1:1 Most of the material on Solomon is more or less related to the temple and its construction. The Chronicler saw the temple as essential for the unity of Israel as a theocracy.
1:2 Compare vv. 2-6 with 1 Kg 3:4, where the author of Kg gave only a brief mention of the worship experience at Gibeon, and then moved directly on to Solomon's dream. This shows a difference in the Chronicler's purpose in comparison to the author of Kg: Solomon's character is the point in Kg, whereas fidelity to the worship of the Lord is the focus of Ch.
1:4 This verse summarizes information already given in great detail in 1 Ch 13:15–26.
1:5 Why was Solomon great? Because he "inquired" of the Lord and he led the people to do the same. The Chronicler's implication is that Solomon began well because he sought the Lord and his readers ought to do the same.
1:7 See Mt 7:7.
1:11-12 Jesus enunciated this same principle in Mt 6:33: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you."
1:13 The Chronicler omitted 1 Kg 3:16-28, the story of Solomon's wisdom in solving the case of the identity of a baby. While Kg used secular events to illustrate Solomon's greatness, the Chronicler's definition of greatness began and ended with the building and furnishing of the temple and its dedication. These two visions of Solomon's greatness are not incompatible or contradictory, but they emphasize different aspects of the king.
1:14 These are not unreasonable numbers (9:25 speaks of 4,000 stalls). Assuming each chariot required two horses, then 2,800 horses would be required. If we include horses for individual riders and remounts, there would be room for 1,200 additional horses.
1:15 The phrase "as common . . . as stones" is hyperbole and not to be understood literally. "Apparently limitless quantity" is what it means.
1:16 "Kue" is usually identified with Cilicia (southern Turkey) in the north. Israel sat squarely on the main north-south trade routes connecting Africa, Asia, and Europe. This was the source of much of Israel's wealth, both by participating in trade and by collecting tolls and tariffs on goods transiting through Israel on their way elsewhere.
1:17 The sale of military equipment has been lucrative throughout mankind's history.
2:6 The temple was never the "house" where God had His being, unlike the temples of the surrounding nations. Rather, Israel's temple was a place to meet the Lord in worship. See also Jesus' statement to the Samaritanwoman at the well, that true worshipers of God must do so in spirit and truth, not in a physical location (Jn 4:17-24).
2:7 The Hebrew word for "purple" is spelled in the Aramaic, the same language found in Dn 5:7,16,29. This reflectsthe impact of the exile upon the Chronicler's language.
2:10 These are probably total, not annual, numbers. In 1 Kg 5:6, Solomon asked Hiram to set the price. Here Solomon appeared to be setting the price. The treaty would certainly spell out the numbers, with Hiram having input into the amount of remuneration.
Was Hiram a vassal of Solomon's? In 1 Kg 9:13, Hiram calls Solomon "brother." Here Hiram was paid for his services, rather than providing them without charge. The treaty in 1 Kg 5:9 made no mention of any submission or subordination on Hiram's part. The evidence does not support Hiram being a legal vassal of Solomon, although Solomon does appear to be the more dominant partner.
2:17 There is some question as to whether Solomon imposed forced labor on Israelites in addition to the Canaanite "foreigners" mentioned here. In the parallel passage, 1 Kg 5:13, Solomon raised his forced labor out of "all Israel." This could mean that Solomon used Israelites as forced labor, something forbidden by the law (see Lv 25:43,46,53). Second Ch 8:9 and 1 Kg 9:22 explicitly deny that Solomon did this.
Nevertheless, there is strong evidence that Solomon, while not starting out enslaving Israelites, ended up doing so. The northern tribes begged Rehoboam, Solomon's son and successor, to lighten their heavy burdens (1 Kg 12:4). Further, why would Rehoboam send the officer in charge of forced labor to negotiate with Israelites (Canaanite forced laborers would not be in a position to negotiate)? And why would the Israelites stone Adoram to death (1 Kg 12:18), if they did not view him as the source of their suffering?
