Overview of the book of 2 chronicles
1 and 2 chronicles form a single book in the Hebrew scripture. It is the last book in the third section of the Hebrew scriptures. The First Chronicle is the life of David and the second chronicles are the life of David’s kingly line. After the book of 2 chronicles, the next king in David’s line is our Lord Jesus Christ .
The book of 2 chronicles contains the story of the kings of Israel. It explains about the 400 years after King David. It describes the great temple that was built by Solomon in Jerusalem. When Solomon became the king of Israel. He asks God for wisdom instead of riches or long life. God is pleased with his request and Grant’s wisdom. Israel flourished under Solomon’s rule and became the most prominent nation in the world.
After the death of Solomon the kingdom splitter. The 10 tribes rebel and form a new kingdom to the north. But the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remain loyal to David’s royal line. The kings who don’t serve the lord neglect God’s temple, ignore God’s law, persecute God’s prophets, and they seek out new Gods. A few good kings bring about revival but God disciplines His people for forsaking Him.
The Babylonians captured Jerusalem, razed the temple, and carried the children into captivity for 70 years. Afterward, the Persian king Cyrus declares that the temple should be rebuilt.
The 2nd chronicles show how the unfaithfulness of the nation to God led to disaster and it also shows how its faithful kings and people had experienced God’s blessings.
The chronicles focus on two important themes
The Davidic covenant:
God’s covenant with David preserved the line of David’s descendants even through spiritual unfaithfulness and exile. This enabled Solomon to build the temple.
The temple:
The temple of Jerusalem plays an important role in the Davidic covenant. David provided everything to his son for the construction of the temple. His successors should ensure that the worship is well maintained and the building is kept in repair and purified after defilement. The Levites played an important role in maintaining the system of worship and they were also the forerunners of the Christian ministry.
The people of Israel:
The genealogies of Israel that begin the work started by tracing the people’s ancestry back to Adam. Israel was the center of God’s purpose from the beginning of creation.
When you read the first and second chronicles you will see that the temple of God is the main thing. David plans and Solomon builds the temple. The kings were crowned and the prophets were killed in it. And the law is rediscovered in it.
Our yesayya.com will help your understanding to aid in your study of God’s word. We hope this overview, outline, and 2 chronicle summaries by chapter are helpful to you.
What is the Chronicle
The book of 1 and 2 Chronicles is originally one book. The Chronicle’s meaning is the words of the days and together they chronicle the history of Israel from Adam to the Babylonian captivity to Cyrus decree. The two books can also be known as the miniature Old testament. The books of Chronicles present the extensive collection of genealogical tables in the old testament.
Who wrote chronicles
According to Jewish tradition, Ezra wrote the Chronicles. The book of chronicles contains the same story as in the books of Samuel and kings. The sources included in this book include the prophetic records by Samuel, Isaiah, and others. The book of 2 Chronicles was written between 450 and 425 B.C.
