1 Chronicles 1-9

1 Chronicles 1-9

Yes, this is 9 chapters today! If you go through and read these 9 chapters, you will quickly see why. 1 Chronicles does not just begin in 2 Samuel with the story of David. It goes all the way back to the very beginning and starts with Adam. The first 9 chapters of 1 Chronicles outline the genealogy of the human race up to the time of David. In a listing of names, these 9 chapters recount the stories of the creation, the fall, the flood, Abraham’s call, Abraham’s family, the Israelites’ time in Egypt, Moses’ leadership over Israel, the time of Joshua, the dividing of the Promised Land, and Saul’s family. Also in 1 Chronicles 9, those who returned from the Babylonian exile are mentioned, and their story is then picked up in Ezra.


The author of 1 and 2 Chronicles outlines the history of Israel through a very long list of names that can be tough to wade through. Not only do most people not know how to pronounce these names, but it can become monotonous reading through them at times. However, there are all kinds of nuggets buried within these 9 chapters. Although I am not taking the time to go through each one of them individually, thus adding to the idea that these chapters can be somewhat boring, I encourage you to read through them.

While some people are only mentioned in passing, others get a couple of verses explaining who they were and why they were important. For instance, in 1 Chronicles 4 we read the story of Jabez, who received two verses about his life and how he trusted that God could heal him. Other passages expound the roles of certain men in Israel, as some had been appointed by various kings to certain tasks. Although these stories are short, it is interesting to read about some of the other characters in Scripture that were not included in the main storyline. They were ordinary people (just like Moses and David) that God chose to use in other ways, and although we do not know much about them, it is apparent that God was able to use many of them in mighty ways.

Although these 9 chapters cannot and do not cover the entire history of Israel, they are a good summary of the first 12 books of the Bible. They outline the basic story and allude to many of the key events from Israel’s history. For those who had previously read the first 12 books, these 9 chapters serve as a quick reminder of all that had gone on before. Then, the rest of 1 and 2 Chronicles revisit the time of the kings of Israel in much greater detail. Many of these stories have already been covered in 2 Samuel and 1-2 Kings, but the Chronicler also adds new stories and new details. Writing from a different perspective, the author knew some different facts and stories from Israel’s history and includes them in these two books. Therefore, we will skip ahead and next look at a story from David’s reign as king in 1 Chronicles 12.

Matt