3:3 "Length" is literally "in the former measure." There were two different standards for the length of the cubit, based upon an Egyptian system of six palms per cubit and a longer one at seven palms. A short cubit was 17.4 inches and a long cubit was 20.4 inches. It's not completely clear what is meant by the "former measure," but the Jerusalem temple used the long cubit.
4:1 First Kg 7:21-24 omitted any description of the altar, although it was mentioned elsewhere in Kg (1 Kg 8:64; 9:24; 2 Kg 16:14).
4:2 "Reservoir" is literally "the Sea." It was given this name to signify its large size. This basin has the same function as the laver in the tabernacle (Ex 30:18).
4:7 See Zch 4:1-3.
4:9 The "courtyard of the priests" was the "inner court" of 1 Kg 6:36 and 7:12.
4:19 The "gold altar" was the altar of incense (Ex 30:1-10).The instructions in Exodus are that it should be made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold.
5:2 The "all Israel" theme is present here. When the ark was brought to Jerusalem, "all Israel" was present. Regardless of the competing places of worship established by the northern kingdom or those established during the exile, the proper place for the unity of Israel's worship to manifest itself was Jerusalem.
5:4 First Kg 8:3 says the "priests" moved the ark. The Chronicler's less precise term is consistent with his desire to emphasize the role of the Levites in the life of Israel. This use of "Levites" is in sharp contrast to the ones who moved the ark previously (1 Ch 13:9-10; 15:2).
5:9 "To this very day"; that is, the day of the Chronicler's source, which in this case is 1 Kg 8:8. The poles may or may not have still been there at the time the Chronicler wrote.
5:14 The "cloud" was a frequent sign of God's presence in a particular place (see Ex 13; Nm 9; Ezk 10:3-4). It also signified God's acceptance of the temple as an appropriate place to meet His people.
6:6-7 The establishment of the house of David on the throne of Israel and the building of the temple are two important themes for the Chronicler, ones which he repeatedly stressed or highlighted in various ways. Here we have both themes in close proximity to one another.
6:24 Israel's defeat by an enemy because of its sin was a recapitulation of the curses for breaking the Mosaic covenant, laid out in detail in Dt 28:15-68. Here, and in the verses that follow, Solomon was seeking forgiveness in advance of the sins that he knew Israel would commit, but only on the basis of repentance.
6:28 The geography of the Fertile Crescent placed Israel in the midst of trade and traffic from all over the known world. Along with that traffic came wealth, war, and disease.
6:30 God judges the individual and rewards or punishes on the basis of individual and personal responsibility.
6:42 This verse echoes Ps 132:10. The phrase "loyalty of Your servant David" is ambiguous. It means either:(1) the loyalty which David expressed toward God; or(2) the loyalty that David received from the Lord. In light of Is 55:3, it seems that the second explanation is to be preferred. Solomon recognized that his position comes as a result of the Lord's promise to David, and Solomon asked the Lord to remember that promise and fulfill it in his own case.
7:5 These very large numbers have caused much comment. For the 15 days of the celebration, it has been calculated that it would require 20 sacrifices per minute for 10 hours per day. Some resolve this by interpreting the numbers as hyperbole (intentional exaggeration). Others suggest "sacrifice" meant Solomon gave the animals to the priests, but that they were not all necessarily sacrificed at once during the celebration.
7:8 "The entrance to Hamath to the Brook of Egypt" marked the ideal north and south boundaries of thenation, see Gn 15:18; Nm 34:5,8.
7:9-10 What apparently happened was that the dedication of the temple occurred before the Festival of Booths, from the eighth to the fourteenth of the month. Then the Festival of Booths began on the fifteenth day of the month, lasting until the twenty-second day, see Lv 23.
7:12 The Lord's statement to Solomon (vv. 12-22) summarizes the events that occur in chapters 10–36.
