to prepare it every sabbath] “Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord continually” (Leviticus xxiv. 8). In 2 Chronicles ii. 4 (= ii. 3, Hebrew) it is called the continual shewbread (literally “the continual Row”).
³³And these are the singers, heads of fathers’ houses of the Levites, who dwelt in the chambers and were free from other service: for they were employed in their work day and night. ³⁴These were heads of fathers’ houses of the Levites, throughout their generations, chief men: these dwelt at Jerusalem.
33. And these are] This verse may be intended as a conclusion to verses 15, 16, for the names there given are those of singers; compare Nehemiah xi. 17. On the other hand it may have been intended as the heading of such a list as appears in vi. 33–47 (= 18–32, Hebrew), the list itself having somehow been omitted.
day and night] Compare Psalms cxxxiv. 1; Revelation iv. 8.
35–44 (= viii. 29–38).
The Genealogy of the house of Saul.
³⁵And in Gibeon there dwelt the father of Gibeon, Jeiel, whose wife’s name was Maacah: ³⁶and his firstborn son Abdon, and Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and Ner, and Nadab; ³⁷and Gedor, and Ahio, and Zechariah, and Mikloth. ³⁸And Mikloth begat Shimeam. And they also dwelt with their brethren in Jerusalem, over against their brethren. ³⁹And Ner begat Kish; and Kish begat Saul; and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchi-shua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal. ⁴⁰And the son of Jonathan was Merib-baal; and Merib-baal begat Micah. ⁴¹And the sons of Micah; Pithon, and Melech, and Tahrea, and Ahaz. ⁴²And Ahaz begat Jarah; and Jarah begat Alemeth, and Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begat Moza: ⁴³and Moza begat Binea; and Rephaiah his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son: ⁴⁴and Azel had six sons, whose names are these; Azrikam, Bocheru, and Ishmael, and Sheariah, and Obadiah, and Hanan: these were the sons of Azel.
See notes on viii. 29 ff. The passage serves here as an introduction to the story of the death of Saul. Whether it is in its original setting here or in viii. 29 ff., or possibly is original in both chapters, there is not sufficient evidence to determine (see note on viii. 29).
Chapters X.–XXIX.
The Reign of David.
At this point the Chronicler begins his narrative of Israel’s history. It commences abruptly with an account of the defeat and death of Saul, which however is given not for its own interest, but to serve as a brief introduction to the reign of David (chapter xi. ff.). Why does the Chronicler choose to begin his narrative at this point, passing over in silence (a) the Mosaic period, (b) the stories of Judges and of 1 Samuel i.–xxx.? As regards (a) his silence is due to the assumption that those for whom he writes are no less familiar than he is himself with the account of the Mosaic age as presented by the fully developed tradition of the Pentateuch. As for (b), his silence probably arises neither from the difficulty of retelling the narratives of Judges in accordance with his theory of the early history, nor yet from the fact that they were doubtless familiar to his readers; but, again, from a consideration of the central purpose of his work. His theme is the Divine guidance of Israel’s destiny, and, since that destiny had ultimately centred upon the fortunes of Jerusalem and the worship maintained through its Temple, all else in Israel’s history becomes of quite secondary importance. He begins therefore where (for Israel) Jerusalem and the Temple began—with David, who conquered the city and planned the Temple. The tales of the Judges, of Samuel, and of David’s early life and his magnanimity toward Saul (a tempting source for the exaltation of the character of the ideal king), all these are logically ignored, since they lie outside the scope of the Chronicler’s design.