The OT history up through Moses is covered in the 5 Books of Moses (the Pentateuch). Then we have Joshua, Judges, Ruth. Joshua, as we know, took over for Moses and led the conquest of the Holy Land, followed by a period of judges. Ruth is there because we need the ancestry of David. OK fine, then things get a bit less structured (or far enough into the Bible, that it wasn’t regularly covered in Sunday school).
Namely, determining which periods of time are covered in 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 1 Chronicles, and 2 Chronicles gets a bit trickier. The purpose of this page is to sort out the coverage of these books.
Coverage by 1/2 Samuel and 1/2 Kings
These 4 books are chronological. They do operate as a set. Cover ‘all’ of the Holy Land, both during the united period and divided period (north and south).
1 Samuel
• Author: Unknown. Traditionally attributed to the prophet Samuel, with contributions from Nathan and Gad (based on 1 Chronicles 29:29). However, the final form was likely compiled later by an editor.
• Time Period Covered: Approximately 1100–1010 BC.
• Covers the end of the period of the Judges, the rise of the monarchy, the life of Samuel, the reign of Saul (40 years, 1050-1010 BC), and the introduction of David.
2 Samuel
• Author: Traditionally the prophet Samuel, as as above.
• Time Period Covered: Approximately 1010–970 BC, the reign of David.
• Focuses on the reign of David, from his consolidation of power to his death.
1 Kings
• Author: Unknown. Traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, though this is debated. It was likely compiled by an editor after the events it describes.
• Time Period Covered: Approximately 970–853 BC.
• Covers the reign of Solomon (970-930 BC), the division of the kingdom into Israel (northern kingdom) and Judah (southern kingdom), and the reigns of various kings up to the time of Ahab, the 8th King in the north (yep, famous for his wicked wife Jezebel). In the south, the last kind to appear is Jehoshaphat.
2 Kings
• Author: same as above.
• Time Period Covered: Approximately 853–586 BC. The full exile (official exile) began in 586 BC.
• Covers the history of the divided kingdoms (Israel and Judah), the fall of Israel to Assyria (722 BC), and the fall of Judah to Babylon (586 BC).
Coverage by 1/2 Chronicles
OK, this is the full reset. Goes back to Adam —as it should if you are going to call your book Chronicles. Regarding the decided kingdom (and thereafter), the history (focus) is mainly the southern kingdom (Judah). Northern kingdom (Israel) is mentioned some, especially as they interact with the south.
Authorship of 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles
• Traditional View: Jewish tradition attributes 1 and 2 Chronicles to Ezra the scribe (based on similarities in language and themes with the book of Ezra). However, the author is unnamed, and the final compilation is often referred to as the work of “the Chronicler.”
• Modern View: Scholars agree the books were written or compiled after the Babylonian exile, around 400–350 BC, based on earlier records such as the books of Samuel and Kings, as well as genealogical and temple records.
Time Period Covered
The two books primarily focus on the southern kingdom (Judah), with little attention to the northern kingdom (Israel), except as it relates to Judah.
Getting the time period for 1&2 Chronicles is a challenge. Here are a few comments.
- Genealogy makes up the first 9 chapters (the sons of _ were, _ and _ …), beginning with Adam through the return of the exiles. Lists of names of people, while it is what many think of when then think of Chronicles, it is only about one-eighth of 1&2 Chronicles. Beginning in Chapter 10, through the end of 2 Chronicles, is historic narrative (the large majority of these books).
- This historical narrative is lengthy, but not comprehensive. It focuses on the reigns of King David and son, Solomon, and on the southern Kingdom, of Judah. The kings of the northern Kingdom of Israel, are not included; neither is the Assyrian take-over and exile. The destruction of Judah and Jerusalem (which occurred in 586 BC) and the subsequent Babylonian Exile are included, but very briefly. In the final chapter of 2 Chronicles (chapter 36) there are only 5 verses describing the Babylonian take-over and destruction of Judah and Jerusalem and The Exile. An then 2 verses telling that King Cyrus of Persia decreed that the people could return to their land.
- Therefore, I suggest a couple things. I think these are good suggestions for reading most any book of the Bible, but especially true for 1&2 Chronicles.
- Have a timeline handy and match what you are reading to the timeline. 2 Chronicles 36:22 says “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the…”, but the year (in our modern numbering system) is not given. A Bible timeline would show that Cyrus conquered the Babylonians in 539 BC and made this decree in (his first year) in 538 BC. I have some timelines here.
- Have an outline handy of the book of the Bible so you can see the big picture and know the context of what you are reading. Some books are a steady flow, some are not. I have links to Bible Book Outlines here.
1 Chronicles:
• Genealogies (Chapters 1–9): From Adam to the post-exilic community.
• Narrative (Chapters 10–29): Focuses on the reign of David, including his preparation for the temple, military victories, and organization of the priesthood and Levites.
• Time Period: Covers the time from Adam to David’s death (c. 970 BC).
2 Chronicles:
• Covers the reign of Solomon (Chapters 1–9), including the building and dedication of the temple.
• Chronicles the kings of Judah from Rehoboam (Solomon’s son) to Zedekiah, the last king of Judah (Chapters 10–36).
• Ends with the decree of Cyrus of Persia (539 BC), allowing the Jews to return from exile.
• Time Period: From 970 BC (Solomon’s reign) to 539 BC (Cyrus’s decree).
Purpose of Chronicles
• Written to encourage the post-exilic community by highlighting God’s faithfulness to His covenant with David and the centrality of temple worship.
• It presents Judah’s history with a theological lens, focusing on:
• The Davidic line.
• The temple and proper worship.
• The consequences of faithfulness or unfaithfulness to God.
Then…
1/2 Chronicles is followed by Ezra and written by the same author (traditionally, Ezra). Ezra was a post-exile priest and scribe. Worked with Nehemiah—yep who writes them next book. More on the trifecta, Ezra; Nehemiah; Esther, can be found elsewhere.
One More Note
I find an interesting pattern in the Bible. It is fairly common for a particular author to write about the period prior to them living (to lay the groundwork and set up their own story) and then follow it with a history of their own time and their own activities. I’ll give 3 examples follow. I’m using the traditional view of the authorship, but I fully admit that the practical putting together of the text of the OT did involve other human editors. Having said that, it does not take away the fact that the Bible is the Word of God and God-breathed.
- Moses – wrote all 5 of books of the Pentateuch, which begin with “In the beginning,” through the patriarchs (Genesis). Then he tells of his own 120 year life (Exodus, plus 3).
- Samuel – If we assume that Samuel wrote the book of Judges, he begins with the period of the judges. Then, in 1 Samuel, we get his birth and his anointing of Saul and then David.
- Ezra – wrote 1/2 Chronicles laying the groundwork and then his own story, of being a post-exile priest.
