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I Chronicles 3-5 Listen
Note about these records
Presumably these records were provided by the author of Chronicles to establish a genealogical tie for the returning exiles in the sixth century B.C. to the fathers of the original twelve tribes. You will recall that in Philippians 3:5 (see notes) even Paul knew that he was a descendant of Benjamin.
For more information regarding the purpose of these genealogical records, click here to read the introduction to I Chronicles.
Descendants of David (I Chronicles 3)
1 Now these were the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron: The firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second, Daniel, by 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, by Abital; the sixth, Ithream, by his wife Eglah.
4 ¶ These six were born to him in Hebron. There he reigned seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years.
5 And these were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon—four by Bathshua the daughter of Ammiel.
6 Also there were Ibhar, Elishama, Eliphelet,
7 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia,
8 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet—nine in all.
9 These were all the sons of David, besides the sons of the concubines, and Tamar their sister.
10 ¶ Solomon’s son was Rehoboam; Abijah was 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 were Johanan the firstborn, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, and the fourth Shallum.
16 The sons of Jehoiakim were Jeconiah his son and Zedekiah his son.
17 ¶ And the sons of Jeconiah were Assir, Shealtiel his son,
18 and Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jecamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah.
19 The sons of Pedaiah were Zerubbabel and Shimei. The sons of Zerubbabel were Meshullam, Hananiah, Shelomith their sister,
20 and Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-hesed—five in all.
21 ¶ The sons of Hananiah were Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, and the sons of Shechaniah.
22 The son of Shechaniah was Shemaiah. The sons of Shemaiah were Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat—six in all.
23 The sons of Neariah were Elioenai, Hezekiah, and Azrikam—three in all.
24 The sons of Elioenai were Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani—seven in all.
This chapter begins with a listing of the sons of David - 19 altogether, not counting sons of his concubines. Six were born to him in Hebron followed by thirteen in Jerusalem - four by Bathsheba. Only one daughter, Tamar, is mentioned here because of that ugly incident in II Samuel 13 (see notes) concerning three of David's offspring, Amnon, Tamar and Absalom. It's also pointed out in verse 4 the combined length of David's reign - 7 1/2 years in Hebron and another 33 years in Jerusalem. The balance of the chapter lists the descendants of David. These extend all the way down to the end of the Old Testament record through the exile to the return afterward. You may find it interesting to compare verses 10-24 to the table of the Kings of Judah. Click here to see the table in a separate window. The last descendant of King David to serve on his throne as King of Judah is Zedekiah found in verse 16. When the exiles returned in the latter part of the sixth century (B.C.), it was Zerubbabel (verse 19) who led them. He held a prominent place in the community, though not as king, because of his Davidic ancestry. Following are listed some historical milestones for Israel which take place during this period of genealogical records listed here.
Here are Israel's significant historical milestones after King David within the period covered by these genealogical records:
None of the kings of Israel (Northern kingdom) are listed here. While the Northern Kingdom did not have a family line of kings, Judah (the Southern Kingdom) always stuck with a descendant of David as their king. In these verses we see the kings of Judah all the way down to the return of the exiles in 535 B.C. and beyond.
Descendants of Judah (I Chronicles 4:1-23)
1 The sons of Judah were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal.
2 And Reaiah the son of Shobal begot Jahath, and Jahath begot Ahumai and Lahad. These were the families of the Zorathites.
3 These were the sons of the father of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash; and the name of their sister was Hazelelponi;
4 and Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah. ¶ These were the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah the father of Bethlehem.
5 ¶ And Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.
6 Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah.
7 The sons of Helah were Zereth, Zohar, and Ethnan;
8 and Koz begot Anub, Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum.
9 ¶ Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.”
10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.
11 ¶ Chelub the brother of Shuhah begot Mehir, who was the father of Eshton.
12 And Eshton begot Beth-rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Ir-nahash. These were the men of Rechah.
13 ¶ The sons of Kenaz were Othniel and Seraiah. The sons of Othniel were Hathath,
14 and Meonothai who begot Ophrah. Seraiah begot Joab the father of Ge Harashim, for they were craftsmen.
15 The sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh were Iru, Elah, and Naam. The son of Elah was Kenaz.
16 The sons of Jehallelel were Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.
17 The sons of Ezrah were Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. And Mered’s wife bore Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa.
18 (His wife Jehudijah bore Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Sochoh, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah.) And these were the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered took.
19 ¶ The sons of Hodiah’s wife, the sister of Naham, were the fathers of Keilah the Garmite and of Eshtemoa the Maachathite.
20 And the sons of Shimon were Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-hanan, and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi were Zoheth and Ben-zoheth.
21 ¶ The sons of Shelah the son of Judah were Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of the linen workers of the house of Ashbea;
22 also Jokim, the men of Chozeba, and Joash; Saraph, who ruled in Moab, and Jashubi-lehem. Now the records are ancient.
