Introduction to Criminal Justice

Information Systems by Ralph Ioimo

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Introduction to
Criminal Justice
Information Systems

Ralph Ioimo, DPA

Contents
Preface.............................................................................................................. xvii
Acknowledgments...........................................................................................xix
Author................................................................................................................xxi

Chapter 1 Overview of criminal justice information systems.............. 1

Introduction......................................................................................................... 1
The evolution of CJISs........................................................................................ 2
Development of criminal history systems.................................................. 4
Evolution of CAD systems............................................................................ 6
Record management systems....................................................................... 7
Mobile computing.......................................................................................... 9
Exploring criminal justice enterprise computing........................................ 11
Court management systems....................................................................... 11
Correction management systems............................................................... 13
Data warehousing and data mining.............................................................. 14
Workgroup applications in criminal justice agencies.................................. 15
Property and evidence systems................................................................. 15
Crime analysis and geographic mapping systems.................................. 16
Automated fingerprint identification systems and live scan devices.... 16
Mug shot systems......................................................................................... 16
Facial recognition systems.......................................................................... 17
Citation collection systems......................................................................... 18
Case and investigation management systems......................................... 19
Current trends in CJISs.................................................................................... 20
References.......................................................................................................... 22

Chapter 2 Justice information system standards and national

systems......................................................................................... 25
Introduction....................................................................................................... 25
Hypertext markup language........................................................................... 26
Extensible markup language........................................................................... 27
Global Justice XML Data Model................................................................. 28
National Information Exchange Model.................................................... 31

vii
viii Contents

Regional Data Exchange............................................................................. 36

Law Enforcement Information Sharing Program................................... 36
National Crime Information Center 2000................................................. 37
Uniform Crime Reports................................................................................... 41
Part 1 crimes.................................................................................................. 41
Part 2 crimes.................................................................................................. 42
Law Enforcement Online................................................................................. 46
National Law Enforcement Telecommunication System............................ 47
Law Enforcement Information Technology Standards Council................ 47
World Wide Web............................................................................................... 49
References.......................................................................................................... 50

Chapter 3 9-1-1: Its history, current status, and the next generation...... 53
Introduction....................................................................................................... 53
Basic 9-1-1: How it works.................................................................................. 55
Enhanced 9-1-1................................................................................................... 56
Challenges faced by the 9-1-1 system............................................................. 58
Private branch exchange systems.............................................................. 59
TTY/TDD communications........................................................................ 60
Cellular phone technology.......................................................................... 61
Voice over Internet protocol........................................................................ 64
Next generation 9-1-1........................................................................................ 66
References.......................................................................................................... 71

Chapter 4 Police computer-aided dispatch systems............................... 73

Introduction....................................................................................................... 73
System performance requirements................................................................ 74
Administrative functions................................................................................. 75
Window configurations............................................................................... 75
Squad or shift activation............................................................................. 76
Code table management.............................................................................. 76
Unit recommendation and validation tables............................................ 77
Training support.......................................................................................... 78
Calls for service data transfer......................................................................... 78
CAD system baseline functions...................................................................... 78
Activity logging............................................................................................ 78
Audit trail................................................................................................. 80
User-definable expert advisor.................................................................... 80
Library function........................................................................................... 80
Card file......................................................................................................... 81
Command line.............................................................................................. 83
Online messaging/conferencing............................................................... 84
Contents ix

Call entry process............................................................................................. 84

Basic required data elements...................................................................... 84
Call receipt methodologies......................................................................... 85
Receipt of 9-1-1 calls................................................................................ 85
Receipt of calls on 7/10-digit phone lines............................................ 86
Call receipt through mobile computers (on-view events)................. 87
Call receipt through voice radio............................................................ 87
Minimum required data elements............................................................. 87
Call priority................................................................................................... 87
Ability to add or modify information to a call in progress................... 88
Duplicate call detection............................................................................... 88
CAD geofile processing............................................................................... 89
Hazard information file.............................................................................. 90
Premise information file............................................................................. 90
Premise history file...................................................................................... 91
Call scheduling............................................................................................. 91
Dispatch process............................................................................................... 91
Basic data elements...................................................................................... 92
Command area dispatch............................................................................. 92
Call pending queue...................................................................................... 93
Unit status monitoring................................................................................ 93
Status timers................................................................................................. 94
Available units window.............................................................................. 95
Event history................................................................................................. 95
Nonpatrol units............................................................................................ 96
Unit history................................................................................................... 96
Unit recommendation.................................................................................. 96
Officer history............................................................................................... 96
System status management......................................................................... 97
Supervisory function........................................................................................ 98
Supervisory workstation............................................................................. 98
Supervisor monitoring capability.............................................................. 98
Emergency alert............................................................................................ 98
Administrative function.................................................................................. 99
Code table management.............................................................................. 99
Unit validation and recommendation tables.......................................... 100
CAD mapping.................................................................................................. 100
GPS/AVL requirements............................................................................. 102
Access to internal databases..................................................................... 102
Access to external databases..................................................................... 103
References........................................................................................................ 103
x Contents