7:18 See Mc 5:2. This was a reaffirmation of God's promise to David spoken by Nathan (2 Sm 7:12-16). This centered the hope of Israel on the dynasty of David for succeeding generations. In the exilic and postexilic ages, the expectation of a coming Messiah came into sharper focus, commencing with Jeremiah's and Ezekiel's vision of a Messiah who would combine the traits of a king and a priest (Jr 33:14-18; Ezk 46:1-8; Zch 4:1-14; 6:13).
7:19 The Hebrew uses the plural form of "you" throughout the verse. The Lord is not referring just to Solomon or even to his generation, but to their descendants.
8:2 First Kg 9:12 said Hiram was not pleased with the 20 Galilean cities that Solomon had given him. Apparently Hiram returned the cities to Solomon and this is what Solomon did with them.
8:3 This is the only record of a military action by Solomon. This event is omitted by 1 Kg 9:17-19, the parallel passage (see 1 Ch 22:9).
8:11 The Chronicler assumed his readers knew all about Solomon's marriage to Pharaoh's daughter as a part of his international diplomacy.
8:18 Because the round trip journeys to Ophir took three years (9:21; 1 Kg 10:22), the city (or country) has been located in India, in Somaliland (on the African coast), or in western or southern Arabia. However, in the absence of other evidence, the location remains a mystery.
9:1 "Sheba" was the kingdom of Saba in southern Arabia, modern Yemen.
9:15 These shields were taken by the Pharaoh Shishak in an attack made shortly after Solomon's death (12:9).
9:21 The phrase "kept going to Tarshish" is literally "the Tarshish goers." The Hebrew is not clear whether Tarshish (on the Iberian peninsula at the far end of the Mediterranean sea) was a literal destination or a description of a class of ships. In this case they would be the kind of ocean-going vessel that can sail to Tarshish (that is, they can go anywhere).
9:29 These sources that the Chronicler used are no longer available to us.
9:31 The Chronicler omitted Solomon's latter years where his fidelity to the Lord slipped. It is not, as some have asserted, that the Chronicler was covering up Solomon's failures. Time and time again we see that the Chronicler assumed his readers had access to and knew the books of Samuel and Kings. He omitted details that were not relevant to his purpose in order to show what kind of person should sit on the throne of David. The latter Solomon was not that kind of person, and so was left out of the narrative. This authorial decision was the same as the decision to omit the Bathsheba affair and Uriah's murder by David.
10:3 Jeroboam is presented here as a spokesman or ringleader for the rebellion. The book of Kings does not mention him in connection with the confrontation with Rehoboam.
10:16 The term "Israel" here had not yet taken the meaning of "the ten northern tribes."
10:18 "Hadoram" was known as "Adoniram" in the book of Kings. The king accompanied him, apparently in an attempt to abort the split.
11:5 Verses 5-12 do not appear in the book of Kings. The Chronicler evidently followed sources known only to himself. The military reinforcement of these cities was important because they guarded mountain passes and roads leading into the heart of Judah.
11:8 This "Gath" was not the Philistine city of Gath, which was west of Rehoboam's line of fortresses, and there is no evidence that Solomon or Rehoboam ever conquered that city. More likely, it was a shortened name of the city of Moresheth-gath, just north of Mareshah.
11:13 The Chronicler was careful to note that there were faithful Levites from "all Israel," to counteract the notion that any particular part of Israel was totally apostate.
11:14 Jeroboam had reason to fear: loyalty to the Lord required continued worship at Jerusalem. After he decided to establish his own worship center and priesthood, the question of loyalty became sharper. One could no longer support the political regime and continue to obey the Lord. For the Levites, it meant becoming refugees and migrating to Judah to start their lives over again.
11:17 Rehoboam departed from God's law after this period of "three years" (see 12:1-2). Then Shishak's attack came as a direct judgment against Rehoboam's apostasy.
11:18 "Jerimoth" is not mentioned anywhere else as David's son. It is unclear whether this was an alternate name for one of David's sons or a previously unknown son to be added to the list.
