Bible Strands
1 Chronicles 4:27
Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers did not have many children, so their whole clan did not become as numerous as the sons of Judah.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — A genealogical compiler records tribal expansions in Judah and Simeon, placing Shimei’s family count between the listing of Mishma’s sons and the enumeration of their southern settlements.
The words — The phrase אֵ֖ין ('ein) literally means "not," functioning here to negate the expected proliferation of Shimei’s brothers, while שִׁשָּׁ֤ה עָשָׂר (shi.Shah 'a.Sar) directly quantifies his sixteen sons.
The thread — The clan’s measured growth parallels the tribal registration data in Numbers 26:14 (Simeon) and Numbers 26:22 (Judah), anchoring this household record within the broader census framework.
Why it lands — The text demands a reader to observe how genealogical records track actual demographic outcomes rather than assumed tribal prominence, requiring attention to the precise counting of descendants.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brethren had not many children, neither did all their family multiply, like to the children of Judah.
Cross-references
- Numbers 26:14 These were the clans of Simeon, and there were 22,200 men.
- Numbers 2:13 and his division numbers 59,300.
- Numbers 26:22 These were the clans of Judah, and their registration numbered 76,500.
- Numbers 2:4 and his division numbers 74,600.