Chapter 5 Police record management systems...................................... 105

Introduction..................................................................................................... 105
Enterprise information system..................................................................... 106
Calls for service.......................................................................................... 107
Linkages to other modules................................................................... 107
Master name index..................................................................................... 108
Known associates.................................................................................. 112
Interfaces......................................................................................................114
Master vehicle index...................................................................................114
Interfaces..................................................................................................116
Master location index.................................................................................116
Incidents.......................................................................................................119
Arrest........................................................................................................... 121
Linkages to other modules................................................................... 122
Interfaces................................................................................................. 124
Juvenile contact........................................................................................... 124
Known offender.......................................................................................... 125
Linkages to other modules................................................................... 125
Interfaces................................................................................................. 126
Field interview reports.............................................................................. 126
Citations....................................................................................................... 126
Linkages to other modules................................................................... 127
Interfaces................................................................................................. 127
Wants, warrants, and protective orders.................................................. 127
Interfaces................................................................................................. 128
Reference.......................................................................................................... 129

Chapter 6 Police workgroup applications.............................................. 131

Workgroup applications................................................................................. 131
Crime analysis and geographic information systems.......................... 132
Interfaces................................................................................................. 136
Automated fingerprint identification systems....................................... 136
Mug shot systems....................................................................................... 139
Property and evidence.............................................................................. 140
Linkages to other modules................................................................... 144
Interfaces................................................................................................. 145
Case management...................................................................................... 145
Linkages.................................................................................................. 146
Investigation, vice, intelligence, and narcotic systems......................... 149
Interfaces................................................................................................. 151
Pawnshop.................................................................................................... 151
Linkages to other modules................................................................... 152
Contents xi

False alarms................................................................................................ 153

Linkages to other modules................................................................... 154
Subpoena tracking module....................................................................... 154
Linkages to other modules................................................................... 155
Summary.......................................................................................................... 155
References........................................................................................................ 156

Chapter 7 Mobile computing.................................................................... 157

Introduction..................................................................................................... 157
History of mobile computing........................................................................ 157
Data radio and wireless technology as transport mediums.....................162
Mobile computing security....................................................................... 165
Mobile computing and dispatch operations............................................... 165
Field report writing.........................................................................................167
The mobile office............................................................................................. 168
Crime analysis information...................................................................... 170
Digital photography................................................................................... 170
Wireless mobile video............................................................................... 171
Biometric tools............................................................................................ 172
Reference information............................................................................... 172
Briefing information.................................................................................. 172
Cellular telephones.................................................................................... 173
The future of mobile computing....................................................................174
Convertible laptops.....................................................................................174
Tablet personal computers (PC)................................................................174
Personal digital assistance.........................................................................176
Voice to text and text to voice....................................................................176
Technology integration.............................................................................. 178
References........................................................................................................ 178

Chapter 8 Crime analysis and crime mapping..................................... 181

Introduction..................................................................................................... 181
The history of crime analysis........................................................................ 182
Intelligence analysis....................................................................................... 185
Intelligence-led policing................................................................................. 186
GISs and crime mapping............................................................................... 187
Crime mapping types..................................................................................... 189
Crime analysis and information technology.............................................. 193
Information technology and crime analysis............................................... 195
Tactical crime analysis............................................................................... 196
Strategic crime analysis............................................................................. 197
Operations analysis.................................................................................... 198
xii Contents

Administrative crime analysis................................................................. 200

Predictive policing..................................................................................... 202
Intelligence analysis................................................................................... 204
References........................................................................................................ 205

Chapter 9 Corrections information technology.................................... 207

