The Heart of David’s Legacy in Chronicles: A Narrative-Character Analysis

When comparing the narratives in Chronicles with Samuel-Kings, it is clear that the Chronicler’s (Chr) depiction of David is more favorable than his sources. For example, David is portrayed as the “founding father” of Israel’s temple-site, cult, and liturgical empire, and he is the ideal king who helps establish Israel as one nation under God. That is why it is so surprising that the Chr appears to have reduced David’s role in evaluating his successors, the Judean kings. Some claim this as evidence that the Chr downplays and diminishes David’s character, but this could not be further from the truth. Following the elements of Bondi’s character analysis, it is argued that David is still the standard for faithfulness in Chronicles since the Chr uniquely adds references to David and David’s faithful heart at the most significant places in Israel’s history. Ultimately, the heart of David’s legacy is his temple-oriented heart—a character trait the Chr deeply desires his audience to adopt.