The sons of Jesse

[S-word]

The names of the seven sons of Jesse in 1st Chronicles 3: 13-15; are recorded in the order of their ages, Eliab the elderest, and David the youngest of the seven. Whereas in 1st samuel 17: 12, it is said that Jesse had eight sons.

This is verified in chapter 16: 6-13; when Samuel came to the house of Jesse to choose a replacement to King Saul. Jesse presented his sons in the order of their ages, first Eliab, then Abinadab, the Shammah etc, after seven of his eight sons had been presented to samuel and all rejected by his indwelling God, Samuel asked if Jesse had anymore sons and he answered that David the youngest of his eight sons was out tending to the sheep.

When he was called in, the Lord chose him and Samuel anointed him as king successor to Saul and then departed. Who is th older brother of David, whose name is not recorded in 1st Chronicles?

[JehovahsWitness]

According to my enclypedia*, one of David’s brothers probably died without having children which may account for the omission of his name from the genealogies of Chronicles. In any case all eight were alive when Samuel first met them recorded at 1 Sam 16: 10, 11 when Jesse presented seven and eventually remembered David (the eighth).

Who is th older brother of David, whose name is not recorded in 1st Chronicles?

I don't think there is any way of knowing the name of the "missing" brother Samuel doesn't name all sons he saw only numbers them.

*Insight on the Scriptures Vol II p. 51

[S-word]

According to my enclypedia*, one of David’s brothers probably died without having children which may account for the omission of his name from the genealogies of Chronicles. In any case all eight were alive when Samuel first met them recorded at 1 Sam 16: 10, 11 when Jesse presented seven and eventually remembered David (the eighth).

Who is th older brother of David, whose name is not recorded in 1st Chronicles?

I don't think there is any way of knowing the name of the "missing" brother Samuel doesn't name all sons he saw only numbers them.

*Insight on the Scriptures Vol II p. 51

I have found that most apparent contradictions in scripture are there to hide some fundamental truth. For instance when we look to 1st Chronicles 2: 16; in the Good News Bible, it is said that Jesse had two daughters who are Zeruiah and Abigail, but in the King James translation it is said the David had two sisters, who were Zeruiah and Abigail. Now most people would see no contradiction here, for if Zeruaih and Abigail are the daughters of Jesse, then they must be the sisters of David, the youngest of Jesses seven biological sons.

On seeking the truth, you will find that the Hebrew word used here is “achoth,� which means Sisters and not daughters. So 1st Chron 2: 16; is not saying that Zeruiah and Abigail are the daughters of Jesse, but that they are the sisters of David.

So what if the mother of Jesse’s previous six sons had died, and the mother of David, a second wife of Jesse, had already birth the two elder sisters of David to another man? And indeed, that’s exactly what we find in 2nd Samuel 17: 25; for it is said there, that Zeruaih and Abigail are the daughters of King Nahash.

But while reading from 1st Chronicles, we were told that Jesse had sired only seven sons, and they were, in order of age, Eliab, Amminadab, and Shammah etc, etc. But, as I am 70, having been fed on a steady diet of the bread that came down from heaven for at least 60 years, one remembers having read in 1st Samuel 17: 12; that Jesse had eight sons, which appears to be in direct conflict with 1st Chronicles 2: 12: which names only seven biological sons of Jesse. Perhaps this other brother of Jesus may have been the full brother to Zeruiah and Abigail and the son of his mother prior to her union with Jesse also.

Now we turn to 1st Samuel 16: 6 -11; this is where Samuel is sent by the Lord to the house of Jesse to choose one of his sons to replace King Saul, and seven of the eight sons of Jesse are presented in order of their ages, first Eliab, then Amminadab, and then Shammah etc, etc, but the Lord rejected all of David’s seven older brothers, and Samuel asked Jesse if he had any other sons, and Jesse answered, “There is still the youngest (David) but he is out taking care of the sheep.� David is then called in and through Samuel, David is chosen by the Lord then anointed by Samuel, who then departed.

So we know that this mysterious eighth son of Jesse, who is not recorded among his biological sons, is older than David, the last of the eight to be presented to Samuel, and was still alive at the time that David was anointed. But where can we find him? Lets return to 2nd Samuel 17: 25; where it is said that Zeruaih and Abigail are the daughters of Nahash, and in the very next verse we are told that when David arrived at Mahanaim, he was met by Shobi the son of Nahash. And there you have it: the spirit has guided you to one of many fundamental truths that are hidden within what would appear to be a contradiction in scripture.