multitudes reduced over time; 1 Samuel 27:8-9 notes earlier raids that thinned their numbers. Of the Amalekites • The Amalekites were perennial enemies of Israel from the wilderness onward (Exodus 17:8-13). • They represent unprovoked aggression, first to attack Israel’s weakest stragglers (Deuteronomy 25:18). • Genesis 36:12 traces their origin through Esau, contrasting covenant faithfulness in Jacob’s line with rebellion in Amalek’s. Who had escaped • These survivors fled after earlier defeats—likely after Saul’s incomplete campaign (1 Samuel 15:7-9) and David’s rout at Ziklag (1 Samuel 30:17-18). • God’s word stands: fugitives cannot outrun His decree (Psalm 139:7-8; Obadiah 1:3-4). And they have lived there • “They” now refers to the Simeonites, not the Amalekites. The victorious tribe settles the captured territory, expanding from their original allotment in Judah’s south (Joshua 19:1-9). • Taking possession fulfills the mandate to occupy the land promised to Abraham (Genesis 17:8) and removes a threat from Israel’s borders (Numbers 34:2). To this day • The phrase anchors the account in verifiable history for the chronicler’s readers, just as 2 Chronicles 5:9 and Judges 1:26 do in their contexts. • It assures that God’s promises have enduring outcomes; the Simeonites’ continued residence proves the completeness of Amalek’s judgment and the security God grants obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-7). summary 1 Chronicles 4:43 records God’s faithfulness in eliminating a long-standing enemy through Simeon’s descendants. They finished the task commanded generations earlier, settled the reclaimed territory, and remained there “to this day,” demonstrating that when God speaks, His word is sure, His justice certain, and His blessings for obedience lasting. |
    |