Inter-Varsity Press

CONTENTS

General preface
Author’s preface
Introduction
Title
What kind of book is Chronicles?
The Chronicler as interpreter
The Chronicler’s message
The origins of Chronicles

Analysis
Commentary

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It is the strange privilege of every commentator to recommend that the book his readers really ought to read is not the one he has written. In that sense, his role is not unlike John the Baptist’s, whose ability to point away from himself to someone far greater ought to make him the patron saint of commentators.

My real desire, therefore, is that you come to read the books of Chronicles for yourself. That is the end for which this commentary has been written, in the hope that you will receive some guidance in understanding and praying over this part of the word of God.

Though the Chronicler has been my companion for several years, I have not ceased to be filled with admiration for the breadth of his vision and his extraordinary perception. His conviction that God’s message is also essentially a hopeful one justifies his work being described as ‘the good news according to the Chronicler’. I have been amazed too at the relevance of his work for the modern world, especially for Christians who form a minority in their society, perhaps even suffering for their faith, and with little hope of seeing positive change in the political context in which they live; those who have lost hope of ever seeing for themselves the glorious times experienced by Christians of former generations; those who are concerned for the spiritual health of their nation and would like to discover what role Christians could have in being an influence for good; those who want to have a broad vision of God’s purposes for their lives and for the church; and those who want to understand what the Old Testament as a whole is about and why it is included in the Bible.

Maybe in the past you have been dissuaded from reading the books of Chronicles because of their length, or because they contain ancient history, or above all because of their lists of strange names, especially in the first nine chapters. None of these presents an insurmountable obstacle to enjoying Chronicles, however. Especially if you have never attempted to read Chronicles seriously before, may I suggest that you start at 1 Chronicles 10 and simply leave out the lists until you feel you are ready for them. It would be a shame to miss out on all that God has to say simply because of a problem about where to start.

The Chronicler’s concern is that his readers should experience genuine healing, and what he has to say on the subject goes far deeper than most contemporary discussion and teaching. It is my prayer that each of you will receive something of this healing and restoration, and that in doing so you will discover more of God’s own heart (cf. 2 Chr. 7:14, 16).

A special feature of this commentary is the information which occurs at the beginning of each section. First of all a quotation is given, selected from the section of biblical text which follows. This quotation is intended to summarize the thought of the section. It is remarkable how frequently the Bible itself crystallizes the theme of a passage in a succinct and apposite manner. The quotation is then usually followed by some biblical references, which may be quite extensive. These refer to passages which are in some way parallel with the passage under consideration. In fact, they probably indicate the sources which the Chronicler has used. Identification of these sources is an essential feature of this volume, since it is argued in the commentary that the Chronicler assumes that his readers are reasonably familiar with this earlier material. It seems as if the Chronicler is actually commenting on these earlier parts of Scripture, and that he does so by various methods. If the books of Chronicles are read with this perspective in mind, the modern reader will often find it useful to refer to the relevant parts of the Old Testament at the same time as reading the text of Chronicles. This will help considerably in illuminating the meaning of the biblical text, and will bring a much deeper awareness of the potential significance of God’s word both then and now.

The basic version of the English Bible to which this commentary refers is the New International Version, which is usually quoted without any further details. However, other versions have been used extensively throughout, such as the New English Bible, the Revised English Bible, the New Revised Standard Version, the Revised Standard Version, the Good News Bible, and the Jerusalem Bible. Readers should be able to use this commentary with whatever modern version is available to them, since the commentary is ultimately based on the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, usually known as the Massoretic Text. Since no single modern version can convey all the richness of the original Hebrew, the use of several versions in the commentary actually gives the reader a genuine advantage in understanding what God is saying.

Only those who have actually written a book can appreciate how much an author is indebted to others. Their contributions are a vital part of the whole enterprise, and I acknowledge with deep gratitude the help of everyone who has encouraged me, especially when it involved putting up with my absence from other activities. I am especially grateful to my colleagues at Spurgeon’s College who have carried responsibilities for me at various times in order that the project might eventually be finished, and to the publishers for patiently waiting much longer than they originally expected. The Councils of Spurgeon’s College and of Tyndale House, Cambridge, generously provided essential financial support. Previous commentators, and especially those who have written recent books and monographs on Chronicles, have constantly stimulated my thinking. A number of churches have had to suffer unexpected sermons on the Chronicler, and the commentary is dedicated particularly to those churches which first gave me a love of the Scriptures and have accepted me and my idiosyncrasies as part of their fellowship. Lastly, and above all, words of gratitude are quite inadequate to express the encouragement of my family who often have been deprived of my company, and who have endured my preoccupation with the Chronicler from beginning to end. I am deeply humbled by the support of all who have had a part in the production of this volume, and I have not the slightest doubt that it has been greatly improved by their involvement.

Martin Selman
Spurgeon’s College, London