1Chronicles 3:1 ¶ Now these were the sons of David, which were born unto him in Hebron; the firstborn Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess:
1Chronicles 3:2 The third, Absalom the son of Maachah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur: the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith:
1Chronicles 3:3 The fifth, Shephatiah of Abital: the sixth, Ithream by Eglah his wife.
1Chronicles 3:4 These six were born unto him in Hebron; and there he reigned seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years.
This chapter begins with a focus on the sons of David. Six were born in Hebron, the seat of his government for the first 7.5 years.
Amnon – of Ahinoam
Daniel (or Chileab in 2Samuel 3) – of Abigail
Absalom – of Maachah
Adonijah – of Haggith
Shephatiah – of Abitla
Ithream – of Eglah
1Chronicles 3:5 And these were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, four, of Bathshua the daughter of Ammiel:
1Chronicles 3:6 Ibhar also, and Elishama, and Eliphelet,
1Chronicles 3:7 And Nogah, and Nepheg, and Japhia,
1Chronicles 3:8 And Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet, nine.
1Chronicles 3:9 These were all the sons of David, beside the sons of the concubines, and Tamar their sister.
David had more sons born in Jerusalem, the capital of his kingdom for the last 33 years of his reign. Bathsheba gave him four sons: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon. We know that Solomon was the oldest, so maybe they are listed from youngest to oldest. Nine more of his sons are identified by name; the rest are noted as “sons of the concubines.”
Tamar is the only daughter of David that is mentioned, but we know she had sisters. We also know that she was Absalom’s full sister.
2 Samuel 5:13 “And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron: and there were yet sons and daughters born to David.”
2 Samuel 13:1 “And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar….”
Clarke adds this note regarding Elishama and Eliphelet: “In this and the eighth verse these two names occur twice; some think this is a mistake, but others suppose that two persons of these names died young, and that the next born received the name of the deceased.”
1Chronicles 3:10 ¶ And Solomon’s son was Rehoboam, Abia his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son,
1Chronicles 3:11 Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son,
1Chronicles 3:12 Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son,
1Chronicles 3:13 Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son,
1Chronicles 3:14 Amon his son, Josiah his son.
1Chronicles 3:15 And the sons of Josiah were, the firstborn Johanan, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum.
1Chronicles 3:16 And the sons of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son.
Most all of these names are familiar from my journal through the books of Kings. It lists the royal line of David until the Babylonian exile. Of these, only a few of these kings were identified as doing right before the LORD:
Asa
Jehoshaphat
Joash – started well but ended badly
Amaziah – started well but ended badly
Azariah aka Uzziah – very bad choice at the end
Jotham
Hezekiah
Josiah
Several of the kings were known by more than one name.
Joram is also known as Jehoram.
Ahaziah is also known as Jehoahaz and Azariah.
Jehoiakim is also known as Eliakim.
Zedekiah is also known as Mattaniah.
Shallum is also known as Jehoahaz.
Jeconiah is also known as Jehoiachin and Coniah.
1Chronicles 3:17 And the sons of Jeconiah; Assir, Salathiel his son,
1Chronicles 3:18 Malchiram also, and Pedaiah, and Shenazar, Jecamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah.
1Chronicles 3:19 And the sons of Pedaiah were, Zerubbabel, and Shimei: and the sons of Zerubbabel; Meshullam, and Hananiah, and Shelomith their sister:
1Chronicles 3:20 And Hashubah, and Ohel, and Berechiah, and Hasadiah, Jushabhesed, five.
1Chronicles 3:21 And the sons of Hananiah; Pelatiah, and Jesaiah: the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, the sons of Shechaniah.
1Chronicles 3:22 And the sons of Shechaniah; Shemaiah: and the sons of Shemaiah; Hattush, and Igeal, and Bariah, and Neariah, and Shaphat, six.
1Chronicles 3:23 And the sons of Neariah; Elioenai, and Hezekiah, and Azrikam, three.
1Chronicles 3:24 And the sons of Elioenai were, Hodaiah, and Eliashib, and Pelaiah, and Akkub, and Johanan, and Dalaiah, and Anani, seven.
This section details the descendants of Jeconiah (called Coniah in Jeremiah); the LORD declared that he would never have a descendant to occupy the throne of David.
Jeremiah 22:24–30 “As I live, saith the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence…. Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.”
It is because of this curse on Coniah, a descendant of Solomon, that the LORD gives us the blood line of Jesus through Mary, a descendant of Nathan, another son of David, in the genealogy recorded by Luke.
Luke 3:23 & 31 “And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli… Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David….”
1Chronicles 4:1 ¶ The sons of Judah; Pharez, Hezron, and Carmi, and Hur, and Shobal.
1Chronicles 4:2 And Reaiah the son of Shobal begat Jahath; and Jahath begat Ahumai, and Lahad. These are the families of the Zorathites.
1Chronicles 4:3 And these were of the father of Etam; Jezreel, and Ishma, and Idbash: and the name of their sister was Hazelelponi:
1Chronicles 4:4 And Penuel the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These are the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah, the father of Bethlehem.
This chapter opens by identifying descendants of Judah through Pharez. Hur is recognized as the son of the father of Bethlehem, the birthplace of both David and Jesus the Messiah.
1Chronicles 4:5 And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.
1Chronicles 4:6 And Naarah bare him Ahuzam, and Hepher, and Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah.
1Chronicles 4:7 And the sons of Helah were, Zereth, and Jezoar, and Ethnan.
1Chronicles 4:8 And Coz begat Anub, and Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum.
