the fall of Israel, with particular reference to the state and history of the worship. The three last chapters are like the books of Kings."

• Table of Passages parallel with 1 Ch. x.—2 Ch. xxxvi.

§ 189.

RELATION OF THE CHRONICLES TO THE EARLIER
HISTORICAL BOOKS.

1. IN RESPECT TO ANTIQUITY.

To decide upon the degree of affinity between the books of Chronicles and those of Samuel and the Kings, is, above all, to determine upon their antiquity. We have the following facts to guide us in this :

1. The history itself comes down to the end of the exile.

2 Ch. xxxvi. 20-23. "And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: to fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate, she kept Sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia,

stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, "All the kingdoms of the earth

Who is there with him, and

hath the Lord God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. among you of all his people? The Lord his God be let him go up.'

2. In that confused passage, 1 Ch. iii. 19—24, the genealogy of the house of David is brought down to the second generation after Zerubbabel, if no further: —

1 Ch. iii. 19--24. "And the sons of Pedaiah were Zerubbabel, and Shimei: and the sons of Zerubbabel; Meshullam, and Hananiah, and Shelomith their sister and Hashubah, and Ohel, and Berechiah, and Hasadiah, Jushab-hesed, five. And the sons of Hananiah; Pelatiah, and Jesaiah: the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, the sons of Shechaniah. And the sons of Shechaniah; Shemaiah; and the sons of Shemaiah; Hattush, and Igeal, and Bariah, and Neariah, and Shaphat, six. And the sons of Neariah; Elioenai, and Hezekiah, and Azrikam, three. And the sons of Elioneai were, Hodaiah, and Eliashib, and Pelaiah, and Akkub, and Johanan, and Delaiah, and Anani, seven."

R. Benjamin thinks this genealogy contains nine generations from Jesiah to Johanan, (verses 21, 24,) and therefore comes down to 270 B. C. But, according to Movers and Hävernik, it goes no further than the grandchildren of Zerubbabel-Pelatiah and Jesiah; and then, as they think, the author adds some names from David's posterity in general. But Shemaiah is the son of Shechaniah, (verse 22,) a contemporary of Nehemiah, (Neh. iii. 29;) and therefore the genealogy comes down to the third generation after Nehemiah. This passage is commonly regarded as a later addition."

3. Contrary to all historical propriety, the author reckons by Daricks in the history of David, (1 Ch. xxix.

a In Meor Enajim, fol. 123, a.

с

Movers, p. 29, sqq. Hävernik, p. 266.

d Eichhorn, § 490. Dahler, 1. c. p. 5. Keil, p. 45.

Zunz, 1. c. p. 31.

7.) It is plain that the name and use of this coin had long been current among the Jews."

4. The document in 1 Ch. ix., from the time of Nehemiah, (chap. xi.,) could not have been so disfigured as it has been shown to be, (§ 187,) except in a time far more modern. Movers thinks the Chronicler was a younger contemporary of Nehemiah, and wrote about 400 B. C. Zunz places him about 260 B. C.

5. Besides the orthography and language,' the mythological and Levitical spirit of the book, as well as its place in the canon, is evidence in favor of its late origin.

§ 190, a.

2. IN RESPECT TO THEIR COMMON CONTENTS.

In the passages which the books of Chronicles have in common with the books of Kings, there are many

[17. This word does not appear in the English Bible, but is translated dram. The origin of the name is doubtful. According to Suidas, Harpocration, and the scholiast on Aristophanes, (Ecclesiazus, verse 741,) it is derived from a more ancient Darius; but according to the common opinion, from Darius Hystaspes. Herodotus (iv. 166) does not say this distinctly. See the etymologies in Gesenius and Winer. But see, also, Hengstenberg, 1. c. vol. i. p. 51, sqq., and Movers, l. c. p. 26, note b, and the authorities there cited.]

