1 Chronicles 3:19—What is the correct genealogical relationship of Pedaiah, Shealtiel, and Zerubbabel?

Problem: According to the statement in 1 Chronicles 3:19, Zerubbabel was the son of Pedaiah. However, according to Ezra 3:2, Zerubbabel was the son of Shealtiel. What is the correct genealogical relationship?

Solution: In 1 Chronicles 3:16–19 we find the following genealogy.

This record shows that Zerubbabel was the son of Pedaiah and the nephew of Shealtiel, Pedaiah’s older brother. Although the Bible does not record the death of Pedaiah, it is reasonable to assume that he died shortly after Shimei was born, and Shealtiel, the oldest of the sons of Jeconiah, adopted Zerubbabel as his own son.

This excerpt is from When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1992). © 2014 Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Click here to purchase this book.