Introduction..................................................................................................... 207
History of correction information technology........................................... 208
Jail booking/intake systems.......................................................................... 208
Jail booking/intake components.............................................................. 209
Subject name............................................................................................... 209
Subject’s alias...............................................................................................211
Personal information..................................................................................211
Inmate classification...................................................................................211
Suicide attempts..................................................................................... 212
Gang affiliation...................................................................................... 212
Medical history........................................................................................... 213
Personal property....................................................................................... 213
Corrections management information systems..........................................214
Inmate tracking.......................................................................................... 215
Cell tracking........................................................................................... 215
Movement tracking............................................................................... 215
Inmate identification..............................................................................216
Disciplinary tracking............................................................................ 217
Visitor tracking...................................................................................... 217
Prisoner phone logs............................................................................... 218
Medical tracking.................................................................................... 218
Doctors, dentists, and nurses........................................................................ 220
Inmate medical billing................................................................................... 220
Inmate accounting.......................................................................................... 221
Commissary and food service management.............................................. 221
Commissary................................................................................................ 222
Commissary inventory tracking subsystem..................................... 222
Commissary privileges......................................................................... 222
Commissary transactions.................................................................... 222
Sentence management.................................................................................... 223
Sentence compliance.................................................................................. 223
Inmate rehabilitation training.................................................................. 224
Inmate release and reintegration............................................................. 225
Victim information and victim notification........................................... 225
Schedule management................................................................................... 226
Court scheduling........................................................................................ 226
Medical and dental scheduling................................................................ 227
Work release................................................................................................ 228
Contents xiii

Community CMS....................................................................................... 228

Presentencing investigation...................................................................... 229
Case management...................................................................................... 229
Master name index..................................................................................... 229
Case file........................................................................................................ 229
Jail and prison management external systems interface requirements........ 230
Integration with AFISs and mug shot systems........................................... 230
References........................................................................................................ 231

Chapter 10 Prosecutor information management systems................... 233

Prosecutorial system....................................................................................... 233
History of prosecutorial systems.................................................................. 233
Prosecutor record management information system overview............... 234
Case manager.............................................................................................. 234
Master name index..................................................................................... 235
Victim and witness tracking..................................................................... 235
Analysis and disposition........................................................................... 239
Master calendaring.................................................................................... 239
Attorney assignment................................................................................. 243
Property and evidence tracking............................................................... 243
Document management............................................................................ 243
Juror tracking.............................................................................................. 246
Discovery tracking..................................................................................... 246
Worthless checks........................................................................................ 246
Restitution tracking................................................................................... 249
Child support module............................................................................... 249
Reports......................................................................................................... 252
Preformatted reports............................................................................. 252
Ad hoc report generator....................................................................... 252
Transfer data to external report generators............................................ 254
Internet capabilities.................................................................................... 254
Data warehousing and data mining capability..................................... 255
References........................................................................................................ 255

Chapter 11 Court management information systems............................ 257

Introduction..................................................................................................... 257
Court docket module...................................................................................... 259
Master name index......................................................................................... 263
Sentencing and rulings.................................................................................. 265
Work credit payments................................................................................ 276
Cash bond.................................................................................................... 276
Unallocated................................................................................................. 276
Multipayment............................................................................................. 276
Garnishment............................................................................................... 277
xiv Contents

Warrants........................................................................................................... 277
Electronic ticketing......................................................................................... 281
Court minutes.................................................................................................. 281
Court scheduling............................................................................................ 281
Ad hoc search capability................................................................................ 284
Standardized reports...................................................................................... 285
Integrated justice information systems and court management
software............................................................................................................ 285
References........................................................................................................ 285

Chapter 12 The challenges of implementing a criminal justice

information system................................................................. 287
Critical success factors in implementing criminal justice
information systems....................................................................................... 287
Functional requirement specification.......................................................... 288
Development of an FRS.................................................................................. 288
Business issues............................................................................................ 288
Functional issues........................................................................................ 290
Technical issues.......................................................................................... 291
Development of the request for proposal.................................................... 292
Implementing the system.............................................................................. 293
The role of the “executive” champion.......................................................... 293
The role of the project manager.................................................................... 294
The end user and managing their expectations......................................... 295
Project planning.............................................................................................. 297
Scope creep and how to manage it............................................................... 298
Test plans and procedures............................................................................. 300
Bringing a new system operational.............................................................. 302
System documentation................................................................................... 303
Daily support for installed systems............................................................. 304
Change management ensuring systems are used to their fullest
potential............................................................................................................ 305
User groups and criminal justice information systems............................ 306
Managing system growth and budgeting for change............................... 307
References........................................................................................................ 308

Chapter 13 The future of technology in law enforcement................... 309

Introduction..................................................................................................... 309
Driving forces influencing technology adoption........................................310
Changes in policing models......................................................................310
Environmental factors driving innovation..............................................311
Cloud computing and administrative functions.............................. 312
Cloud computing and mission critical functions............................. 312
Contents xv

The pervasive use of video.............................................................................314

