The royal house itself: David’s sons — six born in Hebron, each to a named mother, and the Jerusalem sons, 'Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, four, of Bath-shua the daughter of Ammiel.' Then the line of Solomon’s kings, name by name and king by king, down to Josiah and his sons and past the catastrophe: 'the sons of Jeconiah — the same is Assir' — Shealtiel, Pedaiah, 'And the sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel.' The genealogy does not stop at Babylon: it runs through the exile and out its far side, generations beyond the return. For the chronicler the house of David has not ended; the chapter quietly keeps the count going.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Now these were the sons of David, who were born to him in Hebron: the first-born, Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second, Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess;
verse value 3606
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 76 letters. Notable word values: "to·Abigail" (לַאֲבִיגַ֖יִל) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "were" (הָיוּ֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·Jezreelitess" (הַיִּזְרְעֵאלִ֔ית, 9 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Amnon" (אַמְנֹ֗ן), "to·Ahinoam" (לַאֲחִינֹ֙עַם֙), "the·Jezreelitess" (הַיִּזְרְעֵאלִ֔ית). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "was·born·to·him" (root ילד, 117x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Hebron', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Rashi
the second, Daniel But in II Sam. (3:3) it says: “And the second (sic), Chileab, of Abigail.” It is explained in Midrash Vayechulu (Ozar Midrashim, p. 156) that David married Abigail after Nabal died, and they suspected that her son was Nabal’s. Therefore, David called him by two names: Chileab and Daniel. Daniel God judged him (sic); Chileab he resembles his father.
Metzudat Zion
Daniel - This is Chileab, mentioned in the Book of Samuel.
Malbim
Now these were the sons of David — He returns to what he had left off (above, in chapter 2) in the lineage of Ram, [which had reached] David, and now lists the sons of David and their lineage. The second, Daniel — and in II Samuel (3:3), “and his second, Kileab.” There [on Samuel] I brought, in the name of the midrash, that because the scoffers of the generation were saying that he was really Nabal's son, his features resembled his father David’s, and so he was called “kulo av” (“entirely [his] father’s”) [a pun read into the name Kileab]. From this it is evident that the “months of discernment” (the waiting period meant to establish a child’s paternity) is a rabbinic enactment, and at that time this enactment had not yet been decreed; David married her immediately after the days of mourning had passed and the seven clean days had been counted, and she gave birth. Now, they used to call him “Kaleiv,” because Nabal was a Calebite, of the family of Caleb (I Samuel 25:3); against this they called him “Kileab,” with an added alef [“wholly the father’s”], but his own proper name was Daniel. And one may say that this is why Adonijah presumed to seek the kingship even though Daniel was born before him — because people cast aspersions on Daniel, [saying] it was doubtful whether he was the son of David or of Nabal. But according to the view of our sages in Berachot (4b), one may say that he was constantly occupied with Torah study and did not wish to reign.
the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith;
verse value 3562
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 48 letters. Verse gematria: 3562 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "king·of" (מֶ֣לֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Absalom" (לְאַבְשָׁל֣וֹם, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "to·Absalom" (לְאַבְשָׁל֣וֹם), "daughter·of·Talmai" (בַּת־תַּלְמַ֖י), "Geshur" (גְּשׁ֑וּר). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Maacah" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "king·of" (root מלך, 91x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Geshur', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: הַשְּׁלִשִׁי֙ [the·third] (645) + לְאַבְשָׁל֣וֹם [to·Absalom] (409) + בֶּֽן־מַעֲכָ֔ה [son·of·Maacah] (187) + בַּת־תַּלְמַ֖י [daughter·of·Talmai] (882) + מֶ֣לֶךְ [king·of] (90) + גְּשׁ֑וּר [Geshur] (509) + הָרְבִיעִ֖י [the·fourth] (297) + אֲדֹנִיָּ֥ה [Adonijah] (70) + בֶן־חַגִּֽית [son·of·Haggith] (473) = 3562.
Metzudat David
'Absalom' — in the Hebrew this reads literally 'to Absalom'; the prefix here stands in place of the word 'et' [the object-marker], as also in 'and they slew Abner' (II Samuel 3).