23 These were the potters and those who dwell at Netaim and Gederah; there they dwelt with the king for his work.
This chapter resumes where I Chronicles 2 (see notes) left off, tracing several of the branches of the tribe of Judah down to the time of Israels united kingdom. At this point, however, the record of Judah's descendants restricts itself to the royal line of David (introduced in 2:15) and carries it through five centuries, to about 500 B.C. Incidentally, in verses 9-11 we see Jabez (made famous by Bruce Wilkinson in his book entitled, "The Prayer of Jabez") and his prayer. Here's a guy who had to wait over 3,000 years to make it big.
Descendants of Simeon (I Chronicles 4:24-43)
24 ¶ The sons of Simeon were Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul,
25 Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, and Mishma his son.
26 And the sons of Mishma were Hamuel his son, Zacchur his son, and Shimei his son.
27 Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brothers did not have many children, nor did any of their families multiply as much as the children of Judah.
28 ¶ They dwelt at Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual,
29 Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad,
30 Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag,
31 Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities until the reign of David.
32 And their villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan—five cities—
33 and all the villages that were around these cities as far as Baal. These were their dwelling places, and they maintained their genealogy:
34 Meshobab, Jamlech, and Joshah the son of Amaziah;
35 Joel, and Jehu the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel;
36 Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, and Benaiah;
37 Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah—
38 these mentioned by name were leaders in their families, and their father’s house increased greatly.
39 ¶ So they went to the entrance of Gedor, as far as the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks.
40 And they found rich, good pasture, and the land was broad, quiet, and peaceful; for some Hamites formerly lived there.
41 ¶ These recorded by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and they attacked their tents and the Meunites who were found there, and utterly destroyed them, as it is to this day. So they dwelt in their place, because there was pasture for their flocks there.
42 Now some of them, five hundred men of the sons of Simeon, went to Mount Seir, having as their captains Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi.
43 And they defeated the rest of the Amalekites who had escaped. They have dwelt there to this day.
Remember? This was the tribe (Simeon) of Israel who occupied cities within the boundaries of the Tribe of Judah as their inheritance (Joshua 19:1-9, see notes). We see in verses 42-43 that about 500 men from the Tribe of Simeon crossed the Jordan River from Judah and went over into Mount Seir. You will recall that this was the land where Esau's descendants settled, the Edomites. Apparently, the Amalekites had displaced at least some of these Edomites. So, in the days of King Hezekiah (715 to 686 B.C.), the Simeonites crossed the Jordan, defeated the pesky Amalekites, and set up a community there at Mount Seir.
Descendants of Reuben (I Chronicles 5:1-10)
1 Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel—he was indeed the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright;
2 yet Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came a ruler, although the birthright was Joseph’s—
3 the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
4 ¶ The sons of Joel were Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,
5 Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son,
6 and Beerah his son, whom Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria carried into captivity. He was leader of the Reubenites.
7 And his brethren by their families, when the genealogy of their generations was registered: the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah,
8 and Bela the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel, who dwelt in Aroer, as far as Nebo and Baal Meon.
9 Eastward they settled as far as the entrance of the wilderness this side of the River Euphrates, because their cattle had multiplied in the land of Gilead.
10 ¶ Now in the days of Saul they made war with the Hagrites, who fell by their hand; and they dwelt in their tents throughout the entire area east of Gilead.
Reuben was the oldest son of Jacob, but he did a bad thing with one of his father's wives (Genesis 48:20-22, see notes) - a double portion you see.
Incidentally, the Gog of verse 4 here is a descendant of Reuben and has no relationship whatsoever with the Gog of Revelation 20:8 (see notes).
Descendants of Gad (I Chronicles 5:11-22)
11 ¶ And the children of Gad dwelt next to them in the land of Bashan as far as Salcah:
12 Joel was the chief, Shapham the next, then Jaanai and Shaphat in Bashan,
13 and their brethren of their father’s house: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jachan, Zia, and Eber—seven in all.
14 These were the children of Abihail the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz;
15 Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, was chief of their father’s house.
16 And the Gadites dwelt in Gilead, in Bashan and in its villages, and in all the common-lands of Sharon within their borders.
17 All these were registered by genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.
18 ¶ The sons of Reuben, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh had forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty valiant men, men able to bear shield and sword, to shoot with the bow, and skillful in war, who went to war.
19 They made war with the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab.
20 And they were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, and all who were with them, for they cried out to God in the battle. He heeded their prayer, because they put their trust in Him.
21 Then they took away their livestock—fifty thousand of their camels, two hundred and fifty thousand of their sheep, and two thousand of their donkeys—also one hundred thousand of their men;
22 for many fell dead, because the war was God’s. And they dwelt in their place until the captivity.
You may recall that Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh occupied land east of the Jordan river at their own request (Genesis 25:12-18, see notes).
Descendants of Manasseh (I Chronicles 5:23-26)
23 ¶ So the children of the half-tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land. Their numbers increased from Bashan to Baal Hermon, that is, to Senir, or Mount Hermon.
24 These were the heads of their fathers’ houses: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were mighty men of valor, famous men, and heads of their fathers’ houses.
25 ¶ And they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers, and played the harlot after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.
26 So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, that is, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria. He carried the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh into captivity. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river of Gozan to this day.
Their turning away from God is mentioned here. The fall to the Assyrians of those three tribes (Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh) that settled east of the Jordan River is referenced here and coincides with the events of II Kings 15:27-31 (see notes).