Study notes

1 Chronicles 9

Introducing 1 ChroniclesWho wrote it, when, why, and what to look for as you read

1:1–9:34 Section

The family lines recorded in 1 Chronicles start with Adam. They stop around the year 538 BC. That is when Cyrus allowed Jews living in Babylon to return to Judah.

These family lines were a short way to describe the entire history of God’s people. That history was told in the books of the Bible from Genesis to 2 Kings. After Adam, the family lines follow many people that God chose to make a covenant with. This includes Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David.

The family lines also follow people groups that God didn’t make a covenant with. This includes the families of Ishmael and Esau. These families were important in the history of the 12 tribes of Israel. The family lines follow Jacob’s sons except for Dan and Zebulun. They were part of the northern kingdom.

1 Chronicles made something clear about the tribes of the northern kingdom. They never returned from Assyria. That is where they had been forced to live in exile. 1 Chronicles also made something clear about God. God answered people who cried out to him and trusted him for help. This was true when Jabesh prayed (prayer). It was true when the tribes east of the River Jordan prayed during a battle.

The family lines focus on the tribes of Judah and of Levi and on King David. 1 Chronicles follows these family lines until the end of the exile of the southern kingdom. This helped Jews to understand something important. They had faced the covenant curses. They had been forced to leave the land God had given them. But God was still faithful to them. Those who had returned to Judah should remember David’s example. They should remember the example of the Levites David appointed. They should obey the Mount Sinai covenant and worship God faithfully.

9:1

  • The statement that all Israel was listed in the genealogical records highlights the Chronicler’s main idea. It shows that all Israel was represented by the Judean community during the Chronicler's time, maintaining a connection with Israel’s past.

  • The Book of the Kings of Israel was a source document used by the authors of both Kings and Chronicles, but it is now lost (see also study note on 1 Kings 14:19–20).

  • The people of Judah were exiled due to unfaithfulness, just like the other tribes (1 Chronicles 5:25–26; 6:15; see 2 Chronicles 36:20–21).

9:1–34

The Chronicler explains how people and institutions returning from the exile in Babylon connected with the past. The Levites and priests are important in this summary of Israel. The Chronicler believes they were central to the nation's organization. They were vital to Israel's success as a nation with God as king. The Chronicler used ancient records from Moses and David (1 Chronicles 9:19–22) to describe each group's homeland and rank.

9:3–9

lived in Jerusalem: Jerusalem was always central to Israel. People from all tribes lived there, both before and after the exile in Babylon. This statement confirms that some members of the northern tribes returned from exile.

9:30

The priests mixed the spices for use in the tabernacle and temple. This blend was not for everyday use (Exodus 30:34–38).

9:34

  • The mention of Jerusalem reminds readers of the start (1 Chronicles 9:3) and describes all of Israel by its leaders in that city.

  • In explaining the duties of the priests and Levites, the Chronicler mainly focused on the leaders of Levite families (1 Chronicles 9:10–33).

9:35–20:8 Section

Saul and his family line didn’t continue to rule as kings in Israel. This was because Saul wasn’t faithful to the Lord. As a result, God took his love away from Saul. This didn’t mean that God stopped loving Saul and started hating him. It meant that God chose someone else to be the ruler of the Israelites. God chose David and his family line.

The stories about David recorded in 1 Chronicles show times when David was faithful to God. They don’t include some of the times when David wasn’t faithful. Those stories are recorded in 2 Samuel. 1 Chronicles shows how David asked God for help and for advice about fighting wars. David was an example of how to worship God with much joy. David brought order to the worship practices of the Israelites. He made sure that the Levites followed God’s commands about sacrifices. Those commands were recorded in the Law of Moses. David also made sure that the Levites led the people in praising God. They praised God by singing, dancing and playing instruments. The song in 1 Chronicles chapter 16 includes parts of Psalms 96, 105 and 106.

The stories about David recorded in 1 Chronicles also show something about the Israelites. The entire community supported David as king. This included a special group of mighty warriors. It included the elders and men from all 12 tribes who could fight. It included families and neighbours who brought food to celebrate David as king. David led the Israelites in making decisions together. He led them to make decisions that were according to what God wanted. He did this when they decided to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. This was very different from how the Israelites made decisions in earlier times. During the time of the 12 judges, the people did anything they thought was right (Judges 21:25).

David was the kind of king that the book of Judges showed was needed. David and the Israelites worked hard to fight against people groups that attacked them. They worked hard to build the city of Jerusalem. God blessed the hard work of David and the people and made them successful. This is what the words the Lord was with him mean. It’s also what the words the Lord honoured his kingdom mean. God made David’s rule as king secure by making a covenant with David. God promised to never take his love away from the sons that came after David. This meant that someone from David’s family line would always be king. The Jews who returned from Babylon were waiting for that king to come and rule.

Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources