《The Pulpit Commentaries – 1 Chronicles (Vol. 1)》(Joseph S. Exell)

Contents and the Editors

One of the largest and best-selling homiletical commentary sets of its kind. Directed by editors Joseph Exell and Henry Donald Maurice Spence-Jones, The Pulpit Commentary drew from over 100 authors over a 30 year span to assemble this conservative and trustworthy homiletical commentary set. A favorite of pastors for nearly 100 years, The Pulpit Commentary offers you ideas and insight on "How to Preach It" throughout the entire Bible.

This in-depth commentary brings together three key elements for better preaching:

·  Exposition-with thorough verse-by-verse commentary of every verse in the Bible.

·  Homiletics-with the "framework" or the "big picture" of the text.

·  Homilies-with four to six sermons sample sermons from various authors.

In addition, this set also adds detailed information on biblical customs as well as historical and geographical information, and translations of key Hebrew and Greek words to help you add spice to your sermon.

All in all, The Pulpit Commentary has over 22,000 pages and 95,000 entries from a total of 23 volumes. The go-to commentary for any preacher or teacher of God's Word.
About the Editors

Rev. Joseph S. Exell, M.A., served as the Editor of Clerical World, The Homiletical Quarterly and the Monthly Interpreter. Exell was also the editor for several large commentary sets like The Men of the Bible, The Pulpit Commentary, Preacher's Homiletic Library and The Biblical Illustrator.

Henry Donald Maurice Spence-Jones was born in London on January 14, 1836. He was educated at Corpus Christi, Cambridge where he received his B.A. in 1864. He was ordered deacon in 1865 and ordained as a priest is the following year. He was professor of English literature and lecturer in Hebrew at St. David's College, Lampeter, Wales from 1865-1870. He was rector of St. Mary-de-Crypt with All Saints and St. Owen, Gloucester from 1870-1877 and principal of Gloucester Theological College 1875-1877. He became vicar and rural dean of St. Pancras, London 1877-1886, and honorary canon since 1875. He was select preacher at Cambridge in 1883,1887,1901, and 1905, and at Oxford in 1892 and 1903. In 1906 he was elected professor of ancient history in the Royal Academy. In theology he is a moderate evangelical. He also edited The Pulpit Commentary (48 vols., London, 1880-97) in collaboration with Rev. J. S. Exell, to which he himself contributed the section on Luke, 2 vols., 1889, and edited and translated the Didache 1885. He passed away in 1917 after authoring numerous individual titles.

00 Introduction

Introduction.

§ 1. TITLE.

1. The Hebrew title of the Chronicles is דִּבְרֵי<sup> </sup> הַיָּמִים. The literal translation of the title is "Verba dierum;" and is so offered us by Jerome, in the preface to his work on Kings, which he named on account of its apologetic character, 'Prologus Galeatus in Libros Regum.' By Hilarius, Bishop of Poictiers, in his 'Prologus in Librum Psalm.,' the same title is translated, "Set,ones dierum." But there is no doubt that the idiomatic rendering would rather be, "Acta, or Res gestae, dierum." This generic rendering will most nearly cover the different shades of meaning attaching to the Hebrew word, in all those cases in which the simplest translation, "words," would not be the correct one, as, for instance, in 1 Chronicles 29:29. In this verse the term occurs as many as four times. In the first instance it is impossible to render it as though it meant words, either literally or figuratively; and in the other three instances, If it were so rendered, it could only mean the written words of history. Some generic term, therefore, like "history," or "acts," will best express its significance, and probably the former of these better than the latter ('Memoria Rerum Gestarum,' Sallust, 'Jugurtha,' 4.). The exact form of words which constitutes the title of this book is not found at all in the work entitled Samuel (which is essentially one with Kings), and probably for no more important reason than this, that, being thus as it were the former half of one whole work, it had not arrived at the point where historical sources would need to be cited. In point of fact, it may be said that scarcely one such reference occurs in Samuel. In the Books of Kings, however, we find this expression not fewer than thirty-one times, beginning with 1 Kings 14:19. It is somewhat more remarkable that the exact phrase is found but once in Chronicles (1 Chronicles 27:24). It is also found once in Nehemiah, and three times in Esther, and in almost all cases it is preceded by the word סֵפֶר, a writing, or book.