11:22 "Abijah" was known as "Abijam" in the book of Kings.
12:1 "All Israel" refers to Judah and Benjamin, the southern kingdom. The northern kingdom had already abandoned the Lord's law.
12:3 While the number of chariots is in line with documented military units of the time, the number of horsemen seems excessive. If it was a scribal error for 6,000, the number would be appropriate for the number of chariots. There is, however, no documented evidence for a scribal error, and so the question of the large number of horsemen is an open one.
12:4 From Egyptian records it appears that Shishak's primary military objective was the northern kingdom.
12:12 "Conditions were good" is literally "good [things/people] were [existed]." If we take the phrase to mean "good things" existed, then it may mean that Judah was spared looting and pillaging from enemies. If it means "good people," then it may mean there were many faithful people living there. Since the previous sentence speaks of Rehoboam's repentance as a reason for moderating God's judgment, "good people" is the preferred understanding of the phrase, and adds an additional reason for the Lord's forbearance.
12:16 "Abijah" was known as "Abijam" in the book of Kings. He reigned from 913–909 b.c.
13:3 Because archaeologists have estimated Palestine's population during this period as around 300,000, there have been various efforts to resolve this conflict of numbers. Some suggest the Hebrew word for "thousand," elef, is also the name of a military unit that had less than a literal thousand, much like the Roman centurion commanded a unit of less than one hundred soldiers. Others understand the use of numbers here as hyperbolic, not intended to be taken literally, but to show the size of the victory the Lord gave to Abijah. There is one other possible explanation that few seem to entertain: that the documentary evidence of the biblical text suggests the archaeological estimate of the population at that time is in error.
13:4 The Chronicler passed over all of Abijah's sins, described in 1 Kg 15:1-8. Instead, he narrated an event where the king placed his trust in the Lord.
13:18 The Chronicler's view of history is stated here again: success and failure are dependent upon one's faithfulness—or lack of it—to the Lord and His law.
14:1 The notation of "10 years" is probably a round number. The next recorded attack on Judah was by Zerah and the Cushites (14:9-15).
14:2 Although Kings recounts Asa's reign in 16 verses (1 Kg 15:9-24), Chronicles takes 47 verses (14:1–16:14). While 16 verses are sufficient to evaluate Asa's reign for the author of Kings, the Chronicler's purpose was to illustrate the theological principles of proper kingship. That required more detail.
14:4 The Hebrew word for "instruction" includes the definite article, hatorah, "the law," and is very possibly one of the first references to the canonical books of Moses.
14:9 "One million" is probably hyperbole for "vast, uncountable." An argument against this is the number of chariots (300) which seems small for a "vast" army. Some suggest the number 300 is somehow symbolic, but the symbolic meaning is not known. The point here is that, from a human and military standpoint, Asa and Judah were outmatched. Their subsequent victory against overwhelming odds was all the more evidence of the Lord's action.
14:15 The Cushites were nomads, not an urban civilization.
15:3 A reference to the period of the judges, between the initial conquest of Canaan by the 12 tribes and the appointment of Saul as king of Israel.
15:9 Although the tribal area of Simeon was south of Judah (1 Ch 4:23-43), evidently some had moved out of their territory to the Transjordan tribes. They may have been pressured from attacks from Edom or the Arabian desert. When they saw Asa's faith and the Lord's deliverance, they left the northern kingdom to Judah.
15:16 Removing Maacah from being "queen mother" shows that the position was not automatic and hereditary. Apparently, by removing her, Asa prevented her from leading Judah into further idolatry.
15:17 This apparently contradicts 14:2, which says Asa did remove the high places. But as the books of Kg make clear, the cult of Asherah and the country shrines built on the "high places" were popular and nearly impossible to stamp out, springing back into existence after every suppression. It also explains why the kings were reluctant to destroy them and incur the people's wrath.