Video surveillance and monitoring..........................................................314
Automated license plate readers.............................................................. 315
Mobile video systems................................................................................ 315
Further development of social media...........................................................316
Smartphone and tablet technology.............................................................. 317
Collaboration technologies............................................................................ 319
Continuing innovation................................................................................... 320
References........................................................................................................ 321
Preface
During my lifetime, there were two events that influenced my future
in information technology. In 1966, while I was in high school, I took a
personal typing course, not realizing how important knowing how to
type would become in our information technology age. Then in 1972, as
I was preparing to graduate from college and had put off taking a math
course until my final quarter at California Polytechnic University, San
Luis Obispo, California, I was granted permission to substitute that math
course with a computer science programming course. These two events
became critical to my future and my contribution to criminal justice infor-
mation systems.
In 1976, I transferred from the patrol unit to the planning, training,
and research unit in the police department I was working for at the time.
The first task the chief of police assigned me was to prove with empirical
data that our department was in need of additional police officers. That
is when I designed a patrol workload study that measured not only the
number of calls for services we handled on a given shift but also the time
consumed in handling these calls for service and other officer-generated
activity. Here is where I put to use that computer science course that I
took in my last quarter in college. I went to the city engineer and told
him what we needed to do, and together he and I wrote a program on a
Hewlett Packard 9830 Programmable Calculator in a new language called
BASIC. The program captured the data pertaining to each call, and from
this information, we were able to confirm that the officers spent 94% of
their time on calls for service and officer-generated activities and 5% on
administrative activities, leaving no time for unobligated patrol.
The Law Enforcement Assistance Administration declared the Patrol
Workload Study a National Exemplary Project. The importance of this
study is that I was asked to chair the National Steering Committee for the
nation’s first generic police record management system known as Police
Operations Support System Elementary (POSSE). POSSE became the stan-
dard that is at the base of all record management systems to this day.
Since these early days, I have had the pleasure of helping to implement

xvii
xviii Preface

information technologies in criminal justice agencies throughout the

United States.
Criminal justice information systems have come a long way since the
early days. Information technology permeates every aspect of the criminal
justice environment as it does our everyday lives. The intent of this book is
to provide an overview of the various software systems and technologies
used in today’s criminal justice environment and to suggest where this
technology will evolve to in the future.
Acknowledgments
Professionally, I want to thank Paul Wormeli for his assistance in provid-
ing information used in this book. Paul is a pioneer in criminal justice
information systems, and together we have implemented hundreds of
criminal justice information systems across this nation. Together we have
also conceived new technologies that public safety agencies use today
but have no idea where the concepts that gave birth to these technologies
came from. Paul has led the nation in promoting criminal justice informa-
tion systems and continues to be a visionary in this field.
I also would like to thank the following firms for contributing the
product examples used in this edition:

• CrimeStar Corporation: a software firm that provides computer-aided​

dispatch, police records management systems, field mobile comput-
ing systems, and jail management systems.
• Microfirm Software Corporation: a software firm that provided the
various screen samples from their prosecutor information system.
• PTS Solutions: a software firm that provided the various screen sam-
ples from their court management system.

Personally, I also want to thank my family for their support and

understanding throughout the many years while I traveled across the
country implementing information technology systems for justice agen-
cies and for their patience with me on vacations when I was working in
support of these agencies.

xix
Author
Dr. Ralph E. Ioimo was a deputy chief of police in
Simi Valley, California. He assisted the nation in
establishing the first standardized police records
management system and has participated in state
and national steering committees on public safety
automation. He has lectured at numerous state
and national conferences and symposiums on
public safety technology issues and published in
both trade and academic journals on a variety of
information technology issues. Dr. Ioimo was also
the first executive director of the Integrated Justice
Information Systems (IJIS) Institute in Ashburn,
Virginia, and has been involved in helping the U.S. Department of Justice
in defining and guiding the future IJIS direction. Dr. Ioimo also brings his
extensive law enforcement experience, technology consulting experience,
and academic background together to provide unique approaches to sys-
tem implementation consulting.

Author contact information

Ralph E. Ioimo, DPA
Auburn University at Montgomery
161 Riverwood Lane
Alexander City, AL 35010, USA
(334) 354-4134
(334) 394-5457 Fax
rioimo@aum.edu

xxi
chapter one

Overview of criminal justice

information systems
The importance of information systems in a modern criminal justice
environment spans every aspect of the criminal justice service delivery
system.

List of definitions
CAD—computer-aided dispatch
CMS—court management system
COBOL—a programming language
FBI—Federal Bureau of Investigation
GJXDM—Global Justice Extensible Markup Language Data Model
GUI—graphical user interface
IJIS—integrated justice information system
JMS—jail management system
Mainframe—large central servers that supported terminals directly
attached to the computer
NCIC 2000—National Crime Information Center
N-DEx—Law Enforcement National Database Exchange
NIEM—National Information Exchange Model
POSSE—Police Operations Support System Elementary
PROMIS—Prosecution Management Information Systems
RMS—record management system
Time slice—computer processor time required to complete a task

Introduction
Information systems are an essential part of today’s criminal justice sys-
tem. An information system is a process that uses information technology
to capture, transmit, store, retrieve, manipulate, or display information
used in one or more business processes (Alter, 1996). In today’s environ-
ment, without information systems, the components of the criminal jus-
tice system would grind to a halt. For purposes of this text, we define the

1
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the system inaugurated by David, and treats this edifying topic at
some length.