Malbim
The third, Absalom — Radak explains that this is like saying “et Avshalom,” for we find the letter lamed used in place of “et,” [as in] “they slew (harugu lo) Abner” (II Samuel 3:30). But it seems to me that because the name Absalom denotes “father of peace,” [Scripture] altered his name here for disparagement by adding the lamed, so that he is read, as it were, “lo-av-shalom” — “not a father of peace.” And it says “son of Maacah,” for Maacah was the cause of how he turned out, since she was a beautiful captive woman (yefat toar), as our sages said (Sanhedrin 107a). And Adonijah, son of Haggith — his mother was the cause of how he turned out, for she raised him toward evil, as is written (I Kings 1:6), “and she bore him after Absalom,” according to Rashi there.
the fifth, Shephatiah of Abital; the sixth, Ithream by Eglah his wife.
verse value 3039
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "the·sixth" (הַשִּׁשִּׁ֥י, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·fifth" (הַחֲמִישִׁ֥י, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Shephatiah" (שְׁפַטְיָ֖ה), "to·Abital" (לַאֲבִיטָ֑ל), "Ithream" (יִתְרְעָ֖ם). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·wife" (root אשה, 20x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root עגלה ("to·Eglah") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Abital', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: הַחֲמִישִׁ֥י [the·fifth] (373) + שְׁפַטְיָ֖ה [Shephatiah] (404) + לַאֲבִיטָ֑ל [to·Abital] (82) + הַשִּׁשִּׁ֥י [the·sixth] (615) + יִתְרְעָ֖ם [Ithream] (720) + לְעֶגְלָ֥ה [to·Eglah] (138) + אִשְׁתּֽוֹ [his·wife] (707) = 3039.
Rashi
the sixth, Ithream, to Eglah his wife [The] Midrash [asks]: Was she his only wife? But she bellowed like a heifer when she bore him, and that she was beloved to him like a heifer [and was affectionately called Eglah, a heifer], like (Judg. 14:18): “If you had not plowed with my heifer,” and because of the endearment of Michal, he calls her “his wife.”
Metzudat David
'His wife' — this refers back to all of the women just named, to indicate that every one of them was truly David's wife, not a concubine.
Malbim
By Eglah his wife — See what I wrote on II Samuel (ad loc.).
Six were born to him in Hebron; and there he reigned seven years and six months; and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years.
verse value 5551
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 62 letters. Verse gematria: 5551 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "six" (שִׁשָּׁה֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·reigned·there" (וַיִּ֨מְלׇךְ־שָׁ֔ם, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·he·reigned·there" (וַיִּ֨מְלׇךְ־שָׁ֔ם). The root שש appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "was·born·to·him" (root ילד, 117x in I Chronicles); "and·he·reigned·there" (root מלך, 91x in I Chronicles); "and·three" (root שלוש, 42x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root שש ("six") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root שבע ("seven") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'months', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: שִׁשָּׁה֙ [six] (605) + נוֹלַד־ל֣וֹ [was·born·to·him] (126) + בְחֶבְר֔וֹן [in·Hebron] (268) + וַיִּ֨מְלׇךְ־שָׁ֔ם [and·he·reigned·there] (446) + שֶׁ֥בַע [seven] (372) + שָׁנִ֖ים [years] (400) + וְשִׁשָּׁ֣ה [and·six] (611) + חֳדָשִׁ֑ים [months] (362) + וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֤ים [and·thirty] (686) + וְשָׁלוֹשׁ֙ [and·three] (642) + שָׁנָ֔ה [year] (355) + מָלַ֖ךְ [reigned] (90) + בִּירוּשָׁלִָֽם [in·Jerusalem] (588) = 5551.
Malbim
Seven years and six months — yet overall [Scripture] counts only forty years [in total]. Our sages explained that the larger number swallows up the smaller. And they give another reason: that for six months he was stricken with tzara’at and did not reign then, so those months are not included in the count.
And these were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, four, of Bath-shua the daughter of Ammiel;
verse value 4025
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "and·these" (וְאֵ֥לֶּה, 4 letters) and the longest is "in·Jerusalem" (בִּירוּשָׁלָ֑יִם, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "were·born·to·him" (נוּלְּדוּ־ל֖וֹ), "in·Jerusalem" (בִּירוּשָׁלָ֑יִם), "to·Bath-shua" (לְבַת־שׁ֖וּעַ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "were·born·to·him" (root ילד, 117x in I Chronicles); "and·these" (root אלה, 89x in I Chronicles); "and·Nathan" (root נתן, 50x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root שלמה ("and·Solomon") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root ארבע ("four") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְאֵ֥לֶּה [and·these] (42) + נוּלְּדוּ־ל֖וֹ [were·born·to·him] (132) + בִּירוּשָׁלָ֑יִם [in·Jerusalem] (598) + שִׁ֠מְעָ֠א [Shimea] (411) + וְשׁוֹבָ֞ב [and·Shobab] (316) + וְנָתָ֤ן [and·Nathan] (506) + וּשְׁלֹמֹה֙ [and·Solomon] (381) + אַרְבָּעָ֔ה [four] (278) + לְבַת־שׁ֖וּעַ [to·Bath-shua] (808) + בַּת־עַמִּיאֵֽל [daughter·of·Ammiel] (553) = 4025.
