1 Chronicles 3:15

(15) And the sons of Josiah.—The regular succession by primogeniture ceases with Josiah.

The firstborn Johanan (Iahweh bestowed) never ascended the throne of his fathers. He may have died early. He is not to be identified with Jehoahaz, who was two years younger than Jehoiakim (2Ki_23:31; 2Ki_23:36), and therefore could not have been the firstborn of Josiah.

The second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum.—The order of succession to the throne after Josiah was this:—First, Shallum (= Jehoahaz, 2Ki_23:30; comp. Jer_22:11); then Jehoiakim (= Eliakim, 2Ki_23:34; Jer_22:18); then Jeconiah, son of Jehoiakini (= Jehoiachin, Jer_22:24); and, lastly, Zedekiah (= Mattaniah, 2Ki_24:17),

The third Zedekiah.—Zedekiah was much younger than Shallum. Shallum was twenty-three when he came to the throne, which he occupied eleven years. Zedekiah succeeded him at the age of twenty-one (2Ki_23:31; 2Ki_24:18). The order of 1Ch_3:15 is not wholly determined by seniority any more than by the actual succession. If age were considered, the order would be Jehoiakim, Shallum, Zedekiah; if the actual succession, it would be, Shallum, Jehoiakim, Zedekiah. The order of the text may have been influenced by the two considerations—(1) That Jehoiakim and Zedekiah each enjoyed a reign of eleven years, while Shallum reigned only three months; (2) That Shallum and Zedekiah were full brothers, both being sons of Hamutal, whereas Jehoiakim was born of another of Josiah’s wives, viz., Zebudah.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Ch 3:15 And the sons of Josiah [were], the firstborn Johanan, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum.

Ver. 15. Johanan.] Alias Jehoahaz, {2Ki 23:30} alias Shallum. {Jer 22:11} See on 2Ki 23:31. Some think that Johanan was a distinct son from Jehoahaz: and conjecture that he was slain in battle together with his father Josiah.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Ch 3:15. The firstborn Johanan — This Johanan is thought by many to be the same with Jehoahaz, who succeeded Josiah in the throne. But it seems more probable, as he is not mentioned in the book of Kings nor elsewhere in the Scriptures, that he died before his father. The fourth Shallum — Of whom, at least under that name, there is no mention in the history of the reign of Josiah’s sons in 2 Kings: but in Jer 22:11 there is mention of Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father; whom most conceive to be the same, who is otherwise called Jehoahaz, 2 Kings 23. And this seems most probable, 1st, From that phrase, He reigned instead of Josiah, which implies that he immediately succeeded his father, otherwise he would have been said to have reigned instead of his brother, as Zedekiah is said to have reigned instead of Jehoiachin, 2Ki 24:17. 2d, From the order of that discourse of Jeremiah, which was directed to Zedekiah, and his servants, and people, and whom he admonisheth by the examples of the kings his predecessors, and of the sentence of God concerning each of them, and that in the order in which they reigned; of Shallum, 2Ki 24:11, &c.; of Jehoiakim, 2Ki 24:18, &c.; of Jechoniah or Coniah, Jer 22:28. 3d, From the nature of that prophecy, Jer 22:11-12, delivered concerning Shallum, which perfectly agrees to Jehoahaz, who was carried captive, not so far as Babylon, but only to Egypt, a very near country; whence the people hoped that he would speedily and easily return, or be re-established in his throne by the king of Egypt, in opposition to the king of Babylon. 4th, Because Jehoahaz was one of Josiah’s younger sons, (2Ki 23:31; 2Ki 23:36,) and this Shallum is here called his fourth son.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

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

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Or, Jehoahaz, 2 Kings 23:30.

So called because he was preferred to the dignity royal before his brother Jehoiakim which was the elder.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Zedekiah--called the son of Josiah (compare Jer 1:3; Jer 37:1), but in Ch2 36:19 he is described as the brother of Jehoiachin, who was the son of Jehoiakim, and consequently the grandson of Josiah. Words expressive of affinity or relationship are used with great latitude in the Hebrew.

