Jotham: This very short passage describes the reign of King Jotham (ca. 748–733 B.C.), the first king since Abijah to be judged wholly positively. The Chronicler closely followed the even shorter version in the Deuteronomistic History (2 Kgs. 15:32–38) but added some information on the successes of the king. On the other hand, given the pattern evident in the previous royal narratives in Chronicles, it is strange that the Chronicler did not snatch the opportunity to extol the religious virtues of this righteous king even more. This may simply be because the Chronicler did not have access to more information about the king.

Second Chronicles 26:21 notes that “Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.” The reference is to the period after Uzziah’s skin disea…