THE
PULPIT CO_MMENTARY, EDITED BY THE
VERY REV. H. D. M. 'SPENCE, D.D., DEAN OF GLOUCESTER;
AND BY THE
REV. JOSEPH S. EXELL, M.A.
WITH
INTRODUCTIONS BY THE
VERY REV. F. W. FARRAR, D.D., F.R.S., DEAN OF CANTERBURY. RIGHT REV. H. COTTERILL, D.D., F.R.S.E. VERY REV. PRINCIPAL J. TULLOCH, D.D. REV. CANON G. RAWLINSON, M.A. REV. A. PLUMMER, M.A.., D.D.
NEW EDITION.
FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY LONDON AND NEW YORK 1906 .PRINTED IIV WlLI..I.A.M CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED, LONDON AND BECCLI:S..
(Tiu rirf,u oflr1UU/,Z,tilJn and q/ ,-ep,-odu;;ti,m are ,-e,e1'1Jcd.) THE
PULPIT COMMENTARY, EDITED BY THB
VERY REV. H. D. M. SPENCE, D.D., DEAN OF GLOUOEBTEB;
AND BY THB
REV. JOSEPH S. EXELL, M.A.
I. CHRONICLES. @xposftion anb ~omfletfcs BY REV. PHILIP C. BARKER, M.A., LL. B TIOil 01' BUISIITOlf.
'f!1omflfcs b~ Farious !autf)ors. REV. PROF. J. R. THOMSON, M.A. REV. R. TUCK, B.A. f.EV. W. CLARKSON, B.A. REV. F. WHITFIELD, M.A. REV. RICHARD GLOVER, D.D.
NEW EDITION.
FUNK & W.A.GN.A.LLS COMP.A.NY LONDON AND NEW YORK 1906 THE
FIRST BOOK OF THE CIIRONICLES. INTRODUCTION.
§ I. TITLE. I. The Hebrew title of the Chronicles is C1ti1i1 11::i"'!. The literal trans- lation of the title is " Verba dierum ; " and is s~T ~ff~~ed us by Jerome (born 331, died 422), in the preface to his work on Kings, which he na.med on account of its apologetic character, 'Prologue Galeatus in Libros Regum.' By Hilarins, Bishop of Poictiers (born circ. 300, died 368), in his ' Prologns in Librnm Psalm.,' the same title is translated, "Serrnones dieru.m." 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 eh. xxi.x. 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, eitheI literally or figuratively; and in the other three instances, if it were so rendered, it could only mean the written wonlB 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 Rernm Gestarum,' Sallust, 'Jugnrtha,' iv.). The exact form of words which constitutes the title of this book is not found at all in t.he work entitled Samuel (which is essentially one with Kings), and probably for no more important reason than this, that, being thus aB it were the former half of one whole work, it had not arrived at the point where historical sources womd need to be cited. In point of fa.et, 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 xiv. 19. It is somewhat more remarkable that the exact phrase is found but once in Chronicles ( eh. xxvii. 24). It is also found once in Nehemiah, and three times in Esther, and in almost all cases it is preceded by the word ,~i;:,, a writing, or book. I, CHRON~CLEB, b 497 Ii INTRODUCTION TO
2. The SeptnR.gint (t.mnslation made prohably about n.o. 280, Bt Alcxan- uria,, from older Hebrew manuscripts than any we have) provides as a titlo for t.l1e work now before us the word IlapaXn1ro,u.lvwv--the rmbstantivu /3,/3,\fov, accompanied or not by one of the first two ordinals, being under- stood before the genitive. The idea of the translators of the Septuagint, or of thrnse, whoever they were, who fixed on this title, seems to have boen that Chronicles had much of the appearance of supplementing former historical works. The Greek word is Latinized for us by Jerome, into Pra,termissorwm, i.e. the book of things omitted. But this is not all; for Jerome, in his' Epistle ad Paulinum,' speaks of this work as "Instrmnenti Veteris Epitome;" and in the same paragraph adds, a little further on," Per singula quippe nomina junctnrasqne Verborum, et prretermissoo in Regum Libris tanguntur hist.orim, et innumerabiles explicantur Evangelii qurestiones." Jerome, therefore, evidently had present to his mind the fuller description of Chronicles as an "Epitome Instrumenti Veteris," as well as containing "Prm~ermissm in Libris Regum Historire." To the same effect, we find in the 'Synopsis Scripturre Sac.rre,' a treatise ranked among the dubia opera of St. Athanasius (born circ. 298, died 373), the remark, "Many things which had been omitted in Kings are comprised in these books," i.e. the Books of Chronicles. Once more, faidore (born circ. 565, died 636), Bishop of Seville, says, "Paralipomenon Grmce dicitur, qnod prretermissorum vel reliquorum nos dicere possumus, quia ea qum in Lege, vel in Regum Libris vel omissa vel non plene relate. sunt, in isto summatini et breviter explicantia" (' Origines,' vi. 1). 3. The Vulgate (executed by Jerome direct from the Hebrew text, about .LD. 385-405, and accepted since the time ,J Gregory I., 540-604, o:i- since the Cm:.ncil of Trent, as the authentic and C'Urrent text, thence termed Vn.lgate) shows in the place of the superscriptioa, both the Hebrew and the Septuagint titles, viz. Dibre Hajamin and P=lipomenon, written re. spectively in ordinary Latin characters. Some lator Latin ecclesiastical writers have UBed the words "Ephemeridum libri " n,s an equivalent of the Hebrew title. The :i,ppropriateness as a literal translation.(' Cic. pro P. Quintio,' 18, 57) may suffice; 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 ' Prologue Galeatus in Libros Regum ' already referred to, Jerome appends to the Hebrew title the critique, "Quod signifi- cantius Olvroniwn. totius divinm historim possamus appellare." Some of the editions of the Vulgate show this title, "Chronica," or "Chronicora~ Liber." It would seem evident that the desiderated title should express, m the most general form, the idea of a clvronowgical record; and perhaps the word Chronicles answers to this in the least exceptionable way. This title we.a adopted by Luther (born 1483, died 1546), and remains in use through- out the German Church. It may now be added that the treatment of the THE FinS'l' BOOK OF THE CHil.ONICLES. iii
matter of title, on the part both of Jerorno and tho Septuagint translator 8 long before, evidences that what wo call the Hebrew title waFI not in their opinion any part of the origimi.l work. If it had been, they would not havo presumed so to tamper with it.