Scripture Helps

2 Chronicles 14–20; 26; 30

The books of Chronicles provide a second narrative history of ancient Israel, as they describe many of the same events found in the earlier books of Genesis through Kings. But 2 Chronicles also contains details about some of the kings of Judah that are not recorded in the books of Kings. One such king was Asa, who sought the Lord during peaceful and difficult times. Some people from the northern tribes migrated south to Judah when they saw that the Lord was with Asa. Although Asa’s faith wavered later in life, his son Jehoshaphat followed the Lord and helped the people of his kingdom repent and return to the Lord. When other nations attacked Judah during Jehoshaphat’s rule, the Lord fought their battles. During King Hezekiah’s reign, Hezekiah invited all Israelites to participate in the Passover in Jerusalem. The Lord healed those who came to the feast.

Resources

• Background and Context

• Learn More

Note: The citation of a source not published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not imply that it or its author is endorsed by the Church or represents the official position of the Church.

Background and Context

What are the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles?

The books of Chronicles provide an overview of events from the Creation through the rise of King Cyrus of Persia. Though originally written as a single work, Chronicles was divided into two separate volumes in the Greek translation of the Bible. While much of the history described in Chronicles overlaps with the accounts in the books of Samuel and Kings, there are also accounts that are exclusive to Chronicles.

The book of 2 Chronicles primarily focuses on events in the Southern Kingdom of Judah. It generally mentions the Northern Kingdom only in the context of its interactions with Judah. The authorship of Chronicles remains uncertain, but most scholars suggest that the books were likely written after the Babylonian exile, possibly in the fourth century BC.

The books of 1 and 2 Chronicles can be organized as follows:

1. 1 Chronicles 1–9: Genealogies of the patriarchs and the sons of Jacob.

2. 1 Chronicles 10–2 Chronicles 9: The reigns of Kings David and Solomon.

3. 2 Chronicles 10–35: The division of the kingdom and the history of the kings of Judah.

4. 2 Chronicles 36: The destruction of Jerusalem, the exile of the Israelites from the Southern Kingdom, and Cyrus’s proclamation that the Israelites could return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.

2 Chronicles 15:9–10

Why did people from the northern tribes live in the Southern Kingdom of Judah?

The Southern Kingdom of Judah originally consisted of people mostly from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. However, during King Asa’s reign, many people from the northern tribes relocated to Judah when they saw that the Lord was with Asa and his people. Another large-scale migration took place after Assyria conquered the Northern Kingdom in 722 BC. As a result, a large population of people from the northern tribes resided in the Southern Kingdom. The Book of Mormon prophet Lehi, a member of the tribe of Manasseh, had ancestors from the northern tribes who at some point moved to the Southern Kingdom.

2 Chronicles 15:10–12

Why did the people make a covenant with the Lord?

Asa’s reign followed a period of wickedness and idolatry in the kingdom of Judah. Asa responded to prophetic counsel to remove idols from his kingdom and gathered his people to Jerusalem, where they made a covenant to seek the Lord. This is one of many instances in which members of the house of Israel renewed the covenant that had been made at Mount Sinai.

See also “Deuteronomy 29:1–15. Why did Israel make another covenant with the Lord?”; “Joshua 8:30–35; 24. What occurred on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal?”

2 Chronicles 18:18–21

Did the Lord send a lying spirit to Ahab’s prophets?

See “1 Kings 22:22–23. Did the Lord send a lying spirit to Ahab’s prophets?”

2 Chronicles 19:2

Why did the prophet Jehu rebuke Jehoshaphat?

Jehoshaphat, the fourth king of Judah, was a righteous man whose “heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord.” However, Jehoshaphat was rebuked by the prophet Jehu for his alliance with King Ahab of the Northern Kingdom. Ahab and his wife, Jezebel, promoted the worship of Baal and Asherah throughout their kingdom. Jezebel also had many of the Lord’s prophets killed and attempted to kill the prophet Elijah.

Later in his life, Jehoshaphat formed another alliance with a wicked king of Israel. The Lord again rebuked Jehoshaphat for his actions, this time through the prophet Eliezer.

