1 Chronicles - Odessacofchrist.org

8 Dr. Constable's Notes on 1 Chronicles 2007 EditionExpositionI. ISRAEL'S HISTORICAL ROOTS CHS. 1—9"The fact that the author of 1 and 2 Chronicles devoted nine chapters outof sixty-five to genealogies (1 Chr 1—9) makes clear that these were ofgreat importance to him and bear significantly on his purpose in writinghis work. This purpose needs to be understood by any commentator whowould elucidate the nature of these volumes."We may define a genealogy as 'a written or oral expression of the descentof a person or persons from an ancestor or ancestors.' 21 They may displaybreadth ('These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,' 1Chr 2:1) and depth (the sons of Solomon: 'Rehoboam, Abijah his son, Asahis son,' 1 Chr 3:10). This latter genealogy and others of its type thatdisplay depth alone are termed 'linear.' Biblical genealogies, like theextrabiblical ones, are normally quite limited in depth, rarely extendingbeyond ten or twelve generations but often from four to six. In 1Chronicles 2—9 we have an exception. Perhaps the writer sometimesjoined separate genealogies."If a genealogy displays breadth as well as depth, it is termed 'segmented,'or 'mixed.' In Chronicles multiple descendants of an ancestor arefrequently named, but not all the lives are pursued to later generations.Genealogies may proceed from parent to child (descending, as in 1 Chr9:39-44) or from child to parent (ascending, as in 1 Chr 9:14-16)."The two types of genealogy, linear and segmented, serve differentpurposes. The linear genealogy seeks to legitimize an individual byrelating him to an ancestor whose status is established. The segmentedgenealogy is designed to express relationships between the variousbranches of a family." 22"Their function, broadly speaking, is to show that the promises andpurposes of God continue." 23The aim of the genealogies "is to paint a portrait of the people of God inits ideal extent as a symbol of both the particularity of his election and thebreadth of his grace." 2421 R. R. Wilson, Genealogy and History in the Biblical World, p. 9.22 Thompson, pp. 25-26. Cf. Roddy L. Braun, 1 Chronicles, pp. 1-5; Wilson, pp. 9-10. There are reallymore than nine chapters of genealogies since other shorter genealogies appear at various places throughoutthe book.23 McConville, p. 7.24 Williamson, p. 39.