1 Chronicles 3:6

The list of David's sons comes from information in the book of Samuel (2 Samuel 3:2–5; 5:14–16). The list separates the sons born while David ruled in Hebron from those born in Jerusalem.

The genealogy of David continues from the genealogy of Ram (1 Chronicles 2:10–17), listing David as the seventh son of Jesse (2:15). David’s genealogy has three parts:

1. David’s sons (1 Chronicles 3:1–9)

2. The kings of Judah up to Jehoiachin and Zedekiah (1 Chronicles 3:10–16), who were exiled to Babylon

3. The descendants of Jehoiachin up to the Chronicler's time (1 Chronicles 3:17–24)

Elishama and Eliphelet--Two sons of the same name are twice mentioned (Ch1 3:8). They were the children of different mothers, and had probably some title or epithet appended by which the one was distinguished from the other. Or, it might be, that the former two were dead, and their names had been given to sons afterwards born to preserve their memories.

We had an account of David's sons, Sa2 3:2, etc., and Sa2 5:14, etc. 1. He had many sons; and no doubt wrote as he thought, Psa 127:5. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of these arrows. 2. Some of them were a grief to him, as Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah; and we do not read of any of them that imitated his piety or devotion except Solomon, and he came far short of it. 3. One of them, which Bath-sheba bore to him, he called Nathan, probably in honour of Nathan the prophet, who reproved him for his sin in that matter and was instrumental to bring him to repentance. It seems he loved him the better for it as long as he lived. It is wisdom to esteem those our best friends that deal faithfully with us. From this son of David our Lord Jesus descended, as appears Luk 3:31. 4. Here are two Elishamas, and two Eliphelets, Ch1 3:6, Ch1 3:8. Probably the two former were dead, and therefore David called two more by their names, which he would not have done if there had been any ill omen in this practice as some fancy. 5. David had many concubines; but their children are not named, as not worthy of the honour (Ch1 3:9), the rather because the concubines had dealt treacherously with David in the affair of Absalom. 6. Of all David's sons Solomon was chosen to succeed him, perhaps not for any personal merits (his wisdom was God's gift), but so, Father, because it seemed good unto thee.

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. - See Jarchi.

And these were born unto him in Jerusalem,.... Whose names follow, in all nine; there are but seven mentioned in 2 Samuel 5:14 the reason of which see in the notes there; See Gill on 2 Samuel 5:14. See Gill on 2 Samuel 5:15. See Gill on 2 Samuel 5:16. it may be observed that Bathsheba is here called Bathshua, and her father Ammiel, whose name is Eliam in 2 Samuel 11:3, names of much the same signification.

And he had two other sons called by the same names, , but they were by differing wives; and probably they were then distinguished by some additional clause or title, which is here omitted, because it was now needless for us to know it; or the two first were dead before the two second were born, and therefore the names of the deceased were given to these to preserve their memory.

These were all the sons of David,.... By his wives:

beside the sons of the concubines; who are not reckoned, and how many they were is not known; he had ten concubines at least, Sa2 15:16 and Sa2 20:3.

And Tamar their sister; not the sister of the sons of the concubines, but of his other sons, and only of Absalom by the mother's side, of whom see Sa2 13:1.