What Is the Background of 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles?

In composing his work the Chronicler used a number of sources, some of which he identified for the reader. It is likely that he used the canonical books of Samuel and Kings (1Ch 9:1; 2Ch 16:11; 20:34; 25:26; 27:7; 28:26; 32:32; 35:27; 36:8). He also used other canonical sources such as Genesis in the genealogies in chaps. 1 and 2 of 1 Chronicles and Psalms in 1Ch 16. He used a number of other sources identified as “chronicles” (1Ch 27:24, 29), “prophecy” (2Ch 9:29), “vision” (2Ch 9:29; 32:32), and “records” (2Ch 12:15; 33:19). The Chronicler has not simply “cut and pasted” his work from these sources, but has selected, crafted, and created from these sources his own skillfully composed literary product. First and Second Chronicles are not mere supplements to the histories of Samuel and Kings. The Chronicler had a unique message and provided his readers with a much-needed perspective on the history of his people. While he assumed that his readers were familiar with the histories in Samuel and Kings, he added a viewpoint intended to enrich their understanding and appreciation of that history.

A question related to the Chronicler’s use of sources is the matter of historical accuracy and reliability. One area where the Chronicler has been questioned is his numerical citations. He has been accused of inflating the numbers (see 1Ch 18:4 compared to 2Sm 8:4; 1Ch 19:18 compared to 2Sm 10:18) and deflating the numbers (see 2Ch 8:10 compared to 1Kg 9:23; 2Ch 9:25 compared to 1Kg 4:26) and other anomalies. However, careful examination of these discrepancies shows that the apparent problem can be explained by scribal errors, or that the supposed discrepancy is a matter of alternative methods of counting (for an explanation of these details, see the comments on the relevant verses). The Chronicler has been shown to be highly reliable as a historian, even in somewhat incidental details (see J. B. Payne, “The Validity of the Numbers in Chronicles,” BibSac 136 [1979], 109–28).