Problem: This passage reports the sin of David in numbering the people of Israel and Judah. Verse one affirms that God moved David to number the people. However, according to 1 Chronicles 21:1, it was Satan who moved David to number the people. Who was responsible for prompting David to act?
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Problem: How many charioteers were killed, 700 or 7,000? 2 Samuel 10:18 and 1 Chronicles 19:18
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Problem: How many Horsemen did David Capture, 1,700 or 7,000? This is most probably a copyist error or a copy of a manuscript where the number was altered through decay. 1 Chron. 18:4 is probably the correct number, 7000, since it is a better-preserved manuscript.
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Problem: In the short genealogical note in 1 Samuel 1:1, Elkanah is said to be from the mountains of Ephraim. However, in 1 Chronicles 6:16–23, the longer genealogical record indicates that Elkanah was a Levite. Which is correct?
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Problem: 2 Samuel states, “Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and it incited David against them to say, ‘Go, number Israel and Judah’” (2 Sam. 24:1). However, the parallel passage in Chronicles states, “Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel” (1 Chron. 21:1). Did Satan incite the census? Or did God?
Solution: Several questions arise regarding this passage. We will answer them one by one:
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Problem: Genesis 25:1 says, “Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah.” However, 1 Chronicles 1:32 states, “Now the sons of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine.” Was Keturah Abraham’s wife, or was she merely one of his concubines?
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Problem: How long did Jehoiachin rule over Jerusalem? Is it a copyist error or a mistake in the original document? 2 Kings 24:8 and 2 Chronicles 36:9
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Problem: This text says plainly that “these nations feared the Lord” (cf. v. 32). Yet this same passage claims that they “served their own gods” (v. 33). Isn’t this a flat contradiction?
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Problem: In 2 Kings 13:20, the prophet Elisha died. In the following verse, a dead man was thrown into the grave of Elisha, and as soon as he touched Elisha, he sprung back to life! We read, “When the man touched the bones of Elisha he revived and stood up on his feet” (v.21). The Catholic Encyclopedia cites this passage in support of this practice. Should we interpret this passage in this way?
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Problem: How old was Ahaziah when he began to rule over Jerusalem? 2 Kings 8:26 and 2 Chronicles 22:2. The correct age of Ahaziah when he began to rule over Jerusalem is 22.
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Problem: According to the statement in 2 Kings 8:26, Ahaziah was 22 years old when he began to reign in Judah. However, in 2 Chronicles 22:2 (kjv) we find the claim that Ahaziah was age 42 when he took the throne in Judah. Which is correct?
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Problem: Naaman worries that he will need to return to Aram and worship his pagan gods (v.18). Some evangelicals believe that this justifies Muslim Background Believers participating in worship services to Allah—for the sake of the gospel.
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Problem: The northern and southern kingdoms of Israel came to attack Moab. Right as they were going to capture Moab, we read that the king of Moab sacrificed his own son on the city wall! As a result of this, we read, “There came great wrath against Israel, and they departed from him and returned to their own land” (2 Kings 3:27). Patterson and Austel write, “The mention of great ‘fury’ against Israel is difficult.”[1] What do we do with this difficult passage?
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Problem: Why would God allow two bears to kill 42 young lads simply for saying Elisha was bald? Cultural context is critical to understanding this issue. Let’s take a look.
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Problem: The text states, “Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, young lads came out from the city and mocked him and said to him, ‘Go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!’ 24 When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their number” (2 Kings 2:23-24).
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