2 Chronicles
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Link: https://bible-history.com/studybible/1+C...
Quick Overview of 2 Chronicles. – – 2 Chronicles 1-9 – – the
reign of King Solomon (in connection with the book of Kings).
– – 10-36 – – the history of various kings in the kingdom of
Judah from the division of the kingdom to the Babylonian
captivity (in connection with the second book of Kings).
Link: https://bible-history.com/old-testament/...
The Book of Second Chronicles covers the reign of King
Solomon and the history of various kings in the kingdom of
Judah from the division of the kingdom to the Babylonian
captivity. Some the main events include: 1) The revolt of
the ten tribes and the reign of Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 10-
12).
2) The reign of Abijah (2 Chronicles 13).
3) The reign of Asa (2 Chronicles 14-16). This was a period
of prosperity in Judah as Asa instituted a number of moral
and religious reforms, establishing himself as a servant of
the Lord.
4) The reign of Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 17-20). This king
was also diligent in his efforts to serve God. He made
considerable efforts to acquaint his people with the Law.
5) The reigns of Jehoram and Ahaziah (2 Chronicles 21:1-
22:9).
6) The reign of Athaliah, the only queen of Judah (2
Chronicles 22:10-23:21).
7) The reign of Joash (2 Chronicles 24). Ascending to the
throne at the age of seven, Joash, advised by the high
priest Jehoida, brought about the restoration of true
worship. After Jehoida's death, however, Joash himself
slipped into the worship of idols.
8) Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham and Ahaz (2 Chronicles 25-28).
9) The reign of Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29-32). After
beginning his rule with a great religious restoration,
Hezekiah helped his nation to regain a measure of power and
glory.
10) Manasseh and Amon (2 Chronicles 33).
11) The reign of Josiah (2 Chronicles 34-35). In the
eighteenth year of a reign that began when he was only eight
years old, Josiah began the most sweeping religious reforms
which Judah had ever known. During the renovation of the
temple, the "book of the Law" was found, encouraging the
people greatly in this time of revival.
12) The last days of Judah (2 Chronicles 36). After a brief
reign by Jehoahaz, the throne was taken by Jehoiakim, who
reigned for eleven years. During this period he was a vassal
alternatively to Egypt and Babylon. In an effort to revolt
against the Babylonian rule, he lost his life. He was
succeeded by Jehoiachin, who reigned only three months,
after which he was carried to Babylon, where he lived a
number of years. The last of the Judean kings was Zedekiah.
Nebuchadnezzar had already plundered Jerusalem of much of
its treasures and a considerable number of its most
promising men. This took place in two raids, in 606 and 597
BC. In 586 BC, during the reign of Zedekiah, the Babylonians
struck once again, this time leaving none but the poorest
class of people to remain in Jerusalem. Five years later,
the Babylonians came to collect about 750 more captives,
even after a number, including Jeremiah, had fled to Egypt
(Jeremiah 43).
Link: https://bible-history.com/old-testament/...
Hebrew Name - Divrei Hayamim "Words of the Days". The books of
Chronicles were originally one book, as in the case of Samuel
and Kings. The Hebrew title is translated the "words of the
days", yet the word Chronicles is mainly adopted by a
theologian named Jerome who thought that they ought to bear
the title from the Greek word for time which is "Chronos".
This title created a distraction from the true meaning and
purpose of this wonderful book.
Link: https://bible-history.com/old-testament/...
Author - Ezra (According to Tradition). Hebrew tradition
credits Ezra has the author of the books of Chronicles, in the
beginning of the books trace the genealogical records all the
way back to Adam which took place in approximately 4004 BC.
Link: https://bible-history.com/old-testament/...
The Books of Chronicles (Hebrew Divrei Hayyamim, דברי הימים,
Greek Paralipomenon, Παραλειπομένων) are part of the Hebrew
Bible. In the Masoretic Text, it appears as the first or last
book of the Ketuvim (the latter arrangement also making it the
final book of the Jewish bible). Chronicles largely parallels
the Davidic narratives in the Books of Samuel and the Books of
Kings.[1] It appears in two parts (I & II Chronicles),
immediately following 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings as a
summary of them with minor details sometimes added. The
division of Chronicles and its place in the Christian canon of
the Old Testament are based upon the Septuagint...
