1 Chronicles 3

These were the sons born to David while he lived in Hebron. His oldest son was Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam, a woman from Jezreel. The second was Daniel, whose mother was Abigail, a woman from Carmel.

1Now these were the sons of David, which were born unto him in Hebron; the firstborn Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess:

NoteHebron was a town in the hill country south of Jerusalem. David ruled there over the single tribe of Judah for his first years as king, before the northern tribes accepted him and he took Jerusalem as his capital. Jezreel and Carmel here are small towns in that same southern region of Judah, not the northern Jezreel valley or the coastal Mount Carmel. Lists like this one traced who was descended from whom in the royal family; for readers after the exile, such a record settled who belonged to the line of David.

2The third son was Absalom, whose mother was Maachah, the daughter of Talmai, the king of Geshur. The fourth was Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith.

2The third, Absalom the son of Maachah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur: the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith:

NoteGeshur was a small Aramean kingdom east of the Sea of Galilee. A king's daughter was normally given in marriage to seal a treaty between two rulers, so Absalom's mother marks an alliance rather than an ordinary marriage.

3The fifth son was Shephatiah, whose mother was Abital. The sixth was Ithream, whose mother was David's wife Eglah.

3The fifth, Shephatiah of Abital: the sixth, Ithream by Eglah his wife.

4These six sons were born to David in Hebron, where he ruled as king for seven years and six months. He then ruled as king in Jerusalem for thirty-three years.

4These six were born unto him in Hebron; and there he reigned seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years.

NoteThe two figures together give the forty years traditionally counted for David's reign. The move from Hebron to Jerusalem marks the point where he ruled all the tribes rather than Judah alone.

5These sons were born to David in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon. These four had the same mother, Bathshua, the daughter of Ammiel.

5And these were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, four, of Bathshua the daughter of Ammiel:

NoteBathshua is another form of the name Bathsheba, and Ammiel is a reversed form of Eliam; the same woman and the same father appear under those spellings in 2 Samuel. Ancient Hebrew names often survive in more than one form.

6David also had these sons: Ibhar, Elishama, and Eliphelet,

6Ibhar also, and Elishama, and Eliphelet,

NoteElishama here is Elishua in the parallel list in 2 Samuel; the name Elishama also appears again in verse 8, so one of the two is probably a copying slip in one of the lists.

7and Nogah, Nepheg, and Japhia,

7And Nogah, and Nepheg, and Japhia,

8and Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet. That makes nine in this group.

8And Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet, nine.

9These were all the sons of David, not counting the sons born to him by his concubines. Tamar was their sister.

9These were all the sons of David, beside the sons of the concubines, and Tamar their sister.

NoteA concubine was a recognized secondary wife, legally attached to the household but of lower standing than a full wife, and her children ranked below the children of wives in matters of inheritance. That is why the chapter counts them separately rather than by name. Tamar is singled out because daughters were normally left out of such lists altogether.

10Solomon's son was Rehoboam. Rehoboam's son was Abia. Abia's son was Asa. Asa's son was Jehoshaphat.

10And Solomon’s son was Rehoboam, Abia his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son,

NoteFrom here the chapter follows the kings of Judah in order, each one succeeding his father on the throne. Abia is spelled Abijah elsewhere.

11Jehoshaphat's son was Joram. Joram's son was Ahaziah. Ahaziah's son was Joash.

11Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son,

NoteThe list follows descent by blood, not who actually held power: between Ahaziah and Joash the queen mother Athaliah seized the throne for six years, and she does not appear here because she was not in the male line.

12Joash's son was Amaziah. Amaziah's son was Azariah. Azariah's son was Jotham.

12Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son,

NoteAzariah is the king called Uzziah in other books; both names are used of him in the Hebrew Bible.

13Jotham's son was Ahaz. Ahaz's son was Hezekiah. Hezekiah's son was Manasseh.

13Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son,

14Manasseh's son was Amon. Amon's son was Josiah.

14Amon his son, Josiah his son.

15These were the sons of Josiah: Johanan was the oldest, Jehoiakim was the second, Zedekiah was the third, and Shallum was the fourth.

15And the sons of Josiah were, the firstborn Johanan, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum.

NoteShallum is the son known elsewhere as Jehoahaz, and Zedekiah is the last king of Judah before Babylon destroyed Jerusalem. They are listed by order of birth, not by the order in which they reigned.

16These came after Jehoiakim in his family line: his son Jeconiah, and then Zedekiah.

16And the sons of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son.

NoteThe Hebrew says only "Zedekiah his son," and it is unclear whether this is a further son of Jehoiakim, a second man of the same name, or the Zedekiah of verse 15 being noted as Jeconiah's successor on the throne. The wording leaves the relationship open.

17These belonged to the family line of Jeconiah: Assir, and Salathiel his son,

17And the sons of Jeconiah; Assir, Salathiel his son,

NoteJeconiah is the king also called Jehoiachin or Coniah, who was carried off to Babylon as a prisoner in 597 BC. "Assir" may be a personal name, or it may be the ordinary Hebrew word meaning "the captive," in which case the verse reads "Jeconiah the captive: Shealtiel his son." Salathiel is the Greek-influenced spelling of Shealtiel.

18and also Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazar, Jecamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah.

18Malchiram also, and Pedaiah, and Shenazar, Jecamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah.

NoteShenazar's name is sometimes connected with Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah who led the first group of exiles home from Babylon, though the identification is uncertain.

19The sons of Pedaiah were Zerubbabel and Shimei. The children of Zerubbabel were Meshullam and Hananiah, along with their sister Shelomith,

19And the sons of Pedaiah were, Zerubbabel, and Shimei: and the sons of Zerubbabel; Meshullam, and Hananiah, and Shelomith their sister:

NoteZerubbabel led one of the returns from exile and oversaw the rebuilding of the temple. Here he is called the son of Pedaiah, while Ezra, Haggai and Matthew call him the son of Shealtiel; the discrepancy is unresolved, and may reflect a legal adoption, a levirate arrangement in which a man raised offspring for a dead brother, or simply the loose Hebrew use of "son" for a descendant.

20and also Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-hesed. That makes five in this group.

20And Hashubah, and Ohel, and Berechiah, and Hasadiah, Jushabhesed, five.

21The sons of Hananiah were Pelatiah and Jesaiah. Also listed here are the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, and the sons of Shechaniah.

21And the sons of Hananiah; Pelatiah, and Jesaiah: the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, the sons of Shechaniah.

NoteThe Hebrew here is ambiguous. It can be read as four separate families listed alongside Hananiah's sons, or as a continuous chain in which Rephaiah is Jesaiah's son, Arnan is Rephaiah's, and so on. Ancient translations went different ways, and modern ones still do.

22The son of Shechaniah was Shemaiah. The sons of Shemaiah were Hattush, Igeal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat. That makes six in this group.

22And the sons of Shechaniah; Shemaiah: and the sons of Shemaiah; Hattush, and Igeal, and Bariah, and Neariah, and Shaphat, six.

NoteThe total of six does not match the five names that follow, so either Shemaiah himself is being counted with his sons or a name has dropped out in copying.

23The sons of Neariah were Elioenai, Hezekiah, and Azrikam. That makes three.

23And the sons of Neariah; Elioenai, and Hezekiah, and Azrikam, three.

24The sons of Elioenai were Hodaiah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Dalaiah, and Anani. That makes seven.

24And the sons of Elioenai were, Hodaiah, and Eliashib, and Pelaiah, and Akkub, and Johanan, and Dalaiah, and Anani, seven.

NoteAnani stands roughly six generations after Zerubbabel, which places the end of this list well into the Persian period, later than most of the rest of Chronicles.