Ralbag
'Shimea' — this is the same as Shammua, mentioned in the Book of Samuel (II Samuel 5:14). And from this we learn that Solomon was the fifth son born to David from Bath-sheba, which indicates that the affair of Bath-sheba took place close to twenty (this should read: thirty) years before David's death. (See Radak. — The publisher.)
Metzudat David
'Shimea' — Scripture does not list these four in the order of their birth, for Solomon was actually the firstborn among them.
Metzudat Zion
Bath-shua - This is Bathsheba. Ammiel - With the letters transposed, [this is] Eliam, mentioned in the Book of Samuel.
Malbim
And Solomon — he was actually born before his three brothers, as is clear from Samuel; but [Scripture] lists him last, in the manner of this book, which sets aside the lesser branches first, since it wishes then to proceed with the lineage of Solomon and his sons. Bath-shua the daughter of Ammiel — she is Bath-sheba the daughter of Eliam; the letters are similar and interchangeable.
Verse structure: 3 words, 19 letters. The shortest word is "and·Ibhar" (וְיִבְחָ֥ר, 5 letters) and the longest is "and·Elishama" (וֶאֱלִישָׁמָ֖ע, 7 letters). 3 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root אליפלט ("and·Eliphelet") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: וְיִבְחָ֥ר [and·Ibhar] (226) + וֶאֱלִישָׁמָ֖ע [and·Elishama] (457) + וֶאֱלִיפָֽלֶט [and·Eliphelet] (166) = 849.
Rashi
and Eljada and Eliphelet In II Sam. (5:16) Scripture counts Eliphelet only once and counts only seven [sons], but here, he counts nine. The reason is that his son Eliphelet died, and another son was born to him later who was likewise named Eliphelet. He is the one counted there, and also Elishama. Elishama he counts here twice. We can say similarly that he died and another son was born to him, and also one of these died and seven remained. For this reason, he counts there only seven, and the nine that he counts here are for David’s honor, that he had many sons, for indeed the entire Book was written because of the honor of David and his posterity.
Malbim
And Eliphelet and Nogah — these were not counted there (II Samuel 5), and Radak explains that they died afterward. It appears that Ezra comes to explain to us how the verse “and he shall pay for the lamb fourfold” (II Samuel 12:6) was fulfilled through David. For what Rashi wrote, that this refers to the [infant] son, Tamar, Amnon, and Absalom, is a homiletical reading (derash), because the infant son died by Hashem’s word, “the son that is born to you shall surely die,” and so he stands outside the count; and Tamar did not die. So we learn that David had two more sons who died, and they complete the reckoning. And Elishama — but in Samuel (chapter 5) and below (14:7), [he is called] “Elishua”; they changed his name to Elishua after they had already named another of his brothers Elishama, but here [Scripture] gives his original name.
Verse structure: 4 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "nine" (תִּשְׁעָֽה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·Elishama" (וֶאֱלִישָׁמָ֧ע, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Eliada" (וְאֶלְיָדָ֛ע). 4 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root תשע ("nine") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: וֶאֱלִישָׁמָ֧ע [and·Elishama] (457) + וְאֶלְיָדָ֛ע [and·Eliada] (121) + וֶאֱלִיפֶ֖לֶט [and·Eliphelet] (166) + תִּשְׁעָֽה [nine] (775) = 1519.
All these were the sons of David, beside the sons of the concubines; and Tamar was their sister.
verse value 1848
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·concubines" (בְּֽנֵי־פִֽילַגְשִׁ֖ים, 10 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "beside" (מִלְּבַ֥ד), "sons·of·concubines" (בְּֽנֵי־פִֽילַגְשִׁ֖ים). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "all" (root כל, 81x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root בד ("beside") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'David', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: כֹּ֖ל [all] (50) + בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + דָוִ֑יד [David] (24) + מִלְּבַ֥ד [beside] (76) + בְּֽנֵי־פִֽילַגְשִׁ֖ים [sons·of·concubines] (535) + וְתָמָ֥ר [and·Tamar] (646) + אֲחוֹתָֽם [their·sister] (455) = 1848.
Metzudat David
'All these were the sons of David' — these were all of David's sons born of his wives. 'And Tamar' — meaning, and besides these there was also Tamar their sister.
