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Children Born to David in Yerushalayim
Second Samuel 5: 13-16;
First Chronicles 3:5-8 and 14:3-7

Children born to David in Yerushalayim DIG: How many sons did David have in Hebron? How many in Jerusalem? Why weren’t the daughters recorded? Why weren’t the sons and daughters of his concubines recorded? How many children do you think David had?

REFLECT: The Torah commanded the king of Isra’el: Do not take many wives, or your heart will be led astray (Deuteronomy 17:17a). How do you think David rationalized God’s Word? Why do you think the Ruach ha-Kodesh put it there to begin with? Have you ignored verses in God’s Word because you didn’t want to obey? How did that work out for you? ADONAI wants all of you. He wants you to trust Him with your sex life, your checkbook, your thoughts, with everything you own or have. Are you still ignoring verses of the Bible? Why don’t you make a list of the things you still won’t surrender to His will? Are you willing to take your hands off the steering wheel of your life and put Yeshua in the driver’s seat?

The mention of David’s royal palace and his alliance with Hiram (to see link click Co – David Conquers Yerushalayim) offered the narrator an opportunity to mention David’s family. Deuteronomy 17:17 prohibited Isra’el’s king from taking many wives, but David continued to disregard this commandment, as did Solomon after him (First Kings 11:1-4). Both paid dearly for their disobedience. David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem and became the father of more sons and daughters. This was in addition to the seven wives and six sons, and unknown number of daughters he already had in Hebron (see Ch – Sons Were Born to David in Hebron). No mention is made of the concubines because their sons would not have been eligible in the succession to the throne, and no mention is made of his many daughters except Tamar (see Dh – Amnon and Tamar) because they also would not have been eligible.

David’s first six sons were born in Hebron, and thirteen more were born in Yerushalayim. These are the names of the sons born to him there. Four sons were born from Bathsheba: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon. From the line of these last two sons come Joseph and Miriam. Nathan was the ancestor of Miriam, the mother of Jesus, who is named in the genealogy in Luke. Solomon, who succeeded David as king, was the ancestor of Joseph, the step-father of Jesus in the genealogy in Matthew (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ai – The Genealogies of Joseph and Mary). 

David’s other wives, who are not named, bore him thirteen more sons: Ibhar, Elishua, Eliphelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada (otherwise known as Beeliada) and Eliphelet. David ended up with nineteen named sons and an unknown number of daughters. Fathering so many children meant that David’s focus may have often turned to intimacy with his wives. All these were the sons of David, besides an unknown number of daughters born to his wives, and an unknown number of sons and daughters born by his concubines in Hebron and Jerusalem. David could have easily had fifty or sixty children. Tamar is mentioned in the biblical account only because she will be prominent in the story of the disintegration of David’s family (2 Samuel 5:13-16; First Chronicles 3:5-8 and 14:3-7).

David had a lust problem. It started at Hebron about 1010 BC and culminated with his sin with Bathsheba (see Dc – David and Bathsheba) about 984. So it would merely be the climax of something that had gone on in his life for about 26 years. His passionate nature had great potential for both good and evil. His many wives in Jerusalem were merely a foreshadowing of things to come.