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_Chronicl...
4. The Contents:
With respect to their contents the Books of Chronicles are
naturally divided into three parts. The first part is
preliminary, consisting mostly of genealogical matters with
accompanying facts and incidents (1 Ch 1 through 9). The
second part is an account of the accession and reign of
David (1 Ch 10 through 29). The third part is an account of
the events under David's successors in the dynasty (2 Ch).
The genealogies begin with Adam (1 Ch 1:1) and extend to the
latest Old Testament times (1 Ch 9; compare Neh 11, and the
latest names in the genealogical lines, e.g. 1 Ch 3:19 ff).
The events incidentally mentioned in connection with them
are more numerous and of more importance than the casual
reader would imagine. They are some dozens in number. Some
of them are repeated from the parts of the Old Testament
from which the Chronicler draws as sources--for example,
such statements as that Nimrod was a mighty one, or that in
the time of Peleg the earth was divided, or the details
concerning the kings of Edom (1 Ch 1:10,19,43 ff; compare
Gen 10:8,25; 36:31 ff). Others are instances which the
Chronicler has taken from other sources than the Old
Testament--for instance, the story of Jabez, or the accounts
of the Simeonite conquests of the Meunim and of Amalek (1 Ch
4:9,10,38-43).
The account in Chronicles of the reign of David divides
itself into three parts. The first part (1 Ch 10 through 21)
is a series of sections giving a general view, including the
death of Saul, the crowning of David over the twelve tribes,
his associates, his wars, the bringing of the ark to
Jerusalem, the great Davidic promise, the plague that led to
the purchase of the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
The second part (1 Ch 22 through 29:22a) deals with one
particular event and the preparations for it. The event is
the making Solomon king, at a great public assembly (1 Ch
23:1; 28:1 ff). The preparations for it include arrangements
for the site and materials and labor for the temple that is
to be built, and the organizing of Levites, priests,
singers, doorkeepers, captains, for the service of the
temple and the kingdom. The third part (1 Ch 29:22b-30) is a
brief account of Solomon's being made king "a second time"
(compare 1 Ki 1), with a summary and references for the
reign of David.
The history of the successors of David, as given in 2
Chronicles, need not here be commented upon...
Link: https://bible-history.com/isbe/C/CHRONIC...
the name originally given to the record made by the
appointed historiographers in the kingdoms of Israel and
Judah. In the LXX. these books are called Paralipomena (i.e.
things omitted), which is understood as meaning that they
are supplementary to the books of Kings. The constant
tradition of the Jews is that these books were for the most
part compiled by Ezra. One of the greatest difficulties
connected with the captivity and return must have been the
maintenance of that genealogical distribution of the land
which yet was a vital point of the Jewish economy. To supply
this want and that each tribe might secure the inheritance
of its fathers on its return was one object of the author of
these books. Another difficulty intimately connected with
the former was the maintenance of the temple services at
Jerusalem. Zerubbabel, and after him Ezra and Nehemiah,
labored most earnestly to restore the worship of God among
the people, and to reinfuse something of national life and
spirit into their hearts. Nothing could more effectually aid
these designs than setting before the people a compendious
history of the kingdom of David, its prosperity under God;
the sins that led to its overthrow; the captivity and
return. These considerations explain the plan and scope of
that historical work which consists of the two books of
Chronicles. The first book contains the sacred history by
genealogies from the Creation to David, including an account
of David's reign. In the second book he continues the story,
giving the history of the kings of Judah, without those of
Israel, down to the return from the captivity. As regards
the materials used by Ezra, they are not difficult to
discover. The genealogies are obviously transcribed from
some register in which were preserved the genealogies of the
tribes and families drawn up at different times; while the
history is mainly drawn from the same document as those used
in the books of King. [KINGS, BOOKS OF]
Link: https://bible-history.com/smiths/C/Chron...
