III The sons of David, ver. 1-9. His successors in the throne, ver. 10-16. The remains of his family in and after the captivity, ver. 17-24.

Verse 3. His wife - Possibly so called because she was his first, and therefore most proper wife, though her son was born after all the rest before mentioned, and therefore she and her son are put in the sixth place, the wive being here named only for the sons sake.

Verse 5. Four - All David's children by her, as the text positively affirms: and therefore Solomon is called her, only son, Prov. iv, 3, because she loved him as if he had been so. Ammiel - Called also Eliam, 2 Sam. xi, 3.

Verse 6. Eliphelet - And he had two other sons called by the same names, ver.

8, probably they were by different wives: and probably they were then distinguished by some additional clause or title, which is here omitted, because 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.

Verse 8. Nine - There are but seven mentioned, 2 Sam. v, 14. Two of them are omitted there, because they died very early, and here we have all the sons of David, which clause is not added 2 Sam. v, 13-16.

Verse 15. Shallum - Which most conceive to be the same who is called Jehoahaz, 2 Kings xxiii, 30.

Verse 16. Zedekiak - This was another Zedekiah. How seldom has a crown gone in a direct line, from father to son, as it did here, for seventeen generations! This was the recompense of David's piety. About the captivity the lineal descent was interrupted, and the crown went from a nephew to an uncle, a presage of the glory's departing from that house.

Verse 17. Assir - Or, of Jechoniah the captive, which is added to shew that he begat his son when he was captive in Babylon.

Verse 18. Pedaiah - The sentence seems to be short and imperfect, as is frequent in the Hebrew language, and something is here understood, as, the sons also of Salathiel were Malchiram and Pedaiah, &c. as they gather from hence that the same Zerubbabel is called the son of Pedaiah, ver. 19, and the son (that is, the grandson) of Salathiel, Matt. i, 12.

Verse 19. Their sister - Sister to the two last named sons of Zerubbabel, namely, by both parents; and therefore named before the other five, ver.

20, who were her brethren by the father, but not by the mother.

Verse 21. Shechaniah - All these both parents and their sons blended together, are mentioned as the sons of Hananiah, and branches of the royal stock.