1 Chronicles 4:25 is a genealogy entry that names three generations of descendants from the tribe of Simeon: Shallum, then his son Mibsam, then Mibsam’s son Mishma. The verse lists names in a chain, and its meaning is simply that these men belonged to the household of Simeon and were recorded as part of God’s people. It is written by the Chronicler, a historian who compiled Israel’s records for a community that had returned from exile and needed to know where it came from.
Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, and Mishma his son.
1 Chronicles 4:25 (WEB)
What 1 Chronicles 4:25 Means
The verse is a list, and the plainest reading is the right one. “Shallum his son” tells you that Shallum is the child of the person named just before him, and “Mibsam his son” continues the line in the same way. “Mishma his son” closes the sequence. Each phrase links one name to the next, so the reader can trace a single family from one generation to the next.
What the verse does not do is explain events, teach a doctrine, or promise anything to the reader. It does not describe what these men did or how they lived. It simply records their names. Readers who come to it expecting a sermon on blessing will be disappointed, though the record itself carries a quiet message: God keeps track of families, and no name in the line is too obscure to be remembered.
The Context of 1 Chronicles 4:25
First Chronicles opens with long genealogies running from Adam through the tribes of Israel. The book was likely written after the Babylonian exile, and its early audience was a people trying to re-establish identity, land claims and worship after losing their temple and much of their history. Lists like this one were not filler to them. They showed that the community had roots, that the tribes were still distinct, and that the promises made to Abraham’s descendants had not been lost.
The verses around 4:25 place the Simeonites in the southern territory near Judah, with towns like Beersheba and Moladah mentioned in the next verse. Verse 27 notes that the Simeonite families did not multiply as Judah’s had, which gives the list a sober tone. Reading 4:25 alongside those lines, you see a small and slowly growing family being recorded faithfully rather than a grand dynasty being celebrated.
Key Phrases in 1 Chronicles 4:25
Psalm 139:16
Your eyes saw my body. In your book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there were none of them.
(WEB)
This psalm speaks of God knowing each person intimately, including their days before they were formed. Like the genealogy, it shows that individual lives are fully known and held within God’s purpose.
Luke 3:23-24
23 Jesus himself, when he began to teach, was about thirty years old, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph…
(WEB)
Luke traces a genealogy of Jesus through many generations, placing him within the same kind of family record Chronicles preserves. It shows how the Old Testament lists connect to the story of salvation.
A Short Prayer From 1 Chronicles 4:25
Lord, you know every name and every line that has led to this day. Thank you that the people who came before me were not forgotten, even the ones whose stories are only a few words long. Help me to honor the faithful lives that shaped my family, and to trust that my own ordinary days are seen by you. Teach me to live faithfully in the place you have given me, whether or not anyone else takes notice. Amen.