2 Chronicles 20:8–9

How did Jehoshaphat rely on the blessings Solomon prayed for in his dedicatory prayer for the temple?

When Solomon dedicated the temple in Jerusalem, he prayed for the people to receive the Lord’s blessings in their times of need, including protection from their enemies. Later, when a powerful combined army from other nations was on its way to attack Judah, Jehoshaphat asked the Lord to honor the blessings Solomon had prayed for.

Jehoshaphat then prayed, “O our God, … we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.” The Lord answered the prayers of Jehoshaphat and his people, miraculously delivering them from their enemies.

2 Chronicles 20:32–33

Why did high places remain during Jehoshaphat’s reign?

Throughout their history, the Israelites built altars to Jehovah on mountains, hilltops, or elevated platforms known as “high places.” While these sites were often used to worship Jehovah, they were also eventually used for idolatrous practices. In 2 Chronicles 17:6, we learn that Jehoshaphat removed the high places and groves in an effort to purge idolatry from the kingdom. However, 2 Chronicles 20:33 notes that “the high places were not taken away.” The reason for this apparent discrepancy is not explained. It is possible that some high places remained in use for legitimate worship of Jehovah. Or perhaps the spread and persistence of idolatry made it difficult for the king to completely eliminate these practices. Subsequent righteous kings, including Hezekiah and Josiah, continued to remove high places from Judah and centralized the worship of Jehovah at Jerusalem.

See also “1 Samuel 9:12–14. What were ‘high places’?”; “Judges 2:11–15; 3:5–7. What were some of the false gods of the Canaanites?”

2 Chronicles 26:1

Why was King Uzziah also called Azariah?

In the account of his life recorded in 2 Kings 15, King Uzziah is sometimes called Azariah. It is possible that Uzziah was his throne name that was officially adopted when he became king. Or perhaps there was an error or confusion in the transmission of the text.

2 Chronicles 26:16–21

Why was it wrong for King Uzziah to burn incense in the temple?

Only priests who held the Aaronic Priesthood were authorized to burn incense on the altar before the veil of the temple. Uzziah’s successes as king led to a prideful heart and an overreach of his authority. Regarding Uzziah’s pride, Elder Ulisses Soares taught:

“It was during the reign of Uzziah that the kingdom of Judah experienced the greatest period of prosperity and influence since the reign of King Solomon. But unfortunately, pride in his military triumphs and pride in his great power and wealth caused him to forget the Lord. Because of this sin, Uzziah was struck with leprosy. Because of his disease, Uzziah was forced to live isolated from his people until he died.

“Uzziah prospered in every way in his life while he remembered the Lord, but when he forgot Him, Uzziah experienced heartbreak, disappointment, and sorrow for his sin.”

Uzziah’s Pride and Punishment, by A. M. Boon

2 Chronicles 30:1

What was significant about Hezekiah’s Passover celebration?

King Hezekiah reigned in the Southern Kingdom at the time the Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom. His invitation to the remaining Israelites from the northern tribes to join his people in Jerusalem for the Passover was an important moment in Israelite history. Because the Northern and Southern Kingdoms had been divided for about two centuries, the Israelites had not experienced a unified Passover celebration since the time of King Solomon. Although many Israelites from the northern tribes scoffed at Hezekiah’s invitation, others made the journey and took part in the joyful celebration.

2 Chronicles 30:2–3

Why did Hezekiah delay the Passover celebration?

Passover was typically celebrated on the 14th day of the first month of the religious year. However, the law of Moses permitted it to be postponed to the second month if a person was ritually unclean or on a faraway journey. Hezekiah appears to have extended both of these exceptions to the priests, who needed time to sanctify themselves, and to the people from the northern tribes, who needed more time to travel to Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 30:17–20

Why did Hezekiah allow ritually unclean individuals to participate in the Passover?

Because many who participated in the Passover had traveled great distances, they did not have time to perform the required ritual purifications to attend the feast at the temple. However, Hezekiah prayed for the Lord to pardon everyone “that prepareth his heart to seek God, … though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.” The Lord honored Hezekiah’s request and “healed the people.”

