Nathan (son of David) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nathan
Prince of Israel
Nathan and his brother Nepheg surprisingly depicted by Hartmann Schedel in his book Nuremberg Chronicles (1493)
Issue	Mattatha
House	Davidic
Father	David
Mother	Bathshua
Religion	Judaism

Nathan (Hebrew: נתן, Standard [Natan] Error: {{Transliteration}}: unrecognized transliteration standard: (help) Tiberian Nāṯān) was one of the sons of the famous King David and his wife Bathshua (also known as Bathsheba). He was born in Jerusalem. Nathan was a younger brother to Shammuah, Shobab, and Solomon. He was the third of four sons born to David and Bathshua who survived. Their first son died shortly after birth.

Bathshua got to choose Nathan's name. Some people think she named him after Nathan the prophet, who was a wise advisor to King David.

Nathan in the Hebrew Bible

Nathan is mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible, mainly when listing King David's sons. You can find his name in books like 2 Samuel 5:14, 1 Chronicles 3:5, and Chronicles%2014:4&verse=KJV&src=! KJV.

For example, in 2 Samuel 5:14, it says: "And these be the names of those that were born to him in Jerusalem; Shammuah, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon."

In 1 Chronicles 3:5, it lists: "And these were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, four, of Bathshua the daughter of Ammiel."

Sometimes, the Bible mentions a "Nathan" without saying if it's Nathan the son of David or Nathan the prophet. For instance, in 1 Kings 4:5, it talks about "Azariah son of Nathan" who was in charge of district governors during King Solomon's rule. It's not clear which Nathan was his father.

Nathan in the New Testament

Nathan is important in the New Testament because of the genealogy of Jesus. The Gospel of Luke traces Jesus' family tree back to King David through Nathan's family line. However, the Gospel of Matthew traces Jesus' family through Solomon, another son of David.

In Luke 3:31, Jesus' family line connects to Nathan through a person named Heli. The Gospel of Matthew, however, connects Jesus' family to Jacob, linking him to Solomon's line.

One common idea to explain these differences is that Nathan was an ancestor of Mary, Jesus' mother, while Solomon was an ancestor of Joseph, Mary's husband. This means Jesus would have connections to both family lines.

Another idea is that these family trees might be based more on religious ideas than just factual history. Different writers might have focused on different family connections to show important spiritual meanings for their audiences.

Other Sons of David

King David had many sons. Besides Nathan and his brothers born to Bathshua, David had other sons born in different places.

The book of 1 Chronicles lists sons born to David in Hebron:

• Amnon
• Daniel
• Absalom
• Adonijah
• Shephatiah
• Ithream

After moving to Jerusalem, David had more sons, including Nathan, Solomon, Shammuah, and Shobab with Bathshua. He also had other sons like Ibhar, Elishua, Eliphelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada, and another Eliphelet. David also had daughters, including Tamar.

This means Nathan was one of David's many sons, playing a part in the royal family of Israel.

See also

In Spanish: Natán (hijo de David) para niños

• Genealogy of Jesus#Explanations for divergence
• Nathan (prophet)
• Related Bible parts: 2 Samuel 5, Zechariah 12, Luke 3