1Chronicles 4:9 And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.
1Chronicles 4:10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.
Jabez is singled out in recognition of his prayer of faith before the LORD. I liked Guzik’s observation: “One way to gain honor in the Kingdom of God is through prayer, instead of through ambition and achievement.”
JFB offers this insight: “His prayer which is here recorded, and which, like Jacob’s, is in the form of a vow (Genesis 28:20), seems to have been uttered when he was entering on an important or critical service, for the successful execution of which he placed confidence neither on his own nor his people’s prowess, but looked anxiously for the aid and blessing of God. The enterprise was in all probability the expulsion of the Canaanites from the territory he occupied; and as this was a war of extermination, which God Himself had commanded, His blessing could be the more reasonably asked and expected in preserving them from all the evils to which the undertaking might expose him. In these words, “that it may not grieve me,” and which might be more literally rendered, “that I may have no more sorrow,” there is an allusion to the meaning of his name, Jabez, signifying “grief”; and the import of this petition is, Let me not experience the grief which my name implies, and which my sins may well produce.”
I liked these comments from Clarke: “On these accounts he was more honorable than his brethren. He was of the same stock and the same lineage; he had neither nobility of birth, nor was distinguished by earthly titles; in all these respects he was on a level with his brethren: but God tells us that he was more honorable than them all; and why? because he prayed, because he served his Maker, and because he lived to do good among men; therefore he received the honor that cometh from God. Reader, imitate the conduct of this worthy Israelite, that thou mayest be a partaker of his blessings.”
1Chronicles 4:11 ¶ And Chelub the brother of Shuah begat Mehir, which was the father of Eshton.
1Chronicles 4:12 And Eshton begat Bethrapha, and Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Irnahash. These are the men of Rechah.
1Chronicles 4:13 And the sons of Kenaz; Othniel, and Seraiah: and the sons of Othniel; Hathath.
1Chronicles 4:14 And Meonothai begat Ophrah: and Seraiah begat Joab, the father of the valley of Charashim; for they were craftsmen.
1Chronicles 4:15 And the sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh; Iru, Elah, and Naam: and the sons of Elah, even Kenaz.
1Chronicles 4:16 And the sons of Jehaleleel; Ziph, and Ziphah, Tiria, and Asareel.
1Chronicles 4:17 And the sons of Ezra were, Jether, and Mered, and Epher, and Jalon: and she bare Miriam, and Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa.
1Chronicles 4:18 And his wife Jehudijah bare Jered the father of Gedor, and Heber the father of Socho, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. And these are the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, which Mered took.
1Chronicles 4:19 And the sons of his wife Hodiah the sister of Naham, the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maachathite.
1Chronicles 4:20 And the sons of Shimon were, Amnon, and Rinnah, Benhanan, and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi were, Zoheth, and Benzoheth.
1Chronicles 4:21 The sons of Shelah the son of Judah were, Er the father of Lecah, and Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of them that wrought fine linen, of the house of Ashbea,
Othniel (verse 13) was the first judge of Israel.
The house of Ashbea (verse 21) is noted for the making of fine linen.
1Chronicles 4:22 And Jokim, and the men of Chozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who had the dominion in Moab, and Jashubilehem. And these are ancient things.
1Chronicles 4:23 These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work.
These people were noted for their skill as potters and their work for the king.
Commentators note that “plants and hedges” are probably places names—Netaim and Gederah.
I had no further comments on the rest of the chapter.
1Chronicles 4:24 ¶ The sons of Simeon were, Nemuel, and Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul:
1Chronicles 4:25 Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son.
1Chronicles 4:26 And the sons of Mishma; Hamuel his son, Zacchur his son, Shimei his son.
1Chronicles 4:27 And Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brethren had not many children, neither did all their family multiply, like to the children of Judah.
1Chronicles 4:28 And they dwelt at Beersheba, and Moladah, and Hazarshual,
1Chronicles 4:29 And at Bilhah, and at Ezem, and at Tolad,
1Chronicles 4:30 And at Bethuel, and at Hormah, and at Ziklag,
1Chronicles 4:31 And at Bethmarcaboth, and Hazarsusim, and at Bethbirei, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities unto the reign of David.
1Chronicles 4:32 And their villages were, Etam, and Ain, Rimmon, and Tochen, and Ashan, five cities:
1Chronicles 4:33 And all their villages that were round about the same cities, unto Baal. These were their habitations, and their genealogy.
1Chronicles 4:34 And Meshobab, and Jamlech, and Joshah the son of Amaziah,
1Chronicles 4:35 And Joel, and Jehu the son of Josibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel,
1Chronicles 4:36 And Elioenai, and Jaakobah, and Jeshohaiah, and Asaiah, and Adiel, and Jesimiel, and Benaiah,
1Chronicles 4:37 And Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah;
1Chronicles 4:38 These mentioned by their names were princes in their families: and the house of their fathers increased greatly.
1Chronicles 4:39 And they went to the entrance of Gedor, even unto the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks.
1Chronicles 4:40 And they found fat pasture and good, and the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceable; for they of Ham had dwelt there of old.
1Chronicles 4:41 And these written by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and smote their tents, and the habitations that were found there, and destroyed them utterly unto this day, and dwelt in their rooms: because there was pasture there for their flocks.
1Chronicles 4:42 And some of them, even of the sons of Simeon, five hundred men, went to mount Seir, having for their captains Pelatiah, and Neariah, and Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi.
1Chronicles 4:43 And they smote the rest of the Amalekites that were escaped, and dwelt there unto this day.