The name Arnan (אַרְנָן) appears once in Scripture as a descendant of Zerubbabel in the post-exilic Davidic genealogy (1 Chronicles 3:21). Following the Babylonian exile, the line of David was carefully preserved even when the throne was vacant — a testimony to Israel's ongoing hope for the restoration of the Davidic kingdom.
The preservation of the Davidic genealogy after the exile is one of Scripture's most significant acts of record-keeping. With no Davidic king on the throne, God's covenant with David in 2 Samuel 7 — 'your throne will be established forever' — might have seemed broken. Instead, 1 Chronicles 3 carefully traces the royal line through Zerubbabel and his descendants, including Arnan. Matthew 1's genealogy confirms this by tracing Jesus' royal lineage through exactly this post-exilic period. Arnan represents the faithfulness of God who keeps His word through exile, displacement, and silence.