Author

Unknown, though it may have been Ezra, a scribe and scholar.

Written

450 BC

Main Themes

Covers the first half of the entire history of Israel.

God tells David not to build a temple for him because he had shed blood as a warrior.

Key Verses

1 Chronicles 20:5 And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff [was] like a weaver's beam.
6 And yet again there was war at Gath, where was a man of [great] stature, whose fingers and toes [were] four and twenty, six [on each hand], and six [on each foot]: and he also was the son of the giant.
7  But when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David's brother slew him.

1 Chronicles 22:7 And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a house to the name of the LORD [Yahweh] my God:
8 But the word of the LORD [Yahweh] came to me, saying, You have shed blood abundantly, and have made great wars: you will not build a house to my name, because you have shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.

Important Points

Originally, the Chronicles were one combined book, not 1 and 2 Chronicles. The purpose of it was to present an entire history of Israel. 1 Chronicles gives the history from Adam through King David.

The book repeats some famous Bible stories from other books. It gives a different perspective at times, the same as the gospels give different looks at the same stories. It also adds some detail not found in other books, including more deaths of giants related to Goliath.

There are many lists in Chronicles, including genealogies and laws.

It ends with Chapter 28, David having given the job of building the temple from plans he created to his son Solomon, soon to be king.