Bible Strands
1 Chronicles 2:13
Jesse was the father of Eliab his firstborn; Abinadab was born second, Shimea third,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Chronicler records Jesse’s sons in a genealogical list tracing the line from Boaz to David. The passage appears between verses noting Boaz’s fathering of Obed and the continuation of Jesse’s offspring.
The words — בְּכֹרוֹ (bekho.ro) translates literally as “his firstborn,” and הַשֵּׁנִי (ha.sheni) means “the second.” These terms establish the precise birth sequence of Eliab and Abinadab.
The thread — The birth order reappears in 1 Samuel 17:13, which notes Eliab as the firstborn and Abinadab as the second among the older sons. 1 Samuel 16:6 records Samuel’s encounter with Eliab without specifying his rank.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to track familial succession within a structured genealogy. It demands attention to how ancestral lines are documented before the narrative shifts to David’s rise.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Jesse begat his firstborn Eliab, and Abinadab the second, and Shimma the third,
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 17:13 The three older sons of Jesse had followed Saul into battle: The firstborn was Eliab, the second was Abinadab, and the third was Shammah.
- 1 Samuel 16:6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and said, “Surely here before the LORD is His anointed.”
- 1 Samuel 17:28 Now when David’s oldest brother Eliab heard him speaking to the men, his anger burned against David. “Why have you come down here?” he asked. “And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and wickedness of heart—you have come down to see the battle!”
- 1 Chronicles 20:7 and when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of David’s brother Shimei killed him.
- 1 Chronicles 27:18 over Judah was Elihu, one of David’s brothers; over Issachar was Omri son of Michael;