Shallum--No king of this name is mentioned in the history of Josiah's sons (2Ki. 14:1-29; 2Ki. 23:1-37), but there is a notice of Shallum the son of Josiah (Jer 22:11), who reigned in the stead of his father, and who is generally supposed to be Jehoahaz, a younger son, here called the fourth, of Josiah.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

15. the firstborn Johanan] This son of Josiah never came to the throne, nor is anything known of him except from this passage. Perhaps he died before he grew up.

Zedekiah] Though reckoned third here, he was younger than Shallum (=Jehoahaz); cp. 2Ch_36:2 (= 2Ki_23:31) with 2Ch_36:11 (= 2Ki_24:18).

Shallum] To be identified with Jehoahaz; cp. 2Ch_36:1 with Jer_22:11.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the sons of Jehoiakim; Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son. This is not the Zedekiah mentioned in the preceding verse; for he was not the son but the uncle of Jeconiah, unless he should be called his son because he succeeded him in the kingdom; but he seems to be another of that name, nowhere else mentioned, and not the son of Jeconiah in any sense; he is not reckoned among them in the following verses, but of Jehoiakim.

And the sons of Jehoiakim; Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son. This is not the Zedekiah mentioned in the preceding verse; for he was not the son but the uncle of Jeconiah, unless he should be called his son because he succeeded him in the kingdom; but he seems to be another of that name, nowhere else mentioned, and not the son of Jeconiah in any sense; he is not reckoned among them in the following verses, but of Jehoiakim.

1 Chronicles 3:17

ch1 3:17

ch1 3:17

ch1 3:17And the sons of Jeconiah,.... For though he was pronounced childless, Jer 22:30, that respects not his having no children in any sense, but none to succeed him in the kingdom:

Assir; which signifies bound, or a prisoner, because, as Kimchi thinks, he was born in a prison, his father then being a captive in Babylon; but rather it refers to Jeconiah himself, and is an appellation of him, and to be rendered:

the sons of Jeconiah the captive: which agrees best with the Hebrew accents:

Salathiel his son; the same that is called Shealtiel, Hag 1:1 who was both the proper son of Jeconiah, and who succeeded him, as some think, in the honour and dignity the king of Babylon raised him to.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Of the sons of Josiah, Johanan, “the first-born,” who is mentioned in this place only, must, it would seem, have died before his father, or with him at Megiddo; and Shallum (also called Jehoahaz, marginal note and reference) was considerably older than Zedekiah, and was consequently the third, and not the fourth, son. He is perhaps assigned the fourth place here by way of intentional degradation. Compare Jer 22:10-12; Eze 19:3-4.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Johanan, who is not mentioned in 4 Kings xxiii., and xxiv. Some think that he died young, (Tostat) or in battle with his father, against Pharao. (Pradus.) --- Joakim, or Eliacim, possessed the throne after Joachaz, or Sellum, (Calmet) which name signifies "confusion," and was given to all the sons of Josias. (St. Jerome) --- Then came Joachin and Sedecias, whose proper name was Matthanias. (Haydock) --- Joakim is passes over by St. Matthew. (St. Jerome, ibid.)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Of whom, at least under that name, there is no mention in thee history of the reign of Josiah’s sons, 2Ki 23; 2Ki 24. But in Jer 22:11, there is mention of Shallum the son of Josiah king of Judah, which reigned instead of Josiah his father; which most conceive to be the same who is otherwise called Jehoahaz, 2Ki 23. And this seems most probable,

1. From that phrase, he reigned instead of Josiah; which implies that he immediately succeeded his father; otherwise he would have been said to have reigned instead of his brother, as Zedekiah is said to reign instead of Jehoiachin, 2Ki 24:17, because he was his next successor.

