Introductory Issues in 1 Chronicles

Revised by Nicholas Schaser (10/24)

Chronicles as history

Chronicles looks like history, but as one reads through it, it becomes obvious that it is a very different kind of history than we are accustomed to reading. Though Chronicles reproduces much of the narrative from SamuelThe judge who anointed the first two kings of Israel. More and Kings, the Chronicler also omits key passages from the earlier biblical history or includes new information that purposefully diverges from the previous texts. This difficult issue is somewhat eased by the recognition that no biblical book is written with the canons of what we would now call “history.” More, comparisons of the Greek versions of Samuel and the Dead Sea ScrollsThe Dead Sea Scrolls are ancient scrolls discovered in the mid-20th century in caves near an archaeological site called Qumran More have revealed that fairly often the Chronicler has preserved the “correct” reading of differing passages. While the Chronicler’s presentation often modifies its sources, it often does so to make a theological point, rather than to contradict a historical account. For example, contrary to 2 Samuel 5-6, the first thing DavidSecond king of Israel, David united the northern and southern kingdoms. More does after his coronation is to try to bring the ark to Jerusalem, thus demonstrating his devotion to proper worship, a key theme in Chronicles (1 Chronicles 13:1-14). Rather than disparage the Chronicler’s failure to conform to our ideas of what history should be, we should try to determine the ancient author’s theological motivation in presenting these stories this way.

Evaluative comments in the narrative

Readers are often struck by the directness of certain evaluative comments that frequently appear in the Chronicler’s narrative. These usually function to direct the reader to the point of the narrative, at least as the Chronicler would have us see it. The most striking is found in 1 Chronicles 10:13-14, where the writer claims that the LORD put SaulThe first king of Israel. More to death and turned the kingdom over to David because Saul had been unfaithful. Other notable comments of this nature include:

• David becoming king according to the word of the LORD (11:3)
• David having the support of “all Israel” (11:10; 12:22, 23, 38-40)
• The success of the Levites being due to God’s help (15:26)
• David dying with riches and honor (29:28-30)
• SolomonThird king of Israel who was known for wisdom and building the first Temple. More succeeding David because God was with him (2 Chronicles 1:1)

Genealogies

Much of 1 Chronicles consists of genealogical lists–most of the first nine chapters and the lists of various ministerial figures in chapters 23-27 being the most extensive. Almost all the genealogies from Genesis have been employed for a variety of purposes, including situating Israel among the nations and identifying traditional boundaries. In these cumbersome lists, which seem so strange to us, the Chronicler provides definitions of social rights and obligations as well as indications of status and territorial boundaries.

Divine speeches

The Chronicler offers us a rich collection of speeches and prayers that are usually unparalleled in Samuel/Kings. As such, they are a rich source for understanding the Chronicler’s distinctive theological positions. It is striking, therefore, that there are no unique occurrences of speeches made by God. Every instance of divine speech, unmediated by prophets, is paralleled in earlier sources (usually Samuel or Kings). Although the Chronicler has felt free to “improve” these original speeches, the postexilic author has not felt free to provide unique speeches attributed to God, possibly reflecting a pious unwillingness to augment the received tradition when it comes to divine decrees.

Huge numbers

The reader of 1 and 2 Chronicles will frequently encounter huge numbers. For example, Asa is said to have repulsed an invasion of one million Ethiopians with an army of 580,000 (2 Chronicles 14:8-9). The accuracy of these huge numbers may be supported by the claim that the Hebrew word eleph, translated “thousand,” refers to a military unit from a tribal subsection rather than a literal thousand, thereby reducing the total of Asa’s forces to “580 military units.” Plausible as this may seem, what does one do with David’s amassing of 100,000 talents of gold (3,365 tons!) and one million talents of silver (33,000 tons!) for the Jerusalem TempleThe Jerusalem temple, unlike the tabernacle, was a permanent structure, although (like the tabernacle) it was a place of worship and religious activity. On one occasion Jesus felt such activity was unacceptable and, as reported in all four Gospels, drove from the temple those engaged… More (1 Chronicles 22:14) where no military units are in sight? It is best to see the exaggerated numbers as rhetorical devices that display the magnificence of the Temple, much as we might say, “Thanks a million!”

An idealized David?

