1 Chronicles 1:1-54

The Book of 1 Chronicles

God rules History

1 Chronicles

Ian Mackervoy

About this book

The Books of 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles record the history of the *Israelites. These books are about the same period of time as the Books of 2 Samuel, 1 Kings and 2 Kings.

1 Chronicles begins with a list of the families of the *Israelites. Then it continues with an account of David’s rule over the united *kingdom called Israel. 2 Chronicles begins with an account of Solomon’s rule. After Solomon’s death, the *kingdom was divided. The author does not include much of the history of the kings in the northern part of Israel. All the northern kings were evil men who were not loyal to God. Instead, the author concentrates on the southern kings, who ruled the region called Judah. Some of them were loyal to God, but there were also many evil kings in Judah. Their evil behaviour brought about the end of that *kingdom.

However, the Books of 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles are not just a political history. They are also a history of the people’s religion. They record how the people *worshipped God. And especially, the books concentrate on the *worship that happened at the *temple in Jerusalem.

The title

In our Bibles, we have 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles. They were one book for a long time until there was a translation into the language called Greek. (The name of that translation is the Septuagint.) That was early in the second century *BC. They split the book into two because the length of it would more easily fit on two *scrolls. The old *Hebrew name for the one book was ‘the books of events’ or ‘diaries’. The name of the two books in the Greek language was ‘things that the other books left out.’ Several events here are not in the other history books. That may be the reason for the *Hebrew and Greek names. The other history books are the Books of Samuel and Kings. A man whose name was Jerome suggested the name Chronicles for the two books. ‘Chronicles’ means a ‘list of events’. Jerome translated the Bible into the language called Latin in the 4th century AD. (‘AD’ means ‘after Christ was born’.) In time, the name of the books became Chronicles.

The date

The last event in the second book is when King Cyrus let the *Jews return to their land (2 Chronicles 36:22-23). The *Jews had been in *exile in Babylon for 70 years. Cyrus made that decision in 538 *BC. The list of the people in the first book includes Zerubbabel (1 Chronicles 3:17-21). He led the *Jews back to *Israel soon after the decision of Cyrus. The book names two of his grandsons, Pelatiah and Jeshaiah. This fact brings the earliest date of the books to about 500 *BC.

The writer mentions the gifts that the leaders gave for the work of the *temple (1 Chronicles 29:7). He talks about gold *darics. The *daric was a coin that did not exist before 515 *BC. So, the date of this book is some time after that date.

The *Jews completed the *Old Testament when Artaxerxes was King of Persia. He died in 424 *BC. As Chronicles was in that *Old Testament, its date is clearly before 424 *BC. The Book of Chronicles usually appears as the last book in the *Hebrew *Old Testament. (The books have a different order in *Hebrew Bibles.)

The Chronicles are like the works of Ezra in style and in words. It is most likely that they are from the same period. Ezra wrote in the 5th century *BC.

The writer

We do not know who wrote the Chronicles. The style and the arrangement of the books show that there was a single author.

*Jewish tradition says that Ezra wrote Chronicles. He wrote the Book of Ezra as well. Many Christian experts also believe that Ezra wrote the Chronicles. Some of these experts say that Ezra received help from the *prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

However, other experts think that Ezra was not the author of the Chronicles. They think that the author was someone unknown, but a lot like Ezra. He shared some interests with Ezra but he had his own distinct (different) interests as well. And he lived during the same period of history as Ezra did.

The purposes

The Books of Chronicles are history books. But the books are not just about history. The writer seems to be a *Levite. He writes about such things as the *temple, prayer and the *worship of God. He tries to explain what *Israel’s history means. He shows how God was in control of that history.

The writer gives lists of names. He starts with Adam, the first man. Then he makes a list of those people who came from Noah’s family. From them came the nations that the *Jews knew about. He then tells about Jacob, who was called *Israel. He was the *ancestor of all the *Jews. From then on, he gives only lists of all the *tribes of *Israel. But to him the most important are those who came from Judah. The kings came from the *tribe of Judah. Later the author gives lists of people who helped in the *worship of God, and soldiers in David’s army. This is to show how important these jobs were.

