“And Jesse begat his firstborn Eliab, and Abinadab the second, and Shimma the third,”
My Notes
What Does 1 Chronicles 2:13 Mean?
"Jesse begat his firstborn Eliab, and Abinadab the second, and Shimma the third." The Chronicler records Jesse's sons in birth order — and David doesn't appear until verse 15, listed as the seventh (though 1 Samuel mentions eight sons). The genealogy confirms what the narrative showed: David was the youngest, the last-listed, the one nobody considered when important visitors arrived.
Eliab — the firstborn, the one Samuel initially thought was the anointed (1 Samuel 16:6: 'surely the LORD's anointed is before him') — is listed first because he IS first by birth order. The genealogy follows human convention: firstborn gets the first line. But God's selection follows different criteria: the firstborn gets the first line in the genealogy and the last place in God's choosing.
The three named sons — Eliab, Abinadab, Shimma — are the same three who served in Saul's army during the Goliath confrontation (1 Samuel 17:13). The brothers who were at the battle are the brothers who preceded David in birth and in the lineup — but not in God's choice.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What obvious candidate is listed first in your world while God's choice sits at the end?
- 2.What does the genealogy preserving birth order alongside God's reversal teach about holding two truths?
- 3.How does being 'first by human standards' differ from being 'first by divine selection'?
- 4.What order are you reading — the human list or God's?
Devotional
Eliab first. Abinadab second. Shimma third. The birth order places David last. The genealogy follows human convention — firstborn first. God's selection follows divine convention — the last one chosen.
The Chronicler records the names the way a family registry would: oldest to youngest. Eliab leads because Eliab was born first. The genealogy doesn't reorganize around God's choice — it preserves the original order. David's anointing doesn't retroactively change the birth order. He's still the youngest. He's still listed last. The divine selection doesn't overwrite the human sequence.
Eliab's position — listed first, rejected first by God (1 Samuel 16:7) — teaches the Bible's most consistent lesson about selection: being first by human standards doesn't mean being first by divine standards. Eliab was tall, impressive, and oldest. God said: I'm not looking at the outside. The genealogy preserves both truths: Eliab IS the firstborn (human order) and Eliab IS NOT the chosen (divine order).
The genealogy's preserving of birth order alongside God's reversal of it means both orders are true simultaneously: the human order (Eliab first) and the divine order (David chosen). Neither cancels the other. The genealogy records one. The narrative reveals the other. And the reader holds both.
What 'Eliab' — what firstborn, obvious, impressive candidate — is listed first in your genealogy while God's choice sits at the end of the list?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And when Azubah was dead, Caleb took unto him Ephrath,.... The Targum is, "Miriam, who was called Ephrath"; but,…
Here is, I. The family of Jacob. His twelve sons are here named, that illustrious number so often celebrated almost…
Shimma R.V. Shimea, as in 1Ch 20:7. His name is written "Shammah" in 1Sa 16:9. In 2Sa 21:21 "Shimei" (R.V.).
Cross References
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