16:1 By the thirty-sixth year of Asa, Omri ruled the northern kingdom of Israel, contradicting this verse. Some suggest "36" refers to the years since the division of the nation, thus putting it at the sixteenth year of Asa's reign. However, the text clearly states that it was Asa's reign, not the years since the kingdom had been divided. First Kg 15:16 says that there was war the entire time Baasha was king. So the events narrated here could have been at any point during that 24-year period. A clear solution to this chronological problem has not yet presented itself.
16:9 See Zch 4:10; Ps 33:18; 34:15; Pr 15:3; 1 Pt 3:12.
16:11 See 1 Kg 15:23, where this same source is cited.
16:14 This "great fire" was not cremation, but a ritual or memorial of honor.
17:1 Jehoshaphat reigned from 872–848 b.c. More space is given to Jehoshaphat here in Ch (17:1–21:1) than in Kg (1 Kg 22:1-38; 2 Kg 3:4-27), which is consistent with the Chronicler's habit of focusing upon the faithful kings of Judah in contrast to the tendency of the books of Kg to focus upon the kings of Israel.
17:7 "Third year," that is, the third year (870 b.c.) from the beginning of his co-regency (872 b.c.). His own reign was 869–848 b.c.
17:9 The "book of the Lord's instruction," or "book of the Torah of the Lord." Regardless of the translation, this is a clear reference to an authoritative document representing God's will. The five books of Moses were beginning to be "published" and distributed among the Levites for educational purposes. See note on 14:4.
18:2 The Chronicler made Jehoshaphat the central figure of his narrative, while in 1 Kg 22 Jehoshaphat was peripheral to Ahab. This difference is the reflection of their different purposes in writing. The books of Kg emphasize the damage caused by faithless and idolatrous kings. The Chronicler emphasized the national blessings that come from faithfulness to the Lord and His law.
18:3 Although the Chronicler followed 1 Kg 22 closely, most of 1 Kg 22:3 is omitted, where Ahab claimedRamoth-gilead to be his.
18:20 "A spirit" is literally "the spirit," using the definite article. The most natural understanding would be the Holy Spirit. However, there is a theological problem with God being a deceiver. Some try to moderate the tone by translating the verb deceive as "entice." This does not solve the problem. Both Jeremiah (Jr 20:7) and Ezekiel (Ezk 14:9) wrote of the Lord deceiving a prophet, using the exact same Hebrew word as here; see 1 Kg 22:21-28.
18:21 "Lying spirit" is a pun on the Hebrew word, which can mean "spirit, wind, or breath."
18:22 While the "lying spirit" spoke through the prophets, the Lord clearly laid out the truth and Ahab had a choice whom to believe.
18:27 Micaiah appealed to the Deuteronomic test of the true prophet: 100 percent accuracy in prediction verifies that the prophet's message is from the Lord (see Dt 18:21-22).
18:33 "Without taking special aim" is literally "guilelessly, in his integrity." The man drawing the bow did not do so with the intent of killing the king, but was simply doing his job in good faith.
19:8 The "Israelite families" must refer to the southern kingdom and would not include the ten northern tribes.
20:1 This invasion is not recorded in the books of Kg. It was included here to show the king's repentance and trust in the Lord, along with the positive results of that act of faith.
20:31 "Reigned 25 years": in 2 Kg 3:1 and 8:16 his reign is recorded to be 22 years. The difference is because of the three year co-regency with his father Asa.
20:34 "Israel's Kings": Judah was, as far as the Chronicler was concerned, the only part of the nation that remained loyal to Israel's legitimate king.
21:2 "King of Judah" is literally "king of Israel." This was not the only time where the Chronicler used the term "Israel" to refer to Judah. As far as he was concerned, the divided kingdom was an aberration. All the kings of Judah were the legitimate kings of all Israel. (See note on 20:34.)
21:5 Jehoram became co-regent with his father Jehoshaphat in 853 b.c., and his official reign was 848–841 b.c.
21:6 "Ahab's daughter" was Athaliah, also the granddaughter of Omri (22:2).
