Another subdivided book, but we’re on to the final book of the Tanakh as we head into Chronicles. The division was actually done by those pesky Christian sorts, and just sort of later adopted by most Hebrew Bible scholars. It’s an odd book, many have opined it as one of the oddest of the entire canon. The first nine chapters are about to be little more than a historical list of the important people we’ve encountered over the entire rest of the books to date. After that, most of I Chronicles is a whitewashing of the reign and legacy of David. You remember how much I like David… not. In this volume, all of his foibles, his violations of law, his recklessness, his whininess, etc., etc., are erased, canonizing him as whatever the Jewish equivalent of a saint is. This is the version of David we learn as kids, rather than the detailed account in earlier of his darker side.
- There’s not going to be a lot to comment on early in this book. The first chapter literally traces the key genealogy from Adam all the way up to Jacob – a period of roughly two millennia. Just a reminder. Like one of those lists at the start of a long, involved novel of “Key Personages”… except this one doesn’t give a summary of why they’re important to the book. Just a genealogical list.
- Today takes us from Jacob to David, a curated listing of key figures over another ten generations. Of note, Boaz, of whom David was a direct descendant. And, perhaps, a presaging of the whitewashing to come, Jacob’s daughter-in-law Tamar and her suns, blithely listed in the family tree, without mentioning that she got frustrated because all her husband Onan did was masturbate and refused to impregnate her, so she dressed up as a prostitute and seduced his older brother Judah into impregnating her and then blackmailed the brothers. I guess that still keeps the genealogy in the family.
- The listing of generations continues, but focuses on the direct lineage descended from David, on through the era of the Second Temple. Scholars have noted that there are some oddities here, like a change in the name of one of David’s sons, and differences in the familial connections of the various women with whom David had children (he wasn’t exactly monogamous). But it was all in good form, don’t you know, because whatever David did must have been sanctioned by God and therefore we should just accept it.
- Today’s list of names goes back to the kings of Judah and traces lesser known lineages, including the tribe of Simeon, who more or less disappear in biblical stories, only resurfacing later in Ezra, briefly, when land around Jerusalem is being allotted. The list includes numerous non-Hebrew, non-Jewish names, possibly indicating a fair amount of intermarriage, part of what Ezra later rants about. Often noted is Jabez, someone who appears nowhere else in the bible, but is noted for being well esteemed, having come up from a harsh beginning, and who prays to God to make him successful, and, presumably on a whim, God does. Just because.
- Having dispensed with Simeon’s tribe by folding it into that of Judah, the listing, now part narrative, turns to birthright order of the tribes, noting that Reuben was the eldest son of Jacob, and detailing his lineage. But, it then goes on to point out that because of his sexual transgressions, his birthright was revoked and given to Joseph’s lineage, which is then listed out in great detail. Side notes that Reuben’s line, along with Gad’s line, refused to join the tribes that became Israel, choosing instead to remain east of the Jordan river, i.e., what became Trans-Jordan and then Jordan, until they strayed with worshipping gods of the east and were ultimately either assimilated or destroyed.
- Today’s list of folk focuses on those lineages that were appointed by David to serve in the Temple, as priests, as guardians of the Ark, and the Torah. Particular attention is paid to lines emanating from Levi, and later, from Aaron. There’s some speculation from the way things are phrased in the original Hebrew and Aramaic that indicate that the chronicler (Chronicles, get it?) was, himself, a priest.
- We seem to be getting “down the list” of genealogies quite a bit. Many of those noted today are bit figures in the history of the Jewish people. A few standout – like some sons of Ephraim who were killed for a bit of cattle rustling, after which he names his next son Beriah, “created by God”, to try to assuage his grief; the famed daughters of Zelphehad get mentioned, in group, not by name, the first women to push for and receive property inheritance rights; and, there are a few folk who are mentioned nowhere else in scripture – maybe friends of the chronicler?