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 (1 Chr. 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 (1
Chr. 27:24; 29:29; 2 Chr. 9:29; 12:15; 13:22; 20:34;
24:27;
26:22; 32:32; 33:18, 19; 27:7; 35:25). 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
(1 Chr. 17:18; comp. 2 Sam. 7:18-20; 1 Chr. 19;
comp. 2 Sam. 10,
etc.).
As compared with Samuel and Kings, the Book of
Chronicles
omits many particulars there recorded (2 Sam. 6:20-
23; 9; 11;
14-19, etc.), and includes many things peculiar to
itself (1
Chr. 12; 22; 23-26; 27; 28; 29, 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 (1 Chr. 12:1-
37), the
removal of the ark from Kirjath-jearim to Mount Zion
(1 Chr. 13;
15:2-24; 16:4-43; comp. 2 Sam. 6), Uzziah's leprosy
and its
cause (2 Chr. 26:16-21; comp. 2 Kings 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 (1 Chr. 20:4) is used instead of Gob (2 Sam.
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; Matt. 12:42; 23:35;
Luke 1:5;
11:31, 51).
Link: https://bible-history.com/eastons/C/Chro...
Hebrew "Words" or "Acts of days." In the Septuagint
Paraleipomena, i.e. "Supplements" to 1 and 2 KINGS. Probably
compiled by Ezra. One genealogy, indeed, of a later date,
namely, Zerubbabel's, was doubtless added by a more recent
hand (1 Chronicles 3:22-24) as was Nehemiah 12:10-11-22-23.
The Book of Ezra forms a continuation to Chronicles. The
chief difficulty at the return from Babylon was to maintain
the genealogical distribution of lands, which was essential
in the Jewish polity. Ezra and Nehemiah therefore, as
restorers of that polity, gave primary attention to this.
Again, the temple service, the religious bond of the nation,
could only be maintained by the Levites' residence in
Jerusalem, for which end the payment of tithes and
firstfruits was indispensable. Moreover, the Levitical
genealogies needed to be arranged, to settle the order of
the temple courses, and who were entitled to allowances as
priests, porters, and singers.
The people also needed to have their inheritances
assigned according to their families, to be able to pay
tithes. Hence, genealogies occupy a prominent place in the
Chronicles, just as we should expect in a book compiled by
Ezra under such circumstances. Zerubbabel, and subsequently
Ezra and Nehemiah, not only strove in the face of
difficulties (Ezra 2-3; Ezra 5-6; Ezra 8; Nehemiah 7-8) to
restore the temple service to its state under the kings of
Judah, but also to infuse into the people a national spirit.
For this end, the Chronicles give a summary history of
David, introduced by the closing scene of Saul's life, and
of the succeeding kings, especially of some of the greatest
and best kings who built or restored the temple, abolished
corruption, and established the services in due order, as
Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, Josiah, etc.
Since the northern kingdom of Israel had passed
away, and Samaria its only remaining representative was
among Judah's bitterest foes, Israel's history occupies a
subordinate place. Accordingly, 1 Chronicles 1-8 give the
genealogies and settlements; 1 Chronicles 9:1-24 their
disturbance by the captivity, and partial restoration at the
return; this portion is reinserted in Nehemiah 11:3-22 with
additional matter from the archives, as to times succeeding
the return from Babylon, down to Nehemiah 12:27, where
Nehemiah's narrative is resumed from Nehemiah 11:2. At 1
Chronicles 9:35 begins Saul's genealogy, taken from the
tables drawn up in Hezekiah's reign (for 14 generations from
Jonathan to Azel correspond to the 14 from David to
Hezekiah); then the history of (mainly) Judah's kings
follows, and of the events down to the end of the book of
Ezra, which suit the patriotic purpose of the compiler...
Link: https://bible-history.com/faussets/C/Chr...
