Book of the Bible

2 Chronicles

Solomon’s temple, the kings of Judah, the fall of Jerusalem, and the decree of Cyrus.

DatesEvents about 970–538 BC; written after the exile (debated)
GenreHistory
AuthorshipAnonymous; see 1 Chronicles
TimelineUnited Kingdom, Divided Kingdom, Exile & Return (including the Second Temple period)
Key texts2 Chronicles 6–7; 2 Chronicles 20; 2 Chronicles 29–32; 2 Chronicles 36
Read the text2 Chronicles in the World English Bible
Covered in classSession 3

What the sources say, and how sure we are

The text says
Second Chronicles follows only the kings of Judah and ends with the decree of Cyrus that allows the exiles to return.2 Chr 36:22–23
Outside evidence
The Cyrus Cylinder, from about 539 BC, records Cyrus’s policy of returning displaced peoples and their gods to their homelands. It does not mention the Jews by name, but its policy matches the decree in Chronicles and Ezra.Cyrus Cylinder
Debated
Chronicles differs from Kings in its numbers, emphasis, and some events. Scholars disagree about the reasons and about how to harmonize them.