The *Israelites had come back to their country after 70 years in *exile. So, the writer wants them to know that all *Israelites are God’s people. He considers *Israel to be the *LORD’s *kingdom. David and Solomon were kings over the *LORD’s *kingdom. Such ideas would give hope to the people who had just returned from *exile. *Israel’s *kingdom would be safe because God was looking after it. In time, God would establish it again.

*Israelites are people who belong to the family of *Israel. The people needed to know that they did belong to *Israel. So, the writer gives the history of the families of *Israel. He starts with Adam and he shows the families of the 12 *tribes up to the *exile. To do this, he used several books that are now in the Bible. And he also used many other ancient records. None of these other records exists now.

One of the most important subjects in these books is the *temple in Jerusalem. The writer shows how David organised the staff to maintain the *temple. He set up the teams of the priests and *Levites who would lead the *worship in the *temple. God did not let David build the *temple. But David prepared the materials for his son to build it. In 2 Chronicles, we read how Solomon built the *temple.

The structure of 1 Chronicles

Adam to Esau	1 Chronicles 1:1-54
Adam to Noah	1 Chronicles 1:1-3
Noah’s family	1 Chronicles 1:4-23
Shem to Abraham	1 Chronicles 1:24-27
Abraham	1 Chronicles 1:28-34
Esau and Edom	1 Chronicles 1:35-54
The *tribes of *Israel	1 Chronicles 2:1-8
The sons of *Israel	1 Chronicles 2:1-2
The *tribe of Judah	1 Chronicles 2:3-4:23
The *tribe of Simeon	1 Chronicles 4:24-43
The *tribe of Reuben	1 Chronicles 5:1-10
The *tribe of Gad	1 Chronicles 5:11-22
The half *tribe of Manasseh east of the river	1 Chronicles 5:23-26
The *tribe of Levi	1 Chronicles 6:1-81
The *tribe of Issachar	1 Chronicles 7:1-5
The *tribe of Benjamin	1 Chronicles 7:6-12
The *tribe of Naphtali	1 Chronicles 7:13
The western half *tribe of Manasseh	1 Chronicles 7:14-19
The *tribe of Ephraim	1 Chronicles 7:20-29
The *tribe of Asher	1 Chronicles 7:30-40
Benjamin to Saul	1 Chronicles 8:1-40
People in Jerusalem	1 Chronicles 9:1-34
The people who lived in Jerusalem	1 Chronicles 9:1-9
The families of the priests	1 Chronicles 9:10-13
The families of the *Levites	1 Chronicles 9:14-34
Saul’s family	1 Chronicles 9:35-44
David becomes king	1 Chronicles 10:1-12
The end of Saul’s family	1 Chronicles 10:1-14
All *Israel accepts David as king	1 Chronicles 11:1-12:40
David brings the *ark to Jerusalem	1 Chronicles 13:1-16
The first part of the journey	1 Chronicles 13:1-14
The fame of David	1 Chronicles 14:1-17
The *ark comes to Jerusalem	1 Chronicles 15:1-29
The people *worship and praise the *LORD	1 Chronicles 16:1-43
God’s special promise to David	1 Chronicles 17:1-27
The *LORD speaks to David	1 Chronicles 17:1-15
David prays	1 Chronicles 17:16-27
David’s battles	1 Chronicles 18:1-20
The *kingdom becomes larger	1 Chronicles 18:1-13
David’s organisation	1 Chronicles 18:14-17
Defeat of the nation called Ammon	1 Chronicles 19:1-20:3
Battles against the *Philistines	1 Chronicles 20:4-8
David prepares for the construction of the *temple	1 Chronicles 21:1-29
David’s *sin and God’s goodness	1 Chronicles 21:1-30
David prepares for the *temple	1 Chronicles 22:1-19
Organisation of the *Levites	1 Chronicles 23:1-26:32
Organisation of other leaders	1 Chronicles 27:1-34
Final preparations for the *temple	1 Chronicles 28:1-29:20
Solomon becomes king and the death of David	1 Chronicles 29:21-30

Chapter 1

Adam to Esau – 1 Chronicles 1:1-54

Adam to Noah – 1 Chronicles 1:1-3

v1 Adam was the father of Seth. Seth was the father of Enosh. Enosh was the father of Kenan. v2 Kenan was the father of Mahalalel. Mahalalel was the father of Jared. Jared was the father of Enoch. v3 Enoch was the father of Methuselah. Methuselah was the father of Lamech. And Lamech was the father of Noah.