Learn More

Jehoshaphat

• Gordon B. Hinckley, “Believe His Prophets,” Ensign, May 1992, 50–53

• Robert D. Hales, “Hear the Prophet’s Voice and Obey,” Ensign, May 1995, 15–17

• Paul E. Koelliker, “Recognizing Righteous Leadership,” Ensign, July 2010, 30–32

Notes

1. See Bible Dictionary, “Chronicles.”

2. It appears that the author or authors of Chronicles assumed that readers would be familiar with the books of Samuel and Kings. Chronicles leaves out, for example, David’s struggles with Saul, his sin with Bathsheba, and other family trials (see Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds., The Jewish Study Bible, 2nd ed. [2014], 1705–6).

3. See Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and others, Jehovah and the World of the Old Testament: An Illustrated Reference for Latter-day Saints (2009), 214.

4. See 1 Nephi 1:4; Alma 10:3. See also Jeffrey R. Chadwick, “Lehi’s House at Jerusalem and the Land of His Inheritance,” in Glimpses of Lehi’s Jerusalem, ed. John W. Welch and others (2004), 87–93.

5. See 1 Kings 14:21–31; 15:1–3.

6. See 2 Chronicles 15:1–12.

7. See Deuteronomy 29:1–15; Joshua 8:30–35; 24:25; 2 Chronicles 23:16; 29:10; 34:29–33. See also Kenneth L. Barker and others, eds., NIV Study Bible: Fully Revised Edition (2020), 720, note on 2 Chronicles 15:12.

8. 2 Chronicles 17:6.

9. This was a marriage alliance (see 2 Chronicles 18:1, footnote a). Jehoshaphat’s son married Ahab’s daughter (see 2 Chronicles 21:5–6). See also Earl D. Radmacher and others, eds., NKJV Study Bible, 3rd ed. (2018), 645, note on 2 Chronicles 18:1.

10. See 1 Kings 16:32–33. See also Bible Dictionary, “Ahab,” “Jezebel.”

11. See 1 Kings 18:4, 13; 19:1–3.

12. See 2 Chronicles 20:35–37.

13. See 1 Kings 8:22–54 (specifically verses 37–40). The Lord later appeared to Solomon and declared, “I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually” (1 Kings 9:3).

14. 2 Chronicles 20:12.

15. See 2 Chronicles 20:14–24.

16. See 1 Samuel 9:19, 25; 1 Kings 3:3–4. See also Holzapfel and others, Jehovah and the World of the Old Testament, 167–68.

17. See Bible Dictionary, “High places.”

18. A similar situation is described in the account of Asa (compare 2 Chronicles 14:2–5 with 15:16–17).

19. See Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary (2019), 2:527, note on 1 Kings 22:44.

20. See Barker and others, NIV Study Bible, 719, note on 2 Chronicles 14:5.

21. See 2 Kings 18:1–5; 23:3–20. See also Bible Dictionary, “Hezekiah,” “Josiah.”

22. See 2 Kings 15:1. There is also a priest named Azariah mentioned in 2 Chronicles 26:16–21.

23. See Alter, The Hebrew Bible, 2:969, note on 2 Chronicles 26:1.

24. See 2 Chronicles 13:10–11; 26:18. See also Numbers 16:39–40.

25. Ulisses Soares, “Always Remember Him” (Brigham Young University devotional, Feb. 5, 2019), 2, speeches.byu.edu.

26. See 2 Kings 18:9–12.

27. See Barker and others, NIV Study Bible, 739, note on 2 Chronicles 30:2.

28. See 2 Chronicles 30:10–11, 25–26.

29. See Exodus 12:6, 18.

30. See Numbers 9:9–12.

31. See Alter, The Hebrew Bible, 2:978, note on 2 Chronicles 30:2; Harold W. Attridge and others, eds., The HarperCollins Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version, Including the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books (2006), 635, note on 2 Chronicles 30:2.

32. See Alter, The Hebrew Bible, 2:979, note on 2 Chronicles 30:18.

33. 2 Chronicles 30:19.

34. 2 Chronicles 30:20.