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1 Chronicles 3 · a question people ask

Was Zerubbabel the son of Pedaiah or of Shealtiel?

In the text

The Bible gives both, and doesn't explain. Here Jeconiah's sons are "Shealtiel his son" (3:17) and "Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah" (3:18), and then "The sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel and Shimei" (3:19). Every other verse of the WEB that names Zerubbabel's father names Shealtiel: "Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel" (Ezra 3:2), and the same words come in Ezra 3:8 and 5:2, Nehemiah 12:1, and Haggai 1:1, 1:12, 1:14 and 2:2; Haggai 2:23 has "Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel". Matthew has "Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel became the father of Zerubbabel" (Matthew 1:12). Luke has "the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri" (Luke 3:27), and runs back through "the son of Nathan, the son of David" (Luke 3:31), not through Solomon. Brown-Driver-Briggs notes the difference in its entry for Zerubbabel: "son of Pedaiah (but son of Shealtiel)" (tap Zerubbabel). The verses are set side by side here as they stand.

The verses

“The sons of Jeconiah, the captive: Shealtiel his son, Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah. The sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel and Shimei. The sons of Zerubbabel: Meshullam and Hananiah; and Shelomith was their sister;”
1 Chronicles 3:17-19 · World English Bible
“Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak stood up with his brothers the priests and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his relatives, and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.”
Ezra 3:2 · World English Bible
“Now in the second year of their coming to God’s house at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brothers the priests and the Levites, and all those who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began the work and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to have the oversight of the work of the LORD’s house.”
Ezra 3:8 · World English Bible
“Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build God’s house which is at Jerusalem; and with them were the prophets of God, helping them.”
Ezra 5:2 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of 1 Chronicles 3

1 Chronicles 3: Son after son

1 Chronicles 3 doesn't stop at the captive king. After "Jeconiah, the captive" (3:17) it keeps naming David's line, through Zerubbabel (3:19) to the sons of Elioenai (3:24). Matthew's list of Jesus' ancestors names Jechoniah, Shealtiel and Zerubbabel too (Matthew 1:12), and runs on from "Zerubbabel became the father of Abiud" (Matthew 1:13) to Jesus (Matthew 1:16).

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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions