“And the sons of Josiah were, the firstborn Johanan, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum.”
My Notes
What Does 1 Chronicles 3:15 Mean?
"And the sons of Josiah were, the firstborn Johanan, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum." This genealogical note lists Josiah's four sons, three of whom will become kings — but not in birth order. Johanan (the firstborn) disappears from history, possibly dying young. Shallum (the youngest) becomes king first (as Jehoahaz, reigning three months before Egyptian deportation). Jehoiakim is installed by Egypt. Zedekiah is installed by Babylon. None of them inherit through normal succession.
The alternate names in the footnotes reveal the political reality: Shallum becomes Jehoahaz. Eliakim becomes Jehoiakim. Mattaniah becomes Zedekiah. Each renaming represents a foreign power installing a puppet king and renaming him as a sign of ownership. Josiah's sons rule under the names their conquerors gave them.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How does the failure of Josiah's sons challenge the assumption that faithful parents produce faithful children?
- 2.What does the renaming of kings by foreign powers teach about lost identity and sovereignty?
- 3.How do you invest in the next generation while accepting you can't control their choices?
- 4.What does the gap between Josiah's faithfulness and his sons' failure teach about the limits of one generation's reform?
Devotional
Four sons. None of them inherits normally. The firstborn vanishes. The youngest rules first. The others are installed and renamed by foreign empires. Josiah — the greatest reformer king of Judah — produces four sons who preside over the nation's destruction.
The genealogy reads like a tragedy in four names. Johanan — the firstborn who should have reigned — disappears. Shallum (Jehoahaz) — the people's choice — lasts three months before Pharaoh drags him to Egypt in chains. Jehoiakim (Eliakim) — Egypt's puppet — burns Jeremiah's scroll and bleeds the nation for tribute. Zedekiah (Mattaniah) — Babylon's puppet — watches his sons killed before his eyes are gouged out. Not one of them follows their father's faith.
The alternate names tell the story of lost sovereignty. A king renamed by a foreign power is a king owned by that power. Josiah's sons don't get to keep their names — or their autonomy. Egypt names one. Babylon names another. The independent kingdom Josiah tried to preserve is parceled out among empires that couldn't care less about the reformer's legacy.
This is the heartbreak of generational faithfulness that doesn't transfer. Josiah did everything right. He found the law. He reformed the nation. He tore down the high places. He celebrated Passover like it hadn't been celebrated since the judges. And his sons undid it all. One generation of faithfulness — even extraordinary faithfulness — doesn't guarantee the next generation's obedience.
Your faithfulness matters. But it can't be inherited. Each generation has to choose for themselves.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
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the firstborn Johanan This son of Josiah never came to the throne, nor is anything known of him except from this…