Sons of the concubines. — David’s concubines (pilagshim, πλλακαί) are mentioned several times in Samuel (e.g., 2 Samuel 12:11), but their sons here only. However repugnant to modern ideas, it was and is part of the state of an Oriental potentate to possess a harem of many wives.
And Tamar (was) their sister. — Not the only one, but the sister whose unhappy fate had made her famous (2 Samuel 13).
A comparison of the above lists of David’s sons with the parallels in Sam. makes it improbable that they were drawn from that source; for (1) the Hebrew text of the chronicle appears, in this instance, to be quite as original as that of Samuel; (2) Some of the names differ, without our being able to pronounce in favour of one or the other text; (3) The form of the lists is different, especially that of the second. The chronicler alone gives the number of the four and nine sons, assigning the former to “Bathshua the daughter of Ammiel,” and arranging the latter in three triads. 1 Chronicles 3:9 also is wanting in Samuel.