Because the Chronicler has omitted several of the unsavory depictions of David familiar from Samuel—such as his outlaw days, adultery with BathshebaWife of David and mother of Solomon. More and the murder of her husband UriahOne of King David’s military heroes and the husband of Bathsheba. More, as well as the physical weakness and inability to control his own family that marked the end of his life—the Chronicler has been accused of presenting a sanitized or idealized portrayal of David. Over against the truth of this evaluation, however, stand the negative depictions of David that the Chronicler employs, including David’s improper care for the ark (1 Chronicles 15:13), the heightened sense of David’s sin in the census-taking of 1 Chronicles 21:1, 3, 8 (over against 2 Samuel 24), and the fact that David is not permitted to build the Temple. David is the Chronicler’s ideal king, but even David needs to repentRepentance is a central biblical teaching.  All people are sinful and God desires that all people repent of their sins.  The Hebrew word for repent means to “turn away” from sin.  The Greek word for repentance means to “change on’e mind,” more specifically, it means… More of his sin and seek God’s forgiveness. The Chronicler also assumes that the reader is familiar with the earlier history’s depiction of David and Solomon, which suggests that the Chronicler wished to concentrate upon the aspects of these kings that accounted for their success and to provide exemplars for the postexilic nation.

Interpretive principles

Chronicles reflects a number of exegetical principles regarding the TorahThe Torah is the law of Moses, also known as the first five books of the Bible. To many the Torah is a combination of history, theology, and a legal or ritual guide. More:

• Chronicles distinguishes between a Torah text and its interpretation.
• The Chronicler sees the Torah as a relatively closed system of Mosaic legislation.
• The Torah is also partially open, in that legal extensions or reapplications are possible.
• Torah often requires supplementary law in order to be effectual.
• Tensions in the Torah tend to be resolved by a principle of addition rather than by legal compromise.
• The written Torah is more authoritative than written prophecyProphecy is the gift, inspired by God, of speaking and interpreting the divine will. Prophets such as Amos, Isaiah, and Ezekiel spoke words of judgment and comfort to the people of Israel on behalf of God. More, but written prophecy is more authoritative than narrative history.

Prophetic speeches

Among the Chronicler’s rich collection of speeches and prayers (see “Divine speeches”) are five prophetic speeches, taken from Samuel/Kings with modifications: 1 Chronicles 17:1-15; 21:9-12, 18; 2 Chronicles 11:2-4; 18:12-27; 34:22-28. In addition, ten unparalleled speeches from otherwise generally unknown prophets appear: 2 Chronicles 12:5-8; 15:1-7; 16:7-9; 19:2-3; 20:37; 21:12-15; 24:20-22; 25:7-9; 25:15-16; 28:9-11. These ten unparalleled speeches all occur in the period of the divided monarchy and deliver the Chronicler’s message of retributive justice.

Relationship to Ezra-Nehemiah

Theological differences between Chronicles and Ezra-Nehemiah have caused a revision of the view that Ezra-Nehemiah and the books of Chronicles share common authorship and comprise the so-called “Chronicler’s History.” These differences include Chronicles’ inclusive attitude toward the people of the Northern KingdomThe Northern Kingdom consisted of ten of the twelve tribes of Israel and lasted for 200 years until it was destroyed by Assyria in 721 B.C.E. In the northern kingdom the kings were evil. Prophets like Elijah and Amos railed against them and their evildoing. More, emphasis upon the Davidic Monarchy, and concern with retributive justice–characteristics all essentially absent from Ezra-Nehemiah. There is also a differing understanding of “Israel” in the two works: in Chronicles, Israel is defined as all twelve tribes; Ezra-Nehemiah, however, limits Israel to JudahJudah was the name of Jacob’s fourth son and one of the 12 tribes. More and BenjaminA son of Jacob and tribe of Israel. More. Currently, most scholars suggest that Chronicles and Ezra-Nehemiah are separate literary entities.

Royal prayers

Among the Chronicler’s rich collection of speeches and prayers are several royal prayers, including those of David (1 Chronicles 17:16-27 // 2 Samuel 7:18-29; 24:10-17); Solomon (2 Chronicles 6:12-42 // 1 Kings 8:22-53); Asa (2 Chronicles 14:11); Jehoshaphat (20:5-12); and HezekiahJudean king noted for his reforms in time of Isaiah. More (30:18-19). David and Solomon’s major prayers (1 Chronicles 17; 2 Chronicles 6) are also found in the earlier history, but presented with significant changes illustrative of the Chronicler’s theology. These too can have structural significance. For example, David’s prayers form an inclusioInclusio is a literary device in which a writer places similar material at the beginning and ending of a work or section of a work. For example, Mark’s gospel contains an inclusio in which Jesus is recognized (at his baptism and crucifixion) as God’s Son. More around his preparations for the building of the Temple (see 1 Chronicles 17:16-27; 1 Chronicles 29:10-22).