And Solomon’s son was Rehoboam; Abijah his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son;
verse value 1417
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 34 letters. Notable word values: "Abijah" (אֲבִיָּ֥ה) = 18, chai, 'life'. Verse gematria: 1417 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "his·son" (בְנ֛וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·son·of·Solomon" (וּבֶן־שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: his·son, his·son, his·son. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·son·of·Solomon" (וּבֶן־שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה), "Rehoboam" (רְחַבְעָ֑ם), "Asa" (אָסָ֥א). The root בן appears 4 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·son·of·Solomon" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Rehoboam', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 6 words. Full calculation: וּבֶן־שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה [and·son·of·Solomon] (433) + רְחַבְעָ֑ם [Rehoboam] (320) + אֲבִיָּ֥ה [Abijah] (18) + בְנ֛וֹ [his·son] (58) + אָסָ֥א [Asa] (62) + בְנ֖וֹ [his·son] (58) + יְהוֹשָׁפָ֥ט [Jehoshaphat] (410) + בְּנֽוֹ [his·son] (58) = 1417.
Metzudat David
'Abijah his son' — that is, the son of Rehoboam; and so Scripture goes on counting the kings one after another.
Verse structure: 6 words, 23 letters. Verse gematria: 784 = 28². The shortest word is "his·son" (בְּנ֛וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Ahaziah" (אֲחַזְיָ֥הוּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: his·son, his·son, his·son. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Joram" (יוֹרָ֥ם), "Ahaziah" (אֲחַזְיָ֥הוּ), "Joash" (יוֹאָ֥שׁ). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root יואש ("Joash") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: יוֹרָ֥ם [Joram] (256) + בְּנ֛וֹ [his·son] (58) + אֲחַזְיָ֥הוּ [Ahaziah] (37) + בְנ֖וֹ [his·son] (58) + יוֹאָ֥שׁ [Joash] (317) + בְּנֽוֹ [his·son] (58) = 784.
Rashi
Ahaziah his son, Joash From Solomon to Joash were eight generations, and since David foresaw that his seed would perish in the days of Joash through Athaliah, as is written in this Book (II Chron. 22:10): “... she arose and destroyed (וַתְּדַבֵּר),” (from the expression of דֶּבֶר pestilence, through poison), he stood in prayer and uttered a psalm (Ps. 12): “For the conductor on the sheminith,” [alluding to an] eight stringed [instrument] (other editions: in number) “for the eighth generation.” (v. 2): “Save, O Lord, for the pious are gone, etc.” And Joash escaped, and from Joash to Josiah are eight generations, for David foresaw that Josiah and his sons would all go to their doom: this one was slain [i.e., Josiah. Perhaps he means Jehoiakim and Zedekiah’s sons as well] and this one’s eyes were gouged out [Zedekiah]. And he [David] prayed again on the sheminith, for the eighth generation (Ps. 6:1f.): “O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger,” and because of his prayer, the sons of Jehoiakim survived, and throughout the entire Book of Psalms, there are only these two mentions of the sheminith. And from Jeconiah (other editions: Jehoiakim) until (verse 24): “Anani seven,” which is [an allusion to] the King Messiah, as it is written: (Dan. 7:13): “... and behold, with the clouds of (עֲנָנֵי) the heavens,” are thirty eight sons, including both sons and generations of the sons. The Holy One, blessed be He, did this because he [David] recited thirty eight praises to Him, as it is written in the Book of Ezra (sic) (I Chron. 29:10 13). From “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, etc.” until “and to strengthen,” are thirty eight words.
Verse structure: 6 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "his·son" (בְנ֛וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Amaziah" (אֲמַצְיָ֧הוּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: his·son, his·son, his·son. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Amaziah" (אֲמַצְיָ֧הוּ). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: אֲמַצְיָ֧הוּ [Amaziah] (152) + בְנ֛וֹ [his·son] (58) + עֲזַרְיָ֥ה [Azariah] (292) + בְנ֖וֹ [his·son] (58) + יוֹתָ֥ם [Jotham] (456) + בְּנֽוֹ [his·son] (58) = 1074.
Verse structure: 6 words, 22 letters. The shortest word is "Ahaz" (אָחָ֥ז, 3 letters) and the longest is "Hezekiah" (חִזְקִיָּ֥הוּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: his·son, his·son, his·son. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Hezekiah" (חִזְקִיָּ֥הוּ). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root אחז ("Ahaz") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root מנשה ("Manasseh") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: אָחָ֥ז [Ahaz] (16) + בְּנ֛וֹ [his·son] (58) + חִזְקִיָּ֥הוּ [Hezekiah] (136) + בְנ֖וֹ [his·son] (58) + מְנַשֶּׁ֥ה [Manasseh] (395) + בְנֽוֹ [his·son] (58) = 721.
