David’s family included three sons from Bathsheba: Solomon, Nathan, and Shammua. Of them all, Solomon was the chosen one to take over after his father passed away – he is remembered for being the wisest of kings in Israel at that time. It is said that under him a powerful kingdom came into existence. He built the first temple in Jerusalem which remained until 586 BCE when it fell to Babylonians’ hands. Nathan served as a prophet and adviser by his side while Shammua had only little presence within scriptures
King Solomon was blessed with two sons, Rehoboam and Abijah. After his father’s death, Rehoboam succeeded as king for seventeen years until ten tribes of Israel revolted against him and formed their own kingdom under the rule of Jeroboam. Abijah followed in his brother’s footsteps to become monarch; however, this ended tragically due to civil unrest within a short time span.
Following Rehoboam’s reign, his son Abijam took the throne and led for three years until being succeeded by Asa. Asa was a devoted king who effectively fortified Judah and is remembered as an upright monarch. He in turn passed down power to Jehoshaphat — who ruled for twenty-five years — a figure renowned for his godliness.
Jehoshaphat’s successor, Joram, became king but unfortunately imposed an iron grip on the people. They retaliated and assassinated him; his son Ahaziah then took over until he was killed in battle a year later.
After Ahaziah was assassinated, his brother Jehoram assumed the throne and reigned for 8 years. His son Ahaziah followed him as king but proved to be wicked and only stayed on the crown two years before he met a violent end. Then came Jehoahaz, who briefly held sway over Israel for 17 days until Pharaoh Neco of Egypt overthrew him.
After Jehoahaz’s death, his son Jehoash inherited the throne and reigned over Israel for sixteen years until he was killed by his own courtiers. His successor Amaziah shortly followed him as ruler; however, he only held on to power for a mere sixteen years before being forcefully removed from office.
Jehoiachin, the very last king of Judah from David’s lineage, only had three months at his royal post before King Nebuchadnezzar II drove him out in 597 BCE. Then Zedekiah was crowned and sat on the throne for eleven years until Jerusalem met its tragic end in 586 when Babylon destroyed it and evicted everyone within city limits—ending forevermore David’s line as rulers over Judah.
Although David’s line of succession was broken, his descendants who were not kings still carried on the legacy. Eventually these individuals returned to Judah after Babylonian captivity and lived there for hundreds of years. Of course, Jesus is perhaps the most renowned among them; He is said to have descended from King David himself! Thus, it can be argued that even today we are living in a world shaped by the reign of King David.
What happened to David’s sons?
David was blessed with three sons by Bathsheba – Shammua, Nathan and Solomon. Although Shammua is only briefly mentioned in the Bible, both Nathan and Solomon played significant roles; Nathan went on to become a prophet and advisor while son of promise, Solomon reigned as king following his father’s death.
Who was the last king of Judah from the line of David?
After reigning for a short span of three months, Jehoiachin – the last king from David’s lineage – was overthrown by Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II in 597 BCE. His successor Zedekiah held authority over Judah for eleven years until Jerusalem suffered destruction at the hands of Babylonians and its people were exiled in 586 BCE. This marked an end to the royal line of David as king of Judah.
How does the line of King David continue to this day?
Despite the Davidic dynasty coming to an end, its line carried on through non-monarchical descendants. After spending time in Babylonian captivity and returning home, these family members all settled in Judah for generations – with Jesus being one of the most renowned individuals who is said to trace their lineage back to King David himself. As such, the legacy of this regal figure persists even today.
I’ve always been interested in DNA testing and genealogy. My DNA testing research is approved by my teachers at the Boston University of Genealogy. I’ve been following DNA testing’s rise since its first appearance in 2006.
