How many children did David have?
David had at least 19 named sons and one named daughter, Tamar. 1 Chronicles 3:1-9 lists 6 sons born in Hebron and 13 in Jerusalem, "beside the sons of the concubines, and Tamar their sister" (KJV). A son of Bathsheba died as an infant and is never named. The Bible names 8 of David's wives, plus 10 concubines.
Updated October 25, 2026. Every name on this page is read from the King James Version and checked against the World English Bible spelling. Word counts cover the full text of both.
Who were David's sons born in Hebron?
Six sons were born to David in Hebron, each to a different mother, in the seven years and six months he reigned there (2 Samuel 3:2-5; 1 Chronicles 3:1-4). Both lists number them, from "the firstborn" to "the sixth".
| # | Son (2 Samuel 3) | Son (1 Chronicles 3) | Mother |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amnon | Amnon | Ahinoam the Jezreelitessthe firstborn |
| 2 | Chileab | Daniela different name | Abigail"the wife of Nabal the Carmelite" (2 Samuel 3:3), "the Carmelitess" (1 Chronicles 3:1) |
| 3 | Absalom | Absalom | Maacah"the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur" |
| 4 | Adonijah | Adonijah | Haggith |
| 5 | Shephatiah | Shephatiah | Abital |
| 6 | Ithream | Ithream | Eglah"David's wife" (2 Samuel 3:5) |
The two lists agree on every son but the second. Abigail's son is Chileab in 2 Samuel 3:3 and Daniel in 1 Chronicles 3:1, and nothing more is told of him under either name: "Chileab" appears nowhere else in the Bible. 1 Chronicles 3:2 spells Absalom's mother Maachah. Read the narrative in 2 Samuel and the genealogy in 1 Chronicles.
Who were David's sons born in Jerusalem?
13 sons born in Jerusalem are named in 1 Chronicles 3:5-8 and again in 1 Chronicles 14:4-7; 2 Samuel 5:14-16 names 11 of them. The lists agree on the order but spell 5 of the 13 names differently (KJV).
| # | 2 Samuel 5:14-16 | 1 Chronicles 3:5-8 | 1 Chronicles 14:4-7 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ShammuahWEB: Shammua | Shimea | Shammua | Bathsheba's son (1 Chronicles 3:5); spelled differently |
| 2 | Shobab | Shobab | Shobab | Bathsheba's son (1 Chronicles 3:5) |
| 3 | Nathan | Nathan | Nathan | Bathsheba's son (1 Chronicles 3:5) |
| 4 | Solomon | Solomon | Solomon | Bathsheba's son (1 Chronicles 3:5) |
| 5 | Ibhar | Ibhar | Ibhar | |
| 6 | Elishua | Elishama | Elishua | spelled differently |
| 7 | not listed | Eliphelet | ElpaletWEB: Elpelet | only in Chronicles; spelled differently |
| 8 | not listed | Nogah | Nogah | only in Chronicles |
| 9 | Nepheg | Nepheg | Nepheg | |
| 10 | Japhia | Japhia | Japhia | |
| 11 | Elishama | Elishama | Elishama | |
| 12 | Eliada | Eliada | Beeliada | spelled differently |
| 13 | EliphaletWEB: Eliphelet | Eliphelet | EliphaletWEB: Eliphelet | spelled differently |
1 Chronicles 3 does its own sum: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon are "four, of Bath-shua the daughter of Ammiel" (3:5), and the rest end with "Eliphelet, nine" (3:8). Six from Hebron, four and nine make 19. Two names come twice in that list, Elishama and Eliphelet, so the 19 sons carry 17 different names. 2 Samuel 5 leaves out the first Eliphelet and Nogah, which is why it has 11 names to Chronicles' 13. The Bible does not say why.
The Jerusalem lists, unlike the Hebron ones, give no "firstborn" or "second", so they may not be in birth order. Solomon is listed fourth of Bathsheba's sons, but 2 Samuel 12:24 tells of his birth straight after the death of her first child. Both lists open by saying there were daughters too: "there were yet sons and daughters born to David" (2 Samuel 5:13), and "David begat more sons and daughters" (1 Chronicles 14:3).
How many children did David have in all?
