Isaac Kalimi, «The View of Jerusalem in the Ethnographical Introduction of Chronicles (1 Chr 1–9)», Vol. 83 (2002) 556-562

All the appearances of Jerusalem in the ethnographical prologue of Chronicles are prior to David’s capture of it. Equally, the mentioning of the Jerusalem Temple is prior to its building by Solomon. These appearances are early allusions to the importance of the city and its functions in the narrative sections of the book. The Chronicler stresses that all the chosen dynasty’s kings were born in Jerusalem. The repetitive mentioning that the Temple was constructed in Jerusalem may be intended to point out the exclusive holiness of the Chronicler’s own Jerusalem. The list of Jerusalem’s residents relies on those in Nehemiah and on an additional one that has no parallel in other sources. This list is used as a climax of the entire section (1 Chr 1-9). According to the Chronicler all the Israelites settled in Jerusalem freely, and the city was used as a center for the entire nation during the whole kingdom era.

        Contrary to the author of Nehemiah 11 who informs us that "the rest of the people drew lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city" (verse 1), the Chronicler does not offer any information indicating the urgency to increase the population of Jerusalem, and that families were — as a matter of fact — forced to settle in the city. By omitting, too, the second verse of Nehemiah 11, which informs us that there were some other people who volunteered to live in Jerusalem, the Chronicler actually ‘threw out the baby with the dirty water’. Nevertheless, he emphasizes that not only people from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, Priests and Levites lived in Jerusalem as listed in Nehemiah (Neh 11,4,10,16 // 1 Chr 9,3a.10.14), but also descendants of the northern tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh (1 Chr 9,3b - an ‘addition’ to Neh 11,4)²⁰. Consequently, the picture that emerges from Chronicles is that Jerusalem was inhabited willingly by all the Israelites. The city was the center of the whole nation, of the northern as well as of the southern tribes.

        Although the Chronicler integrated in his work the lists of those who inhabited Jerusalem as related in Nehemiah, he avoided utilizing the title #$dqh ry( "the holy city" which appears twice in his Vorlage (Neh 11,1.18) ²¹. Neither did he use any other title / name instead, such as hwhy ry( "the City of the Lord" or Myhl) ry( "the City of God", which were used in other Scriptural passages such as Isa 60,14; Ps 87,3 (see also Ps 46,5; 101,8). This fact is noteworthy especially against the background that the Chronicler recognized Jerusalem as the chosen city of God, and as a place where the "Throne of the Lord" was located (1 Chr 28,5b; 29,23a)²².

        Why was the post-exilic list of Jerusalem’s residents located in the book of Chronicles (1 Chr 9,2-34), though it interrupts the genealogy of the house of Saul (1 Chr 8,29-38) and the tragic death of Saul and his sons on mount Gilboa (1 Chr 10 // 1 Sam 31)? The answer lies probably in the evidence that Jerusalem’s inhabitants and Temple’s staff seem to be the "climax" of the genealogical lists in 1 Chr 1–9. The author opens with Adam and all the nations which were formed from his descendants (1 Chr 1). He continues in detail on the Israelite tribes (1 Chr 2–8) with special attention to Judah (1 Chr 2-4; while locating Davidic descendants in its center, 1 Chr 3) as well as the tribe of Levi (1 Chr 5,27–6,66), and concludes with the Jerusalem inhabitants who embrace the Temple staff: Priests, Levites, gatekeepers,