And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

Now the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.

The rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? Nevertheless in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet.

Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his treason that he wrought, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he showed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he made, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

5:6 begat Enos. These records provide three items of necessary information nowhere else available: (1) the names of the antediluvian patriarchs in the line of the promised Seed who would ultimately fulfill God’s Protevangelic promise (these names are accepted as authentic and repeated in I Chronicles 1:1-4 and Luke 3:36-38); (2) the chronological framework of primeval history, showing a total of 1656 years from Adam to the Flood (there is no internal evidence to suggest any gaps in these records); (3) the lifespans of the antediluvians averaged over 900 years (912 to be exact, excluding Enoch), indicating vastly superior environmental conditions then.

10:4 Dodanim. Dodanim is the same as Rodanim (I Chronicles 1:7 in some manuscripts). The name is probably found today in the names Dardanelles and Rhodes.

11:14 Salah. Luke 3:36 inserts the name “Cainan” between those of Arphaxad and Salah. This name is also found in some of the Septuagint manuscripts (though not the earliest), but it is not found in either Genesis 10:24 or I Chronicles 1:18, in any of the Masoretic manuscripts. The weight of evidence favors the Hebrew text with Cainan’s name having accidentally been later inserted by careless scribal copying from Genesis 5:10 and/or Luke 3:37. The inclusion of essentially the same genealogy, with no suggestion of any omitted generations, in Genesis 10:21-25 and 11:10-26, I Chronicles 1:17-28, and Luke 3:34-38, including chronological data in the second, at least places the burden of proof on any who (for archaeological reasons) would maintain there are significant gaps involved.

22:4 the place. Moriah was about thirty miles away, and was the place where David would later plan the Temple (II Chronicles 3:1), and where Christ Himself would one day be offered as the Lamb of God.

25:1 Keturah. The home and background of Keturah are unknown. Like Hagar, she is called a concubine (Genesis 25:6; I Chronicles 1:32) to emphasize that her sons were not to inherit the promises centered in Isaac. However, God had also promised (Genesis 17:4) that Abraham would be a father of many nations. When his body was miraculously rejuvenated at age one hundred to father Isaac, he remained “young” for many more years, eventually begetting six more sons of the younger Keturah.

25:31 birthright. The birthright customarily involved a double portion of the inheritance (Deuteronomy 21:17), but this privilege also involved the spiritual leadership of the family. Esau desired the first but not the second. In any case, the father was responsible to transfer the birthright to a more deserving son if necessary (I Chronicles 5:1,2), and Isaac should have long since made it clear that it was to go to Jacob. The latter, appalled at the thought of a carnal profligate like Esau having the spiritual responsibilities of the birthright, offered to purchase it from him, perhaps initially in jest. However, Esau agreed to the absurd bargain, thus making it still clearer that he was unqualified.

48:22 one portion above thy brethren. Although this may refer only to a specific tract of land in Canaan, the principle is here established that Joseph, rather than Reuben, will be granted the birthright (see I Chronicles 5:1-2) with its double inheritance, so that Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph’s sons, are established as each equal with the other eleven sons of Israel.

6:17 sons of Gershon. In Exodus 6:16-19, the genealogy from Levi to Moses through Kohath and Amram is abbreviated to just four generations, although the stay in Egypt is said to be 430 years (Exodus 12:40-41). Note, however, that approximately this same period from Ephraim (a son of Joseph) to Joshua involved ten generations (I Chronicles 7:22-27). It is thus possible that the Levi-to-Moses genealogy gave only the four “major” ancestors of Moses, corresponding roughly to the 430-year stay of Israel in Egypt. However, see also the notes on Genesis 15:16.

17:14 remembrance of Amalek. The Amalekites, whoever they were, continued in existence until well into the period of Israel’s kings, possibly even to the time of Hezekiah (I Chronicles 4:43). Eventually they vanished, so completely that none today can even be certain who they were.

13:44 he is unclean. Leprosy was not only a type of sin; it was occasionally a divine judgment because of some specific sin, as in the case of Miriam (Numbers 12:10), King Uzziah (II Chronicles 26:19-21), and Elisha’s servant (II Kings 5:27), among others.