1 Chronicles 3
PATneca makes Atreus and Tantalus to be descendants of> Inachus; because they succeeded him in the kingdom of Argos. And in like maimer Jacobus Capellns here observes, (in his Histor. Sacra et Exotica, ad A. M. 3424.) that u Multi filii dicuntur, qui legaliter tantum erant filii, id est, haeredes;" many are called sons, who were only sons legally, that is y heirs. Of which he makes Zedekiah an example, who is here called the son of Jeconiah (who was his uncle, 2 Kingsxxiv. 17.) because he succeeded him.
1 Chronicles 3:1
Ill OW these were the sons of David. Having given a large account of the posterity of Hezron, he returns to David beforementioned, chap. ii. 15. Which ivere bom tinto him in Hebron.’] Before he was king of all Israel. The first-born Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second, Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess.] This second son is called Chileab in 2 Sam. iii. 3. where I have given an account of it. And here it may be noted, once for all, that it was a frequent thing among the Jews for men to have two names; especially when they lived sometimes in one country and sometimes in another. This appears from a famous case mentioned in the Gemara of Codex Gittim, where it is resolved, that if a.man have two wives, one in Judea, and “another in Galilee, and he gave a bill of divorce to her in Judea, subscribing to it his name whereby he is known in Galilee, the bill is void.. And in like manner, if he write his name whereby he goes in Judea, unto a bill of divorce to his wife in Galilee, it is of no effect.
1 Chronicles 3:2
TJie third, Absalom; the son of Maachah, the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonij ah, the son of Ilaggith.
1 Chronicles 3:3
TJie fifth, Shephatiah ofAbital; the sixth, Ithream, ofEglah his wife. This Eglah is generally thought by the Jews to be Michal daughter of Saul, (see my notes upon 2 Sam. iii. 5.) who, some think, is peculiarly called his ivife, because she was his only, legal wife, according to the Divine institution: all the rest he took by custom then reigning.
1 Chronicles 3:4
These six were born to him in Hebron,’ and there he reigned seven years and six months: and in Jenisalem he reigned thirty-three years. This hath been explained in 2 Sam. v.
1 Chronicles 3:5
And these were born to him in Jerusalem; Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, four, ofBath-shua daughter of Ammiel. In 2 Sam. xi. 3. she is called Bath* sheba (as she is through the whole Scripture), and her father Eliam. But I observed just now, it was usual among the Jews to have two names: though there is no great difference in this first of these, no more than there is between Shammah and Shimea; the vowels being only changed, not the consonants, of which the names consist. Solomon was the eldest of these four sons; but he is mentioned last, because the discourse was to return to his genealogy, (ver. 10.) Ver. G. Ibhar also, and Elishama,and Eliphclet.] There is a small difference in the name of the second of these, as he is mentioned 2 Sam. v. 15. where he is called Elishua.
1 Chronicles 3:7
AndNogah, and Nejiheg, and Japhia.
1 Chronicles 3:8
AndElishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet. Two of these names are mentioned before; who, it is supposed, died in their infancy: and therefore he preserved their memory, by giving their names unto two others, who were born afterward, and lived longer. So Kimchi. Nine.] Besides the four born of Bath-sheba; (ver. 5.) but there are only seven mentioned in 2 Sam. v. 16. those two who died early being there omitted. (See my notes on that place.)
1 Chronicles 3:9
These were all the sons of David, besides the sons of the concubines. Who are not mentioned, either here or in Samuel. And Tamar their sister.] See 2 Sam. xiii. 1.'
1 Chronicles 3:10
And Solomon’s son teas Rehoboam, Abia his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son.
1 Chronicles 3:11
Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son.
1 Chronicles 3:12
Amaziahhis son,Azariahhis son,Jotham his son.
1 Chronicles 3:13
Ahaz his son, Hezehiah his son, Manasseh his son.
1 Chronicles 3:14
Amon his son, Jdsiah his son.
1 Chronicles 3:15
And the sons ofJosiah were, the first-born Johanan. There is nothing needs explaining in the foregoing genealogy down from Solomon to this time: but here is some difficulty: for this Johanan is thought by many to be the same with Jehoahaz, who succeeded Josiah in the throne. But he was not his first-born; being but twenty-three years old when the people made him king, and after three months’ time, his brother, being put in his place, is said to be twentyfive years old, (2 Kings xxiii. 31. 3G.) Petavius hath said a great deal about this in his annotations upon Epiphanius ad Heeres. Epicur. p. 18. But, after all, I take the truth to be, that Johanan was his eldest son, but died before his father: and therefore is not mentioned in the book of the Kings: as Jehoahaz is not mentioned here, being made king by the people of the land, and presently dethroned. TJie second Jehoiahim.] Who w r as next to him, to whom by right of succession the kingdom belonged: he being the eldest now Johanan was dead. He was called by his father Eliakim: but had this other name imposed on him by the king of Egypt, (2 Kings xxiii. 34.) The third Zedehiah.] Who was the youngest of all Josiah’s sons, as appears by his age, when he w r as made king after Jehoiakim was carried captive. The same Petavius thinks there were tw r o Zedekiahs: one the son ofJosiah, who was their last king; the other the son of Jeconiah (mentioned in the next verse), who never came to be king. TJie fourth Shallum.] This was the next son to Jehoiakim, and the same with Jehoahaz, as is plain from Jer. xxii. 11. (See my notes upon 2 Kings xxiii. 30, 31.) He is put last, because he was not at all considerable; being made king by a popular faction; and in three months’ time thrust out of his throne by the king of Egypt, who carried him thither, and there he died. Ver. 1G. And the sons of Jehoiakim; Jeconiah his son, Zedehiah his son.] The posterity of Jeconiah is set down in the next verse; and therefore here by the word son we must understand his successor in the kingdom. Thus Se-
1 Chronicles 3:17
Arid the sons of Jeconiah, Assir; Salathiel his son. Some think 4ssir is not the name of his son, but signifies captive; to denote that his son Salathiel was born when he was a captive in Babylon, as St. Matthew notes, (chap. i. 12.) which doth not contradict the prophecy of Jeremiah, who said he should die childless; (Jer. xxii. 30.) for* his meaning is no more, but that he should have no child sitting on the throne after him. But Jacobus Capellus, in the place forenamed, makes Salathiel another instance of an heir being called a son. For he thinks he succeeded Jeconiah in the dignity to which he was restored by Evil-Merodach; but was the son of Neri, who sprung from Nathan.
