Week 16 1 Chronicles 3
Mental focus is one of the challenges a reader faces while reading the first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles. That’s why I didn’t notice at first that mid-way through chapter three there’s a list of the kings of Judah. But then it did register: the kings of Judah. Yes! This was familiar ground for me.
I re-read the list of the fifteen kings that followed Solomon: the son of Solomon was Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joram, Ahaziah, Joash, Amaziah, Azariah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah.
Since I’d posted on the kings of Judah in May, 2023 I wanted to cross-check my list with this one in 1 Chronicles 3.
The fifteen kings of Judah in my list were: Rehoboam Abijah Asa Jehoshaphat Joram Ahaziah Joash Amaziah Azariah Jotham Ahaz Hezekiah Manasseh Amon & Josiah.
The lists are the same if I allow for the fact that Jehoram’s other name was Joram. And Uzziah was also called Azariah.
The writer of 1 Chronicles 3 no doubt expected his readers to know the stories behind this list of names. And so – fortunately for me – I did.
But unfortunately for me that was only part of the list. The rest (especially verses 17-24) kind of fall-off-a-cliff. Zerubbabel is the only name I recognize – I remember him from the book of Ezra (he’s also in the genealogies of Jesus in the gospels). But with the other names I’m at-sea.
Note: quote from 1 Chronicles 3:10-14 (ESV). The phrase ‘his son’ is repeated fourteen times so I deleted it.