Compare David's lineage in 1 Chronicles 14:7 with Jesus' genealogy in Matthew. David’s Immediate Line in Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 14:7) “and Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.” • Verse 7 caps a short list of thirteen sons born to David after he captured Jerusalem (vv. 3–7). • The three names here close the roster; none of them carried the royal line forward. • These sons nevertheless testify to the growth and establishment of David’s household in the city where God promised to set His Name (2 Samuel 5:9; 1 Kings 11:36). Jesus’ Royal Line Traced by Matthew (Matthew 1:1 – 16) Key portion, David forward (BSB excerpts): “Jesse was the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon, by Uriah’s wife, Solomon the father of Rehoboam… …Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel… …Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.” • Matthew groups the genealogy into three fourteens (v. 17) to highlight covenant milestones: Abraham, David, the exile. • David’s line to Jesus runs through Solomon, not through any of the sons named in 1 Chronicles 14:7. • Matthew’s purpose: prove Jesus is the legal, royal “Son of David” (v. 1; cf. Isaiah 9:6–7). Comparing the Two Lists • Scope – 1 Chronicles 14:7: three specific sons, immediate family record. – Matthew 1: a thirty-plus-generation royal record, culminating in the Messiah. • Function – Chronicles: highlight David’s establishment in Jerusalem; emphasize God’s blessing of offspring (Psalm 127:3). – Matthew: establish Jesus’ legal right to David’s throne; fulfill 2 Samuel 7:12–16. • Names Carried Forward – None of the children in 1 Chronicles 14:7 appear in Matthew’s genealogy. – The son who does advance the royal promise—Solomon—is listed earlier in 1 Chronicles 14:4. • Covenant Continuity – Both passages affirm God’s faithfulness: He multiplies David’s house (Chronicles) and preserves an unbroken legal line to the Christ (Matthew). Theological Takeaways • God safeguards His redemptive plan through ordinary family records. • The absence of Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet in Matthew underscores that God selects specific lines (Romans 9:6–13). • Matthew’s list verifies Jesus as the legitimate heir to David’s throne, fulfilling Jeremiah 23:5–6 and Luke 1:32–33. Life Application • Genealogies may feel routine, yet they reveal a God who keeps detailed promises over centuries. • Just as He stewarded David’s line to Christ, He faithfully guides the details of believers’ lives today (Philippians 1:6). |
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