21:7 In contrast to the "house of David" here, 2 Kg 8:19 uses "Judah." It also says "because of His servant David." The Chronicler emphasizes the covenant that promises a dynasty to David. "A lamp" indicates a house is occupied; so the house of David would survive.
21:10 "Today," that is, at the time the Chronicler wrote.
21:19 "Two full years" is literally "two days." Most modern translations understand the Hebrew word for "days" in the plural to mean a year. Otherwise, it seems to contradict the longer period of illness implied in v. 15 above. Some interpret the expression to mean his intestines came out two days before he died. The "fire" was not a cremation, but a ritual of honor (see note on 16:14).
22:2 "22 years old": the Hebrew text says "forty-two," in contradiction to 2 Kg 8:26, the Septuagint, and the Syriac version. It is best to understand a textual error here and follow the majority opinion of 22 years. The term "granddaughter" is literally "daughter." Hebrew idiom often uses the terms "son" and "daughter" for "descendant."
22:10 Athaliah ruled 841–835 b.c. Given only three verses to describe her reign, the Chronicler clearly did not view Athaliah's rule as legitimate. The Chronicler did not include the usual formulas about her reign that he used with the other rulers of Judah.
23:1 The narrative here emphasizes the role of the priests and Levites in the palace coup, whereas the parallel passage in 2 Kg 11 highlights the role of the military.
23:17 Athaliah was the granddaughter of the Phoenician king of Tyre, and the daughter of Ahab. It is no wonder that she had permitted the worship of Baal in the Jerusalem temple, perhaps hoping that it would replace the worship of the Lord.
24:1 Joash reigned from 835–796 b.c.
24:7 Who are the "sons of Athaliah" mentioned here? Since all the brothers of Ahaziah had been murdered, are these natural sons of her body? More likely, the word "son" is used in the sense of "supporter," a gang of thugs used by Athaliah to bully others, as in this case.
24:9 See Ex 30:11-16 for details about the half-shekel tax. It was a one-time fund-raising tax then. It was not commanded to be collected regularly. The tax was taken as a precedent in this situation to raise funds for the restoration of the temple.
24:14 The parallel passage in 2 Kg 12:13-16 says that the temple utensils were not made from the gold andsilver given for the temple restoration. The articles were made out of the surplus funds after the restoration was completed.
24:15 Long life is a sign of God's blessing, and so many understand the number "130" to be symbolic of that blessing rather than Jehoiada's actual age at death. It is unusual enough that the Chronicler recorded his age at death. There seems to be no reason not to understand his age literally, except that it was much longer than a normal lifespan.
24:21 Jesus may have referred to this incident (Mt 23:35; Lk 11:51).
25:1 Amaziah ruled from 796–782 b.c.
25:4 See Dt 24:16.
25:24 E. R. Thiele suggests that it was likely during Amaziah's captivity that Uzziah his son became co-regent.
26:3 Uzziah became co-regent in 792 b.c. Beginning in 767 b.c. he ruled in his own right until 740 b.c.
26:10 "Fertile lands" is from the Hebrew word, karmel, "orchard, tree farm." It is not a reference to the Carmel mountain range in the north, but to a place south of Hebron.
26:14 Unlike earlier times when the militias provided their own weapons, the king provided the material means for war.
26:15 Some have interpreted these "devices" to be catapults used to throw arrows and stones. However, such weapons were not otherwise known until 400 b.c. Ancient murals of the siege of Lachish (shortly after Uzziah's time) show defensive constructs on the walls, wooden frameworks holding shields in place, protecting archers and other defenders (Yigdal Yadin, The Art of Warfare in Biblical Lands). This appears to be the best explanation for this verse.
26:19 Only priests were to offer incense, according to the law (Nm 16:40). This was the sin of Aaron's sons (Lv 10:1). "Skin disease" is traditionally, "leprosy." (This was not necessarily Hansen's disease, what modern doctors call leprosy.)