Verse structure: 4 words, 16 letters. The shortest word is "his·son" (בְּנ֖וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Josiah" (יֹאשִׁיָּ֥הוּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: his·son, his·son. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Amon" (אָמ֥וֹן). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 3 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: אָמ֥וֹן [Amon] (97) + בְּנ֖וֹ [his·son] (58) + יֹאשִׁיָּ֥הוּ [Josiah] (332) + בְנֽוֹ [his·son] (58) = 545.
And the sons of Josiah: the firstborn Johanan, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum.
verse value 2836
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "and·sons·of" (וּבְנֵי֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "Jehoiakim" (יְהוֹיָקִ֑ים, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Zedekiah" (צִדְקִיָּ֔הוּ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "the·firstborn" (root בכור, 24x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root יוחנן ("Johanan") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jehoiakim', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וּבְנֵי֙ [and·sons·of] (68) + יֹֽאשִׁיָּ֔הוּ [Josiah] (332) + הַבְּכוֹר֙ [the·firstborn] (233) + יֽוֹחָנָ֔ן [Johanan] (124) + הַשֵּׁנִ֖י [the·second] (365) + יְהוֹיָקִ֑ים [Jehoiakim] (181) + הַשְּׁלִשִׁי֙ [the·third] (645) + צִדְקִיָּ֔הוּ [Zedekiah] (215) + הָרְבִיעִ֖י [the·fourth] (297) + שַׁלּֽוּם [Shallum] (376) = 2836.
Ralbag
'And the sons of Josiah: the firstborn Johanan,' etc. — we have already explained at the end of the Book of Kings that Johanan did not reign (II Kings 23:31). And it should be clarified from this passage that Shallum is not the same as Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, for [Scripture] mentions him [Jeconiah] afterward, saying, 'And the sons of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son' — and this is quite evident.
Metzudat David
'The firstborn Johanan' — this is Jehoahaz, mentioned in II Kings; and although Jehoiakim was older than he, Scripture calls him 'firstborn' because he was first with respect to the kingship, having reigned before Jehoiakim, as is stated there in II Kings. 'Shallum' — our Sages said that this is the aforementioned Zedekiah, and Scripture also calls him 'the fourth,' because he was the fourth to reign, since Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim reigned before him.
Malbim
'And the sons of Josiah' — there are various views about the order of these sons. Abarbanel holds that King Zedekiah was not a son of Josiah but a son of Jehoiakim, and that the 'Shallum' named here is Jehoahaz; see what I wrote about him by name in my commentary on Kings (II 24:17). I have set forth my own view on this at length there: that King Zedekiah was Josiah's third son, and that Johanan is Jehoahaz, who reigned first and is called 'the firstborn' even though he was two years younger than Jehoiakim, because he was 'firstborn' with respect to the kingship, as our Sages stated. They are listed in the order in which they reigned: Johanan, that is, Jehoahaz, first; after him Jehoiakim; after him Zedekiah. As for Shallum son of Josiah — he was exiled to Babylon at the time Jehoiakim was led off to Babylon, so that he would not contest Zedekiah's kingship, and it is about him that Jeremiah prophesied (22:11), as stated there. See all these places, for I have explained the matters there.
And the sons of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son.
verse value 669
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "his·son" (בְנ֖וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Jehoiakim" (יְהוֹיָקִ֑ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: his·son, his·son. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Zedekiah" (צִדְקִיָּ֥ה). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jehoiakim', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: וּבְנֵ֖י [and·sons·of] (68) + יְהוֹיָקִ֑ים [Jehoiakim] (181) + יְכׇנְיָ֥ה [Jeconiah] (95) + בְנ֖וֹ [his·son] (58) + צִדְקִיָּ֥ה [Zedekiah] (209) + בְנֽוֹ [his·son] (58) = 669.
Metzudat David
'Zedekiah his son' — this is not King Zedekiah, for this one was the son of Jeconiah, whereas King Zedekiah was his uncle, a son of Josiah.
And the sons of Jeconiah—the same is Assir—Shealtiel his son;
verse value 1254
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 22 letters. The shortest word is "Assir" (אַסִּ֔ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "Shealtiel" (שְׁאַלְתִּיאֵ֖ל, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Assir" (אַסִּ֔ר), "Shealtiel" (שְׁאַלְתִּיאֵ֖ל). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: וּבְנֵי֙ [and·sons·of] (68) + יְכׇנְיָ֣ה [Jeconiah] (95) + אַסִּ֔ר [Assir] (261) + שְׁאַלְתִּיאֵ֖ל [Shealtiel] (772) + בְּנֽוֹ [his·son] (58) = 1254.
