Introduction
The book of 1 Chronicles contains the same history we have already read in the books of 2 Samuel and 1 Kings. While it is placed later in the Old Testament, there is evidence that it was written contemporaneously with the Book of Kings. For instance, the Book of Kings references the Book of Chronicles in several places:
And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. (1 Kings 14:19)
Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? (1 Kings 14:29)
Conversely, the Book of Chronicles references the Book of Kings:
So all Israel were reockoned by genealogies; and, behold, they were written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah, who were carried away to Babylon for their transgression (1 Chron. 9:1). See also 2 Chron. 16:1; 24:27; 25:26, etc.
The emphasis is different from the history we have already read. There is more veneration for David and Solomon in 1 Chronicles. They are treated as legends. David and Solomon have become icons of the glory of Israel’s zenith. Saul was ignored as if an afterthought of history.
Jewish history was not kind to Saul. He is barely mentioned in Chronicles; see 1 Chron. 9–10. David, as expected, was revered as the greatest king ever. However, the Bathsheba/Uriah incident is omitted from the history, as not becoming of his legendary status. Solomon is similarly glorified for wisdom, building the temple, and becoming rich and famous, but his late idolatry and many concubines are not mentioned.
1 Chronicles 1:1–34 The Genealogy
The patriarchal priesthood traces its authority through the patriarchs (D&C 107:40-52). For the authors of Chronicles, who were likely the scribes and recorders of the Babylonian exile, the blood line was more important than the priesthood line. Connection to Adam meant connection to God. Connection to Abraham meant connection to the promised blessings given to him. Connection to Israel meant connection to the title, “God’s chosen people.” There is, for certain, some pride in the lineage. Otherwise, why would it be so meticulously recorded?
While the names are spelled differently, the names are the same as recorded in Genesis 5 and 10.
1 Chronicles 1:35-54 The Edomite Genealogy
Every family has a great-uncle. Sometimes he is great. Sometimes, he is an embarrassment. For the children of Israel, Esau was the great-uncle you couldn’t ignore. His descendants were always there to harass and annoy. The Israelites didn’t like the Edomites, but they were commanded to be nice. The Lord said, “Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother” (Deut. 23:7).
Nevertheless, the peace didn’t last forever; “wars were of constant occurrence (Num. 20:14-21; 21:4; Judg. 11:17; 1 Sam. 14:47; 2 Sam. 8:13-14; Jer.27:3; 49:7-22; Ezek. 35:3-15). The Edomites spoke a language that closely resembled Hebrew.” (Bible Dictionary)
The genealogy of these verses parallels what is found in Genesis 36. The authors apparently wanted the reader to know the lineage of their enemies.
1 Chronicles 2:1 These are the sons of Israel
The authors give us an extended genealogy of the House of Israel (1 Chronicles 2-8). By the time they are writing, the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah have been separated for hundreds of years. The authors are from Judah so the genealogy of the tribe of Judah is given first and in greater detail. The lineage of David and his sons is particularly important. The lineage of Judah is given in three chapters while the lineage of Reuben is given in 10 verses.
1 Chronicles 2:3 Er . . . was evil in the sight of the Lord; and he slew him
Judah’s firstborn was slain by the Lord. That is such an interesting phrase. We are given no more information than that which is given in Genesis, “Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord slew him” (Gen. 38:7).
1 Chronicles 2:7 Achar … transgressed in the thing accursed
Achar was the one who took spoils from the victory in Jericho when the children of Israel conquered that city by encompassing it until the walls fell down by the power of God. Achar admitted, “When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it” (Josh. 7:21). His punishment was that “all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned (the things he took) with fire” (Josh. 7:25)
1 Chronicles 2:4 Tamar his daughter in law bare him Pharez and Zerah
Remember the story of Tamar pretending to be a harlot to seduce Judah because she was widowed by Judah’s son? (Gen. 38) Pharez and Zerah were the twins she had from that tryst.
1 Chronicles 2:16 Whose sisters were Zeruiah, and Abigail
Some have complained about how male-dominated the Old Testament is. In this chapter, several famous women are mentioned: Tamar, David’s sisters Zeruiah and Abigail, as well as Atarah (v. 26), Abihail (v. 29), Ephah (v. 46), Maachah (v. 48), and Achshah (v. 49).
1 Chronicles 2:51 Salma the father of Bethlehem
In Hebrew, Beth means “house of,” and lehem means “bread.” Bethelem means “house of bread,” foreshadowing the birth of Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life. I wonder if Salma knew that when he settled Bethlehem.
1 Chronicles 2:55 Notice all the -ites
In the Book of Mormon, the different families are designated by the suffix, -ites. They become so prevalent as to confuse the reader, so Jacob had to explain that he would just call them Lamanites or Nephites (Jacob 1:13-14). Critics of the Book of Mormon must think that Joseph Smith was so smart that he just picked up on this linguistic oddity from the 55th verse of 1 Chronicles 2. The authors of Chronicles may have been contemporaries to Lehi. The people were called -ites in the Old World just as we see in the Book of Mormon.
