Arnan
Arnan was a descendant of David's son Solomon (1 Chr 3:21).
Biography
Arnan is a post-exilic descendant of the royal line of David, appearing in 1 Chronicles 3:21 in the genealogical record of David's house following the Babylonian exile. He is listed as a son of Rephaiah, who was himself a son of Zerubbabel, the governor who led the first wave of returning exiles and oversaw the laying of the second temple's foundations (Ezra 3:8; Haggai 1:1). This places Arnan squarely within the Davidic genealogy at a period when the question of whether the Davidic dynasty would continue was deeply significant to the restored community. Though no specific deeds are attributed to Arnan, his position in the genealogy affirms the continuation of David's line beyond the catastrophe of the exile.
Significance
Arnan's inclusion in the Davidic genealogy of 1 Chronicles carries quiet but important theological weight. The Chronicler's meticulous tracing of David's line through the exile and into the restoration period reflects a sustained messianic hope, that God's covenant with David (2 Samuel 7:12–16) would not be annulled by Babylonian conquest. Every name in this genealogy is a link in the chain of promise that, according to the New Testament, runs to Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:12–16; Luke 3:27). Arnan thus belongs to the broader testimony that God's faithfulness to His covenant with David persists across generations, even when outward circumstances suggest that the Davidic throne has been extinguished.
Verse Appearances (1)
1 Chronicles
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]