Ralbag
And the sons of Jeconiah—the same is Assir—Shealtiel his son — I think the intent here is that Assir was the son of Jeconiah, and Shealtiel was the son of Assir. And what it says afterward, ‘and Malchiram, and Pedaiah,’ etc., are all sons of Shealtiel; and since Zerubbabel was the son of Pedaiah, who was the son of Shealtiel, it says of Zerubbabel that he was the son of Shealtiel.
Metzudat David
'And the sons of Jeconiah' — besides the aforementioned Zedekiah. 'Shealtiel his son' — he was the son of Assir.
Malbim
'And the sons of Jeconiah' — our Sages explained that it was decreed concerning him that he be 'childless' (Jeremiah 22:30), and that through repentance the decree was annulled. But according to what I explained there, the decree was that none of his sons would ever reign, not that he would be literally childless — and this decree, too, was annulled, for Zerubbabel later rose to greatness through his ancestry and ruled in Judah, the opposite of what was written about him: that none of his offspring would ever again succeed as a ruler in Judah. See there. 'And the sons of Jeconiah—the same is Assir—' — some explain that 'Assir' is a description of Jeconiah himself, that he was imprisoned in a prison house, and that it was there that he fathered these sons. But the view of our Sages is that they read it as 'Assir, and Shealtiel his son' — meaning he had two sons, and that Malchiram and Pedaiah are sons of Shealtiel. It can also be explained that all those listed are sons of Jeconiah himself; see the next comment.
and Malchiram, and Pedaiah, and Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah.
verse value 1761
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "and·Pedaiah" (וּפְדָיָ֖ה, 5 letters) and the longest is "and·Malchiram" (וּמַלְכִירָ֥ם, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Malchiram" (וּמַלְכִירָ֥ם), "and·Pedaiah" (וּפְדָיָ֖ה), "and·Shenazzar" (וְשֶׁנְאַצַּ֑ר). 6 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Shenazzar', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וּמַלְכִירָ֥ם [and·Malchiram] (346) + וּפְדָיָ֖ה [and·Pedaiah] (105) + וְשֶׁנְאַצַּ֑ר [and·Shenazzar] (647) + יְקַמְיָ֥ה [Jekamiah] (165) + הוֹשָׁמָ֖ע [Hoshama] (421) + וּנְדַבְיָֽה [and·Nedabiah] (77) = 1761.
Metzudat David
'And Malchiram,' etc. — these were the sons of Shealtiel; and for brevity's sake Scripture relied on the reader's understanding, mentioning the sons directly alongside their father.
And the sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel, and Shimei. And the sons of Zerubbabel: Meshullam, and Hananiah; and Shelomith was their sister;
verse value 2913
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "and·sons·of" (וּבְנֵ֣י, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·son·of·Zerubbabel" (וּבֶן־זְרֻבָּבֶל֙, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Pedaiah" (פְדָיָ֔ה), "Zerubbabel" (זְרֻבָּבֶ֖ל), "and·son·of·Zerubbabel" (וּבֶן־זְרֻבָּבֶל֙). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root שמעי ("and·Shimei") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root משלם ("Meshullam") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Shimei', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּבְנֵ֣י [and·sons·of] (68) + פְדָיָ֔ה [Pedaiah] (99) + זְרֻבָּבֶ֖ל [Zerubbabel] (241) + וְשִׁמְעִ֑י [and·Shimei] (426) + וּבֶן־זְרֻבָּבֶל֙ [and·son·of·Zerubbabel] (299) + מְשֻׁלָּ֣ם [Meshullam] (410) + וַחֲנַנְיָ֔ה [and·Hananiah] (129) + וּשְׁלֹמִ֖ית [and·Shelomith] (786) + אֲחוֹתָֽם [their·sister] (455) = 2913.
Metzudat David
'And the sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel' — and as for what is stated elsewhere, that Zerubbabel was 'the son of Shealtiel,' this is because grandsons are treated like sons. 'And the sons of Zerubbabel' — the Hebrew literally reads 'and the son of Zerubbabel,' singular, to be understood as 'the sons of'; there are many examples like this.
Malbim
'And the sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel' — in Ezra, Haggai, and Malachi, Zerubbabel is called 'son of Shealtiel.' Radak says that he was the son of Shealtiel's son [a grandson]. The view of Ibn Ezra (on Ezra 3), as I have written, is that Pedaiah was Shealtiel's brother, and that Shealtiel died without sons, so Pedaiah performed levirate marriage with his widow; that is why Zerubbabel is called 'son of Shealtiel,' named for the deceased, to raise up offspring in his brother's name. 'And Shelomith was their sister' — all of these were born of one wife.
and Hashubah and Ohel, and Berechiah, and Hasadiah, Jushabhesed, five.