²And Hezekiah appointed the courses of the

priests and the Levites after their courses,
every man according to his service, both the
priests and the Levites, for burnt offerings and
for peace offerings, to minister, and to give
thanks, and to praise in the gates of the camp
of the Lord.
2. the courses] Compare 1 Chronicles xxiv. 1 ff.

to minister, and to give thanks, and to praise in the gates] Better,

as LXX., altering the order, to give thanks and to praise and to
minister in the gates. “To minister in the gates,” i.e. to be
doorkeepers, compare 1 Chronicles xxvi. 1.

the camp of the Lord] i.e. (in the language of Deuteronomy) “the
place which the Lord chose,” Jerusalem or, more exactly, the Temple
area. Compare 1 Chronicles ix. 18, note.

³He appointed also the king’s portion of his

substance for the burnt offerings, to wit, for the
morning and evening burnt offerings, and the
burnt offerings for the sabbaths, and for the
new moons, and for the set feasts, as it is
written in the law of the Lord. ⁴Moreover he
commanded the people that dwelt in
Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests
and the Levites, that they might give
themselves ¹ to the law of the Lord.
 ¹ Hebrew be strong in.

3. the burnt offerings] Compare viii. 12, 13.

⁵And as soon as the commandment came

abroad, the children of Israel gave in
abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil,
and honey, and of all the increase of the field;
and the tithe of all things brought they in
abundantly.
5. and honey] Honey (Hebrew dĕbhash) is not elsewhere
mentioned as subject to tithe; perhaps grape syrup (modern Arabic
dibs) is meant here, as in Genesis xliii. 11 and Ezekiel xxvii. 17
(according to some commentators). Honey (like leaven) was
forbidden for sacrificial use (Leviticus ii. 11).

⁶And the children of Israel and Judah, that

dwelt in the cities of Judah, they also brought
in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of
dedicated things which were consecrated unto
the Lord their God, and laid them by heaps.
6. And the children of Israel] Compare xi. 16.

the tithe of dedicated things] a strange phrase without parallel.

Read probably the dedicated things.

⁷In the third month they began to lay the

foundation of the heaps, and finished them in
the seventh month. ⁸And when Hezekiah and
the princes came and saw the heaps, they
 blessed the Lord, and his people Israel.
⁹Then Hezekiah questioned with the priests
and the Levites concerning the heaps.
7. the third month] The Feast of Harvest took place at the
beginning of this month and seven weeks later the Feast of
Ingathering followed.

¹⁰And Azariah the chief priest, of the house of

Zadok, answered him and said, Since the
people began to bring the oblations into the
house of the Lord, we have eaten and had
enough, and have left plenty: for the Lord
hath blessed his people; and that which is left
is this great store.
10. Azariah the chief priest] Not mentioned in connection with
Hezekiah’s previous arrangements.

of the house of Zadok] Compare 1 Chronicles xxiv. 1‒4. Tradition

spoke of two main families of priests, (1) the descendants of Eleazar
the third son of Aaron, whose chief representative in David’s day
was Zadok (hence they are here called “the house of Zadok”), (2) the
descendants of Ithamar the fourth son of Aaron, represented in
David’s time by Ahimelech (Saul’s victim) or by Abiathar (David’s
protégé). The Chronicler prefers to name the descendants of Ithamar
after Ahimelech (1 Chronicles xxiv. 3, where see note).

the oblations] “The Hebrew word, tĕrūmāh, denotes properly

what is ‘taken off’ from a larger mass and so separated from it for
sacred purposes.” The word is sometimes rendered heave offering,
but this is due to a mistaken impression that a rite of elevation was
involved (see the full note in Driver, Exodus, p. 263).
 hath blessed his people] Compare Malachi iii. 10.

and that which is left is this great store] The Hebrew requires
some correction. Read as the LXX., καὶ κατελίπομεν ἐπὶ τὸ πλῆθος
τοῦτο, “we leave (‘have left’) this great store and more.”

11‒13. The offerings mentioned in verses 5‒10 were placed in

charge of Conaniah, Shimei and their subordinates for storage in the
Temple treasuries.

