1 Chronicles 3

This chapter belongs to the genealogical section of 1 Chronicles (chapters 1–9). Following 1 Chronicles 2, which covers the descendants of Judah and the sons of Jesse, this chapter singles out the house of David and traces it down to the generations after the exile.

Outline

• Verses 1–4 list the six sons born to David in Hebron, together with their mothers. David reigned seven years and six months in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
• Verses 5–9 list the sons born in Jerusalem: the four sons of Bath-shua (including Solomon), nine other sons, and their sister Tamar. The passage adds that David also had sons by concubines.
• Verses 10–16 trace the line of the kings of Judah generation by generation from Solomon to Josiah, then list the four sons of Josiah and Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim.
• Verses 17–24 record the descendants of Jeconiah, who was carried into captivity. The line runs through Salathiel (Shealtiel) and Zerubbabel the son of Pedaiah, continuing several generations later to the seven sons of Elioenai.

Key Verses

• 1 Chronicles 3:4 "and there he reigned seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years" — summarizes the length of David's reign.
• 1 Chronicles 3:5 "Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon" — shows the position of Solomon, who succeeded to the throne.
• 1 Chronicles 3:19 "And the sons of Pedaiah were, Zerubbabel, and Shimei" — connects Zerubbabel, who led the return from exile, to the royal house of David.

People and Places

• Abigail: the Carmelitess, mother of David's second son, Daniel.
• Absalom: the third son, born to Maachah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur.
• Adonijah: the fourth son, born to Haggith.
• Bath-shua: the daughter of Ammiel and mother of Solomon.
• Kings of Judah: Rehoboam, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Zedekiah, and others.
• Jeconiah: the son of Jehoiakim and the king who was carried captive to Babylon; also called Jehoiachin.

Points for Reflection

• 2 Samuel 3 names David's second son Chileab. Many interpreters regard this as another name for Daniel.
• Bath-shua (the daughter of Ammiel) is generally identified with Bathsheba (the daughter of Eliam) in 2 Samuel 11:3.
• Ezra 3:2 and Haggai 1:1 call Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, whereas this chapter records him as the son of Pedaiah. Various explanations have been proposed, including levirate marriage (the custom by which a man married his deceased brother's widow to continue his brother's line) or adoption.
• The genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 overlaps with this line. Matthew, however, omits certain kings, such as Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah, and after Zerubbabel lists Abiud, who does not appear in this chapter.