Yigal Levin, "The Chronicles of David and Solomon: 1 Chronicles 10–2 Chronicles 9: A New Translation and Commentary " (Bloomsbury, 2026)

August 13, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Yigal Levin’s new commentary on the David and Solomon narratives in Chronicles is not the first volume he wrote, but the second—and that fact tells you something about how his thinking has shifted over three decades of work. Levin began at the end of the book, publishing The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah (covering 2 Chronicles 10–36) in 2017. He has now finished the middle volume, The Chronicles of David and Solomon (1 Chronicles 10–2 Chronicles 9), and is working backward toward the genealogies in 1 Chronicles 1–9, which will become the first volume. The result is a three-volume commentary written in reverse order, which means careful readers will notice places where his views have evolved.

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What you'll learn

1 (02:34) **Project Origins and the Three-Volume Approach** - Levin explains how a graduate interest in Chronicles’ geography and genealogies grew into a multi-decade commentary project.
2 (11:39) **Levin’s Academic Background and Approach** - Levin introduces himself as a professor of Jewish history at Bar-Ilan University, specializing in the interface between biblical text, ancient Near Eastern sources, and archaeology.
3 (15:57) **Why a New Translation Matters** - Levin explains his decision to produce his own English translation rather than rely on an existing one, and gives a concrete example of a translational choice.
4 (21:57) **How Chronicles Presents David Differently from Samuel-Kings** - Levin outlines the major omissions and additions that reshape David’s portrait in Chronicles.
5 (26:10) **How Levin’s Understanding of Chronicles Has Evolved** - Levin describes a shift from a naive trust in Chronicles as a historical source to a more skeptical, literary, and diachronic approach.
6 (30:23) **Connecting the Three Volumes and Inconsistencies** - Levin explains how the volumes fit together and acknowledges that his thinking has evolved between volumes.
7 (32:21) **The European Hebrew Journal** - Levin briefly comments on his role as an editorial board member and the journal’s potential.

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Show Notes

In this New Books Network interview, Professor Željko Stanojević speaks with Professor Yigal Levin of Bar-Ilan University about his new book, The Chronicles of David and Solomon: 1 Chronicles 10–2 Chronicles 9: A New Translation and Commentary, published by Bloomsbury.

The conversation explores what is new in Levin’s translation and commentary, how the Book of Chronicles reshapes the stories of David and Solomon, and why Jerusalem, the Temple, the priesthood, the Levites, geography, political memory, and the idea of “all Israel” are central to the Chronicler’s message.

The book offers a new English translation and detailed commentary on 1 Chronicles 10 through 2 Chronicles 9. It is part of a planned multi-volume commentary. It begins with the death of Saul and follows the Chronicler’s account of David’s rise to power, the establishment of Jerusalem, the transfer of the Ark, the divine promise concerning David’s dynasty, preparations for the Temple, Solomon’s accession, and the construction and dedication of the Jerusalem Temple.

Levin shows that Chronicles does far more than repeat Samuel and Kings. The Chronicler selects, reorganises, expands, and omits earlier material to create a distinctive interpretation of Israel’s past. David is presented above all as the king who prepares Jerusalem, worship, personnel, materials, and institutions for the future Temple, while Solomon completes that project by building and dedicating the Temple.

The volume also examines priests, Levites, musicians, gatekeepers, officials, military groups, tribes, cities, territories, genealogies, and neighbouring peoples. These details are essential for understanding how the Chronicler imagined Israel’s unity, institutions, memory, and identity. Levin combines Biblical Hebrew, textual comparison, historical geography, archaeology, genealogy, literary analysis, and the history of ancient Israel. The commentary is especially valuable for scholars and students of Chronicles, David and Solomon, the Jerusalem Temple, biblical historiography, Persian-period Yehud, Biblical Hebrew, biblical archaeology, and ancient Israelite history.

Professor Yigal Levin is an Israeli historian and biblical scholar at Bar-Ilan University. His research focuses on the history of ancient Israel, the Book of Chronicles, historical geography, biblical archaeology, biblical historiography, genealogies and tribal identity, Persian-period Yehud, and the relationship between biblical texts, geography, archaeology, and history. He is also Director of the Rivlin Institute for the History of the Land of Israel and its Settlement.

Professor Levin is a member of the Editorial Board of the European Hebrew Journal, an international, peer-reviewed, Diamond Open Access journal published by the Institute for Hebrew Language and Literature in Belgrade. The journal publishes research in Hebrew language, Biblical Hebr