Verses 1-3 The writer sets out to show that the *exiles are God’s people, *Israel. The people who had come back from *exile needed to find their origins. They needed to connect again with their past as the nation called *Israel. To assist them in this the writer records the history of their families. He starts at the beginning with Adam, the first man. He makes a list of the 10 names from Adam to Noah. It is the same as the list in Genesis chapter 5.

The list is of the *ancestors of *Israel. The list does not mention the other sons and their families. They all died in the flood. So, Noah was the *ancestor of all people.

Noah’s family – 1 Chronicles 1:4-23

v4 The sons of Noah were Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

v5 Japheth’s sons were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. v6 Gomer’s sons were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. v7 Javan’s sons were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim.

v8 Ham’s sons were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. v9 Cush’s sons were Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raamah, and Sabteca. Raamah’s sons were Sheba and Dedan. v10 Cush was the father of Nimrod. Nimrod grew up to become a very powerful person in this world. v11-12 Mizraim was the *ancestor of the people from these nations: the Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, Casluhim and Caphtorim. The *Philistines came from Casluhim.

v13-16 Canaan’s first child was Sidon. And Canaan was the *ancestor of the people from these nations: the Hittites, *Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites.

v17 Shem’s sons were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. Aram’s sons were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech. v18 Arphaxad was the father of Shelah. Shelah was the father of Eber. v19 Eber had two sons. The name of one son was Peleg. He had this name because of an event during his life. While he was alive, God divided the people. Peleg’s brother was Joktan. v20-23 Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these men were Joktan’s sons.

Verse 4 The verses from 4 to 23 show the same names as are in Genesis chapter 10.

Here are the sons of Noah in the order of their ages. Shem was the first, then Ham; and Japheth was the youngest. The three sons of Noah are here because they were the start of the new world.

Noah, his sons and their wives were the only people who were alive after the flood.

Verses 5-7 We have the family of the youngest son first. The writer wants to follow the family of Shem. Abraham and *Israel came from the family of Shem. So, he puts Shem as the last of the three.

From the 7 sons of Japheth came the people in Europe and northern Asia.

Verse 8 The people in Africa and the south-west of Asia come from the 4 sons of Ham.

Verses 9-10 Cush had 5 sons. They each were the start of separate *clans. These *clans moved to the east of the Red Sea. They spread across southern Arabia and in the valley of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. It is not clear whether Nimrod was a 6th son of Cush. But he was from the family of Cush. He became the first powerful man since the flood. He was the ruler of Babylon and Assyria.

Verses 11-16 Mizraim was a son of Ham. From the family of Mizraim there came the *Philistines. Later the *Philistines came to live in the country called Canaan. There they were a frequent enemy of the *Israelites.

Another son of Ham was Canaan. From him there came several nations. These nations were the neighbours of *Israel and they often fought against *Israel.

The Amorites were a *clan that spread through the country called Canaan. Later they became a nation to the north of Israel. The Girgashites were a *clan in the country called Canaan. The Hivites were another *clan in the country called Canaan. The Arkites lived in the city called Arka that was in the country called Syria. We do not know anything about the Sinites. The Arvadites were a *clan that went to live on the island called Arvad. This island was near the coast of the country called Syria. The Zemarites were another *clan in the country called Canaan. The Hamathites were a *clan that lived near the northern boundary of Israel. Hamath was their main city.

Verses 17-23 From the 5 sons of Shem came various nations that are in the same region as Israel. Elam went to the north of the bay called the Persian Gulf. The family of Aram became Syria. Lud was in the centre of the country that we call Turkey.

Eber was the *ancestor of Abraham. And he was the *ancestor of a number of other people. These people were called the Habiru or Apiru. The word *Hebrew may have come from the name Eber or from the word Habiru.

