Jerusalem’s Inhabitants and Cultic Officials: After the Chronicler’s presentation of the great Israelite genealogy in 1 Chronicles 2–8, we now come to the time of the Chronicler himself. He bridges the gap from the downfall of Judah and Jerusalem to the resettlement in the land in two brief sentences (9:1b–2). Judah’s exile—“because of their unfaithfulness”—is acknowledged, but he does not dwell on this sad time in Israelite history. He quickly continues to indicate those who have resettled in the land (9:2).

The focus of the resettlement immediately shifts from “their own towns” (9:2) to “Jerusalem” (9:3) and its inhabitants in the postexilic age. It particularly features the prominent presence of “priests, Levites, and temple servants.”

In the overall narrative construction of Chronicles, …