A guide to 2 Chronicles

Who wrote 2 Chronicles, and when?

Unnamed; Jewish tradition names Ezra. About 450–400 BC, after the return from exile.

Like 1 Chronicles, this book is anonymous. Jewish tradition names Ezra, and most scholars refer to the writer as the Chronicler, dating the work to about 450 to 400 BC in Jerusalem after the return from exile. First and Second Chronicles were originally one continuous book and were divided later for convenience. The writer used the books of Kings as a main source but shaped the material for a new audience, adding material about the temple, the Levites and several royal prayers, and passing over most of the northern kingdom. The last words of the book, the decree of Cyrus, are repeated almost exactly at the start of Ezra, which is one reason many link the two works closely.

Who was 2 Chronicles written to?

The post-exilic community in Judah, learning from the kings who sought the LORD and those who did not.

The readers were the post-exilic community in Judah, living under Persian rule with a rebuilt but humble temple. They knew the story of their kings from the books of Kings. What they needed was to learn from it. Second Chronicles gave them a gallery of the kings of Judah, each one measured by a simple question: did he seek the LORD, humble himself and honour the temple? Reformers like Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah and Josiah get long, warm treatment. Kings who forsook God are shown losing what they had. For a small community wondering whether faithfulness was worth the effort, this was a direct answer. Later readers have found the same pattern useful for examining their own lives and churches.

What was happening at the time?

Second Chronicles follows Solomon and then only the kings of Judah, passing over the northern kingdom almost entirely. Each king is measured by whether he sought the LORD, humbled himself and honoured the temple. Reformers like Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah and Josiah get long treatment. The book ends not with the fall of Jerusalem but with Cyrus’s decree that the exiles may go home.

Why was 2 Chronicles written?

To show that seeking the LORD brings blessing and forsaking him brings ruin, and to end with the open door of return.

Second Chronicles wants its readers to believe that seeking the LORD leads to blessing and forsaking him leads to ruin, and to act on it by returning to God with humility and honest worship. The great promise of chapter 7, given at the dedication of the temple, is that God will hear and forgive a people who humble themselves and pray. The rest of the book shows that promise tested across three centuries. Where 2 Kings ends with the destruction of Jerusalem, 2 Chronicles ends one step further, with the decree of Cyrus that the exiles may go home, so that its last word is an open door. In the wider story of the Bible, it keeps the temple and the line of David in view and hands the story on to Ezra and Nehemiah.

How to read 2 Chronicles today

Begin with Solomon's temple dedication in chapters 6 and 7, which gives the key that the rest of the book uses. Then pick out the stories of the reforming kings: Asa in chapters 14 to 16, Jehoshaphat in chapters 17 to 20, Hezekiah in chapters 29 to 32 and Josiah in chapters 34 and 35. Watch for the phrases about seeking the LORD and humbling oneself; they are the writer's markers. Notice too how often a good king finishes badly, as with Asa and Uzziah, which is a warning to keep going. Do not treat the pattern as a mechanical formula; the book itself knows that Josiah died young. As you read, pray for a humble heart that keeps seeking God after the first enthusiasm has passed.

The key verse in 2 Chronicles

if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Passages worth knowing in 2 Chronicles

• 2 Chronicles 5–7

  The temple dedicated

  The glory fills the house; if my people humble themselves.

• 2 Chronicles 15

  Asa’s reform

  The LORD is with you while you are with him.

• 2 Chronicles 20

  Jehoshaphat’s prayer

  We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.

• 2 Chronicles 30

  Hezekiah’s Passover

  A nation invited back to worship.

• 2 Chronicles 34

  Josiah’s reform

  A young king tears his robe at the words of the law.

• 2 Chronicles 36

  Exile and Cyrus’s decree

  The end of the story is a beginning.

The main themes of 2 Chronicles

• Seeking the LORD
• The temple
• Humility and repentance
• Reform
• Return

An outline of 2 Chronicles