Answer
God’s faithfulness to His promises is a central theme in the book of 2 Chronicles. The book’s first readers witnessed the end of exile that God imposed on the previous generation of Israelites. They also saw the beginning of a new chapter for the nation as they returned home to renew the covenant God had established with their ancestors (Genesis 12:1–3). Composed after the exile to encourage these returning Jews, 2 Chronicles was likely written between 450 BC and 430 BC.
Originally, 1 and 2 Chronicles were a single book known as “Chronicles.” The book traces Israel’s history from Adam to the period after the exile, the time of the original readers. According to Jewish tradition, Ezra wrote Chronicles (cf. Ezra 7:1–6). However, there is insufficient internal and external evidence to support this claim. Specifically, neither 1 nor 2 Chronicles—nor any other biblical text—explicitly identifies the author of these books. Therefore, estimating the timeframe of 2 Chronicles’ composition based on the author’s lifetime is not feasible.
Although the authorship of 2 Chronicles remains uncertain, the content of the book suggests a likely time of its composition. The first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles, which consist of genealogies, conclude with information about Israelites who returned from the exile: “And Judah was taken into exile in Babylon because of their breach of faith. Now the first to dwell again in their possessions in their cities were Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the temple servants” (1 Chronicles 9:2b–3, ESV). These details suggest that “Chronicles,” including 2 Chronicles, was likely completed soon after the time of Israel’s return from captivity, around 430 BC.
The book concludes with a reference to the Jews’ return home: “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing (2 Chronicles 36:22, ESV). Specifically, Cyrus proclaimed, “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be with him. Let him go up” (2 Chronicles 36:23, ESV).
The Jews who returned home faced trials as they worked to rebuild their lives and restore their society. As they renewed their devotion to God through worship in the rebuilt temple, they looked forward to God’s promises for their future. This included the hope of the Messiah. According to prophecies in Genesis 49:10 and Micah 5:2, the Jewish Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah. Matthew, the first Gospel in the New Testament, quotes Micah’s prophecy to identify Jesus of Nazareth as the promised Messiah: “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel” (Matthew 2:6; cf. Micah 5:2, 4; Hebrews 7:14).