- As the lineages of the twelve, or thirteen, tribes finishes off, this page is a listing of the descendants of Benjamin, the youngest son of Jacob. Interestingly, it includes Saul, who became the first king of Israel, before the lineage of David took over. The scribe here, writing from the point of view of the descendants of David, can’t erase Saul’s existence, but he does manage to cover Saul’s family and descendants without ever mentioning him having been king. Christianity even got into the act later, claiming that Saul was actually Paul, the apostle, rather than a displaced king.
- In the previous book, Nehemiah, we finish off with the various lineages each being assigned certain tasks in and around Jerusalem. Some are responsible for the Temple, others for storehouses and banks, others for entry gates, others for patrolling the streets, etc., etc. Basically, this page repeats all that. In detail.
- Remember the Philistines? The folk that some Palestinians these days claim to be descended from and therefore have the right to the land? Except they’re not descended from them, and here we have the account of them invading Israel from neighboring lands, pursuing and killing Saul (again, he’s not designated as king in this rewriting of the lineage of David), mounting his head on a pike, and occupying… colonizing… the land of Israel. David’s scribes also blame Saul for the invasion because instead of seeking advice from God, he sought advice from a ghost, and therefore God didn’t help when the Philistines occupied the country.
- As David becomes king, he gathers his loyalists together who extol his virtues and loudly claim that even while there was another king on the throne, Saul, everyone, or at least they, knew that David was the real God anointed king who should have been there… damn that sounds familiar.
- A listing, not by name, but by group, of the more than 300,000 troops that supported David in his military conquests. Of particular note, the ambitdextrous elite archers of Benjamin’s clan, and the intelligence gatherers, i.e, spies, from the Issacharites.
- David gathers the various leaders together and announces that it’s time to bring the Ark back to Jerusalem from where it’s been stored at Adinadab’s compound for safekeeping. They make it so, but as the Ark approaches, the oxen stumble, and rather than see it fall, one of the escorts, Uzza, quickly braces it from falling. God, however, doesn’t see it that way, and strikes Uzza down for having touched the Ark without authorization – he’s not a priest. David, fearful, and a bit incensed, has the Ark diverted to the home of Obed-edom, a wealthy friend, to await further instructions. I guess he’s assuming that the oxen stumbling was God’s way of saying “not yet”.
- A bit of a delusional reinterpretation of David’s winning streak. A neighboring king offers assistance in the building of David’s palace. David marries a bunch of different women and has a bunch of kids (all listed, of course). He announces that all this is God’s will, that he be the supreme leader of, well, everything. So the Philistines attack, and David has an inner conversation with God, where the voice in his head tells him he’s going to win. He does, which just furthers his belief that he’s the one.
- Remember poor Uzza, the other day, struck down by lighting for touching the Ark when trying to prevent it from tipping over? Too bad he didn’t know that post-fact, David would issue an order that only the tribe of the Levites could touch or carry the Ark. But, David does so, and then leads a procession, replete with musicians and dancers and holy rollers, all the way to the city to install the Ark in the Temple. As an aside, we are informed, one of Saul’s kids, Michal, watching the procession from her window, sees David dancing about at the head of the procession and decides to despise him. Because dissing her father and his accomplishments over the years apparently wasn’t enough to despise him for.
- The Ark has arrived. David throws a party. Everybody gets food swag – a loaf of bread, a cake, and a “raisin cake” (basically a big disk of raisins pressed together). Music, dancing, David extols the virtues of God, reiterates the various covenants of his predecessors. Party officially over. Everyone goes home.
- David is in conversation with the prophet Nathan, and muses that while he has had this amazing palace built for himself, the Temple has not yet been rebuilt as a home for the Ark, which is still sitting in a big tent. Nathan has a vision that he repeats to David the next day, that God says it’s not time yet for the Temple to be rebuilt, that will be a task for one of David’s descendants, after the kingdom of Israel has been made whole again. David launches into a long paean to God and his wisdom, though you can tell he really wants to be the one to rebuild the Temple.
- Having been told that he doesn’t get to rebuild the Temple, David peevishly sets out to make Israel whole again, as he was told. One military campaign and victory after another, as he claws back land that was taken by invaders, and, maybe, a bit more than that. I realize it’s my own bias, but I can’t help but read into it that he’s really kind of hoping to either prove God wrong, or get him to change his mind, and let him be the one to rebuild the Temple, rather than leaving it for a future descendant.
