Sons of David

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This 1860 woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld depicts the death of Bathsheba's first child with David, who lamented, "I shall go to him, but he will not return to me"(2 Samuel 12:23) Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bibel in Bildern 1860 103.png
This 1860 woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld depicts the death of Bathsheba's first child with David, who lamented, "I shall go to him, but he will not return to me"(2 Samuel 12:23)

The sons of King David are mentioned both as a group and individually several times in the biblical accounts of the reigns both of David and his successor Solomon.

Contents

Number

The number of sons by name in the Bible is 19. In addition, two further unnamed sons are recorded as having been born in Jerusalem, one, probably both, having died in infancy. One of these was the first child born of David's adulterous relationship with Bathsheba.

Only one of David's daughters, Tamar, [1] is mentioned by name. [2]

Names

The named sons are as follows. First those born in Hebron:

The sons born to David in Jerusalem included the sons of Bathsheba:

Nine other sons were born of other wives:

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References

  1. 2 Samuel 13:1–22
  2. Sue Sandidge, King David in the Valley of the Shadow of Middle Age, 2002: "This brings the number of David's sons who are mentioned by name in the Bible to 19. That number does not include David's daughters, whose names the Bible does not give, except for Tamar's. If the reader has trouble keeping all these children straight (in which case the reader is referred to the Appendix, where a chart, “David, His Wives, and His Children,” lists them all), the reader may find consolation in the fact that David himself often could not seem to keep track of all of ..."
  3. 2 Samuel 12:16–19