verse value 1437
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "hesed" (חֶ֖סֶד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Berechiah" (וּבֶרֶכְיָ֧ה, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Hashubah" (וַחֲשֻׁבָ֡ה), "and·Ohel" (וָ֠אֹ֠הֶל), "and·Hasadiah" (וַחֲסַדְיָ֛ה). 7 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root אהל ("and·Ohel") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root ברכיה ("and·Berechiah") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: וַחֲשֻׁבָ֡ה [and·Hashubah] (321) + וָ֠אֹ֠הֶל [and·Ohel] (42) + וּבֶרֶכְיָ֧ה [and·Berechiah] (243) + וַחֲסַדְיָ֛ה [and·Hasadiah] (93) + י֥וּשַׁב [Jushab] (318) + חֶ֖סֶד [hesed] (72) + חָמֵֽשׁ [five] (348) = 1437.
Rashi
and Hasadiah, Jushab Hesed five They were five in addition to Shelomith their sister.
Metzudat David
'Jushabhesed' — this is a single name. 'Five' — referring to those named in this verse; and perhaps the ones named earlier were from a different wife, and that is why Scripture did not count them together with these.
Malbim
'And Hashubah,' etc., 'five' — these were from a different wife.
And the sons of Hananiah: Pelatiah, and Jeshaiah; the sons of Jeshaiah: Rephaiah; the sons of Rephaiah: Arnan; the sons of Arnan: Obadiah; the sons of Obadiah: Shecaniah.
verse value 2036
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֤י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·son·of·Hananiah" (וּבֶן־חֲנַנְיָ֖ה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 62: sons·of, sons·of, sons·of, sons·of. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·son·of·Hananiah" (וּבֶן־חֲנַנְיָ֖ה), "Pelatiah" (פְּלַטְיָ֣ה), "and·Jeshaiah" (וִישַֽׁעְיָ֑ה). The root בן appears 5 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·son·of·Hananiah" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root רפיה ("Rephaiah") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root ארנן ("Arnan") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Jeshaiah', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 8 words. Full calculation: וּבֶן־חֲנַנְיָ֖ה [and·son·of·Hananiah] (181) + פְּלַטְיָ֣ה [Pelatiah] (134) + וִישַֽׁעְיָ֑ה [and·Jeshaiah] (401) + בְּנֵ֤י [sons·of] (62) + רְפָיָה֙ [Rephaiah] (295) + בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + אַרְנָ֔ן [Arnan] (301) + בְּנֵ֥י [sons·of] (62) + עֹבַדְיָ֖ה [Obadiah] (91) + בְּנֵ֥י [sons·of] (62) + שְׁכַנְיָֽה [Shecaniah] (385) = 2036.
Metzudat David
'The sons of Rephaiah' — meaning, Rephaiah was the son of Jeshaiah, and the son of Rephaiah was Arnan, and so on down the chain; and for brevity's sake Scripture relied on the reader's understanding. The word 'sons' here is to be understood as 'son,' singular; there are many examples like this.
Malbim
'The sons of Rephaiah' — in the Book of Genealogy these were recorded at length; there it was written 'Rephaiah, and the sons of Rephaiah: so-and-so and so-and-so; Arnan, and the sons of Arnan,' and so on. Here [the author] took only the opening of the whole matter, in brief, as I have written many times.
And the sons of Shecaniah: Shemaiah; and the sons of Shemaiah: Hattush, and Igal, and Bariah, and Neariah, and Shaphat, six.
verse value 3311
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 50 letters. The shortest word is "six" (שִׁשָּֽׁה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Neariah" (וּנְעַרְיָ֛ה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 425: Shemaiah, Shemaiah. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Hattush" (חַטּ֡וּשׁ), "and·Igal" (וְ֠יִגְאָ֠ל), "and·Bariah" (וּבָרִ֧יחַ). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "six" (root שש, 22x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root שמעיה ("Shemaiah") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root שפט ("and·Shaphat") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Shemaiah', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 8 words. Full calculation: וּבְנֵ֥י [and·sons·of] (68) + שְׁכַנְיָ֖ה [Shecaniah] (385) + שְׁמַֽעְיָ֑ה [Shemaiah] (425) + וּבְנֵ֣י [and·sons·of] (68) + שְׁמַֽעְיָ֗ה [Shemaiah] (425) + חַטּ֡וּשׁ [Hattush] (323) + וְ֠יִגְאָ֠ל [and·Igal] (50) + וּבָרִ֧יחַ [and·Bariah] (226) + וּנְעַרְיָ֛ה [and·Neariah] (341) + וְשָׁפָ֖ט [and·Shaphat] (395) + שִׁשָּֽׁה [six] (605) = 3311.
