Thread by @JamesBejon

THREAD: The Chronicler’s Genealogies.

In times of worry and panic, it can be helpful to think about something completely different for a while.

To that end, may I commend to you some thoughts on the genealogies contained in 1 Chronicles 1–9.

#BibleStudy #Chronicles

Biblical genealogies aren’t merely records of history.

They have a purpose, a message, and a theology to convey.

And the genealogies in 1 Chronicles are no exception.

In a future thread, I hope to zoom in on in Benjamin’s genealogy,

which is scattered throughout 1 Chronicles 7–9.

But, here, I’ll share a few thoughts on the big picture of the Chronicler’s genealogies.

The text of 2.1–9.1 sums up Israel’s life and history in a chiastic set of genealogies.

Each section is delimited by a reference to ‘the sons of X’, where X is a tribal head (or all Israel).

The resultant super-genealogy pans out as follows:

This structure is significant for at least three reasons.

First, it highlights the importance and centrality of Israel’s temple—and, more specifically, of its servants, the Levites.

Flanked by six tribes on each side, the tribe of Levi is framed as the focal-point of Israel’s assembly—a glue/preservative distributed throughout the land of Israel (in Levitical cities), which holds the twelve tribes together and sums them up before God in praise.

As such, the text of 2.1–9.1 can be thought of as a genealogical portrayal of the high priest’s breastplate,

which (re)presents the twelve tribes before God in heaven.

Relatedly, the Chroniclers’ genealogies depict the Kohathites’ distribution as a kind of human menorah.

The text of 6.1–15 describes the central stem/branch of the Kohathites, namely the Aaronic line of high priests (6.1–15).

And the text of 6.54–60 then describes the distribution of the rest of the Kohathites’ throughout six other genealogies, i.e., throughout cities in the ‘tribes/branches’ of Judah, Benjamin, and Manasseh.

Note: The word ‘tribe’ (מַטֶּה) can also denote a ‘branch’.

As such, the Kohathites are distributed in the shape of a menorah,

with a central stem stationed at the Temple and—due to the oddities of the Chronicler’s genealogies—three ‘branches’ on either side.

Second, the Chronicler’s genealogies connect the Levities with *cleanness*.

Just as the laver/sea (constructed by Solomon in 2 Chr. 4) is borne up by twelve bulls, so the Levites are borne up by twelve tribal genealogies.

(Image from pinterest.co.uk.)

And, just as three bulls face each point of the compass, so (with the exception of Benjamin, which we’ll discuss later) the Chronicler’s genealogies are grouped in threes on the basis of their location in Israel:

The Levites are hence depicted as a kind of tribal ‘laver/sea’—i.e., a source of cleanness for Israel—,

which is precisely how their ministry is described in 6.49. (‘Aaron and his sons made…atonement for Israel, in accord with everything Moses had commanded.’)

The function of the Levites is to keep Israel’s land and people clean. And, when they are no longer able to do so (because the Temple has become too polluted: Ezek. 8ff.), the only option left for is exile.

The land itself will vomit Israel out (Lev. 18.28).

Third, the text of 2.1–9.1 can be thought of as a genealogical portrait of Solomon’s throne.

(Photo from worthpoint.com.)

Just as six steps with a lion on each side lead up to Solomon’s throne, so six genealogies lead up to the high-point of the Chronicler’s genealogies, and six more genealogies then lead back down from it on the other side:

And, just as Solomon’s throne has a lion beside each armrest, so the ‘central platform’ of the Chronicler’s genealogies (viz. 6.1–8.1) involves two distinct offices/genealogies:

Aaron’s and the rest of the Levites’.

As such, the Chronicler portrays the Levites not merely as a religious entity, but as a royal priesthood—a kingdom of priests (Exod. 19.6).

At the same time, the Chronicler portrays Solomon’s authority as borne up by the ministry of the Levites.

Solomon is flanked on one side by the high-priest (6.1–15) and on the other by the singers (6.16–32),

which is why Solomon is anointed as king by Zadok the high-priest and confirmed as king by song (1 Kgs. 1.38–40, 45–46).

Like YHWH himself, Solomon is ‘enthroned/seated on the praises of Israel’ (Psa. 22.3).

REFLECTIONS:

First, a plea to translators.

If the actual words of Scripture matter, then can we have more literal translations please?

Can we have, for instance, ‘sons of the half-tribe of Manasseh’ (בני חצי שבט מנשה) rather than ‘members’ (5.23)?

And can we have ‘from the tribe of Reuben, and from the tribe of Gad, and from the tribe of Zebulun’ rather than ‘from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun’ (6.63)?

Second, the shape and structure of the Chronicler’s genealogies have an important point to make.

A billion and one events took place in the world in the period from c. 960–587 BC.

Empires rose, and empires fell.

People married, gave in marriage,

bought, sold,

were born, and died.

And yet the most important events which took place on earth took place in a narrow strip of land named ‘Israel’.

(World history is dealt with in a mere twenty-seven verses in 1.1–27.)

And central to these events was worship.

And central to that worship were two things:

first, family traditions (6.1–15), i.e., a line of high priests, each of whom bequeathed their duties to their sons (who then did likewise),

and, second, the maintenance/preservations of God’s appointed songs, roles, and responsibilities,

each in their proper place (6.16–81).

Readers are left to make their own applications.

THE END.

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