The Bible identifies 22 of David's children by name or by story: 19 sons in 1 Chronicles 3, Tamar, the child of Bathsheba who died, and Jerimoth. It never gives a full total.
| Children | Count | Verse |
|---|---|---|
| Sons born in Hebron | 6 | 1 Chronicles 3:1-4 |
| Sons born in Jerusalem (four of Bathsheba, nine more) | 13 | 1 Chronicles 3:5-8 |
| Daughter: Tamar | 1 | 1 Chronicles 3:9 |
| Bathsheba's first son, who died unnamed | 1 | 2 Samuel 12:18 |
| Jerimoth, named in none of the lists | 1 | 2 Chronicles 11:18 |
| Children the Bible identifies | 22 | |
| Sons of the concubines | not counted | 1 Chronicles 3:9 |
| Other daughters | not counted | 2 Samuel 5:13; 13:18 |
These were all the sons of David, beside the sons of the concubines, and Tamar their sister. (1 Chronicles 3:9, KJV)
All these were the sons of David, besides the sons of the concubines; and Tamar was their sister. (1 Chronicles 3:9, WEB)
Jerimoth appears once as David's son: Rehoboam married "Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David" (2 Chronicles 11:18). He is not in any of the four lists, and the Bible does not name his mother. Michal, Saul's daughter, "had no child unto the day of her death" (2 Samuel 6:23). 2 Samuel 21:8 speaks of "the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel" (KJV; the WEB has "whom she bore to Adriel"), but Adriel was the husband of her older sister Merab (1 Samuel 18:19), and none of the five is called David's son.
How many sons did David have with Bathsheba?
David had 5 sons with Bathsheba: the first, who died, and the four that 1 Chronicles 3:5 lists "of Bath-shua the daughter of Ammiel": Shimea, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon.
She was "Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite" (2 Samuel 11:3). After Uriah's death "she became his wife, and bare him a son" (2 Samuel 11:27). The next son was Solomon: "she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him", and through the prophet Nathan he was also named Jedidiah (2 Samuel 12:24-25). 1 Chronicles 3:5 calls her Bath-shua and her father Ammiel. Two of her sons lead to Jesus: Matthew's genealogy runs through Solomon ("Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias", Matthew 1:6) and Luke's through Nathan (Luke 3:31). Her name, spelled Bath-sheba, appears 10 times in the King James Version and 10 times as Bathsheba in the WEB.
What happened to the child who died?
Bathsheba's first son by David died "on the seventh day" of the illness the prophet Nathan had foretold, and the Bible never gives his name.
And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead? (2 Samuel 12:18, KJV)
Nathan told David that "the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die" (2 Samuel 12:14), and the next verse says "the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick". While the child lived, David "fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth" (12:16). When he died, David washed, worshipped and ate (12:20). His reason: "But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me." (2 Samuel 12:23, KJV).
Who was David's daughter Tamar?
Tamar is the only daughter of David the Bible names; 2 Samuel 13:1 calls her Absalom's sister.
Her brother Amnon, David's firstborn, raped her (2 Samuel 13:14). She wore "a garment of divers colours", which the text explains: "with such robes were the king's daughters that were virgins apparelled" (13:18). Afterwards "Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom's house" (13:20). David "was very wroth" (13:21), but the text records nothing he did. Absalom said nothing to Amnon for "two full years", then had his servants kill him at a sheep-shearing feast (13:22-29). Absalom later named his only daughter Tamar (2 Samuel 14:27). "Tamar" appears 27 times in the King James Version (29 in the WEB), 14 of them in 2 Samuel; in the KJV the rest are Judah's daughter-in-law (Genesis 38, Ruth 4:12, 1 Chronicles 2:4), places with Tamar in the name (as in Ezekiel 47:19), and the 1 Chronicles 3:9 list. More women of the Bible are on the women of the Bible.
What happened to David's sons?
3 of David's sons were killed (Amnon, Absalom and Adonijah), one became king, and for most of the rest the Bible records only a name.
