Key Places In 1 Chronicles
The genealogies of 1 Chronicles present an overview of Israel's history. The first nine chapters are filled with genealogies tracing the lineages of people from the creation to the exile in Babylon. Saul's death is recorded in chapter 10. Chapter 11 begins the history of David's reign over Israel.
1 Hebron
Although David had been anointed king years earlier, his reign began when the leaders of Israel accepted him as king at Hebron (1 Chronicles 11:1-3).
2 Jerusalem
David set out to complete the conquest of the land begun by Joshua. He attacked Jerusalem, captured it, and made it his capital (1 Chronicles 11:4-12:40).
3 Kiriath Jearim
The ark of the covenant, which had been captured by the Philistines in battle and returned (1 Samuel 4-6), was in safekeeping in Kiriath Jearim. David summoned all Israel to this city to join in bringing the ark to Jerusalem. Unfortunately, it was not moved according to God's instructions, and as a result one man died. David left the ark in the home of Obed-Edom until he could discover how to transport it correctly (1 Chronicles 13:1-14).
4 Tyre
David did much building in Jerusalem. King Hiram of Tyre sent workers and supplies to help build David's palace. Cedar, abundant in the mountains north of Israel, was a valuable and hardy wood for the beautiful buildings in Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 14:1-17:27).
5 Baal Perazim
David was not very popular with the Philistines because he had slain Goliath, one of their greatest warriors (1 Samuel 17). When David began to rule over a united Israel, the Philistines set out to capture him. But David and his army attacked the Philistines at Baal Perazim as they approached Jerusalem. His army defeated the mighty Philistines twice, causing all the surrounding nations to fear David's power (1 Chronicles 14:11-17). After this battle, David moved the ark to Jerusalem (this time in accordance with God's instructions for the transportation of the ark). There was great celebration as the ark was brought into Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 15:1-17:27). David spent the remainder of his life making preparations for the building of the temple, a central place for the worship of God (1 Chronicles 18:1-29:30).
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| Chronicles, Books of
The two books were originally one. They bore the title in the
Massoretic Hebrew _Dibre hayyamim_, i.e., "Acts of the Days."
This title was rendered by Jerome in his Latin version "Chronicon,"
and hence "Chronicles." In the Septuagint version the book is
divided into two, and bears the title Paraleipomena, i.e., "things
omitted," or "supplements," because containing many
things omitted in the Books of Kings. The contents of these books are
comprehended under four heads.
1. The first nine chapters of Book I. contain little more than a
list of genealogies in the line of Israel down to the time of David.
2. The remainder of the first book contains a history of the
reign of David.
3. The first nine chapters of Book II. contain the history of
the reign of Solomon.
4. The remaining chapters of the second book contain the history
of the separate kingdom of Judah to the time of the return from
Babylonian Exile. The time of the composition of the Chronicles was,
there is every ground to conclude, subsequent to the Babylonian Exile,
probably between 450 and 435 B.C. The contents of this twofold book,
both as to matter and form, correspond closely with this idea. The
close of the book records the proclamation of Cyrus permitting the
Jews to return to their own land, and this forms the opening passage
of the Book of Ezra, which must be viewed as a continuation of the
Chronicles. The peculiar form of the language, being Aramaean in its
general character, harmonizes also with that of the books which were
written after the Exile. The author was certainly contemporary with
Zerubbabel, details of whose family history are given #1Ch
3:19 The time of the composition being determined, the question
of the authorship may be more easily decided. According to Jewish
tradition, which was universally received down to the middle of the
seventeenth century, Ezra was regarded as the author of the
Chronicles. There are many points of resemblance and of contact
between the Chronicles and the Book of Ezra which seem to confirm this
opinion. The conclusion of the one and the beginning of the other are
almost identical in expression. In their spirit and characteristics
they are the same, showing thus also an identity of authorship. In
their general scope and design these books are not so much historical
as didactic. The principal aim of the writer appears to be to present
moral and religious truth. He does not give prominence to political
occurences, as is done in Samuel and Kings, but to ecclesiastical
institutions. "The genealogies, so uninteresting to most modern
readers, were really an important part of the public records of the
Hebrew state. They were the basis on which not only the land was
distributed and held, but the public services of the temple were
arranged and conducted, the Levites and their descendants alone, as is
well known, being entitled and first fruits set apart for that
purpose." The "Chronicles" are an epitome of the sacred
history from the days of Adam down to the return from Babylonian
Exile, a period of about 3,500 years. The writer gathers up "the
threads of the old national life broken by the Captivity." The
sources whence the chronicler compiled his work were public records,
registers, and genealogical tables belonging to the Jews. These are
referred to in the course of the book #1Ch 27:24
29:29 #2Ch 9:29 12:15 13:22 20:34 24:27
26:22,23 27:7 35:25-27 There are in Chronicles, and the books
of Samuel and Kings, forty parallels, often verbal, proving that the
writer both knew and used these records #1Ch
17:18 comp. #2Sa 7:18-20 #1Ch
19:1ff. comp. #2Sa 10:1ff. etc. As
compared with Samuel and Kings, the Book of Chronicles omits many
particulars there recorded #2Sa 6:20-23
9,11,14-19 etc., and includes many things peculiar to itself #1Ch
12:22,23 etc.. Twenty whole chapters, and twenty-four parts of
chapters, are occupied with matter not found elsewhere. It also
records many things in fuller detail, as (e.g.) the list of David’s
heroes #1Ch 12:1-37 the removal of the
ark from Kirjath-jearim to Mount Zion #1Ch
13:1ff. #1Ch 15:2-24 16:4-43 comp.
#2Sa 6:1 Uzziah’s leprosy and its cause
#2Ch 26:16-21 comp. #2Ki
15:5 etc. It has also been observed that another peculiarity of
the book is that it substitutes modern and more common expressions for
those that had then become unusual or obsolete. This is seen
particularly in the substitution of modern names of places, such as
were in use in the writer’s day, for the old names; thus Gezer #1Ch
20:4 is used instead of Gob #2Sa 21:18
etc. The Books of Chronicles are ranked among the _khethubim_ or
hagiographa. They are alluded to, though not directly quoted, in the
New Testament #Heb 5:4 Mt 12:42 23:35 #Lu
1:5 11:31,51
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