The Line of David
1 Now these were the sons of David, who were born to him in Hebron: the firstborn, Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second, Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess; 2 the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; 3 the fifth, Shephatiah of Abital; the sixth, Ithream by Eglah his wife: 4 six were born to him in Hebron; and he reigned there seven years and six months. He reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem; 5 and these were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon, four, by Bathshua the daughter of Ammiel; 6 and Ibhar, Elishama, Eliphelet, 7 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 8 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet, nine. 9 All these were the sons of David, in addition to the sons of the concubines; and Tamar was their sister. 10 Solomon’s son was Rehoboam, Abijah his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son, 11 Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, 12 Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son, 13 Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son, 14 Amon his son, and Josiah his son. 15 The sons of Josiah: the firstborn Johanan, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, and the fourth Shallum. 16 The sons of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, and Zedekiah his son. 17 The sons of Jeconiah, the captive: Shealtiel his son, 18 Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah. 19 The sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel and Shimei. The sons of Zerubbabel: Meshullam and Hananiah; and Shelomith was their sister; 20 and Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab Hesed, five. 21 The sons of Hananiah: Pelatiah and Jeshaiah; the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, the sons of Shecaniah. 22 The son of Shecaniah: Shemaiah. The sons of Shemaiah: Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat, six. 23 The sons of Neariah: Elioenai, Hizkiah, and Azrikam, three. 24 The sons of Elioenai: Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani, seven.
The line of David is carried straight through the fall of the throne and on past the return, still being counted.
The chapter is a single line, drawn in three stages.
First the sons born at Hebron and at Jerusalem 1 Chronicles 3:1–9. The names are quiet and the histories behind them are not: Amnon, Absalom, Adonijah, and a sister called Tamar. This book will tell none of what happened among them. It registers them anyway, which is a different thing from concealment.
One name there differs from the parallel account. Solomon's mother appears here as the daughter of Ammiel 1 Chronicles 3:5 and elsewhere as the daughter of Eliam 2 Samuel 11:3, and her own name is given in two forms as well. Both are ordinary variants, and nothing in either passage turns on the difference.
Second the kings, Solomon to Josiah, an unbroken chain of fourteen 1 Chronicles 3:10–14. The formula never varies, and no king of the northern kingdom appears at any point. The writer is tracing one throne and is not interested in the other.
Third, and this is where the chapter earns its place, the line does not stop when the throne does. Josiah's sons are named, and Jehoiakim's, and then the sons of Jeconiah, the captive 1 Chronicles 3:17. A king in a foreign prison still has sons, and the register keeps counting them.
It keeps counting a long way. Through Pedaiah to Zerubbabel, who led the first return; then through Hananiah, Shecaniah and Neariah; and finally to seven brothers whose names close the chapter 1 Chronicles 3:22–24. Several generations after the return, and the list is still being kept.
That is an argument, made without a sentence of comment. A throne was promised to this house forever 1 Chronicles 17:14, and the house is documented as continuing after the throne was taken away. Whoever kept this record did not treat the exile as the end of the line. The seven names at the foot of the page are the evidence.
settled What this mark means