| Son | What the Bible records | Verses |
|---|---|---|
| Amnon | Killed by Absalom's servants, on Absalom's order, two years after he raped Tamar. | 2 Samuel 13:28; 2 Samuel 13:29; 2 Samuel 13:32 |
| Chileab (Daniel) | Nothing more is recorded after the two lists of Hebron sons. | 2 Samuel 3; 1 Chronicles 3 |
| Absalom | Fled to Geshur for three years, came back, made himself king in Hebron and drove David out of Jerusalem. Caught by his head in an oak and killed by Joab and ten of Joab's armour-bearers. | 2 Samuel 13:38; 2 Samuel 15:10; 2 Samuel 15:14; 2 Samuel 18:9; 2 Samuel 18:14; 2 Samuel 18:15 |
| Adonijah | Declared "I will be king" while David was old. Spared by Solomon, then put to death on Solomon's order after he asked for Abishag as his wife. | 1 Kings 1:5; 1 Kings 1:52; 1 Kings 2:17; 1 Kings 2:25 |
| Shephatiah | Nothing more is recorded. | 2 Samuel 3; 1 Chronicles 3 |
| Ithream | Nothing more is recorded. | 2 Samuel 3; 1 Chronicles 3 |
| Solomon | Anointed king by Zadok while David was still alive, and reigned 40 years. Matthew's genealogy of Jesus runs through him. | 1 Kings 1:39; 1 Kings 11:42; Matthew 1:6 |
| Nathan | Luke's genealogy of Jesus runs through him. | Luke 3:31 |
Absalom's death brought the cry "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee" (2 Samuel 18:33). The other Jerusalem sons, from Shobab to the last Eliphelet, appear only in the lists. 2 Samuel 8:18 says "David's sons were chief rulers" (KJV; the WEB has "chief ministers") without naming them. Word counts: Absalom (108 times in the KJV, 108 in the WEB), Adonijah, Solomon and Nathan.
How many wives did David have?
The Bible names 8 wives of David, and says he took "more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem" (2 Samuel 5:13) without naming them. 10 concubines are counted in 2 Samuel 15:16.
| Wife | Who she was | Verses |
|---|---|---|
| Michal | Saul's younger daughter. Saul later gave her to Phalti, and David took her back. She had no child. | 1 Samuel 14:49; 1 Samuel 18:27; 1 Samuel 25:44; 2 Samuel 6:23 |
| Ahinoam of Jezreel | Mother of Amnon, the firstborn. | 1 Samuel 25:43; 2 Samuel 3:2 |
| Abigail | Widow of Nabal the Carmelite. Mother of Chileab (Daniel in 1 Chronicles). | 1 Samuel 25:38; 1 Samuel 25:42; 2 Samuel 3:3 |
| Maacah | Daughter of Talmai king of Geshur. Mother of Absalom, whose sister was Tamar. | 2 Samuel 3:3; 2 Samuel 13:1 |
| Haggith | Mother of Adonijah. | 2 Samuel 3:4 |
| Abital | Mother of Shephatiah. | 2 Samuel 3:4 |
| Eglah | Mother of Ithream, called "David's wife". | 2 Samuel 3:5 |
| Bathsheba | Wife of Uriah the Hittite, then David's wife. Mother of Solomon and three more sons, and of the child who died. Called Bath-shua in 1 Chronicles 3:5. | 2 Samuel 11:3; 2 Samuel 11:27; 1 Chronicles 3:5 |
The 10 concubines are the women David "left ... to keep the house" when he fled Absalom (2 Samuel 15:16). Absalom went in to them "in the sight of all Israel" (16:22), and when David came back he kept them shut up "unto the day of their death, living in widowhood" (20:3). Through Nathan, God also tells David "I gave thee ... thy master's wives into thy bosom" (2 Samuel 12:8), meaning Saul's, though none of them is named as David's wife.
Two women are often counted by mistake. Merab, Saul's elder daughter, was promised to David, but "she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife" (1 Samuel 18:19). Abishag the Shunammite cared for David when he was old, "but the king knew her not" (1 Kings 1:4), and after his death Adonijah asked to marry her (1 Kings 2:17). David's son Solomon went far past him, with 700 wives (1 Kings 11:3): see how many wives Solomon had.
Which son became king, and why not the eldest?
Solomon became king, though all 6 sons born in Hebron were older than him: David had sworn to Bathsheba that Solomon would reign after him, and the Bible says God chose him.
By the end of David's life the first and third sons, Amnon and Absalom, were dead, and the second, Chileab, is never mentioned again. That left Adonijah, the fourth: "his mother bare him after Absalom" (1 Kings 1:6). When "king David was old and stricken in years" (1 Kings 1:1), Adonijah said "I will be king" (1:5) and held a feast to which he did not invite "Solomon his brother" (1:10). The prophet Nathan sent Bathsheba to remind David of his oath, "Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me" (1:17), and David kept it: Zadok the priest anointed Solomon the same day (1:30, 1:39).