Rashi
and the sons of Shemaiah: Hattush, and Jigal, and Bariah, and Neariah, and Shaphat six They are, in reality, only five, but there is a reason, as is written below (25:3) concerning the watches of the Levites: “Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, and Zeri, and Isaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah six,” but they are only five.
Metzudat David
'Six' — only five are named here, but his wife was pregnant, and he foresaw through ruach hakodesh that she would bear a male child; similarly it is stated, 'the sons of Jeduthun... six' (below, 25), where too only five are actually enumerated. Or, alternatively, this refers back to Shecaniah, meaning that six in all were born to Shecaniah, counting the son together with the son's own sons.
Malbim
'And the sons of Shecaniah: Shemaiah; and the sons of Shemaiah' — the sons of Shemaiah were raised in the household of Shecaniah, their father's father, and so were counted as if they were his own sons; they are therefore counted together with Shemaiah their father as six sons. That is why it says 'six,' even though only five are actually named.
And the sons of Neariah: Elioenai, and Hizkiah, and Azrikam, three.
verse value 1784
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "three" (שְׁלֹשָֽׁה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·son·of·Neariah" (וּבֶן־נְעַרְיָ֗ה, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·son·of·Neariah" (וּבֶן־נְעַרְיָ֗ה), "and·Hizkiah" (וְחִזְקִיָּ֛ה), "and·Azrikam" (וְעַזְרִיקָ֖ם). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·son·of·Neariah" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "three" (root שלוש, 42x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root אליועיני ("Elioenai") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root עזריקם ("and·Azrikam") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: וּבֶן־נְעַרְיָ֗ה [and·son·of·Neariah] (393) + אֶלְיוֹעֵינַ֧י [Elioenai] (187) + וְחִזְקִיָּ֛ה [and·Hizkiah] (136) + וְעַזְרִיקָ֖ם [and·Azrikam] (433) + שְׁלֹשָֽׁה [three] (635) = 1784.
And the sons of Elioenai: Hodaviah, and Eliashib, and Pelaiah, and Akkub, and Johanan, and Delaiah, and Anani, seven.
verse value 1761
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 63 letters. The shortest word is "and·sons·of" (וּבְנֵ֣י, 4 letters) and the longest is "Elioenai" (אֶלְיוֹעֵינַ֗י, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Hodaviah" (הוֹדַוְיָ֡הוּ), "and·Eliashib" (וְאֶלְיָשִׁ֡יב), "and·Pelaiah" (וּפְלָיָ֡ה). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "seven" (root שבע, 29x in I Chronicles). 7 of the verse's 11 words begin with the letter ו.
Malbim
'And the sons of Elioenai' — the modern critics have gone about this matter in darkness, seeing no order in it, and from it they try to prove that a later hand had a role in writing this book: for how, they ask, is it conceivable that Ezra could list seven generations from Zerubbabel [to his own time] — Zerubbabel, Hananiah, Shecaniah, Shemaiah, Neariah, Elioenai, and Anani — when a generation is ordinarily reckoned at thirty years, which would require two hundred and ten years from Zerubbabel to Anani? Now, I have already shown in my commentary on Nehemiah (ch. 12) that the very same difficulty was raised there about the listed genealogy of the high priests, and I demonstrated their error. For what we must reckon is how many years it takes for a man to father a child; and if Jeconiah, and his sons, and his sons' sons, each fathered a child at thirteen years of age, that would not be out of the ordinary way of things. Accordingly: from the exile of Jeconiah — which occurred eighteen years before the destruction of the Temple — until the time Ezra, who wrote the Book of Chronicles, and Nehemiah after him, who completed it (according to the tradition of our Sages in Bava Batra 14b) — and Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem a second time in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes — even if we say that Darius is the same as Artaxerxes, Nehemiah's return was thirty years after the building of the Temple, which is a hundred years after the destruction of the Temple, that is, one hundred eighteen years after the exile of Jehoiachin. Now, if Jeconiah fathered a child immediately after his exile, and his sons fathered children generation after generation at thirteen years of age, then within one hundred eighteen years the tenth generation after Jeconiah would already have been born. And now, even if we explain that Zerubbabel was the son of Pedaiah son of Shealtiel, Anani is the ninth generation after Jeconiah, and it is entirely conceivable that Nehemiah could have seen Anani, even if all of them fathered children at fourteen years of age. All the more so if we say, as I explained according to one view, that Assir, Shealtiel, and Pedaiah were all brothers, sons of Jeconiah — then Anani would be the eighth generation after Jeconiah, and it is conceivable that he saw Anani even if six of them fathered children at fifteen years of age. So what, then, was all this commotion they raised, and these spider-webs they wove, over a question built on nothing but chaos and void?
Rashi
Metzudat Zion
Malbim