Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Chronicles 3:19

"And the sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel, and Shimei. And the sons of Zerubbabel: Meshullam, and Hananiah; and Shelomith was their sister;" — 1 Chronicles 3:19 (ASV)

And the sons of Pedaiah were, Zerubbabel, and Shimei.—Zerubbabel, the famous prince who, with Joshua the high priest, led the first colony of restored exiles from Babylon to Canaan, under the edict of Cyrus (circa 536 B.C.).

Zerubbabel (Septuagint, Σοροβάβελ), means born at Babel. His father is appropriately named Pedaiah (Iah has redeemed). Zerubbabel is called son of Shealtiel (Haggai 1:1 and following; Ezra 3:2; Ezra 5:2—part of the chronicle, it should be remembered; Matthew 1:12).

Hence, some expositors, ancient and modern, have assumed that the six persons named in 1 Chronicles 3:18, including Pedaiah, the father of Zerubbabel, were sons, not brothers of Salathiel (Shealtiel). In this way, they bring Zerubbabel into the direct line of descent from Shealtiel.

But our Hebrew text, though peculiar, can hardly mean this. It makes Zerubbabel the son of Pedaiah and nephew of Shealtiel. If Zerubbabel, for reasons unknown, became the adopted son and heir of Shealtiel, his uncle, the seemingly discordant statements of the different passages before us are all reconciled, while that of our text is the more exact.

And the sons of Zerubbabel.—The Hebrew received text has “and the son.” This is not to be altered, although some manuscripts have the plural. (Compare 1 Chronicles 3:21; 1 Chronicles 3:23.) This use of the singular is characteristic of the present genealogical fragment (see 1 Chronicles 3:17–18), And the sons of Jeconiah captive—Salathiel his son, and Malchiram, etc.

Meshullam, and Hananiah, and Shelomith their sister.—This seems to mean that the three were the offspring of one wife.