Tyndale Open Study Notes

Verse 1

3:1-24 The genealogy of David continues the genealogy of Ram (2:10-17), which included David as the seventh son of Jesse (2:15). David’s genealogy is divided into three sections: David’s sons (3:1-9); the kings of Judah down to Jehoiachin and Zedekiah (3:10-16), who were exiled to Babylon; and the descendants of Jehoiachin down to the time of the Chronicler (3:17-24).

3:1-9 The list of David’s sons relies on information from Samuel (2 Sam 3:2-5; 5:14-16); the list is divided between sons . . . born while David ruled in Hebron, and those born . . . in Jerusalem.

Verse 10

3:10-16 The Chronicler lists the kings of Judah in father-to-son progression from Solomon to the Exile.

Verse 15

3:15 Three of the four sons of Josiah served as kings of Judah.

Verse 16

3:16 The successors of Jehoiakim were his son Jehoiachin and his brother Zedekiah: At the very end of the monarchy of Judah, the sequence of kings did not follow the typical pattern of the eldest son succeeding his father.

Verse 17

3:17-23 This portion of the list of David’s descendants extends to around 400 BC.

Verse 21

3:21 The sons of Hananiah . . . Shecaniah (literally The son of Hananiah [was] Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, the sons of Shecaniah): In Hebrew, all the names are listed as “the sons” of Hananiah, all in one generation. However, many ancient manuscripts and translations support viewing the list as covering several generations (as in the NLT) by translating “sons of” (Hebrew beney, four times) as “son of” (Hebrew beno). The resulting genealogy extends several generations from the time of Zerubbabel and his son Hananiah.