Royal speeches

The royal speeches (see also “Divine speeches”) unique to Chronicles include those of David (1 Chronicles 13:2-3; 15:2, 12-13; 22:6-16; 22:17-19; 28:2-10; 28:20-21; 29:1-5, 20); Abijah (2 Chronicles 13:4-12); Asa (14:7); Jehoshaphat (19:6-7, 9-11; 20:20); Hezekiah (29:5-11, 31; 30:6-9; 32:7-8); and JosiahJudean king noted for his reforms of Israel’s worship in the time of Jeremiah. More (35:3-6). Only kings judged positively by the Chronicler (or in the positive segment of the king’s reign if he is presented both positively and negatively) make these speeches. These speeches often have structural significance. For example, Abijah’s speech in 2 Chronicles 13:4-12 and Hezekiah’s speech in 2 Chronicles 30:6-9—both calls to the North to return—form an inclusio around the divided monarchy.

Sources in Chronicles

The canonical books of Samuel and Kings (though in different editions than we have) serve as the Chronicler’s major source. In the past, as many as 23 other sources have been suggested for the Chronicler, who cites sources more than any other biblical author. These alleged sources, however, are regarded with some skepticism these days; as we have no access to them, the point is rendered moot.

Textual matters

In the past, scholars determined the theology of Chronicles by noting the many small changes from the Chronicler’s source (usually Samuel/Kings) and assigning a theological motivation for the change. Thus, Chronicles omits David’s adultery with Bathsheba because he wants to depict David as an ideal king. The problem with this approach, however, is that the text of Samuel/Kings that the Chronicler used was not the one we have now in our Bibles. This means that before differences between Chronicles and Samuel are ascribed to the Chronicler’s theological interests, one needs to make sure that the Chronicler is not reading (and faithfully preserving) a different text of Samuel/Kings. Quite often the Hebrew text of Chronicles agrees with the Greek text of Samuel (especially the so-called Lucianic recension of the SeptuagintThe Septuagint is a pre-Christian (third to first century BCE) Greek translation of the Jewish Scriptures. It is believed that the term Septuagint derives from the number of scholars-seventy (or seventy-two)-who reputedly did the work of translation. More) and the Qumran text of Samuel, over against the Hebrew text of Samuel. In these cases, the Chronicler did not alter the text for theological reasons or any other. This accounts for many of the differences between older and more recent commentaries on this material.

Use of traditional material

There appear to be what many would call “contradictions” between the traditional material found in Samuel/Kings and the Chronicler’s use of it. Without denying that this is sometimes the case, it is important to recognize that the Chronicler’s usual way of achieving a new portrayal of the past was by omitting or rearranging parallel material, a method that may not have appeared as obtrusive to the ancients as it does to us. It is probable, judging from other postexilic literature, that the Chronicler’s relatively free use of the tradition was commensurate with the practice of his contemporaries. Modern readers should also be aware that the ancient literature of the Bible was not bound by the so-called “law of noncontradiction” as it developed in (often post-biblical) Greek thought and has become commonplace today. Insofar as two apparently contradictory statements can appear side-by-side in the same biblical book without issue (e.g., Proverbs 26:4-5), it should not surprise us that the Chronicler (not to mention the final redactors of the biblical canonA canon is a general law or principle by which something is judged. The body of literature in the Old and New Testaments is accepted by most Christians as being canonical (that is, authentic and authoritative) for them. More) was comfortable with employing didactic divergence as a literary device vis-à-vis earlier sources.

What kind of book is Chronicles? 

Recent interpretation, rejecting modern designations such as “history,” “theology,” “midrashMidrash in Judaism refers to methods of interpretation or exegesis. Midrashic exegesis is intended to derive a deeper meaning from a text. More,” or “exegesis,” tends to see Chronicles as a “Rewritten Bible.” This genreA genre is a type or category of something, often literature. Form criticism (see) begins with sorting biblical literature into various genres. More, found in the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran, can be described as a narrative that follows Scripture closely but includes additional material and interpretation. It is quite clear that Chronicles uses other biblical texts, especially Samuel and Kings, to a greater degree than any other canonical book–and it has obviously augmented that material in a variety of ways.