¹¹Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare

chambers in the house of the Lord; and they
prepared them.
11. chambers] compare 1 Chronicles ix. 26, note.

¹²And they brought in the oblations and the

tithes and the dedicated things faithfully: and
over them Conaniah the Levite was ruler, and
Shimei his brother was second.
12. the dedicated things] Compare xxix. 33 (note on the
consecrated things).

¹³And Jehiel, and Azaziah, and Nahath, and

Asahel, and Jerimoth, and Jozabad, and Eliel,
and Ismachiah, and Mahath, and Benaiah,
were overseers under the hand of Conaniah
and Shimei his brother, by the appointment of
Hezekiah the king, and Azariah the ruler of the
house of God.
 13. the ruler of the house of God] Compare 1 Chronicles ix. 11,
note.

14‒19. Distribution of the stores referred to in verses 11‒13 was

the duty of Kore and his subordinates. The exact meaning and
sequence of these verses is hard to follow, and probably the
obscurity is due to faults in the Hebrew text. The simplest view is as
follows: verse 15 states that the distribution was to be made to
priestly and levitical persons resident in the priestly cities but (verse
16) not to those who were for the time being on duty at the Temple,
since these no doubt would receive their share at the Temple itself.
Then verses 17‒19 seem to refer to the manner of the registration of
priests and Levites respectively for the purpose of the distribution;
but it must be confessed that the precise sense and connection are
uncertain, particularly as regards verse 19.

¹⁴And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the

porter at the east gate, was over the freewill
offerings of God, to distribute the oblations of
the Lord, and the most holy things.
14. the most holy things] To this class belonged the shewbread
(Leviticus xxiv. 9), the meal offering (Leviticus ii. 2, 3, vi. 14‒18 [7‒
11, Hebrew]), the sin offering (Leviticus vi. 25‒30), and the trespass
offering (Leviticus vii. 1‒7). These could be eaten by the priests only
and in the holy place only.

¹⁵And under him were Eden, and Miniamin,

and Jeshua, and Shemaiah, Amariah, and
Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests, in their
set office ¹, to give to their brethren by courses,
as well to the great as to the small:
¹ Or, trust.
 15. in the cities] The priestly cities are given 1 Chronicles vi. 54‒
60.

to the great as to the small] i.e. to old and to young alike.

¹⁶beside them that were reckoned by

genealogy of males, from three years old and
upward, even every one that entered into the
house of the Lord, as the duty of every day
required ¹, for their service in their charges
according to their courses;
¹ Or, for his daily portion.

16. beside] i.e. with the exception of.

as the duty of every day required] Or, as margin, for his daily
portion.

¹⁷and them that were reckoned by genealogy

of the priests by their fathers’ houses, and the
Levites from twenty years old and upward, in
their charges by their courses;
17. and them that] Render probably and as for the registration
of the priests it was made by their families....

¹⁸and them ¹ that were reckoned by genealogy

of all their little ones, their wives, and their
sons, and their daughters, through all the
congregation: for in their set office ² they
sanctified themselves in holiness:
 ¹ Or, even to give to them &c. ² Or, trust.

18. and them that] Render, and the registration included all
their little ones, etc. The connection of the last part of the verse is
very obscure.

their set office] Or, as margin, their trust (so also above verse
15).

they sanctified themselves in holiness] Or, they busied

themselves with the distribution of the sanctified things. No reliance
can be placed on the soundness of the text.

¹⁹also for the sons of Aaron the priests, which

were in the fields of the suburbs of their cities,
in every several city, there were men that were
expressed by name, to give portions to all the
males among the priests, and to all that were
reckoned by genealogy among the Levites.
²⁰And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah;
and he wrought that which was good and right
and faithful ¹ before the Lord his God. ²¹And in
every work that he began in the service of the
house of God, and in the law, and in the
commandments, to seek his God, he did it
with all his heart, and prospered.
¹ Hebrew faithfulness.

19. Again a most obscure verse, apparently meaning that the

priests had certain special officers, other than Kore and his
subordinates, who were charged with superintending the distribution
in the outlying districts. Text and interpretation are alike uncertain.
Kittel regards verses 17‒19 as a late addition.

the suburbs] compare 1 Chronicles v. 16 (margin “pasture

lands”), vi. 55, 57 [40, 42, Hebrew].

Chapter XXXII.
1‒8 (compare 2 Kings xviii. 13‒16).
Sennacherib’s threatened Invasion. Hezekiah’s Precautions.

