1, 2 Chronicles

An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture

J. A. Thompson

• Publisher: Holman Reference
• Year: 1994
• ISBN:
  9781433675553
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Commentary

THE NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY is for the minister or Bible student who wants to understand and expound the Scriptures. Notable features include: * commentary based on THE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION;* the NIV text printed in the body of the commentary;* sound scholarly methodology that reflects capable research in the original languages;* interpretation that emphasizes the theological unity of each book and of Scripture as a whole;* readable and applicable exposition.

General Editor

E. RAY CLENDENEN

Associate General Editor, OT

KENNETH A. MATHEWS

Associate General Editor, NT

DAVID S. DOCKERY

Consulting Editors

Old Testament

DUANE A. GARRETT

L. RUSS BUSH

LARRY L. WALKER

New Testament

RICHARD R. MELICK, JR.

PAIGE PATTERSON

CURTIS VAUGHAN

Manuscript Editors

LINDA L. SCOTT

MARC A. JOLLEY

© Copyright 1994 • B&H Publishing Group

All rights reserved

ISBN 10: 0-8054-0109-1

ISBN 13: 978-08054-0109-7

Dewey Decimal Classification: 222.6

Subject Heading: BIBLE. O.T. CHRONICLES

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 94-36020

Printed in the United Slates of America

14 13 12 11 10 09 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version (NlV), oopyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. Quotations marked` NEB are from The New English Bible, Copyright © The Delegates of the Oxford University Press and the Syndics of the Cambridge University Press, 1961, 1970. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked GNB are from the Good News Bible, the Bible in Today's English Version. Old Testament: Copyright © American Bible Society 1976; New Testament: Copyright © American Bible Society 1966, 1971, 1976. Used by permission. Quotations marked NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Quotations marked NASB are from the New American Standard Bible. © Thee Lockman Foundation, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Thompson, J. A. (John Arthur), 1913-2002

 1,2 Chronicles / J. A. Thompson.

  p. cm. - (Tite new American commentary ; v. 9)

 Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

 I. Bible. O.T Chronicles-Commentaries. I. Bible. O.T.

 Chronicles. English. New International. 1994. II. Title.

 III. Title: 1,2 Chronicles. IV. Series.

 BS1345.3.T48 1994

 222'.6077 -dcc20

To my beloved wife, constant companion, loyal and loving

friend over our long life together

Editors' Preface

God's Word does not change. God's world, however, changes in every generation. These changes, in addition to new findings by scholars and a new variety of challenges to the gospel message, call for the church in each generation to interpret and apply God's Word for God's people. Thus, THE NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY is introduced to bridge the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This new series has been designed primarily to enable pastors, teachers, and students to read the Bible with clarity and proclaim it with power.

In one sense THE NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY is not new, for it represents the continuation of a heritage rich in biblical and theological exposition. The title of this forty-volume set points to the continuity of this series with an important commentary project published at the end of the nineteenth century called AN AMERICAN COMMENTARY, edited by Alvah Hovey. The older series included, among other significant contributions, the outstanding volume on Matthew by John A. Broadus, from whom the publisher of the new series, Broadman Press, partly derives its name. The former series was authored and edited by scholars committed to the infallibility of Scripture, making it a solid foundation for the present project. In line with this heritage, all NAC authors affirm the divine inspiration, inerrancy, complete truthfulness, and full authority of the Bible. The perspective of the NAC is unapologetically confessional and rooted in the evangelical tradition.

Since a commentary is a fundamental tool for the expositor or teacher who seeks to interpret and apply Scripture in the church or classroom, the NAC focuses on communicating the theological structure and content of each biblical book. The writers seek to illuminate both the historical meaning and contemporary significance of Holy Scripture.

In its attempt to make a unique contribution to the Christian community, the NAC focuses on two concerns. First, the commentary emphasizes how each section of a book fits together so that the reader becomes aware of the theological unity of each book and of Scripture as a whole. The writers, however, remain aware of the Bible's inherently rich variety. Second, the NAC is produced with the conviction that the Bible primarily belongs to the church. We believe that scholarship and the academy provide an indispensable foundation for biblical understanding and the service of Christ, but the editors and authors of this series have attempted to communicate the findings of their research in a manner that will build up the whole body of Christ. Thus, the commentary concentrates on theological exegesis, while providing practical, applicable exposition.

THE NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY'S theological focus enables the reader to see the parts as well as the whole of Scripture. The biblical books vary in content, context, literary type, and style. In addition to this rich variety, the editors and authors recognize that the doctrinal emphasis and use of the biblical books differs in various places, contexts, and cultures among God's people. These factors, as well as other concerns, have led the editors to give freedom to the writers to wrestle with the issues raised by the scholarly community surrounding each book and to determine the appropriate shape and length of the introductory materials. Moreover, each writer has developed the structure of the commentary in a way best suited for expounding the basic structure and the meaning of the biblical books for our day. Generally, discussions relating to contemporary scholarship and technical points of grammar and syntax appear in the footnotes and not in the text of the commentary. This format allows pastors and interested laypersons, scholars and teachers, and serious college and seminary students to profit from the commentary at various levels. This approach has been employed because we believe that all Christians have the privilege and responsibility to read and seek to understand the Bible for themselves.