2. The Septuagint provides as a title for the work now before us the word παραλειπομε ì<sup>νων</sup> — the substantive βιβλι ì<sup>ον</sup>, accompanied or not by one of the first two ordinals, being understood before the genitive. The idea of the translators of the Septuagint, or of those, whoever they were, who fixed on this title, seems to have been that Chronicles had much of the appearance of supplementing former historical works. The Greek word is Latinized for us by Jerome, into Praetermissorum, i.e. the book of things omitted. But this is not all; for Jerome, in his 'Epistle ad Paulinum,' speaks of this work as "Instrumenti Veteris Epitome;" and in the same paragraph adds, a little further on, "Per singula quippe nomina juncturasque Verborum, et praetermissae in Regum Libris tanguntur historiae, et innumerabiles explicantur Evangelii quaestiones." Jerome, therefore, evidently had present to his mind the fuller description of Chronicles as an "Epitome Instrumenti Veteris," as well as containing "Praetermissae in Libris Regum Historiae." To the same effect, we find in the 'Synopsis Scripturae Sacrae,' a treatise ranked among the dubia opera of St. Athanasius, the remark, "Many things which had been omitted in Kings are comprised in these books," i.e. the Books of Chronicles. Once more, Isidore, Bishop of Seville, says, "Paralipomenon Graece dicitur, quod praetermissorum vel reliquornm nos dicere possumus, quia ea quae in Lege, vel in Regum Libris vel omissa vel non plene relata sunt, in isto summatini eg breviter explicantia" ('Origines,' 6:1).

3. The Vulgate shows in the place of the superscription, both the Hebrew and the Septuagint titles, viz. Dibre Hajamin and Paralipomenon, written respectively in ordinary Latin characters. Some later Latin ecclesiastical writers have used the words "Ephemeridum libri" as an equivalent of the Hebrew title. The appropriateness as a literal translation ('Cic. pro P. Quintio,' 18, 57) may suiffice; but this will not be an idiomatic equivalent, nor could many portions of Chronicles be very fitly resembled to the contents of what we mean in the present day by diary or calendar.

4. Our own English title, "Chronicles," dates from the time of Jerome. In the same passage of the 'Prologus Galeatus in Libros Regum' already referred to, Jerome appends to the Hebrew title the critique, "Quod significantius Chronicon totius divinae historiae possumus appellare." Some of the editions of the Vulgate show this title, "Chronica," or "Chronicorum Liber." It would seem evident that the desiderated title should express, in the most general form, the idea of a chronological record; and perhaps the word Chronicles answers to this in the least exceptionable way. This title was adopted by Luther, and remains in use throughout the German Church. It may now be added that the treatment of the matter of title, on the part both of Jerome and the Septuagint translators long before, evidences that what we call the Hebrew title was not in their opinion any part of the original work. If it had been, they would not have presumed so to tamper with it.

§ 2. THE ORIGINAL FORM OF THE WORK.

Chronicles was not originally divided into two parts in the Hebrew manuscripts. On the contrary, Jerome ('Ad Domnion et Rogatian') says that these remained undivided even in his time, although the division had been made by the Septuagint translators, and had long been recognized among those Churches that used the Septuagint. Jerome adopted the division in his Vulgate. Daniel Bomberg was the first to exhibit the division in a printed Hebrew Bible, in his edition at Venice, and from these sources the division has now become universal. The notes of the Masorites, from the sixth century, or even somewhat earlier, also witness to the then undivided state of the Hebrew manuscripts, by the incidental mention of the fact that the bisecting verse of the work was to be found at what we now call 1 Chronicles 27:25. Other evidences, were they needed, are somewhat abundantly offered in the ancient numeration of the Old Testament books, by Josephus (A.D. 37-97), Origen (186-254), Jerome, and the Talmud (supposed to belong to the second century). In case, then, anything in the further consideration of this work should be found to depend upon it, we may remember that the work as originally composed was one, and embraced the whole sweep of Scripture history in an epitomized form epitomized, indeed, in parts to the proportions of a mere recital of names — from Adam to a date succeeding the return from the Captivity. And the only remaining problem on this part of the subject is whether the Book of Ezra, as it certainly is an immediate continuation of the closing verses of Chronicles, was not also really one work with it, as is believed by many.

