2 Chronicles Chapter 1

At a Glance

  • 2 CHRONICLES CHAPTER 1.
  • 2 Chronicles 1 opens Solomon’s reign with a powerful hinge: divine affirmation paired with a request for wisdom.
  • Solomon’s centerpiece moment is the theophany at the bronze altar, where God appears to him in a dream and invites him to ask for whatever he desires.
  • The chapter weaves personal divine encounter with communal responsibility.
  • Historical & Literary Context.

2 CHRONICLES CHAPTER 1

Chapter Overview

2 Chronicles 1 opens Solomon’s reign with a powerful hinge: divine affirmation paired with a request for wisdom. The chapter presents Solomon’s succession as the fruit of God’s blessing—“Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him.” Solomon’s initial act is both inclusive and ceremonial: he calls together the leaders of Israel to seek God at the high place in Gibeon. The scene is liturgical, establishing the pattern of dependence on God’s guidance as the indispensable tool for leadership.

Solomon’s centerpiece moment is the theophany at the bronze altar, where God appears to him in a dream and invites him to ask for whatever he desires. Solomon’s request is strikingly self-forgetful: not wealth, not long life, but wisdom and knowledge to rule God’s people. God’s response is lavish: wisdom and knowledge are granted, and God adds riches, wealth, and honor beyond any previous king. This gift is not merely for Solomon’s personal benefit but to equip him for a heavy, righteous stewardship over God’s people.

The chapter weaves personal divine encounter with communal responsibility. Solomon’s plea and God’s reply set the theological trajectory for the rest of Chronicles: wisdom is the essential virtue for leadership in God’s people, and wisdom is inseparable from righteousness, justice, and discernment in judging the people.

Historical & Literary Context

Date and setting: Chronicles retells Davidic history from a post-exilic perspective. This chapter sits at an early point in Solomon’s narrative arc, but the language emphasizes God’s favor and the wisdom granted to govern well.

Genre: It blends royal biography, divine dialogue, and a hymn-like descriptor of wisdom. It uses a theophany narrative pattern to underscore divine-human interaction at the heart of leadership.

Placement within the book: This chapter sets up Solomon’s reign as a period defined by divine wisdom. It prepares readers for the temple-building era, where wise governance and covenant fidelity are essential to national flourishing.

Key Themes

- Divine wisdom as the essential resource for leadership

- Humble seeking of God’s grant through prayer

- God’s generosity when the heart aligns with his purposes

- The integration of wisdom, wealth, and honor as blessings for service

- Theocratic leadership rooted in divine presence

Modern Application

- Prayerful leadership: Modern leaders can imitate Solomon’s posture—seek guidance from God before making decisions that affect many.

- Wisdom over wealth: The priority of wisdom highlights the importance of discernment and justice in governance, business, and community life.

- Theology of abundance: God’s gift pattern—wisdom plus wealth—teaches that resources should be stewarded to enable wise, just governance and worship.

- Mentoring and succession: The chapter’s emphasis on preparation for leadership invites intergenerational mentoring and the training of successors.

- 1 Chronicles 22-29 (David’s preparations and Solomon’s rise)

- Proverbs (wisdom literature that reflects Solomon’s wisdom ethos)

- James 1:5 (“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God”)

- 1 Kings 3 (Solomon’s dream and wisdom request)

- Exodus 31 (the wisdom to build the tabernacle contributes to temple plan)

Recommended Personas

- Solomon (for wisdom and governance)

- Moses (for divine commissioning and covenant leadership)

- Jesus (for ultimate wisdom and faithful rule)

- Paul (for applying wisdom to church leadership)

Chapter Text

1

And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly.

2

Then Solomon spake unto all Israel, to the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and to the judges, and to every governor in all Israel, the chief of the fathers.

3

So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness.

4

But the ark of God had David brought up from Kirjathjearim to the place which David had prepared for it: for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem.

5

Moreover the brasen altar, that Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, he put before the tabernacle of the LORD: and Solomon and the congregation sought unto it.

6

And Solomon went up thither to the brasen altar before the LORD, which was at the tabernacle of the congregation, and offered a thousand burnt offerings upon it.

7

In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee.

8

And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead.

9

Now, O LORD God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude.

10

Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?

11

And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king:

12

Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.

13

Then Solomon came from his journey to the high place that was at Gibeon to Jerusalem, from before the tabernacle of the congregation, and reigned over Israel.

14

And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, which he placed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.

15

And the king made silver and gold at Jerusalem as plenteous as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the vale for abundance.

16

And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king’s merchants received the linen yarn at a price.

17

And they fetched up, and brought forth out of Egypt a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so brought they out horses for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, by their means.

Discuss This Chapter with Biblical Personas

Explore 2 Chronicles Chapter 1 with Biblical figures who can provide unique perspectives grounded in Scripture.

Ask Apostle PaulAsk MosesAsk King DavidAsk Jesus Christ
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