7,1 Ch. xiii. 12, for ;, 1 Ch. ii. 12, for ; 17, for 1278, 2 Ch. ii. 6; 7, 2 Ch. ii. 13; 73, 1 Ch. xxix. 1; 2, 1 Ch. xxviii. 11; 27757, 1 Ch. v. 17; 77, 2 Ch. xiii. 22, xxiv. 27; 173, 1 Ch. xxi. 27; 7, 2 Ch. ii. 15; 2, 2 Ch. xxix. 16; 7735, 1 Ch. xxv. 7.8; Gramberg,

.Jahn, vol. ii. p. 244, sq .רעמה for, רעמא ; רמות for, ראמות

p. 5, sqq. According to Gesenius (Gesch. Heb. Sprache, p. 157, sq.) and Gramberg, (p. 39,) some of the variants of the Chronicles may be explained by the use of the square letter. But this is doubtful.

Bertholdt (p. 983, sqq.) derives too much from this circumstance, for the order of the book is not chronological. Keil, p. 72.

differences between the two. 1. The orthography of the Chronicles is later. 2. The language is frequently altered to suit the grammar, or the usage of a later time, for the sake of clearness or elegance of expression, but from ignorance and carelessness likewise."

* 1. The Scriptio Plena frequently occurs in the Kethib; e. g. 13 31×23, 1 Ch. xviii. 10; 7-8, 2 Ch. viii. 18.

2. Writing according to the more modern Aramaic Pronunciation. — 77, 1 Ch. xiii. 12, for 78; 7, 1 Ch. xi. 35, for 5, 6, for ;, 1 Ch. xv. 27, for .

; p, 1 Ch. xviii. [Movers, p. 200, sqq.]

3. The Correction of inaccurate or irregular Writing. —, 2 Ch. xxi. 9,

, ביר; כסה Ch. ix. 18, for 2, כסא ; מבי Ch. xi. 2, for 1, מביא : סוביב for

Ch. xi. 17, 18, 22, for N. Hence the Chronicler often agrees with the Keri in the parallel passages.

1. Exchange of the old for the modern Formation. —ba, with bba, 2 Ch. xiv. 2, sqq.; ", with ", I Ch. xvii. 16, and elsewhere. [See Ewald, Krit. Gram. p. 194.]

2. Exchange of the old and irregular Inflection for the modern or regular; e. g., for 57, 2 Ch. ix. 19; 7, for 77, 1 Ch. xix. 12; 1777, for 1977, 2 Ch. vi. 29; and similar changes, which often occur.

3. Alteration of the Construction to favor the later Use.- Omission of the infinitive absolute, 2 Ch. vi. 2, and elsewhere; plural instead of the feminine in the names of countries, 1 Ch. xviii. 2, 5, 6. [?] Elohim in the singular instead of the plural, 1 Ch. xvii. 21. [The same usage, however, occurs in the very first verse of Genesis.] He local, or, instead of the accusative, after verbs of motion; 1 Ch. xix. 15, п; 2 Ch. xviii. 28, n. [See Ewald, 1. c. § 311.] The preposition, instead of the accusative of place. Omission of in the construction . 123, 1 Ch. xvii. 5; of 3,

where a second follows, 1 Ch. xvii. 21. Use of the apocopated form of the future conversive, for the not apocopated form; 777, 37, 2 Ch. xviii. 33,

, מן השמים ; Exchange of prepositions .יתעלה and, ויכה xxi. 9, for ,34 ,על ; עמד את פני Ch. x. 6, for 2, עמד לפני ; אֶל השמים Ch. vi. 21, for 2

1 Ch. x. 3, for ; and the reverse, 1 Ch. xiv. 10.

4. A later or more common Word for one older and more unusual. — MD7),

, ויסבו ; מפזז ומכרכר Ch. xv. 29, for 1, מרקד ומשחק ; גויה Ch. x. 12, for 1

2 Ch. xviii. 31, for 777077; 7, 2 Ch. xxxiii. 3, for TN; 77073, 2 Ch. xxxii. 8, for 773.

5. Confusion of Geographical Names., Abel-maim, 2 Ch. xvi.