§ 3. THE DATE OF COMPILATION.

Assuming the integrity and unity of Chronicles, right down to the verses which appear with us as 2 Chronicles 36:22, 23, and excluding the theories of later interpolations, we undoubtedly possess certain time-marks which fix some irrefragable dates within which the work could not have been compiled. Thus, e.g., beginning with the last, so far as its position in our work is concerned, the above-mentioned verses necessarily bring us to the year B.C. 539-8. Next, the ninth chapter opens, in our Hebrew text, with a form of statement which purports to terminate the subject of the genealogies (ending at different times, and in part with Hezekiah's reign) of the preceding eight chapters, by the mention of "the carrying away of Israel and Judah to Babylon, for their transgressions;" while the Masoretic text, placing a full period at the word "Israel," makes the mention of Judah's captivity yet more emphatic as a thing of the past. The compiler then proceeds (1Ch. 9:2-35) to describe the course things took in the partial resettlement of the "Israelites, priests, Levites, and Nethinim, in their cities," on the return from the Captivity, and likewise of the "children of Judah and Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh, in Jerusalem." That there is no error in regarding this as the just sense of the passage becomes absolutely plain from the contents of Nehemiah 11:3-22; further aided by 7:45; 12:25, 26; Ezra 2:42. On this evidence, then, unless we gratuitously set down nearly the whole of 1 Chronicles 9. as a later addition, we bring the compilation to a date subsequent to the return and the partial resettlement of those who returned, some "in the cities," and some "in Jerusalem." Once more, the remarkable genealogy of Zerubbabel (1 Chronicles 3:17-24) is clear evidence in point. Either these verses must be proved to be an interpolation or addition by a later hand (as is held by Eichhorn, Dallier, Jahn, Keil), or we are brought down to a still lower date. Even when (with Bertheau) we have counted the six entries of ver. 21 as names all of brothers, six generations (Hananiah, Shechaniah, Shemaiah, Neariah, Elioenai, Hodaiah) appear to succeed Zerubbabel. However, Keil, Movers, Havernick, and others think that Zerubbabel's genealogy in this passage really stops with the grandsons Pelatiah and Jesaiah. And there is some reason for supposing with Bishop. Hervey, that these six names should not stand as six generations after Zerubbabel. But if both of these theories be inadmissible, we are still not necessarily driven to Prideaux's position, that the six generations, and the average length which he assumes for them, will bring us to the time of Alexander the Great, B.C. 356-324. There can be little doubt that he over-estimates the average of Eastern generations, and, if this be reduced to twenty years, we shall only be brought to a date varying between B.C. 420-410, within the probable lifetime of Nehemiah, and the very possible lifetime of Ezra. While, then, such a date as this is probably the latest which needs to be accepted, it stands to reason that the limit at the other extremity must not be placed simply at the time of the Return. In the nature of things, a work like the Chronicles, though but a matter of compilation, could not be executed offhand and rapidly at such a time. On the contrary, the unsettledness and the stir of the times would constitute the unlikeliest of conditions. Our general conclusion would be that, judging from infernal evidence, the date of compilation must be placed between a limit some several years subsequent to the Return and the year B.C. 410 or thereabout — how much nearer the latter than the former still uncertain. It may be added that Movers proposes the date B.C. 400, and that Zunz calculates the date r.c. 260 ('Gottesd. Vort der Juden,' § 31).

The evidence arising from style of authorship — of necessity limited and inconclusive in the matter of a compilation, but which, so far as it goes, favours the belief that Ezra himself was the compiler; and the evidence arising from style of diction, which exhibits many points of similarity with that of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther — certainly one Persian word, and not a few Aramaic peculiarities, such as the use of he for aleph, and the full forms of kholem and khirik — do indeed entirely harmonize with the position that the compilation was subsequent to the Return. Unfortunately, it is scarcely within their reach to point the exacter date with anything like certainty. Were it possible to identify Ezra positively as author or compiler, it need not be said that the limits of the inquiry would be very much narrowed. But it is just this which it is impossible to do. Of Chronicles, together with Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, Gesenius, in the Introduction to his 'Hebrew Grammar,' says that, as literary works, they are very "inferior to those of earlier date."