- Nahash, king of the Ammonites, passes away, and his son Hanun inherits the throne. David sends messengers with condolences and an affirmation that peace will continue between their nations. But Hanun’s advisors think otherwise and convince him that the messengers are spies. They are taken into custody, tortured, humiliated, and sent back. David’s pissed. The Ammonites gear up for war. David does too and invokes an alliance with the Arameans. They soundly defeat the Ammonites, take over their country, and incorporate them into the Kingdom of Israel. War in the Middle East has followed this pattern for millennia.
- Just a quick summation of several battles that David’s forces executed, with details of hacking and beating using axes, saws, and sledges against the people of the various nations he went to war with. A bit of looting and pillaging, including a scene of David taking another king’s crown and wearing it. I maintain my belief that while David may have been effective as a nationalistic ruler, he was also a bloodthirsty war hawk who was often gleeful while killing, even non-combatants.
- Satan makes an appearance, whispering in David’s ear to perform a census on Israel’s population. No reason is given. David orders it, his commanders aren’t happy about it, but do it. God gets pissed. No reason is given. God gives David a choice – a three-year famine that he will have to navigate the kingdom through; personal destruction; or a one-time pestilence that will kill a lot of the kingdom’s population. It should come at no surprise by now that David opts for the one that has no personal cost, a pestilence. God sends the Angel of Death who wipes out 70,000 citizens (about 4.5% of the now counted population) and is set to keep going. David begins to think maybe he should take some responsibility. He uses the power of eminent domain to take some guy’s mill, on a hill (he pays fair price for it, but it’s obligatory), and then builds an altar and does a bunch of sacrifices. God stops the slaughter.
- David and God are having a bit of a chat. David, once again, hinting that he really, really wants to build the Temple. God lays it out… look, you brought Israel together, but you’re kind of a bloodthirsty thug, and you killed a whole lot of people that didn’t need killing. I don’t really want your name on the cornerstone of the Temple. How about you set aside the materials and set up the workers, and let your son Solomon do the job after you die. That works for me. Does that work for you?
- David is ready to turn everything over to Solomon. But, before doing so, he needs to perform a bit of micromanagement, and he divides up all the different clans and tribes and supporters of his kingdom and gives them all specific tasks that they are to perform, in perpetuity, or, until Solomon or any other future king says otherwise. Corporate hierarchy charts are drawn up!
- Just a further classification of responsibilities, focusing on the Aaronites and Levites, who will attend to the Temple, once it is rebuilt. Instead of completely micromanaging it, David has them draw lots to divide up the responsiblities and order of tasks.
- Having dispensed with the organization of the caretakers of the Temple and the Ark, David’s next organizational restructuring is that of those who will accompany the services of the Temple. The ones who make it joyful – musicians, dancers, singers. One might think that when organizing entertainment for the Temple you’d use some sort of talent scout, but no, David goes with patronage and lineage, and, I guess, hopes for musical ability.
- On to the various gatekeepers for the city of Jerusalem. Interesting approach, assigning one familial clan to each gate as their ultimate responsibility, in perpetuity.
- All in all, David has quite the retinue for his various tasks. The census taken suggests that each month was covered by a division of 24,000 men, rotating throughout the year so that no one had to perform their civic duties for more than one month a year, leaving the remaining eleven months for their personal businesses. That’s 288,000 people. The estimated population of the city of Jerusalem at the time of King David, according to historians, was about 2000 people. That maths don’t math.
- David calls all the leaders and elders together and announces what’s been going on. Apparently, to date, he hasn’t shared with them that God has told him he doesn’t get to build the Temple. But he does now, and announces that God has selected his son Solomon to build the Temple. Then David gives Solomon all the plans, blueprints, inventories, and organizational charts he’s been drawing up and tells everyone to get to work.
- We end I Chronicles with David giving a long monologue about how much of his time and effort, and wealth he’s put into setting Solomon up to succeed, and guilt tripping all the gathered elders and leaders into opening their pocketbooks and coming up with more donations to the cause.