The reason the Bible gives is God's choice. David tells "all the princes of Israel" (1 Chronicles 28:1): "And of all my sons, (for the LORD hath given me many sons,) he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel." (1 Chronicles 28:5, KJV). Adonijah himself admitted it to Bathsheba: "Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine ... howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother's: for it was his from the LORD" (1 Kings 2:15). Solomon called him "mine elder brother" (1 Kings 2:22) and had him put to death after he asked for Abishag. The kings who followed are on the kings of Israel and Judah, and the story is told in 1 Kings.
How many times is Jesus called the son of David?
The New Testament calls Jesus, or the Christ, "son of David" 14 times in the King James Version and 13 times in the WEB.
The phrase "son of David" comes 16 times in the King James New Testament. Two are about other men: the angel calls Joseph "thou son of David" (Matthew 1:20), and Luke's genealogy has "Nathan, which was the son of David" (Luke 3:31). The other 14 are Matthew 1:1, Matthew 9:27, Matthew 12:23, Matthew 15:22, Matthew 20:30, Matthew 20:31, Matthew 21:9, Matthew 21:15, Matthew 22:42, Mark 10:47, Mark 10:48, Mark 12:35, Luke 18:38 and Luke 18:39. 8 of them are cries for mercy, such as the blind men's "Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David" (Matthew 20:30). The WEB has one fewer because in Matthew 22:42 the answer reads "Of David". Across the whole Bible the phrase appears 26 times in the KJV and 25 in the WEB.
David himself is named 1,064 times in the King James Version (1,063 in the WEB), more often than the name Jesus (984) or Moses (847), and 292 of those are in 1 Samuel. See the word count for David.
Questions about David's children and wives
How many sons did David have?
19 sons are named in 1 Chronicles 3:1-8 (KJV): 6 born in Hebron and 13 in Jerusalem. One more, Jerimoth, is called "the son of David" in 2 Chronicles 11:18 but is in none of the lists, and Bathsheba's first son died unnamed. 1 Chronicles 3:9 leaves out "the sons of the concubines", so the full number is not given.
How many wives did David have?
The Bible names 8: Michal, Ahinoam, Abigail, Maacah, Haggith, Abital, Eglah and Bathsheba. 2 Samuel 5:13 says he took "more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem" without naming them, and 2 Samuel 15:16 counts 10 concubines.
Who was David's firstborn son?
Amnon, the son of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess (2 Samuel 3:2). He raped his sister Tamar, and two years later Absalom had him killed (2 Samuel 13:23-29).
How many sons did David have with Bathsheba?
5. The first died "on the seventh day" (2 Samuel 12:18) and is never named. 1 Chronicles 3:5 lists four more "of Bath-shua the daughter of Ammiel": Shimea, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon.
Did David have daughters?
Yes. Tamar is the only one named (2 Samuel 13:1; 1 Chronicles 3:9). 2 Samuel 5:13 says "there were yet sons and daughters born to David" in Jerusalem, and 2 Samuel 13:18 mentions "the king's daughters that were virgins", so there were others the Bible does not name.
Why did Solomon become king instead of Adonijah?
David had sworn to Bathsheba that "Solomon thy son shall reign after me" (1 Kings 1:17, 1:30), and 1 Chronicles 28:5 says God "hath chosen Solomon my son". Adonijah, the fourth son and the oldest the story still mentions, declared himself king, but Nathan and Bathsheba went to David, and Solomon was anointed while David was alive (1 Kings 1:39). Adonijah later said "the kingdom was mine... for it was his from the LORD" (1 Kings 2:15).
Sources
- The King James Version (1769) and the World English Bible, both public domain: every verse quoted, every name in the tables and every count on this page, read and counted by scripts/lists/how-many-children-did-david-have.mjs from the text at github.com/seven1m/open-bibles (read and counted 2026-10-25).
David marries Michal, Abigail and Ahinoam in 1 Samuel. Word counts: David, Tamar, Michal and Abigail. More counts are on the Bible by the numbers.
Counted by Bible Says About from the full public-domain text of the King James Version (1769 edition) and the World English Bible. Verse text only: headings and psalm titles are left out. A word is a run of letters: a hyphenated name like Beer-sheba counts as two, and an apostrophe stays inside its word (LORD'S is one). Matching ignores capital letters. Data compiled 2026-10-25.