1 Chronicles 3:19 Zerubbabel
This Zerubbabel is important because he was responsible for the rebuilding of the temple after the return from Babylon. He served as governor during that time and was contemporary with the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. His mention, and the mention of his descendants, give us a clue as to how late in Jewish history the Book of Chronicles was written. Written as a history hundreds of years after the events, the authors have been influenced by the legends they have heard. The history takes on a different flavor than a contemporary history.
1 Chronicles 4 The genealogies of Judah and Simeon
Judah’s genealogy is notable for the prayer of Jabez: “Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!” (Deut 19:8) That sounds like a good prayer; it’s a prayer that seems out of context in the section of Deuteronomy that discusses refuge cities for those who commit manslaughter.
Simeon’s genealogy is notable for the history of the sons of Simeon’s success against the Amalekites (v. 43).
1 Chronicles 5-9 Genealogy of the House of Israel.
Verse after verse, we read name after name; the Hebrew names are unfamiliar. The significance seems lost on us, but consider the importance of Family History to the Jews. The names are given so that true descendants of Israel can claim their lineage and thereby claim their blessings. We have the same desire, to connect the dots to our forefathers in order to understand who we are and where we came from. Think of Brigham Young’s dream when he was in Winter Quarters. He spoke with the Prophet Joseph who had been dead for over 2 years. The Prophet counseled him:
“Tell the brethren if they will follow the spirit of the Lord they will go right. Be sure to tell the people to keep the Spirit of the Lord; and if they will, they will find themselves just as they were organized by our Father in Heaven before they came into the world. Our Father in Heaven organized the human family. …’
“Joseph then showed me the pattern, how they were in the beginning. This I cannot describe, but I saw it, and saw where the Priesthood had been taken from the earth and how it must be joined together, so that there would be a perfect chain from Father Adam to his latest posterity. (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/broadcasts/article/ces-devotionals/2012/01/the-unspeakable-gift-of-the-holy-ghost?lang=eng)
Brigham Young
When the ordinances are carried out in the temples that will be erected, [children] will be sealed to their [parents], and those who have slept, clear up to Father Adam. This will have to be done, because of the chain of the Priesthood being broken upon the earth. The Priesthood has left the people, but in the first place the people left the Priesthood. They transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, and broke the everlasting covenant [see Isaiah 24:5], and the Priesthood left them; but not until they had left the Priesthood. This Priesthood has been restored again, and by its authority we shall be connected with our fathers, by the ordinance of sealing, until we shall form a perfect chain from Father Adam down to the closing up scene [see D&C 128:18]…
The ordinance of sealing must be performed here … until the chain of generation is made perfect in the sealing ordinances, back to Father Adam; (Discourses of Brigham Young, 400-407)
1 Chronicles 5:26 Tiglath-pilneser king of Assyria . . . carried them away
The end of the Kingdom of Judah was the Babylonian destruction. For the Kingdom of Israel, it was the Assyrian destruction, when they were taken captive. These are the two great historical landmarks of the history of Israel: the Northern Kingdom’s destruction by the Assyrians in 722 BC and the Southern Kingdom’s destruction by the Babylonians in 589 BC. The Assyrians captured the Northern Kingdom just after the ministry of Isaiah. In this verse, the author is speaking of the tribes east of Jordan that were taken, Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh, but the rest of the 10 tribes were taken at the same time.
1 Chronicles 6:31-32 These are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of the Lord
King David, the harpist and lover of music, assigned Levites to provide the temple music. He had a new tent built for the tabernacle (the text doesn’t tell us what happened to the first one), he brought the ark to it and established the music of the house of the Lord (2 Sam. 6:12,17). The Levitical singers were the first Tabernacle Choir! They ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing, until Solomon had built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles 25:1 says the musicians should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals . . . for song in the house of the Lord (1 Chron. 25:1-7, italics added).
“The Levites ministered before the LORD, offering up thanks and praise with instrument and voice. The Levites accompanied and aided worshippers in keeping divine commands to remember and offer thanksgiving to the LORD. Using their lyric text, the Psalms, the Israelites gathered in holy places and invoked the name of the LORD, literally requesting his presence. The psalms accompanied ritual acts. A Levitical temple orchestra, composed of lyres, harps, cymbals, and trumpets accompanied the daily sacrifices.
“Israelite worshippers sang songs of ascent as they would journey up to the house of the LORD. Music was a medium through which the Israelites were able to worship, expressing thanks and praise, as well as publicly announced the LORD’s presence.” (Mindy J. Anderson, 134 STUDIA ANTIQUA • Vol 2 No 1 • WINTER 2002)
1 Chronicles 7:20-22 Ephraim mourns the loss of his sons
Genesis does not tell us that Ephraim’s sons were killed by the men of Gath in a dispute over cattle. Only here do we get this vignette about Ephraim’s great loss and mourning for his sons.