26:21 Uzziah's quarantine was required by Mosaic law (Lv 13:46; Nm 5:1-14; 12:15). His disease required his son to be appointed as co-regent.
26:22 The Chronicler's source is not the canonical book of Isaiah, but some other record. We know that Isaiah had a government position and had access to government records, as well as being an eyewitness to Uzziah's reign. It was in the year that Uzziah died that Isaiah was called by the Lord to become His prophet (Is 6:1).
27:1 Jotham's co-regency was 750–740 b.c. His official reign lasted until 735 b.c.
27:6 The principle declared here is one of the main themes of the Chronicler: When one obeys the Lord, success follows. Disaster comes when one forgets what one's success is based upon (as happened in the case of Jotham's father, Uzziah).
28:1 Ahaz reigned from 735–715 b.c.
28:15 This event reminds us of Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan, where a Samaritan helped a Judean in need (Lk 10:30-37).
29:1 Hezekiah ruled from 715–686 b.c. Although the material in 2 Kg 18-20 was substantially the same size as that given to Hezekiah here, the two accounts overlap one another very little.
29:2 The Chronicler wrote more about Hezekiah than any other king except David or Solomon. But unlike the books of Kg, in which Hezekiah's religious reforms are handled in one verse, the Chronicler devoted three chapters (chaps. 29–31) to them.
29:16 The "Kidron Valley" was a burial place, and so the proper place for the "detestable things." According to Mosaic law, corpses were unclean (Lv 22:4; Nm 19:13).
29:20 The events of vv. 20-24 and vv. 25-30 probably occurred at the same time.
29:21 "For the kingdom" probably referred to the royal dynasty.
30:2-3 Passover was normally held on the first month of the year (Ex 12:2; Lv 23:5; Nm 9:5). But exceptions were not unknown for those who had been unclean because of contact with a corpse or who had been traveling (Nm 9:10-11). Both of these exceptions were applied here. The temple and the nation were unclean due to contact with Ahaz's idols. The burial of the idols in the Kidron Valley was an important symbol in this respect (29:16). In addition, because the northern kingdom was invited to the feast, time was needed for the journey. Also, Jeroboam had changed the religious calendar by one month (1 Kg 12:32-33).
30:5 "From Beer-sheba to Dan" was the theoretical extent of the nation's territory (see 1 Ch 21:2).
30:7 See Zch 1:2-6 for a very similar exhortation. Repentance is always available.
30:25 One purpose of the nation of Israel was to declare the glory of the Lord to the nations (see Ex 6:1-6). Non-Israelites, "foreigners," had always been welcome at Passover (see Ex 12:48-49).
31:2 "Camp of the Lord": the Chronicler used the image of the tabernacle in the wilderness, another time of spiritual renewal for the nation, to refer to the temple.
31:3 Evidently Ahaz had discontinued the morning and evening offerings.
31:10 "Azariah" named here is not the same Azariah named in 26:17, nor is this one mentioned in the list of high priests in 1 Ch 6:3-15.
32:1 According to Sennacherib's own records of this campaign, he claimed to have conquered 46 Judean cities.
32:18 "They": 2 Kg 18:28 says more specifically that it was Rabshakeh who was the Assyrian spokesman before the walls of Jerusalem.
32:24 "In those days"; that is, the days following the confrontation with the Assyrians.
32:30 This is the famous "Hezekiah's tunnel" where the Siloam inscription was cut into the wall of the tunnel as work was still going on. (See 2 Kg 20:20.)
32:33 Other possible meanings of the Hebrew word for "ascent" are "upper storey, platform." The actual architectural reference is unclear. It could have been the upper level of a multilayered tomb, or even an expression of a finer quality of tomb.
33:1 Manasseh's reign began with a co-regency with Hezekiah from 697–686 b.c. He continued to reign after Hezekiah's death until 642 b.c.
33:3 The use of the plural for "Baals" indicates that many competing deities were being worshiped.