Outline of 2 chronicles
The reign of Solomon, 1:1-9:31
Solomon’s inauguration, 1:1-17
His worship and prayer for wisdom, 1:1-13
His wealth, 1:14-17
Solomon’s Temple, 2:1-7:22
preparations for the temple, 2:1-18
Construction of the temple, 3:1-4:22
Dedication of the Temple, 5:1-7:2
Installing the ark, 5:1-14
Speaking to the people, 6:1-11
praying to God, 6:12-42
God’s glory, 7:1-3
The sacrifices and feast, 7:4-11
God speaks to Solomon, 7:12-22
Solomon’s Fame, 8:1-9:28
His cities, 8:1-6
His subjects, 8:7-11
His offerings, 8:12-13
His organization of the Levites, 8:14-16
His Navy, 8:17-18
His visit from the queen of Sheba, 9:1-12
His wealth, 9:13-28
Solomon’s death, 9:29:31
The kings of Judah, 10:1-36:21
Rehoboam, 10:1-12:16
Rehoboam causes division, 10:1-19
Rehoboam follows the lord, 11:1-23
Rehoboam abandons the lord, 12:1-16
Abijah, 13:1-22
Asa, 14:1-16:14
Early reforms, 14:1-8
War with Ethiopians, 14:9-15
Reliance on the lord, 15:1-19
War with Baasha of Israel, 16:1-10
Death, 16:11-14
Jehoshaphat, 17:1-20:37
His revival, 17:1-19
His alliance with Ahab, 18:1-19:3
His reforms, 19:4-11
His victory over Moab and Ammon, 20:1-30
His last days, 20:31-37
Jehoram, 21:1-20
Ahaziah, 22:1-9
Athaliah,22:10-23:15
Joash, 23:16-24:27
Following the Lord, 23:16-24:16
Forsaking the lord, 24:17-27
Amaziah, 25:11-2
Following the Lord, 25:1-13
Forsaking the Lord, 25:14-28
Uzziah, 26:1-23
Following the lord, 26:1-15
Forsaking the lord, 26:16-23
Jotham, 27:1-9
Ahaz, 28:1-27
Hezekiah, 29:1-32:33
His revival, 29:1- 31:21
His victory over the Assyrians, 32:1-23
His last days, 32:24-33
Manasseh, 33:1-20
Amon,33:21-25
Josiah, 34:1-35:27
His reforms, 34:1-13
His discovery of the law, 34:14-33
His observance of the Passover, 35:1-19
His death, 35: 20:27
Jehoahaz, 36:1-4
Jehoiakim, 36:5-8
Jehoiachin, 36:9-10
Zedekiah, 36:11-21
The Decree of Cyrus, 36:22-23
What are 2nd chronicles about
The first and second chronicles cover all the Hebrew history from the creation of Adam from the beginning to the return of Hebrews from exile. The content in chronicles reflects Moses predictions in Deuteronomy:
- Anointing of a righteous king. Deuteronomy 17:14-20
- Establishments of the temple in which God dwells.Deuteronomy 12:5-14
- Prosperity when the people of Israel obey God under David and Solomon. Deuteronomy 28:1-14
- Exile when Israel disobeyed God. Deuteronomy 28:49-50
- Restoration to the promised land. Deuteronomy 30:3
Chronicles bible verses
- Solomon’s prayer for wisdom ( 2 chronicles 1:7-12)
- Dedication of Solomon’s temple ( 2 Chronicles chapters 5 and 7 )
- The visit of queen Sheba to King Solomon ( 2 chronicles 9:1-12)
Key ideas: The house of the lord is mentioned over 100 times in the book of 2 Chronicles. The name “Yahweh” is also mentioned 387 times and God is mentioned in nearly half of the verses of the book of 2 Chronicles.
What can we learn from the book of 2 Chronicles: The bible projects Chronicles to us in many ways:
- When we sin grievously, God is willing to listen to all our prayers and forgive us. We see this in the lives of both Rehoboam and Manasseh. They are great examples of the compassion of God.
- God responds to us. God is our initiator and we are the responders. The story of 2 Chronicles is the history of God responding to those who seek and forsake him.
- God takes delight in our prayers and praises
Practical application
The reader of the chronicles can evaluate each generation from the past and discern why each of them was blessed for their obedience or punished for their wickedness. God hates sin and will not tolerate it. But the chronicles teach us God desires to forgive and heal the one who will humbly pray and repent.
The lesson from chronicles 2 teaches us that God has given us a commission to fulfill and the greatest blessing that can be sought from God is the ability to carry out His will for our lives. For this, we need the wisdom from above, understanding, and intimate knowledge of Him in order to motivate ourselves to Christ’s likeness in both deed and attitude.
Book of 2 chronicles summary
The second chronicles begin with the story of Solomon and emphasize his construction of the temple. The book of second chronicles records the history of the kingdom of Judah from the reign of Solomon to the exile of Babylonians. The decline of Judah is disappointing but the spiritual reformers warn the people to turn back to God.
The northern kingdom of Israel is rarely mentioned in the book because of their false worship and refusal to acknowledge the temple of Jerusalem. They were omitted from the discussion because they do not worship at the Jerusalem temple. The second chronicles end with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. The book concludes with a reference to the decree of Cyrus.