1 Chronicles 3
David’s children,
from freedom to captivity
King David’s family tree
1David became a father while he lived in Hebron. He had six sons by six wives:Amnon was the oldest. His mother was Ahinoam, from the town of Jezreel.
Second son: Daniel, born to Abigail from the city of Carmel.
2Third: Absalom, born to Maacah; her father was Talmai, king of Geshur.
Fourth: Adonijah, born to Haggith.
3Fifth: Shephatiah, born to Abital.
Sixth: Ithream, born to Eglah.
4All six boys were born in Hebron. David reigned there as king for seven years and six months. After that, he captured Jerusalem and reigned there for 33 years. 5He had children in Jerusalem, too. Thirteen sons, four by Bathsheba: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon. Bathsheba’s father was Ammiel.
6His other nine sons were Ibhar, Elishama, Eliphelet, 7Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 8Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet. That’s it for the nine.
9David had more sons by his concubines, [1] the secondary wives. Tamar [2] was his daughter.
Solomon’s family tree
11Joram, Ahaziah, Joash, 12Amaziah, Azariah, Jotham, 13Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, 14Amon, Josiah.15Josiah had four sons who served as king: Johanan, the oldest, followed in order by Jehoiakim, Zedekiah, and Jehoahaz.
Jehoiakim’s family tree
16Jehoiakim had two sons: Jehoiachin and Zedekiah. [3]17King Jehoiachin had seven sons, though Babylonian invaders [4] held them captive: Shealtiel, 18Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah.
19Pedaiah had two sons: Zerubbabel and Shimei.
Zerubbabel had seven sons and a daughter: Meshullam, Hananiah and their sister Shelomith. 20His remaining five sons: Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-hesed.
21Hananiah had two sons: Pelatiah and Jeshaiah.
Jeshaiah had one son: Rephaiah.
Rephaiah had one son: Arnan.
Arnan had one son: Obadiah.
Obadiah had one son: Shecaniah.
22Shecaniah had one son: Shemaiah.
Shemaiah had six sons: Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, Shaphat, and one other. [5] 23Neariah had three sons: Elioenai, Hizkiah, and Azrikam. 24Elioenai had seven sons: Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani.
Footnotes
A concubine was a woman who lived with a man in a legally binding relationship as a secondary wife, but who had less social status and fewer privileges than a wife.
Tamar was Absalom’s full sister, born to David’s wife Maacah. Women don’t usually show up in ancient Jewish family trees. But Tamar’s tragic story affected Jewish history. David’s oldest son Amnon, Tamar’s half-brother, raped her (2 Samuel 13:14). David didn’t punish the prince. So Tamar’s brother Absalom did; he had Amnon murdered. Later, still bitter with David for not punishing the rapist brother, Absalom launched a coup. It failed and he died. Bathsheba’s youngest son became king when David died, Solomon.
Was Zedekiah Josiah’s son and Jehoiakim’s brother, instead, as verse 3:16 reports? Or did Jehoiakim name a son after his brother. Whichever the case, the Zedekiah that became king was reportedly Josiah’s son and Jehoiachin’s uncle (2 Kings 24:17).
Jehoiachin was only 18 years old when he became king. He reigned just three months because Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II forced him to surrender. Babylonians took him and 10,000 of Judah’s most well-to-do back to what is now Iraq—exiled from their homeland. That may be where Jehoiachin had his seven sons, unless he had been especially active during his adolescence.
What? “And one other”? Well, that’s curious. Did history swallow up the sixth son’s name? Was he a bad boy? Or did the historian miscount? We could add more questions, but the answers aren’t there.
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