Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
1 Chronicles 3:20

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Descendants of Judah and Simeon (2:1-4:43)

Having listed the children of Jacob (Israel) starting with the eldest son Reuben, the writer immediately turns his attention to the tribe of Judah, the tribe that produced the dynasty of David (2:1-17). He traces the line of David first, then goes back to deal with a number of other important people in Judah and lists their descendants (18-55). On completing this, he returns to list the family of David (3:1-9), the descendants of David who reigned after him to the captivity (10-16), and further descendants who lived during the time of the captivity and later (17-24). The section concludes with a collection of miscellaneous branches from Judah’s family tree (4:1-23).

The tribe of Simeon had no tribal territory of its own, but dwelt within the territory of Judah (Joshua 19:1,Joshua 19:9). It is therefore dealt with here, immediately after the listings for Judah. Some of the Simeonites’ conquests, which are not mentioned elsewhere, are also recorded (24-43).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

“And Solomon’s son was Rehoboam, Abijah his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son, Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son, Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son, Amon his son, Josiah his son. And the sons of Josiah: the first-born Johanan, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum. And the sons of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son. And the sons of Jeconiah, the captive: Shealtiel his son, and Malchiram, and Pedaiah, and Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah. And the sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel, and Shimei. And the sons of Zerubbabel: Meshullam and Hananiah; and Shelomith was their sister; and Ashubah, and Ohel, and Berechiah, and Hasachiah, and Jushab-hesed. And the sons of Hananiah: Pelatiah, and Jeshaiah; the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, the sons of Shecaniah. And the sons of Shecaniah: Shemaiah. And the sons of Shemaiah: Hattash, and Igal, amd Bariah, and Neariah, and Shaphat, six. And the sons of Neariah: Elioenai, and Hizkiah, and Azrikam, three. And the sons of Elioenai: Hodaviah, and Eliashib, and Pelaiah, and Akkub, and Johanan, and Delaiah, and Anani, seven.”

“Bathshua” This is obviously just another name for Bathsheba. The Septuagint (LXX) and the Vulgate render the word Bathsheba. Elmslie noted that, “This name is only a variant of the name Bathsheba.”The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 3, p. 357. Judging from the order of Bathsheba’s sons as listed here, Solomon was the youngest; and one may wonder if David selected him because he himself was the youngest of Jesse’s sons.

The appearance in this chapter of two sons of David named Elishama and two named Eliphelet was explained by Cook as, “Due to a corruption of the text in the first Elishama and to a confusion of the first Eliphelet with Elpelet (1 Chronicles 14:5).”Albert Barnes, Chronicles, p. 321. The real marvel is that there are so few such problems in lists which are as old as these. Perhaps an even better explanation is that of DeHoff: “It is generally supposed that the first two of those named Elishama and Eliphelet died in infancy and that the names were repeated for children born later.”George DeHoff’s Commentary, Vol. 3, p. 360.

“And the sons of Shemaiah” These five words are the second phrase in 1 Chronicles 3:22; and they apparently interrupt the enumeration of Shecaniah’s six sons. Elmslie stated that they should be omitted.The Interpreter’s Bible, op. cit., p. 358. Shemaiah would then be properly numbered among Shecaniah’s six sons.

“Most of these genealogies are incomplete with many breaks in the lists; but the main line is there.”Henry H. Halley, p. 203. The line of the Davidic dynasty as well as other significant genealogies pertaining to the religious history of Israel, is here. “These genealogies are thundering proof that the Bible is history and not myth or legend.”Ibid.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 3

Now we center in on chapter three on David's family and it lists all of the children that were born of David in Hebron there in chapter three. Later we'll get a further list of his children that were born in Jerusalem. Verse five deals with those that were born in Jerusalem. The others were born in Hebron before he was brought to Jerusalem and placed on the throne.

And then we get a direct line of David's descendants down to the carrying away into captivity beginning with verse ten. They just list in order the descendants, one following another, to follow the line from David to Zedekiah, the last king, the king that was carried away captive to Babylon at the end of the dynasty of David. "

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

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Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      10 And Solomon's son was Rehoboam, Abia 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, Josiah his son.   15 And the sons of Josiah were, the firstborn Johanan, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum.   16 And the sons of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son.   17 And the sons of Jeconiah; Assir, Salathiel his son,   18 Malchiram also, and Pedaiah, and Shenazar, Jecamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah.   19 And the sons of Pedaiah were, Zerubbabel, and Shimei: and the sons of Zerubbabel; Meshullam, and Hananiah, and Shelomith their sister:   20 And Hashubah, and Ohel, and Berechiah, and Hasadiah, Jushab-hesed, five.   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.   22 And the sons of Shechaniah; Shemaiah: and the sons of Shemaiah; Hattush, and Igeal, and Bariah, and Neariah, and Shaphat, six.   23 And the sons of Neariah; Elioenai, and Hezekiah, and Azrikam, three.   24 And the sons of Elioenai were, Hodaiah, and Eliashib, and Pelaiah, and Akkub, and Johanan, and Dalaiah, and Anani, seven.

      David having nineteen sons, we may suppose them to have raised many noble families in Israel whom we never hear of in the history. But the scripture gives us an account only of the descendants of Solomon here, and of Nathan, Luke 3:31 The rest had the honour to be the sons of David; but these only had the honour to be related to the Messiah. The sons of Nathan were his fathers as man, the sons of Solomon his predecessors as king. We have here, 1. The great and celebrated names by which the line of David is drawn down to the captivity, the kings of Judah in a lineal succession, the history of whom we have had at large in the two books of Kings and shall meet with again in the second book of Chronicles. Seldom has a crown gone in a direct line from father to son for seventeen descents together, as here. This was the recompence of David's piety. About the time of the captivity the lineal descent was interrupted, and the crown went from one brother to another and from a nephew to an uncle, which was a presage of the eclipsing of the glory of that house. 2. The less famous, and most of them very obscure, names, in which the house of David subsisted after the captivity. The only famous man of that house that we meet with at their return from captivity was Zerubbabel, elsewhere called the son of Salathiel, but appearing here to be his grandson (1 Chronicles 3:17-19; 1 Chronicles 3:17-19), which is usual in scripture. Belshazzar is called Nebuchadnezzar's son, but was his grandson. Salathiel is said to be the son of Jeconiah because adopted by him, and because, as some think, he succeeded him in the dignity to which he was restored by Evil-merodach. Otherwise Jeconiah was written childless: he was the signet God plucked from his right hand (Jeremiah 22:24), and in his room Zerubbabel was placed, and therefore God saith to him (Haggai 2:23), I will make thee as a signet. The posterity of Zerubbabel here bear not the same names that they do in the genealogies (Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38), but those no doubt were taken from the then herald's office, the public registers which the priests kept of all the families of Judah, especially that of David. The last person named in this chapter is Anani, of whom bishop Patrick says that the Targum adds these words, He is the king Messiah, who is to be revealed, and some of the Jewish writers give this reason, because it is said (Daniel 7:13), the son of man came gnim gnanani--with the clouds of heaven. The reason indeed is very foreign and far-fetched; but that learned man thinks it may be made use of as an evidence that their minds were always full of the thoughts of the Messiah and that they expected it would not be very long after the days of Zerubbabel before the set time of his approach would come.