1 Chronicles (Historical Details)

1 Chronicles:

Author-Possibly Ezra the scribe: Sumney, Braun and other critical scholars label the author (authors) as "the Chronicler."

Date Written-Approximately 460-400 BCE.

Period Covered-Excepting the genealogical records it contains (chaps. 1-9), 1 Chronicles covers events ranging from the death of King Saul to the death of King David. If we count the exhaustive geneaologies, then one could say that 1 Chronicles recounts "the whole of sacred history" (Jerome qtd. in Braun).

Focus of the Book-The covenant that Jehovah concluded with David (1 Chronicles 3:17-24; 17:10-14).

Main Ideas-The book contains multiple genealogies and recounts the activities of King David and his son, Solomon, as they prepare and build a temple to Jehovah. 1 Chronicles gives hope to the repatriated Jews, who might have wondered how the Davidic covenant would be fulfilled. Jerry Sumney also describes the book as priestly, even more so than Deuteronomy.

Portrayal of Judean Kings-1 Chronicles 14:1-17. See 1 Chronicles 15 & 16. "For this book [Chronicles], Judah is the legitimate nation" (Sumney, page 134).

Verses to Consider-1 Chronicles 4:9-10; 7:20-24; 10:13-14; 17:12-15.

Sources:

Sumney, Jerry. The Bible: An Introduction. Second Edition. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2014.

Braun, Roddy. 1 Chronicles. Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 14. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015.

Wright, John W. “The Legacy of David in Chronicles: The Narrative Function of 1 Chronicles 23-27.” Journal of Biblical Literature 110. 2 (1991): 229–42. https://doi.org/10.2307/3267084.