1 Chronicles 3

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.