David’s Wars: In 17:10 the Chronicler made a small change to the verb of his source text. The result was a promise of Yahweh that he would subdue David’s enemies. The narratives that follow in the next three chapters provide proof that Yahweh did indeed fulfill this promise. These chapters emphasize that it is not David’s valor or his political aspirations that drove these military victories. It is rather Yahweh’s initiative in preparing the way for the dispensation of peace and rest that will prevail under King Solomon’s reign.

The Chronicler again followed his source texts in 2 Samuel closely but selected only certain war narratives, leaving aside many other family narratives contained in 2 Samuel. The material was mainly taken from 2 Samuel 8, 10, 12, 21, and 24. Some examples of omitted…