SARA JAPHET

I & II CHRONICLES

A Commentary

Westminster John Knox Press

louisville • london

Copyright © Sara Japhet 1993

First published 1993

by SCM Press Ltd,

26-30 Tottenham Road, London N1 4BZ

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Westminster John Knox Press, 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202-1396.

First American edition

Published in the U.S.A. by Westminster John Knox Press, 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202-1396

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.

ISBN: 978-0-664-22641-1

THE OLD TESTAMENT LIBRARY

Editorial Advisory Board

James L. Mays

Carol A. Newsom

David L. Petersen

CONTENTS

Preface

Abbreviations

Select Bibliography

Introduction

A. Name of the book and its place in the canon

B. Scope and extent of the Chronicler’s work

C. Contents and basic structure

D. The sources and their use

(a) The sources of Chronicles

(b) Sources mentioned in Chronicles

E. The author and his time

F. Text and versions

G. Literary genre and forms

H. Language and style

I. Aim and major theological themes

Commentary

PREFACE

Commentary is a literary genre in its own right, and the writing of commentary is essentially different from all other types of writing, either creative or scholarly. For exegetes forgo all independence and consciously and willingly subordinate themselves to someone else’s work. They do not write about what may interest and attract them, but rather assume total commitment to the work which they are interpreting: it dictates the subjects of their research, the order of priorities among these subjects and even the manner in which these subjects are presented. Hence not only are the subjects of the exegete’s writing and the details of its content determined by the text being interpreted, but also the structure of the commentary and the choice of its components.

In addition to the inevitable yoking of the text and its interpreter, there is a third party. As it is said: ‘a threefold cord is not readily broken!’ (Ecclesiastes 4:12) This third party is the reader to whom both the text and its exegesis are addressed, and without whom they do not truly exist. The exegete, as the ‘first reader’, guides those who follow in his or her footsteps, so that they may see the text with their eyes and hear its voice.

This commentary was written primarily for the readers of the Old Testament Library. Therefore, although my own understanding of the book was acquired in the only way one can attain full understanding of the text, that is, by reading it in the original Hebrew language, my writing is intended not only for the reader who shares knowledge of Hebrew with me, but also for those whose access to Scripture ...