1 Chronicles 4:32 (WEB)

Passage

Their villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan, five cities;

Nearby Context

1 Chronicles 4:30 at Bethuel, at Hormah, at Ziklag,

1 Chronicles 4:31 at Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, at Beth Biri, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities until David’s reign.

1 Chronicles 4:32 Their villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan, five cities;

1 Chronicles 4:33 and all their villages that were around the same cities, to Baal. These were their settlements, and they have their genealogy.

1 Chronicles 4:34 Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah the son of Amaziah,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "villages", "etam", "rimmon", "tochen", "ashan", "five", and "cities". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "villages" and "etam", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 31's "at Beth Marcaboth Hazar Susim at Beth..." into verse 33's "and all their villages that were around...", so "villages" and "etam" 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 "villages" and "etam" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.