1 Chronicles 3

This chapter lists the family of King David: his sons born in Hebron and Jerusalem, then the line of kings descended from Solomon down to the exile, and finally the descendants of Jeconiah after Babylon. It shows that God kept David’s royal house alive through judgment and captivity, keeping hope for the promised heir alive.

1 Chronicles 3:1

David’s first two sons were born in Hebron, where he first ruled. Amnon was the eldest, by Ahinoam; Daniel (also called Chileab) came second, by Abigail. The list begins with real family history, with all its later troubles, and shows God working through ordinary households.

BSA: firstborn (“the first in order of birth, holding a special status”): The eldest normally held the place of honor and inheritance, though in David’s house God’s choice did not always follow birth order.

See also: 2 Samuel 3:2-5.

1 Chronicles 3:2

Absalom’s mother was a princess from Geshur, a small kingdom northeast of Israel, so David’s marriages also carried political ties. Adonijah, the fourth son, was born to Haggith. Both sons later reached for the throne, bringing grief to David’s house.

See also: 2 Samuel 15:10; 1 Kings 1:5.

1 Chronicles 3:3-4

Shephatiah and Ithream complete the six sons born in Hebron. David ruled there seven and a half years over Judah, and then thirty-three years in Jerusalem over all Israel. The Chronicler quietly gives the length of David’s reign in the city God chose.

BSA: reigned (“exercised royal authority”): David’s rule was real, God-given authority exercised over a long span of years, first in one city and then another.

See also: 2 Samuel 5:4-5.

1 Chronicles 3:5

Four sons were born in Jerusalem to Bathsheba. Solomon is named last here, though he became the chosen heir. Nathan, also in this list, appears in Luke’s genealogy of Jesus. The line of promise did not follow birth order but God’s choice.

BSA: Solomon (“a king, a peacemaker”): His name is linked to the Hebrew word for peace, fitting a king whose reign was marked by rest from war.

See also: 1 Chronicles 22:9; Luke 3:31.

1 Chronicles 3:6-8

Nine more sons were born in Jerusalem, listed by name only. Many names include God’s name, such as Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet, which shows the faith of the household in which they were named. The list is a reminder that David’s family was large and sometimes divided.

BSA: Eliphelet (“meaning God is deliverance”): The name itself is a short confession of faith: God is the one who rescues.

1 Chronicles 3:9

Besides these sons, David had other sons by concubines, who are not named. Tamar, mentioned here as sister, was the daughter whose sad story is told in 2 Samuel 13. Even in a list of names, Scripture does not forget her.

BSA: concubines (“wives, but not fully married, or secondary wives”): These women had a lawful but lower standing in the household, and their children were not counted in the main list.

See also: 2 Samuel 13:1.

1 Chronicles 3:10-12

Now the royal line follows Solomon through Judah’s kings, from Rehoboam to Jotham. Father to son, the throne passes down. Some of these kings were faithful, like Asa and Jehoshaphat, and others were not, yet God’s promise to David held through them all.

BSA: Jehoshaphat (“Jehovah has judged”): His name says that God is the true judge, which suited a king who appointed judges throughout the land.

See also: 2 Samuel 7:16.

1 Chronicles 3:13-14

Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon and Josiah follow. The line moves through the very bad and the very good: faithful Hezekiah, then wicked Manasseh, later godly Josiah. The list shows that the promise rested on God’s faithfulness, not on the quality of each king.

BSA: Josiah (“whom Jehovah heals”): His name carries the idea of healing, fitting a king who led a real national return to God.

See also: 2 Kings 22:1-2.

1 Chronicles 3:15

Josiah had four sons. Johanan, the firstborn, is not known to have reigned. Jehoiakim and Zedekiah both became kings, and Shallum is generally understood to be the king also called Jehoahaz. These sons ruled in the last years before Jerusalem fell.

See also: 2 Kings 23:30-31; Jeremiah 22:11.

1 Chronicles 3:16

Jehoiakim’s son Jeconiah, also known as Jehoiachin, reigned only a few months before being taken to Babylon. Zedekiah, listed here as a successor, was in fact his uncle, and became the last king of Judah. Here the royal line reaches its low point.

BSA: Zedekiah (“Jehovah is righteous”): His name was a statement of God’s righteousness, which was proved when Jerusalem fell.

See also: 2 Kings 24:8-17.

1 Chronicles 3:17-18

Jeconiah is called the captive, since he was carried off to Babylon. Yet the list goes on with his sons, including Shealtiel and Pedaiah. The royal family was in exile, but it was not wiped out. God kept the line of David alive even under foreign rule.

BSA: Pedaiah (“Jehovah has ransomed”): The name means that God buys back his people, which fits a family living through exile and return.

See also: 2 Kings 25:27-30.

1 Chronicles 3:19-20

Zerubbabel appears here as the son of Pedaiah, while other passages call him a son of Shealtiel. Either way, he is the leader who brought the exiles home and rebuilt the temple. Hope returns in the family of David, with children given names of blessing and love.

BSA: Zerubbabel (“exile in Babylon, a leader of Judah”): His name points to his birth in Babylon, yet he became the governor who led the return to Jerusalem.

See also: Ezra 3:8; Haggai 2:23.

1 Chronicles 3:21-22

The record goes on through Hananiah’s line, with names that speak of God: Pelatiah, Jeshaiah, Obadiah, Shecaniah. The lists after the exile show families still keeping their names, their records and their trust in the Lord, generation by generation.

BSA: Shecaniah (“dweller with God”): The name pictures a life lived close to God, a quiet testimony in a family that had known exile.

1 Chronicles 3:23-24

The chapter ends with Neariah’s sons and Elioenai’s seven sons. Elioenai’s name means roughly ‘my eyes are toward the Lord’. The list stops with Davidic descendants still living long after the exile, a quiet sign that the promise to David was not finished.

BSA: Elioenai (“unto Jehovah are my eyes”): The name describes a heart that looks to the Lord, with the same hope the whole chapter holds out.

See also: Psalm 25:15; Luke 1:32-33.