| 1 CHRONICLES |
| Explanatory Footnotes |
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| 3:17 The Royal Line Chronicles was written to people who no longer had a king. However, as this section reminds us, they still knew the royal line. God's promise to provide them with kingly leadership forever still held. They could expect a son of David to someday become king again. This is one reason why the New Testament takes the trouble to show that Jesus was descended from David. He was that king. 6:1 Key People First Chronicles 1-9 form the Bible's most complete genealogical record. They emphasize the two tribes most crucial to God's plans: Judah, the tribe that David and all the later kings of Judah came from, and the Levites, who had responsibility to lead Israel in worship. 9:1 The Source of Genealogies The author of 1 Chronicles acknowledges that he relied on older documents for his information. In 1 and 2 Chronicles (originally one book) approximately 14 sources are named. During the Israelites' exile in Babylon, historical records had been lost and family information forgotten (see Ezra 2:59). First Chronicles condenses the most important of the genealogical information. It was meant to help the Israelites reestablish their identity as God's people. 9:2 After Exile While most of 1 Chronicles deals with the time of David, this short section (9:2-34) jumps ahead 500 years to the time when a small portion of Israel had returned from exile. (See the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, and Zechariah for more information about these returned exiles.) 13:9 Why Did Uzzah Die? People who read of Uzzah's death in 2 Samuel 6:6, 7 have often puzzled over why he died for trying to keep God's |