1 Chronicles 3:18
Malchiram also, and Pedaiah, and Shenazar, Jecamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah. These were not all the immediate sons of Jeconiah, but the sons of Salathiel; as may be gathered from hence: that in the next verse Zerubbabelis said to be the son of Pedaiah, and in St. Matthew (chap. i. 12.) to be the son of Salathiel; that is, his grandson. So there is something to be supplied, to make out: the sense of this verse, viz. The so?is also of Salathiel were Malchiram, andPedaiah, &c. But Grotius (on Matt. i. 23.) thinks, that Zerubbabel here mentioned is not he, who was the leader of God’s people when they returned from their captivity in Babylon; with whom Huetius also agrees. But others think, this may better be solved by supposing, that Salathiel dying without children, Pedaiah raised up seed to his brother, as the Scripture speaks, and begat Zerubbabel of Salathiel’s wife. • Who therefore was the son of Pedaiah, because begotten by him; and yet the son of Salathiel, because begotten of his wife; who had no son by Salathiel, but by Pedaiah; who begat him not to be his heir, but the heir of his brother who was dead.
1 Chronicles 3:19
And the sons of Pedaiah were Zerubbabel, and Shimei: and the sons of Zerubbabel; Meshutlam, and Hananiah, and Shelomith their sister. That is, sister to the two sons beforenamed; she having the same father and mother that they had: which the other five mentioned in the next verse, it is supposed, had not; but were by another mother, though they had the same father.
1 Chronicles 3:20
And Hashubah, and Ohel, and Berechiah, and Hasadiah, Jushab-hesed,five. Upon this they ground their opinion, who think the Zerubbabel here mentioned is not he that was the governor of the people after the captivity; for his son’s name was Rhesa, (Luke iii. 27.) who is not found among the eight children that are here reckoned up.
1 Chronicles 3:21
And tlie sons of Ilananiah; Pelatiah, and Jesaiah. These arc the sons of the second son of Zerubbabel, (ver. 19.) The sons ofRephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, the sons of SJiecaniah.] These four (and their sons) seem to have been likewise the children of Hananiah.
1 Chronicles 3:22
And the sons ofShecaniah; Shemaiah: and the sons of Shemaiah; Hattush, and Igeal, and Bariah, and’ Neariah, and Shaphat, six. Here are but five sons of Shemaiah; and therefore the Hebrew word Shishah (which we” translate six) is rather the name of his last son; who might possibly be so called, because he was his sixth son.
1 Chronicles 3:23
And the sons of Neariah; Elioenai, and Hezekiah,and Azrikam, three. The rest of Shemaiah’s sons had no issue. Ver. %4. And the sons of Elioenai were Hodaiah, and Eliashib, and Pelaiah, and Akkub, and Johanan, and Da- " laiah, and Anani, seven.]’ The Targum here hath a very strange observation: for after the word Anani,, he salth, “He is the king Messiah, who is to be revealed.” The reason of which is given in the famous book Tanchuma (as Beckius here notes), because it is said in Dan. vii. 13. He saw in a vision, and, behold, one like the Son of Man, im anani (in the cloudsj; which certainly was a vision of the Messiah, as Saadis Gaon acknowledges. And this use is to be made of this passage, that their minds were always full of the thoughts of the Messiah, and that they expected he should be revealed (as they speak) so many generation’s after Zerubbabel: whiefy is an argument he came long ago. St. Matthew, indeed, counts more generations from Zernb- V babel to our Saviour’s birth than are here mentioned, and hath quite different names in this succession: which is another argument that this Zerubbabel in the Chronicles is not the same with him in St. Matthew. And, indeed, though some persons in Scripture have two names, yet it is not likely that so many persons as are reckoned in this succession, should all have quite different names. Therefore St. Matthew’s genealogy is not here recorded: but he had it’ out of the public tables, which were kept by the priests of all the great families of Judah: particularly that of David’s, * out of whose family they expected the Messiah should come,. would not fail to keep a punctual account of his’ successors in every generation.