One of the sons of Eber was Peleg. Peleg means ‘separated’. He had this name because, during his life, God separated the people. This refers to what happened at Babel (Genesis 11:1-9). Until this time, all of the world’s people spoke one language. But they became too proud. They tried to build up to the sky. But God would not allow them to do it. God confused their language so that they could not understand each other. He scattered them all over the earth.

Shem to Abraham – 1 Chronicles 1:24-27

v24-26 Abram’s *ancestors included Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, and Terah. v27 God changed Abram’s name to Abraham.

Verses 24-27 The list of names from Shem to Abram comes from Genesis 11:10-26. God changed Abram’s name to Abraham (Genesis 17:5). Until that time, Abram and his wife Sarai had no children. Sarai was too old to have children and Abram was 99 years old. But God promised them a son. God changed their names. ‘Abraham’ means ‘father of a crowd.’ His wife’s name became Sarah.

Abraham – 1 Chronicles 1:28-34

v28 Abraham’s sons were Isaac and Ishmael. v29-31 These were the sons of Isaac and Ishmael. Ishmael’s first son was Nebaioth. His other sons were Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These men were Ishmael’s sons. v32 The sons of Keturah, Abraham’s slave woman, were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan’s sons were Sheba and Dedan. v33 Midian’s sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these men were *descendants of Keturah.

v34 Abraham was the father of Isaac. And Isaac’s sons were Esau and *Israel.

Verses 28-34 Abraham had sons from three women. He had the first son Ishmael by Hagar. Hagar was not his wife. She was the servant of Sarah. Then he had Isaac by his wife Sarah. She was his principal wife. Abraham married a slave girl Keturah as a secondary wife. It was the custom to have a principal wife. People did not consider that a secondary wife had an equal rank with other wives. Keturah gave him 6 sons.

The writer tells us about the children of Hagar and Keturah first. Then he gives the family of Isaac because he was the *ancestor of *Israel. Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob. Later the *LORD gave to Jacob the new name of *Israel (Genesis 32:28). The Chronicles always call him *Israel (except in 1 Chronicles chapter 16).

The *Jews came from Isaac. The Arab nations came from Ishmael and Keturah.

Esau and Edom – 1 Chronicles 1:35-54

v35 Esau’s sons were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. v36 Eliphaz’s sons were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz, Timna, and Amalek. v37 Reuel’s sons were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.

v38 Seir’s sons were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. v39 Lotan’s sons were Hori and Homam. Lotan’s sister was Timna. v40 Shobal’s sons were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. Zibeon’s sons were Aiah and Anah. v41 Anah’s son was Dishon. Dishon’s sons were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran. v42 Ezer’s sons were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. Dishan’s sons were Uz and Aran.

v43 These kings ruled in Edom before there were kings in *Israel. Bela son of Beor was king of Edom. His city was Dinhabah. v44 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah became king. He was from Bozrah. v45 When Jobab died, Husham became king. He was from the country called Teman.

v46 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad became king. His city was Avith. Hadad defeated Midian in the country called Moab. v47 When Hadad died, Samlah became king. He was from Masrekah. v48 When Samlah died, Shaul became king. He was from Rehoboth by the river. v49 When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Acbor became king. v50 When Baal-Hanan died, Hadad became king. His city was Pau. Hadad’s wife was Mehetabel, and she was the daughter of Matred. Matred was the daughter of Me-Zahab. v51-54 Hadad died. The leaders of the families of Edom were Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel, and Iram. These men were the leaders of Edom.

Verses 35-42 Esau had 5 sons. These sons in turn had their own sons. Esau took his family and he went to live in the hill country called Seir. Seir was to the east of the valley called Arabah, east of the Dead Sea. Seir was the *ancestor of the people who lived there. Esau had the name Edom (Genesis 25:30). So, the families of Esau and Seir became the nation called Edom.

Verses 43-54 The first king in *Israel was Saul. He did not rule until *BC 971. But the nation called Edom had kings from about 13th century *BC. This is a list of some of those kings.

Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
kingdom ~ the place or territory where a king rules and the people over whom a king rules.
worship ~ acts to show honour to God (or to a false god). When people praise and thank God.
temple ~ a special building for the worship of God. Or, a building for the worship of false gods. The Jews had a temple in Jerusalem for the worship of the real God.
worship ~ acts to show honour to God (or to a false god). When people praise and thank God.
Jews ~ another name for the Israelites.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
BC ~ years before Christ was born.
scrolls ~ books in the form of long pieces of material which the reader rolls up.
Hebrew ~ the language of Israel. ‘Hebrews’ is another name for the Israelites.
Israel ~ Israel is the special name that God gave to Jacob. His descendants were called Israel after him. So, Israel is the nation whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The country in which they live is called Israel.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
descendant ~ a future member of a family or nation.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
Jews ~ another name for the Israelites.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
exile ~ When people have to live in a foreign country, they are in exile. Such a person is called an exile.
Israel ~ Israel is the special name that God gave to Jacob. His descendants were called Israel after him. So, Israel is the nation whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The country in which they live is called Israel.
descendant ~ a future member of a family or nation.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
daric ~ a coin whose weight was about a quarter of an ounce (about 7 grams).'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible. The Old Testament contains sacred books of law, history, wisdom, poetry and prophecy that the writers wrote before Jesus’ birth.
prophecy ~ a message from God; a gift of the Holy Spirit.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything that belongs to a Jew.
Jews ~ another name for the Israelites.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
prophet ~ a person who speaks for God. He can sometimes say what will happen in the future.
Levite ~ a person who belongs to the tribe of Levi.
tribe ~ The Israelites originally consisted of the 12 large families of the sons of Jacob. These families became the 12 tribes of Israel.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Israel ~ Israel is the special name that God gave to Jacob. His descendants were called Israel after him. So, Israel is the nation whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The country in which they live is called Israel.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
descendant ~ a future member of a family or nation.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
tribe ~ The Israelites originally consisted of the 12 large families of the sons of Jacob. These families became the 12 tribes of Israel.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Israel ~ Israel is the special name that God gave to Jacob. His descendants were called Israel after him. So, Israel is the nation whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The country in which they live is called Israel.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
descendant ~ a future member of a family or nation.
lord ~ someone with authority such as the king.
Lord ~ a title for God, to show that he is over all people and things.
LORD ~ ‘LORD’ is the special name that God gave to himself. The name probably means: ‘He is always God.’ This name has a relationship with God’s special promises to his people.
ark ~ the ark of the LORD or the ark of God; the Bible also calls it ‘the ark of God’s special promise’. It was a wooden box with gold all over the outside and inside. It had two models of gold cherubim on the top (see Exodus 25:10-22). The Israelites kept the ark in the most holy place; first in the LORD’s tent and then in the temple.
lord ~ someone with authority such as the king.
Lord ~ a title for God, to show that he is over all people and things.
LORD ~ ‘LORD’ is the special name that God gave to himself. The name probably means: ‘He is always God.’ This name has a relationship with God’s special promises to his people.
cherubim ~ special angels who were in the most holy place of the temple.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
temple ~ a special building for the worship of God. Or, a building for the worship of false gods. The Jews had a temple in Jerusalem for the worship of the real God.
angel ~ one of God’s special servants from heaven. God made angels to serve him and to take his messages.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
worship ~ acts to show honour to God (or to a false god). When people praise and thank God.
Jews ~ another name for the Israelites.
Philistines ~ a group of people who lived to the south-west of Judah. They were a nation that frequently fought against the Israelites.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
sin ~ Sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God. People are called sinners because they are guilty of sin.
Jebusites ~ people who lived in the city called Jebus. David defeated them and he changed the name of the city to Jerusalem.
clan ~ part of a tribe, a group of families.
tribe ~ The Israelites originally consisted of the 12 large families of the sons of Jacob. These families became the 12 tribes of Israel.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Israel ~ Israel is the special name that God gave to Jacob. His descendants were called Israel after him. So, Israel is the nation whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The country in which they live is called Israel.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
descendant ~ a future member of a family or nation.
descendant ~ a future member of a family or nation.