2. From the order of that sermon or discourse of Jeremiah, which was directed to Zedekiah, and his servants, and people, as appears by Jer 21:1,2,11; 22:1,2, whom he admonisheth by the examples of the kings his predecessors, and of the sentence of God concerning each of them, and that in order as they reigned:

1. Of Shallum, 1Ch 3:11, &c.

2. Of Jehoiakim, 1Ch 3:18, &c.

3. Of Jeconiah, 1Ch 3:24, &c. Therefore Shallum is the same with Jehoahaz, who was the first king after Josiah, 2Ki 23:30.

4. From the nature of that prophecy, Jer 22:11,12, which best agrees to Jehoahaz, who was carried captive not so far as Babylon, but only to Egypt, a very near country whence the people hoped that he would speedily and easily return, or be re-established in his throne by the king of Egypt, in opposition to the king of Babylon.

5. Because Jehoahaz was one of Josiah’s younger sons, as appears by comparing 2Ki 23:31,36. And this Shallum is here called his fourth son.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The first thing to be observed in this verse is that, though it lays stress on the mention of the name of Josiah"s firstborn of four sons as Johanan, this is the only mention of him. Some, however, have taken the Jehoahaz of 2Ki_23:30 for him. Next, that Jehoiakim was not the original name of the next brother, but a name slightly altered by Pharaoh-Necho from Eliakim. (2Ki_23:34) If the dates of 2Ki_23:31, 2Ki_23:34, 2Ki_23:36, be correct, there is no doubt that, though Jehoiakim, i.e. Eliakim, reigned after Jehoahaz, yet he was the elder, and is in his right place in the present passage. Next, that Shallum (Jer_20:11) is another name of the Jehoa-haz of 2Ki_23:30, 2Ki_23:31, 2Ki_23:34, and several other places. It is possible that he finds the last place amid the four brothers of this verse because of his probable usurpation of the throne, in violation of the right of his elder brother, Jehoiakim, and the early fall he met with in consequence. Lastly, that the fourth brother, Zedekiah, whose name (2Ki_24:17) was originally Mattha-niah, was put on the throne by the King of Babylon, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem (2Ki_24:18) after that his nephew Jehoiachin (who could have no son old enough to succeed) was (2Ki_24:12, 2Ki_24:15, 2Ki_24:17) carried captive to Babylon.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Shallum - Which most conceive to be the same who is called Jehoahaz, 2 Kings xxiii, 30.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

And the sons of Jehoiakim; Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son. This is not the Zedekiah mentioned in the preceding verse; for he was not the son but the uncle of Jeconiah, unless he should be called his son because he succeeded him in the kingdom; but he seems to be another of that name, nowhere else mentioned, and not the son of Jeconiah in any sense; he is not reckoned among them in the following verses, but of Jehoiakim.

And the sons of Jehoiakim; Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son. This is not the Zedekiah mentioned in the preceding verse; for he was not the son but the uncle of Jeconiah, unless he should be called his son because he succeeded him in the kingdom; but he seems to be another of that name, nowhere else mentioned, and not the son of Jeconiah in any sense; he is not reckoned among them in the following verses, but of Jehoiakim.

1 Chronicles 3:17

ch1 3:17

ch1 3:17

ch1 3:17And the sons of Jeconiah,.... For though he was pronounced childless, Jer 22:30, that respects not his having no children in any sense, but none to succeed him in the kingdom:

Assir; which signifies bound, or a prisoner, because, as Kimchi thinks, he was born in a prison, his father then being a captive in Babylon; but rather it refers to Jeconiah himself, and is an appellation of him, and to be rendered:

the sons of Jeconiah the captive: which agrees best with the Hebrew accents:

Salathiel his son; the same that is called Shealtiel, Hag 1:1 who was both the proper son of Jeconiah, and who succeeded him, as some think, in the honour and dignity the king of Babylon raised him to.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

General Information:

This continues the list of David's descendants who became king. All of the names in this list are the names of men. Form these sentences as you did starting in 1 Chronicles 3:10.

translationWords

Josiah

firstborn

Jehoiakim

Zedekiah

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.