1 Chronicles 3:3

The fifth, Shephatiah of Abital: the sixth, Ithream by Eglah his wife.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(3) Eglah (heifer) his wife.—Eglah is not marked out as principal wife of David. The expression “his wife” is added simply to balance the clause, to make up for the absence of details respecting her connexions, such as are given in the case of some of the other wives. Jewish expositors have groundlessly identified Eglah with Michal, daughter of Saul (1Samuel 18:20).

Benson Commentary

1 Chronicles 3:3. By Eglah his wife — Eglah is generally thought by the Jews to be Michal, Saul’s daughter; who, some think, is peculiarly called his wife, because she was his only legal wife, according to the divine institution: all the rest he took according to the custom then reigning. See on 2 Samuel 3:5.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

3:1-24 Genealogies. - Of all the families of Israel, none were so illustrious as the family of David: here we have a full account of it. From this family, as concerning the flesh, Christ came. The attentive observer will perceive that the children of the righteous enjoy many advantages.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The sons of David - The writer returns to the point at which he had left the posterity of Ram 1 Chronicles 2:9, 1 Chronicles 2:15, and traces out the family of David - the royal house of the tribe of Judah.

Daniel - See the marginal note and reference.

There are three lists of the sons of David, born in Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 5:14-16 1 Chronicles 3:5-8 1 Chronicles 14:4-7 1. Shammuah Shimeah* Shammuah 2. Shobab Shobab Shobab 3. Nathan Nathan Nathan 4. Solomon Solomon Solomon 5. Ibhar Ibhar Ibhar 6. Elishua Elishama* Elishua 7. a Eliphelet* Elpalet* 8. a Nogah Nogah 9. Nepheg Nepheg Nepheg 10. Japhia Japhia Japhia 11. Elishama Elishama Elishama 12. Eliada Eliada Beeliada* 13. Eliphelet Eliphelet Eliphelet (Differences are marked with an asterick).

A comparison of the three lists serves to show:

(1) that "Shimeah" and the first "Elishama" in the list of this chapter are corruptions;

(2) that David had really 13 sons born in Jerusalem, of whom two - the first Eliphelet and Nogah - probably died in their childhood; and

(3) that Eliada, the twelfth son, was also called Beeliada, the term Baal, "lord," not having (previous to the introduction of the Baal worship) a bad sense, but being regarded as an equivalent with El, "God."

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

3. Eglah his wife—supposed to be another name of Michal, who, though she had no son after her mockery of David for dancing before the ark [2Sa 6:16, 20], might have had one previous to that time. She has the title of wife appended to her name because she was his proper wife; and the mention of her name last probably arose from the circumstance that, having been withdrawn from David and married to another husband but afterwards restored, she had in reality become the last of his wives.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Which title belongs either to all the foregoing women; or rather, as the singular number showeth, to Eglah only, last mentioned; who possibly may be 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 both she and her son are put in the sixth place; the wives being here named only for the sons’ sakes. See more on 2 Samuel 3:5.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Now these were the sons of David,.... The six following born in Hebron, who are reckoned in the same order as in 2 Samuel 3:2, only here the second son is called Daniel, who there goes by the name of Chileab; he had two names, the reason of which see there; and here David's wife, Eglah, is said in the Targum to be Michal, Saul's daughter; see Gill on 2 Samuel 3:5, to which is added an account of his reign both in Hebron and Jerusalem, agreeably to 2 Samuel 5:5.

Geneva Study Bible

The fifth, Shephatiah of Abital: the sixth, Ithream by Eglah his wife.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

3. Eglah his wife] In 2 Samuel 3:5 “Eglah David’s wife,” where however David is probably a wrong reading for the name of a previous husband of Eglah.

1 Chronicles 3:3

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The sons of David: (a) Those born in Hebron; (b) those born in Jerusalem. - 1 Chronicles 3:1-4. The six sons born in Hebron are enumerated also in 2 Samuel 3:2-5, with mention of their mother as here: but there the second is called כּלאב; here, on the contrary, דּניּאל, - a difference which cannot well have arisen through an error of a copyist, but is probably to be explained on the supposition that this son had two different names. In reference to the others, see on 2 Samuel 3. The sing. לו נולד אשׁר after a preceding plural subject is to be explained as in 1 Chronicles 2:9. שׁני, without the article, for משׁנהוּ, 2 Samuel 3:3, or המּשׁנה, 1 Chronicles 5:12, is surprising, as all the other numbers have the article; but the enumeration, the first-born, a second, the third, etc., may be justified without any alteration of the text being necessary. But the difference between our text and that of 2 Sam. regard to the second son, shows that the chronicler did not take the register from 2 Samuel 3. The preposition ל before אבשׁלום seems to have come into the text only through a mistake occasioned by the preceding לאביגיל, for no reason is apparent for any strong emphasis which might be implied in the ל being placed on the name of Absalom. The addition of אשׁתּו to עגלה (1 Chronicles 3:3) seems introduced only to conclude the enumeration in a fitting way, as the descent of Eglah had not been communicated; just as, for a similar reason, the additional clause "the wife of David" is inserted in 2 Samuel 3:5, without Eglah being thereby distinguished above the other wives as the most honoured. The concluding formula, "six were born to him in Hebron" (1 Chronicles 3:4), is followed by a notice of how long David reigned in Hebron and in Jerusalem (cf. 2 Samuel 2:11 and 2 Samuel 5:5), which is intended to form a fitting transition to the following list of the sons who were born to him in Jerusalem.