A Brighter Day Begins with His Word.

John McClintock & James Strong • SECTION 373

Section 373

← McClintock & Strong Cyclopaedia — Volume 2

6. The scrupulous exactness with which the writer excerpte from the original documento is vouched for by the fact of his sometimes retaining the very words,, although involving expressions no longer applicable to bis own time— a practice which, strange to say, has ftimished ground to assail his accuracy. Thus the

CHRONICLES

292

CHRONOLOGY

Simeonites an said to*pos86a» the seats of the Amal- ekites in Mount Seir, dwelling there "unto this day** (1 Chron. iv, 42, 48), althoogh, long prior to the com- podtion of the history, they had been removed from all their possessions. So also, in the aceoant of the re- moval of the ark to Solomon's Temple, it is added, ** and there it is nnto thU day" (2 Chron. v, 9).

c. Bat of more iuiportance is the indireet oonfirma- tion given to several statements in the Chronicles by other passages of Scripture. Thus Hesekiah's prepa- rations in fortifying Jerusalem when threatened by Sennacherib — his stopping the fountains and "the brook that ran through the midst of the land** (2 Chron. xxxii, 1-6), are fully confirmed by Isa. zxii, 8-11. Again, Psalm zlviii, 18, etc., probably refers to the victory of Jehoshaphat (2 Chron. xx). A tor- iher reference to this victory of Jehoshaphat is found in Joel iv [iii] ; the prophetic vision resting on this history, which is thus tiie foundation of the divine judgment on the enemies of the theocracy. (See Hftvemick, EinkUung, II, i, 216.) In the reign of Jehoram the Philistines and Arabians invaded Judah, plundered the royal palace, and carried away the king's sons and wives (2 Chron. xxl, 16, 17). To this incident the prophet Joel refers (ch. iv [ill], 5, 6), where the Philistines are threatened for their plunder- ing of tile Lord's property and sale of the IsraeUtish captives ; the same also in Amos i, 6. The Philistines again, in the time of Ahaz, invaded the south of Ju- dah, and took several important cities (2 Chron. xxviii, 18). With this agrees the prophe<7 of Isa. xiv, 28- 82, which again finds its fhUilment in 2 Kings xviii, 8.

It iB Important also to notice how the Chronicles form a commentary on various passages of the other books, and evince the accuracy of such statements as at first sight seem to contain discrepancies. Thus, in 2 Sam. vii, 5, no reason is assigned why David should not buOd the house of the Lord ; and in 1 Kings v, 17 [8], in the message of Solomon to Hiram, an external reason only is assigned, as the heathen prince could not comprehend the deeper one. This, however, is given in David's communication first to Solomon (1 Chron. xxii, 8), and afterwards to Israel ih assembly (1 Chron. xxviii, 8). The addition, "But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name mi^t be there" (2 Chron. vi, 6, comp. with 1 Kings viii, 16), is exceed- ingly important: the choice of Jerusalem, as the cen- tre of the tftocracy, was dependent on the choice of David to be ruler over Israel — the one was included in the other (2 Sam. vii). The truthfulness of the his- tory may be said to be even attested by the names of the exiles bom shortly before the restoration, fh>m their so naturally reflecting the hopes which about that time must have been strongly entertained. Thus 1 Chron. iii, 19, 20 : Hananiah (Jehovah's grace) \ Ber- echiah (Jehovah^s hletnng) ; Hasadiah {Jehovah* $ mer" cy) ; and Jushabhesed (mercy's return). — Kitto, s. v. ; Smith, s. V. ; Fairbaim, s. v.

VIII. Exegetieal Beips.-^The principal works intro- ductory to these books specially are : Dahler, De Kb. ParaUpomenSn audorkate (Argent. 1819, 8vo) ; Gram- berg, Die Ckromk nach ihrtm ge$chichtl. CharaJUer (Hal- le, 1828, 8vo) ; Movers, Uniers. Hb. d. Chromk (Bonn, 1884, 8vo); Keil, Versueh iOf. d. Chromk (Berl. 1888, 8vo) ; also De Wette, EiH.-krk. UrUer$. Ob. d. BUeher d. Chronikj in his Beitr. tur KriHk des A.T.i, 1-152 ; and against this, Hertz's Vera. s. Vertheid. d. Chromk (Altona, 1822, 8vo). Compare the Einleihmgen of De Wette, Eichhom, Jahn, Hftvemick, Keil, and especial- ly Bleek (1860) ; ahM> Davidson in Home's ItOrodwH. (new ed. ii, 678-688) ; finally, the remarks by Gese- nius, Geseh. d. hebr, Spraehe (Lps. 1815). See Intro- duction.

Express eommeHtarieg on Chronicles are few and defective; in the following list, the most valuable are indicated by an asterisk M prefixed: Jerome, QnuuHones (in his 0pp. [Spuria], iii, 789) ; Theodoret,

(ppp. i, pt. 1) ; Procopiua, SdtoUa (in Cfp, viii,l); Maurus,CbiMNen<am((^.); RashiandKim- chi's CommaUanee (in Buxtorfli Bihiia Hebr. iv); Sarcer, Commentarius (Basil, 1560, 4to); Stiigel, Cam- mentariut (L\ps. 1588, 1691, foL); *Uvater, Commem- taruu (ZtLr. 1578; Heidelberg, 1599, fol.); Leonhart, Bypommemata (Erf. 1606, 1614, 8vo); Serrarins, Com- menuxria (Mogunt. 1609-10, 2 vols. foL) ; Sandns, Commemtarii (Antw. 1624; Lyons, 1625, fiO.); Bon- trim, Commenkariue (Tomaci, 1648, 2 vola. foL) ; Jack- son, AmokOitmee (Cambr. 1646, 2 vols. 4to); Beck, Pairaphratie (^aldaica am noiie (Aug. Yind. 1680, 4eo); Wilkfais, Babbi Joeephi J\irapir. Chtdd. (Cu- tob. 1717; Amsterd. 1725, 4to); Com. a Lapld&Zii. ParaUp, (in his CommemUxria) \ Micbaelis and EaaH bach, in the AmokOionee w Hagioffr. iii, 245 (HaL 1720) ; ^Horsley, Natee (In the BibL CriL i) ; Jettteks, b^A^ln (Vienna, 1885, 8vo); Weisse, fin'nn (Pkagi^, 1886^ 8vo); K5nigsfeldt, Amiotaiionee (Havn. 1889, 8vo); •Bertheau, D. BUcherDer Chromk erUarl (Lpx. 1854, 8vo, being Lief. 15 of the Eseeg. Band. ; also ia English, Edinburgh, 1857, 8vo); Bahmer, Commeatar (Thorn, 1866, fivo, vol. i). See Commektabt.

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