A Commentary on 1 & 2 Chronicles: Commentary
Overview
The trauma of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, the exile of thousands of Judea’s citizens, and the subsequent return after 70 years to the homeland with the difficult task of starting the new covenant community virtually from scratch—all contributed to a reassessment of Israel’s meaning and destiny. The chronicler-theologian thus composed his work not just as a history of his people from their ancient beginnings but as an interpreted history, one designed to offer hope to the beleaguered community as well as to issue warnings that should they fall back into the ways of their fathers they could expect the judgment of God to be repeated. Eugene Merrill’s work on 1 and 2 Chronicles promises to be a significant contribution to the academic dialogue on these important books. This volume is helpful for the scholar but accessible and useful for the pastor. Merrill provides an exegetical study of each passage in these books, examining a number of themes, especially drawing out three principal theological subjects: (1) David and his historical and eschatological reign; (2) the renewal of the everlasting covenant; and (3) the new temple as a symbol of a reconstituted people. Merrill offers astute guidance to preachers and teachers in his insightful doctrinal commentary on the text. This resource contains the commentary.
Top Highlights
“What is instructive—and must have been to the post-exilic community—was that the God of Israel could and would respond to the urgent prayers of his people, and as he had enlarged the territory of Jabez, so he could and would the territory of his regathered people.” (Page 111)
“The formulaic ‘ten’ of Perez’s genealogy accords with the ten of Adam’s genealogy and the ten of Shem’s as well, thus affirming both the significance of ten as a number of completeness and the likelihood that it is more than coincidence that biblical genealogies had exactly ten generations.” (Page 102)
“The Chronicler(s) was clearly at work at least as late as 538 BC, the date of Cyrus’s decree and the last datable statement in the book (2 Chr 36:22–23).” (Page 45)
“Man’s fall crippled his ability to fulfill the mandate perfectly but God, in anticipation of this very thing, had already devised a contingent plan to overcome this deficit, a plan to be carried out through a line of individuals culminating first in Abraham, then in Israel the people and national entity, next in King David, and finally in the Christ, the Son of the living God (Rev 13:8).” (Pages 144–145)
“The ark had been set on a cart by Philistines, permitting it to wend its way to Beth Shemesh, and now, after David attempted the same thing with disastrous results, the ark ended up in the protective care of another Philistine.” (Page 176)
- Title: A Commentary on 1 & 2 Chronicles: Commentary
- Author: Eugene H. Merrill
- Series: Kregel Exegetical Library
- Publisher: Kregel
- Print Publication Date: 2015
- Logos Release Date: 2018
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Bible. O.T. 1 Chronicles › Commentaries; Bible. O.T. 2 Chronicles › Commentaries
- ISBNs: 9780825425592, 082542559X
- Resource ID: LLS:COMMCHRONCOMM
- Resource Type: Bible Commentary
- Metadata Last Updated: 2023-04-11T18:07:14Z
Eugene Merrill (1934– ) is an Old Testament scholar who currently serves as distinguished professor of Old Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. He has also taught at Bob Jones University, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Berkshire Christian College. Merrill served as the president of the Evangelical Theological Society in 2010 and has been involved in international Christian ministry in Europe, Asia, and the Near East.
Merrill attended Bob Jones University where he earned his BA, MA in Bible, and PhD in Old Testament interpretation. He also earned an MA in Jewish studies at New York University, MPhil and PhD in Middle East languages and culture at Columbia University, and completed research at Tyndale House in Cambridge.
Merrill has published several books and contributed to many collaborative projects. His works include An Historical Survey of the Old Testament, 2nd ed., Kingdom of Priests: A History of Old Testament Israel, 2nd ed., Haggai, Zechariah & Malachi: An Exegetical Commentary, and The New American Commentary: Deuteronomy.