The Chronicler introduces us somewhat abruptly to the Assyrian

crisis. From 2 Kings we learn that Hezekiah renounced the
suzerainty of Assyria (xviii. 7), which his father Ahaz had
acknowledged (2 Kings xvi. 7). Thereupon Sennacherib invaded
Judah, and Hezekiah was obliged to acknowledge with a heavy
payment of tribute his dependence on the Assyrian king (2 Kings
xviii. 13‒16). Sennacherib having discovered the weakness of
Judah, next demanded an unconditional surrender, intending to
transport the Jews to another country (2 Kings xviii. 31, 32). This
demand Hezekiah resisted, being strengthened thereto by Isaiah.
The Chronicler does not refer to the earlier invasion or to the tribute
—such a humiliation of the pious and devoted king being in his belief
unthinkable. That any invasion should have taken place “after these
things and this faithfulness” was sufficiently astonishing, until the
issue showed that the anxiety and distress were only for the greater
glory of Israel’s God and for the further proof of Hezekiah’s trust in
Him.

¹After these things, and this faithfulness,

Sennacherib king of Assyria came, and
entered into Judah, and encamped against the
 fenced cities, and thought to win them ¹ for
himself. ²And when Hezekiah saw that
Sennacherib was come, and that he was
purposed ² to fight against Jerusalem,
¹ Hebrew to break them up.

² Hebrew his face was to fight.

1. After these things, and this faithfulness] The phrase is a

hendiadys and stands for, “After these faithful dealings.”

Sennacherib] This king (Sanḥērib in Hebrew, Sin-aḥi-irib [-irba] in

Assyrian, the Σαναχάριβος of Herod. II. 141) reigned 705‒681 b.c. He
was the son of Sargon (Isaiah xx. 1), father of Esar-haddon (2 Kings
xix. 37; Ezra iv. 3), and grandfather of Asshur-bani-pal, the well-
known Σαρδανάπαλλος of Herod. II. 150, who is commonly identified
with Osnappar (compare Ezra iv. 10). Under this dynasty Assyria
reached the height of its power. The empire included Babylonia
(which, however, was frequently in revolt), Assyria proper, Syria as
far north as Cilicia (inclusive), and (under Esar-haddon and Asshur-
bani-pal) Egypt. After Asshur-bani-pal’s death (about 626 b.c.) the
Assyrian power was speedily destroyed. The form Sennacherib is
derived from the LXX. through the Vulgate.

to win them] Literally to make breaches in them. According to 2

Kings xviii. 13 Sennacherib took these cites; and the Assyrian
account on the “Prism Inscription” of Sennacherib which is preserved
in the British Museum states that they were forty-six in number
(compare Driver in Hogarth, Authority and Archaeology, pp. 104‒
107; or Handcock, Latest Light on Bible Lands, pp. 153 ff.).

³he took counsel with his princes and his

mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains
 which were without the city; and they helped
him.
3. to stop the waters] Compare 2 Kings xx. 20 “[Hezekiah] made
the pool and the conduit and brought water into the city,” and Isaiah
xxii. 9, 11.

At the present day there is an underground tunnel cut through the

rock leading from St Mary’s Well down to the Lower Pool of Siloam
(Bädeker, Palestine⁵, pp. 25, 83). It is rudely constructed and owing
to its windings is 586 yards long, though the distance in a straight
line is only 368 yards. As therefore the Lower Pool was probably
within the ancient walls, while St Mary’s Well was outside, this tunnel
may be Hezekiah’s conduit. If the well were stopped, the besiegers
would lose the water, which would collect in the Pool for the use of
the besieged. An inscription in ancient Hebrew characters (“The
Siloam Inscription”) discovered in situ describes briefly the digging of
the tunnel, but does not enable us to fix the date of it with certainty.
For the original text and an English translation see G. A. Smith,
Jerusalem, I. 95 f., or Driver, Notes on Hebrew Text of Samuel, viii.
ff.

⁴So there was gathered much people together,

and they stopped all the fountains, and the
brook that flowed through the midst of the
land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria
come, and find much water?
4. the brook that flowed] The Hebrew verb means “flow with
strong stream” (as a flood). We naturally look for such a brook either
east of Jerusalem in the valley of Kidron or south in the valley of the
son of Hinnom, but no perennial stream runs in either valley now.
Possibly (owing to physical changes in the configuration of the
country) the waters which fed such a brook in the Chronicler’s day
now lose themselves in the soil.
 ⁵And he took courage, and built up all the wall
that was broken down, and raised it up to the
towers ¹, and the other ² wall without, and
strengthened Millo in the city of David, and
made weapons and shields in abundance.
¹ Or, heightened the towers Or, went up upon the towers The
Vulgate has, built towers thereon.

² Or, another.

