Revised by Nicholas Schaser (10/24)
SUMMARY
First Chronicles begins with nine chapters of genealogies from the formation of AdamThe first human God created. More to the Chronicler’s own postexilic period. This is followed by a report of the tragic death of SaulThe first king of Israel. More, Israel’s first king, and a long description of the reign of DavidSecond king of Israel, David united the northern and southern kingdoms. More. David is presented as an ideal king who piously cares for the ark, secures Jerusalem, and makes exhaustive preparations for the building of the 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 and the organization of its worship. These deeds reflect the Chronicler’s view that David was chosen by God to inaugurate an eternal dynasty.
SO WHAT?
David commands center stage in 1 Chronicles. He is presented in a somewhat idealized fashion in comparison with the familiar story in the books of SamuelThe judge who anointed the first two kings of Israel. More, but this is designed to emphasize his relationship to the Temple in Jerusalem and proper worship. For those Jews who had returned to Israel from Babylonian exile, David’s story is meant to be exemplary of pious leadership.
WHERE DO I FIND IT?
First Chronicles is the 13th book in the Old Testament. It follows 2 Kings and precedes 2 Chronicles.
WHO WROTE IT?
One Jewish tradition identifies EzraScribe who helped establish Jewish practices in Jerusalem after the exile. More as the author of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, and NehemiahThe governor of Jerusalem who rebuilt the city walls after the exile. More. Another says that Ezra wrote the majority of 1 and 2 Chronicles and Nehemiah finished it. Today, many scholars believe that 1 and 2 Chronicles come from a different hand than Ezra and Nehemiah and that various older traditions, including the books of Samuel and Kings, have been compiled and redacted by a postexilic editor (or group of editors) that scholars call “the Chronicler”—a singular identifier that encompasses any of the authorial or editorial hands involved in the creationCreation, in biblical terms, is the universe as we know or perceive it. Genesis says that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. In the book of Revelation (which speaks of end times) the author declares that God created all things and… More of 1 and 2 Chronicles. Based on the text’s preoccupation with the genealogical details of the priests/Levites and attention to Temple praxis, it is possible that the Chronicler was a priestA priest is a person who has the authority to perform religious rites. In New Testament times priests were responsible for daily offerings and sacrifices in the temple. More. At the very least, the author(s) exhibits a favorable view of the priests and priestly concerns.
WHEN WAS IT WRITTEN?
First Chronicles is notoriously difficult to date, though it is clearly later than Israel’s return from exile in Babylon. Since the list in 1 Chronicles 3:19-24 extends David’s genealogyGenealogy involves the study and tracing of families through the generations – in short, family history. One genealogy in Genesis traces the nations descended from Noah. In the New Testament Matthew traces the ancestry of Jesus back to Abraham, while Jesus’ genealogy in Luke goes… More to the sixth generation after ZerubbabelThe governor of Judah who helped rebuild the Temple after the exile. More, who is dated to 520 BCE (HaggaiProphet who urged rebuilding the Temple after the exile. More 1:1), this sixth generation would be sometime after 400 BCE. Thus, many scholars date 1 Chronicles to the first half of the fourth century (ca. 350 BCE), the final decades of the Persian period, not long before the arrival of Alexander the GreatMacedonian leader who conquered the Persian empire and began spreading Greek culture into the east. More in the land of Israel (333-332 BCE).
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
First Chronicles retells the story of David, already familiar from 2 Samuel, for a postexilic audience, emphasizing David’s preparations for the building of the Temple and the establishment of worship.
HOW DO I READ IT?
First Chronicles looks like a history of JudahJudah was the name of Jacob’s fourth son and one of the 12 tribes. More, the Southern KingdomThe Southern Kingdom consisted of two tribes of Israel, Judah and Benjamin. Jerusalem was its capital, and the kingdom lasted from 931-586 B.C.E. As with the Northern Kingdom many of the kings were wicked, and prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel spoke their often judgmental… More, already related in 2 Samuel. While important historical information is presented, some of it is at odds with the earlier presentation. First Chronicles should be read as a theological rewriting of the earlier history, designed to demonstrate the continuity of David and Solomon’s united monarchy for Jews of the postexilic period.
