Q: Who was the father of Zerubbabel? First Chronicles 3:19 says that his father was Pedaiah, but other passages, including the genealogies of Jesus in Matthew 1:12 and Luke 3:27, identify his father as Salathiel.
A: Salathiel and Pedaiah were brothers. After Salathiel died, Pedaiah married his widow and the offspring of the union of Pedaiah and the widow of Salathiel was Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was then regarded as the legal heir (i.e., son) of Salathiel, even though his genetic father was Pedaiah. All this was in sync with the custom of levirate marriage described in Deuteronomy 25:5-10.
As Deut. 25:5-6 says, If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies, and has no child, the wife of the deceased shall not marry outside unto a stranger. Her husbands brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of a husband to her. And it shall be, that the firstborn which she bears shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel. This was adaptable; a man who did not want the responsibility of marrying the widow could pass along the responsibility to some other close relative, as happens in the story of Ruth.
So, Zerubbabels genetic father was Pedaiah; his legal father (i.e., the first husband of his mother) was Salathiel.
As I explained elsewhere, the custom of levirate-marriage may account for the different names of the father of Joseph in Matthew 1:15-16 (Jacob) and Luke 3:23 (Heli) ~ one man or the other was the first husband of Josephs mother (and thus Joseph was his son, as far as legal rights were concerned), and the remaining man was Josephs biological father (and the brother of the other man). But there is not enough information in the text, istm, to determine which of these two sons of Matthan was Josephs mothers first husband, and which was Josephs biological father.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
A: Salathiel and Pedaiah were brothers. After Salathiel died, Pedaiah married his widow and the offspring of the union of Pedaiah and the widow of Salathiel was Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was then regarded as the legal heir (i.e., son) of Salathiel, even though his genetic father was Pedaiah. All this was in sync with the custom of levirate marriage described in Deuteronomy 25:5-10.
As Deut. 25:5-6 says, If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies, and has no child, the wife of the deceased shall not marry outside unto a stranger. Her husbands brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of a husband to her. And it shall be, that the firstborn which she bears shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel. This was adaptable; a man who did not want the responsibility of marrying the widow could pass along the responsibility to some other close relative, as happens in the story of Ruth.
So, Zerubbabels genetic father was Pedaiah; his legal father (i.e., the first husband of his mother) was Salathiel.
As I explained elsewhere, the custom of levirate-marriage may account for the different names of the father of Joseph in Matthew 1:15-16 (Jacob) and Luke 3:23 (Heli) ~ one man or the other was the first husband of Josephs mother (and thus Joseph was his son, as far as legal rights were concerned), and the remaining man was Josephs biological father (and the brother of the other man). But there is not enough information in the text, istm, to determine which of these two sons of Matthan was Josephs mothers first husband, and which was Josephs biological father.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
