Preparing Gold and Silver for Building the Temple

[1 Chronicles 22:14] “With great pains I have provided for the house of the LORD 100,000 talents of gold, 1,000,000 talents of silver, and bronze and iron beyond weighing, for there is so much of it.” [1 Chronicles 29:3-4] “Moreover, in my devotion to the house of my God, I have a private treasure of […]

Zadok the Priest

Aaron’s sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Nadab and Abihu died before Aaron and had no sons; therefore, Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests. Zadok was a descendant of Eleazar. When Samuel was young, Eli, a descendant of Ithamar, served as high priest (1 Samuel 1:9). In David’s time, “Zadok, a descendant of Eleazar,” […]

Dagon, God of the Philistines

Dagon was the chief god of the Philistines, depicted as a merman. He was traditionally believed to be the father of Baal and the predecessor of other pagan gods worshipped by the Philistines. 1 Samuel chapter 4 recounts that the two sons of High Priest Eli were defeated and killed in battle with the Philistines, […]

 The Death of Uzzah

1 Chronicles 13:5-11: “So David assembled all Israel from the Shihor in Egypt to Lebo Hamath to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim. David and all the Israelites went to Baalah of Judah (Kiriath-jearim) to bring up the ark of God the Lord, who is enthroned between the cherubim—the ark that bears his Name. […]

Beersheba

Beersheba is Israel’s southernmost city, located on the edge of the wilderness that stretches south to Mount Sinai and southwest to Egypt. The phrase “from Dan to Beersheba” traditionally refers to the entire extent of the Promised Land (2 Samuel 17:11). Beersheba means “well of the oath” or “well of seven.” It was an ancient […]

Who Was Zerubbabel’s Father?

Since ancient Hebrews did not have surnames, the Bible often identifies individuals by adding “son of xxx” or “xxx from [place],” which can make it difficult for us to identify biblical figures. 1 Chronicles 3:17-19 states: Jeconiah (Jehoiachin) was taken captive. His sons were Shealtiel, Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah. The sons of […]

Differences Between Chronicles and Kings

The importance of the Book of Chronicles has long been overlooked by the church. This is because the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) titled it “Paralipomena” (meaning “things omitted” or “supplements”), leading to the misconception that it was merely a supplement or appendix to 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 […]

The Background of the Book of Chronicles

The Hebrew name for Chronicles is “Dibre Hayyamim,” meaning “the affairs of the days” or “the annals.” In the Hebrew Bible, 1 and 2 Chronicles are a single book. The Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) divided Chronicles into two volumes. Because the final paragraph of Chronicles is almost identical to the beginning […]

Timeline of the Israelites’ Three Returns

1、In 538 BC, in the “first year of Cyrus king of Persia” (Ezra 1:1), Zerubbabel led the first group of exiles back to Jerusalem (Ezra 2:1-3:1). The following year, they began rebuilding the Temple (Ezra 3:8-13). 2、In 530 BC, King Cyrus was killed in Central Asia, and his son Cambyses II (reigned 530–522 BC) succeeded […]

Nehemiah

The name Nehemiah means “comfort.” After the fall of the southern kingdom of Judah, God’s people were exiled to Babylon. Later, Babylon was conquered by Persia. With the Persian king’s permission, God’s exiled people returned to Jerusalem in several waves. Nehemiah, a member of the tribe of Judah, was a Jew born and raised in […]