Consistent with the desire to produce a readable, up-to-date commentary, the editors selected the New International Version as the standard translation for the commentary series. The selection was made primarily because of the NIV's faithfulness to the original languages and its beautiful and readable style. The authors, however, have been given the liberty to differ at places from the NIV as they develop their own translations from the Greek and Hebrew texts.

The NAC reflects the vision and leadership of those who provide oversight for Broadman Press, who in 1987 called for a new commentary series that would evidence a commitment to the inerrancy of Scripture and a faithfulness to the classic Christian tradition. While the commentary adopts an “American” name, it should be noted some writers represent countries outside the United States, giving the commentary an international perspective. The diverse group of writers includes scholars, teachers, and administrators from almost twenty different colleges and seminaries, as well as pastors, missionaries, and a layperson.

The editors and writers hope that THE NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY will be helpful and instructive for pastors and teachers, scholars and students, for men and women in the churches who study and teach God's Word in various settings. We trust that for editors, authors, and readers alike, the commentary will be used to build up the church, encourage obedience, and bring renewal to God's people. Above all, we pray that the NAC will bring glory and honor to our Lord, who has graciously redeemed us and faithfully revealed himself to us in his Holy Word.

SOLI DEO GLORIA

The Editors

Author's Preface

When I received an invitation in June 1988 to participate in The New American Commentary by writing a commentary on 1, 2 Chronicles, I responded to the invitation very happily. It seemed to be a good opportunity for an Australian to become involved in an American Enterprise. I was happy also to be invited to participate in an Old Testament commentary since this has been my area of research and teaching in theological colleges and in a secular university over many years, where I have taught Old Testament, Hebrew, and Aramaic for much of my teaching life. Another attraction to become involved in such a project was that I would be participating in a joint enterprise with fellow Baptists from other parts of the world, I myself being from Melbourne in the Southern Hemisphere. Further, I have identified myself very happily and with deep conviction with a conservative and evangelical theological stance. For me, the Bible is the Word of God bringing to humankind the mind of God on all sorts of issues and constituting a challenge to human thought and life, calling its readers to an understanding of how God would have them live in the contemporary world.

The Books of Chronicles present the commentator with their own particular problems. For instance, the question of the historicity of these sections of Chronicles that are not dependent on Samuel-Kings is often raised, and questions are asked about the historical value of other sources the Chronicler may have used. The questions of the original author's intention in producing the work and of his main theological perspectives present their own challenges. Also, what was the author's own preferred vocabulary in developing his main themes? In addition, a number of important technical questions need to be explored; the reason for the chronological tables, the literary forms, the unity of the work, its authorship, and date. These and other issues will need to be investigated.

Sometimes the commentary will take up important philological, syntactical, and exegetical concerns. Most of these will be taken up in footnotes. Frequently, comparison will be made with other works that deal with similar material. The Books of Samuel and Kings are important in this respect. In making such comparisons, the distinctive emphasis of the writer of 1, 2 Chronicles will become much clearer. Because of the nature of this particular commentary series, references to important bibliography, whether books or articles, are kept to a minimum, although a certain number seemed to be essential. Most of these are in English. But these will have their own footnotes that will enable the readers of this commentary on Chronicles to expand their horizons. However, no important issue will be avoided altogether. Since the target readership is the pastor and student rather than the technical scholar, there will be gaps in the treatment from the viewpoint of some readers.

I am grateful to those who have helped in the production of this commentary. First of all, I thank the producers of The New American Commentary, especially Kenneth Mathews, David Dockery, and Tom Clark, with whom I first had contact, and the rest of the staff at Broadman & Holman who provided help and encouragement.

My typist, Mrs. Bronwyn Donald, has been a great help in deciphering my difficult manuscript and in helping me to draw together the various strands that go to making a unified whole out of a number of parts.

My wife, Marion, has been the “good woman” who stands behind my literary work. This she has done with preliminary typing and has given constant encouragement as the work proceeded. I am grateful to God that despite periods of illness, including a stroke and a prostate operation, this commentary has been brought to completion.

My hope is that this commentary will convey to the modern readers of the text of 1, 2 Chronicles the thoug...

Table of contents

• 1, 2 Chronicles
• Editors' Preface
• Author's Preface
• Abbreviations
• Maps
• Introduction
• Section I
• Section II
• Section III
• Section IV
• Section V
• Section VI