1 Chronicles 4:22

And Jokim,.... The Vulgate Latin version is, and he that made the sun to stand: as if Joshua was meant; and in the Talmud it is (g) said Jokim, this is Joshua, who confirmed the oath to the

And Jokim, and the men of Chozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who had the dominion in Moab, and Jashubilehem. And these are ancient things. Had the dominion in Moab , [ baa`aluw (H1166) lª-Mow'aab (H4124), had possessions in Moab].

Who had the dominion in Moab; which they ruled in the name and for the use and service of the kings of Judah, to whom Moab was subject from David’ s time. Or, who had possessions in Moab; or, who married wives in Moab. These are ancient things: the sense is either, 1. These persons and things were in ancient times, and therefore it is not strange if now they be so little known. But that might have been with equal truth said of divers other parts of this account. Or rather, 2. But those blessed times and things are long since past and gone. Our ancestors then had the dominion over the heathen, but their degenerate posterity are now slaves to them in Chaldea, Persia, &c., where they are employed as potters or gardeners, or in other servile works.

1 Chronicles 4:22 And Jokim, and the men of Chozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who had the dominion in Moab, and Jashubilehem. And [these are] ancient things.Ver. 22. Who had the dominion in Moab.] Ruled as viceroys under the kings of Judah, who had subdued Moab. And these are ancient things.] Old and obsolete, Vatablus rendereth it. Ista nomina sunt virorum veterum, these are the names of such as lived long since. Haec sunt nomina prisca priscorum heroum: A Lapide. Thus writeth Ezra; who yet lived before that Socrates taught in Athens, and before any chronicles of the world now extant in the world. Such is the antiquity of holy writ.

II.—SONS OF SHELAH, THIRD SON OF JUDAH, 1 Chronicles 4:21-23 (omitted by Syriac version). The Shelanite clans were not noticed in 1 Chronicles 2 (See Genesis 38:5 and 1 Chronicles 2:3.) (21) Er.—This Er who founded Lecah is, of course, distinct from Er “the firstborn of Judah.” Lecah is unknown. Mareshah, a town in the lowlands of Judah, is connected with Caleb (1 Chronicles 2:42). Such statements are not contradictory. At different periods different tribal divisions might have been settled in the same city. The present statement need only mean that Mareshah was a Shelanite foundation. The families of the house of them that wrought fine linen.—“The clans of the house of Byssus work at Beth-Ashbea.” Beth-Ashbea is an unknown place. It was the seat of some Shelanite houses engaged in growing flax and weaving linen. Such industries in ancient times were confined to hereditary guilds, which jealously guarded their methods and trade secrets. (22) Jokim.—Comp. Jakim (1 Chronicles 8:9). Both are probably equivalent to Joiakim (Jehoiakim). Chozeba.—Perhaps Chezib (Genesis 38:5), called Achzib (Joshua 15:44), the birthplace of Shelah; now the ruins of Kesβba. It was a town of the Shephelah. And Joash, and Saraph, who had the dominion in Moab.—The passage is obscure, because we know nothing further of Joash and Saraph. The LXX. render the whole verse: “And Joakim, and men of Chozeba, and Joas, and Saraph, who settled in Moab;” adding the meaningless words, καὶἀπέστρεψεναὐτοὺςαβεδηριναθουκιιν. The word rendered “had the dominion” occurs sixteen times, and in twelve cases at least means “to marry.” Probably Isaiah 26:13, Jeremiah 3:14; Jeremiah 31:32 are not exceptions. The right translation here, therefore, would seem to be “who married Moab,” a metaphor expressing settlement in that country (LXX., κατῴκησαν).And Jashubi-lehem.—We have here a vestige of some form of the verb shϋb (“to return”), as the LXX. (ἀπέστρεψεν) indicates; and “lehem” (Heb., lahem) may either signify “to them,” or represent the second half of the name Bethlehem. Reading (with one MS.) wayyβshϋbϋ, we might translate, and they returned to themselves, i.e., to their Judζan home. (Comp. the story of the sojourn of Elimelech and his family in Moab, and the return of Naomi to Judah.) But Bκth might easily have fallen out before lahem, and if so, the statement is, and they returned to Bethlehem—another point of likeness to the story of the Book of Ruth. (2) Others render, “Reduced Moab and requited them” (way-yashξbϋ lahem); referring the notice to a supposed subjugation of Moab by two chieftains of Judah. (3) Others, again, have proposed: “Who married into Moab, and brought them home (wives).” (Comp. the story of Mahlon and Chilion in Ruth.) The Vulg. translates all the proper names, and continues: “Qui principes fuerunt in Moab, et qui reversi sunt in Lahem.” (Comp. also Ezra 2:6.) And these are ancient things.—And the events are ancient, that is, those just recounted.

Verse 22. And Joash, and Saraph] "And the prophets and scribes which sprang from the seed of Joshua, and the Gibeonites, whose office it was to serve in the house of the sanctuary, because they had lied to the princes of Israel; also Joash, who is the same as Mahlon; and Saraph, who is the same as Chilion, who took wives of the daughters of Moab and Boaz, the chief of the wise men of the college of Bethlehem, and of those who existed in former days." - T.

22. and Joash, and Saraph, who etc.] Targ. “and Joash who is Mahlon and Seraph who is Chilion who took wives of the daughters of Moab” (cp. Rth 1:2; Rth 1:4). There is little to be said for the identification, which rests on the fact that the Hebrew word for had dominion might be translated married. We find no other trace of these two as rulers of Moab. and Jashubi-lehem] Vulg. who returned to Bethlehem, a translation which requires only an easy emendation of the present Hebrew text. Mahlon and Chilion did not return. Joash and Saraph may have retired to Moab either (like Mahlon and Chilion) because of a famine, or to escape foreign oppression, e.g. that of the Chaldeans, married wives there, and subsequently returned to their own country. these are ancient things] R.V. the records are ancient.

Who had the dominion in Moab - Moab was conquered by David 2 Samuel 8:2, and again by Omri, after which it remained subject until the death of Ahab 2 Kings 3:5.