Bible Commentaries
1 Chronicles 3

Verse 3

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

His wife — Possibly so called because she was his first, and therefore most proper wife, though her son was born after all the rest before mentioned, and therefore she and her son are put in the sixth place, the wive being here named only for the sons sake.

Verse 5

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

Four — All David’s children by her, as the text positively affirms: and therefore Solomon is called her, only son, Proverbs 4:3, because she loved him as if he had been so.

Ammiel — Called also Eliam, 2 Samuel 11:3.

Verse 6

Ibhar also, and Elishama, and Eliphelet,

Eliphelet — And he had two other sons called by the same names, verse8, probably they were by different wives: and probably they were then distinguished by some additional clause or title, which is here omitted, because the two first were dead before the two second were born, and therefore the names of the deceased were given to these to preserve their memory.

Verse 8

And Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet, nine.

Nine — There are but seven mentioned, 2 Samuel 5:14. Two of them are omitted there, because they died very early, and here we have all the sons of David, which clause is not added2Samuel5:13-16.

Verse 15

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

Shallum — Which most conceive to be the same who is called Jehoahaz, 2 Kings 23:30.

Verse 16

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

Zedekiak — This was another Zedekiah. How seldom has a crown gone in a direct line, from father to son, as it did here, for seventeen generations! This was the recompense of David’s piety. About the captivity the lineal descent was interrupted, and the crown went from a nephew to an uncle, a presage of the glory’s departing from that house.

Verse 17

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

Assir — Or, of Jechoniah the captive, which is added to shew that he begat his son when he was captive in Babylon.

Verse 18

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

Pedaiah — The sentence seems to be short and imperfect, as is frequent in the Hebrew language, and something is here understood, as, the sons also of Salathiel were Malchiram and Pedaiah, etc. as they gather from hence that the same Zerubbabel is called the son of Pedaiah, verse19, and the son (that is, the grandson) of Salathiel, Matthew 1:12.

Verse 19

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

Their sister — Sister to the two last named sons of Zerubbabel, namely, by both parents; and therefore named before the other five, verse20, who were her brethren by the father, but not by the mother.

Verse 21

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

Shechaniah — All these both parents and their sons blended together, are mentioned as the sons of Hananiah, and branches of the royal stock.

Verse 22

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

Six — Including the father. But the Hebrew word, Shisha, which is rendered six, may be the proper name of one of the sons of Shemaiah.