33:6 See Dt 18:9-13 for similar language. Manasseh was the personification of doing "everything wrong."
33:12 The parallel account in 2 Kg 21:1-18 does not mention this repentance, but is completely negative in its evaluation of Manasseh. The Chronicler was always ready to point out the constant availability of repentance to the believer.
33:17 The people clearly did not understand the law, where sacrifices were only to be done at the temple. The language suggests Levites were not present, but that the people themselves were conducting the sacrifices. At best, the place and context of this "worship" were inappropriate and ignorant of the law; at worst, it was deliberate syncretism.
33:21 Amon reigned from 642–640 b.c.
33:24 Since Amon was a vassal of Assyria at a time when Assyria was appearing weaker on the international scene, perhaps the conspirators were pro-Egyptian.
33:25 This execution was probably made to avoid retaliation by Assyria.
34:1 Josiah reigned from 640–609 b.c. Assyria's power declined during this period, allowing Josiah greater independence and freedom of action.
34:2 Along with Josiah, Hezekiah is the only other king who is compared to David in a positive manner (29:2).
34:3 In the "eighth year" Josiah would have been 16 years old, and 20 years old in his twelfth year (the year of his majority) when he began his cleansing of Judah.
34:6 After the fall of Samaria in 722 b.c. Josiah would have had more influence on the former northern kingdom. Although still officially an Assyrian province, that empire was pre-occupied with power struggles in Mesopotamia.
34:8 Josiah was now 26 years old and exerting his full authority as king.
34:14 Many if not most scholars believe this "book of the law" was the book of Dt. Because it is referred to as the "book of the covenant" (34:30; see Ex 24:7; 2 Kg 23:2, 21), it is also possible that the entire five books of Moses were present together.
34:30 "Book of the covenant": see note on 34:14.
35:3 There is no record of the ark having been removed from the temple. It could have happened during Ahaz's reign with the introduction of idols into the temple area (2 Kg 16:10-16), or it might have occurred during Manasseh's reign (33:7).
35:21 Neco was moving north to support Assyria against Babylonia, who was successfully pushing against Assyria's southern flanks. Josiah's motivation must have been that anything bad for Assyria was good for Israel. There is no evidence that Josiah was in any way formally allied with Babylonia.
35:25 This book of "the Dirges" (laments) for Josiah is not to be confused with the canonical book of Lamentations, which includes laments over Jerusalem's fate. The Dirges work is lost to us.
36:2 Jehoahaz's "three months" occurred in 609 b.c.
36:5 Jehoiakim reigned from 609–598 b.c. See also the prophecy of Jeremiah for additional information about his reign (Jr 26).
36:6 Jehoiakim was an Egyptian vassal, but Egypt could not protect him.
36:9 Jehoiachin's reign was in 598–597 b.c. "18 years old": the Masoretic Text reads "eight years old," but the Septuagint and 2 Kg 24:8 agree he was 18 years of age. In addition to this, Babylonian records show that Jehoiachin had five sons in 592 b.c., five years after his exile. All of this leads to the conclusion that a scribe made an error here in the Masoretic Text.
36:11 Zedekiah's reign was from 597 b.c. until the fall of Jerusalem in 586 b.c. More information about Zedekiah may be found in 2 Kg 24:18–25:7; Jr 27:1–28:17; 34:1-22; 37:1–38:28; 39:1-7; 52:1-11.
36:21 See Lv 26:34-35,43; Jr 25:11-12; 29:10. The Babylonian exile extended from the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 b.c. to the dedication of the rebuilt temple in 516 b.c.
36:22 Verses 22-23 are verbatim with Ez 1:1-3; many believe a later editor copied these from the book of Ezr to show the historical connection and continuity of these books. The "first year" of Cyrus was 539 b.c.
36:23 Thus the Chronicler brought his story up to his own time, leaving his readers with the possibility of hope through repentance and the freedom to return and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. See Jr 25:11-14; 28:10; Ezk 1:2-4; 6:2-5.