1 Chronicles 4:21 (WEB)

Passage

The sons of Shelah the son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of those who worked fine linen, of the house of Ashbea;

Nearby Context

1 Chronicles 4:19 The sons of the wife of Hodiah, the sister of Naham, were the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maacathite.

1 Chronicles 4:20 The sons of Shimon: Amnon, Rinnah, Ben Hanan, and Tilon. The sons of Ishi: Zoheth, and Ben Zoheth.

1 Chronicles 4:21 The sons of Shelah the son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of those who worked fine linen, of the house of Ashbea;

1 Chronicles 4:22 and Jokim, and the men of Cozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who had dominion in Moab, and Jashubilehem. These records are ancient.

1 Chronicles 4:23 These were the potters, and the inhabitants of Netaim and Gederah: they lived there with the king for his work.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sons", "shelah", "judah", "father", "lecah", "laadah", and "mareshah". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sons" and "shelah", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "The sons of Shimon Amnon Rinnah Ben..." into verse 22's "and Jokim and the men of Cozeba...", so "sons" and "shelah" belong inside that flow. In 1 Chronicles context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "sons" and "shelah" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.