Samuel, Kings and Chronicles: A Harmony of Histories

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Dec 2006 by Bolen, Todd

Samuel, Kings and Chronicles: A Harmony of Histories. Ed. Jason L. Snyder. Victoria, BC: Trafford, 2005, 486 pp., $40.00.

Jason Snyder was motivated to compile this synopsis while teaching a course on Kings and Chronicles. The existing harmonies did not provide his essential need-the complete text of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles in order and without alteration, together with their associated parallels.

Professors interested in this work are likely familiar with the earlier harmonies of William D. Crockett (A Harmony of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1951]) and James D. Newsome, Jr. (A Synoptic Harmony of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles [Grand Rapids: Baker, 19861). Snyder's work is arranged differently and may disappoint those looking for an up-to-date replacement for those earlier works. Snyder has compiled not a harmony, but a synoptic view (cf. Chronicles and Its Synoptic Parallels [ed. J. C. Endres, W. R. Millar, and J. B. Burns; Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 19981). That is, there is no alteration to the chronological order. Each book is presented in its entirety and original sequence in the left-hand column. Related parallels are placed in the right-hand column where deemed most appropriate. Parallels are not included from Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, or other biblical books.

Snyder's approach presents some significant advantages. Teachers or students going through any single book of Samuel, Kings, or Chronicles will easily find their passage in the original sequence in the primary column. In a harmony such as Newsome's, an index is essential for locating passages in Chronicles, which are often aligned following the order of Samuel-Kings. In addition, the entirety of these biblical books is included, so users will not be frustrated that a particular section of Chronicles is missing because of a lack of parallel in Samuel-Kings.

Conversely, the reader must recognize that this is not a harmony (despite the book's title), and none of the work in determining chronological order has been done. Because of the book's design, the reader will observe that all of the text of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles is printed twice (except 1 Chronicles 1-9). So, for example, one will find both the Kings and Chronicles accounts of Rehoboam's folly in the 1 Kings chapter (Section 64) and in the 2 Chronicles chapter (Section 176). Readers should note, however, that the placement of the two sources is reversed in the two sections, with the Kings account in the left column in the Kings chapter but the opposite in the Chronicles chapter. Those who are jumping back and forth between chapters may find this placement confusing, especially given the lack of Scripture references on each page.

Another questionable feature is the inclusion of lengthy "parallel texts" when there is no parallel. For example, 55 pages of 1 Samuel are included in the middle of the 1 Chronicles section, without a single parallel. Perhaps those pages could have been omitted and a note placed in the text referring the reader to the 1 Samuel section. It is true that the inclusion notifies the reader of a large portion of non-paralleled narrative, but the price of 55 pages is too high.

Snyder has chosen to use the updated NASB as his text without footnotes and with some alterations to the headings. This translation is certainly better than the Revised Version of 1884 used by Crockett, and some will prefer it to the RSV that is the basis for Newsome's harmony. Certainly the literal translation of the NASB makes the reader's work easier in comparing parallel texts, though Snyder does not make adjustments to the NASB where warranted by the Hebrew, as did Newsome. Readers could thus from time to time be led into thinking that the underlying Hebrew of parallel texts is different when in fact it is just a translation variation (e.g. 2 Sam 7:8 and 1 Chr 17:7).

A frustrating shortcoming of this work is the lack of section and Scripture reference headings on each page. It is not convenient to have to keep turning back to find out what book and chapter of the Bible one is reading. Serious users of this volume are going to want to handwrite the references on many pages. Vertical parallels or similar passages within the same book are included for one passage (2 Chr 9:25-28), but strangely the other parallel Chronicles text is lacking for 2 Chr 1:14-17.

The price ($40 with no discounts online) seems high for a paperback book that is essentially a rearrangement of three biblical books. Many readers will still feel the need to keep Newsome at hand to see related parallels in the psalms and prophets. Perhaps the editor could add these passages in a second edition. The large format is convenient for desk usage and will stay open on a teaching podium, but it is less comfortable for holding in one's hands.

Readers who recognize the nature of this work and its particular purpose may find it quite useful. However, it does not fill the need for a careful harmony of the historical books in a modern translation.