5. broken dozen] Compare xxv. 23 (note).

raised it up to the towers] Hebrew vayya‘al ‘al. Read and he

heightened the towers, i.e. omitting the second ’al as a dittography.

the other wall] In Isaiah xxii. 9‒11 the preparations to meet the
Assyrian attack are described by the prophet who speaks of a “ditch”
(Revised Version “reservoir”) made at this time between “the two
walls.” In Excavations at Jerusalem, 1894‒1897, Dr Bliss describes
a buttressed wall (pp. 96 ff.) built without lime (see his frontispiece
for an illustration of it) and enclosing the pool of Siloam on the south-
east, which, he says, “may date back as far as Hezekiah” (pp. 325
f.). Dr Bliss also, following up a clue given by earlier explorers, found
a second wall (running at an angle to the first) enclosing the pool on
the west. This second wall was probably due to Herod, but Dr Bliss
suggests that the line it follows may have been defended by a wall
as early as Hezekiah’s day (p. 326). For further discussion see G. A.
Smith, Jerusalem, I. 182, 207.

Millo] compare 1 Chronicles xi. 8, note.

weapons and shields] Properly, darts and shields. These were

meant, not for such trained soldiers as Hezekiah could collect, but
for the levy en masse with which the king proposed to man the walls.
A dart to throw and a shield to protect the thrower as he threw were
all that the citizen-soldier needed. The Hebrew word (shelaḥ) means
“dart, missile”; the more general rendering “weapons” obscures the
precise nature of Hezekiah’s preparations.

⁶And he set captains of war over the people,

and gathered them together to him in the
broad place at the gate of the city, and spake
comfortably to them, saying, ⁷Be strong and of
a good courage, be not afraid nor dismayed
for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude
that is with him: for there is a greater ¹ with us
than with him:
¹ Or, there be more.

6. in the broad place at the gate] Compare xxix. 4; Nehemiah viii.

16. There is nothing here to show which of the two broad places
mentioned in Nehemiah is meant, or whether some third place is
intended.

⁸with him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the

Lord our God to help us, and to fight our
battles. And the people rested themselves
upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
8. an arm of flesh] Compare Jeremiah xvii. 5. Contrast the
frequent phrase “a mighty hand and a stretched out arm” (of
Jehovah). An “arm” is an ally or helper.

with us is the Lord] Compare xv. 2, xx. 17; Isaiah viii. 10.
 9‒19 (compare 2 Kings xviii. 17‒35).
Sennacherib’s Threatening Messages.

In this section Chronicles briefly and freely summarises 2 Kings.

⁹After this did Sennacherib king of Assyria

send his servants to Jerusalem, (now he was
before Lachish, and all his power with him,)
unto Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all
Judah that were at Jerusalem, saying,
9. his servants] Three of these are specified in 2 Kings by their
titles, viz. the Tartan (“Commander-in-chief”), the Rabsaris (perhaps
“Chief of the Princes”), and the Rabshakeh (“Chief of the officers or
cup-bearers”).

now he was before Lachish] The capture of Lachish by

Sennacherib and its spoliation are shown on an Assyrian relief now
in the British Museum. The king himself besieged Lachish because it
was of more importance for the main object of the campaign than
Jerusalem. Sennacherib’s objective was Egypt (Herodotus II. 141),
and Lachish (Tell el-Ḥesi, Bädeker, Palestine⁵, p. 118) lay directly in
his path (compare Handcock, Latest Light on Bible Lands, p. 151).

¹⁰Thus saith Sennacherib king of Assyria,

Whereon do ye trust, that ye abide the siege ¹
in Jerusalem?
¹ Or, in the strong hold.

10. in Jerusalem] Isaiah promised deliverance in Jerusalem; e.g.

in Isaiah xxix. 8, xxx. 19.
 ¹¹Doth not Hezekiah persuade you, to give you
over to die by famine and by thirst, saying,
The Lord our God shall deliver us out of the
hand of the king of Assyria?
11. persuade] Or “entice”; compare 1 Chronicles xxi. 1
(“provoked” for the same Hebrew word).

¹²Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his

high places and his altars, and commanded
Judah and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall
worship before one altar, and upon it shall ye
burn incense?
12. Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away] Besides this appeal
to the religious prejudices of the people, Sennacherib’s servants
employed two other arguments, according to 2 Kings—(1) the
paucity of Hezekiah’s soldiers (2 Kings xviii. 23) and (2) possible
reliance on Egyptian help (2 Kings xviii. 21, 25). These two
arguments are passed over by the Chronicler doubtless because
they seemed inconsistent both with the power and the character of a
king so God-fearing as Hezekiah.

his high places] compare 2 Kings xviii. 4. The “high places”

(bāmōth) were properly sanctuaries of Jehovah, and not necessarily
idolatrous in themselves. But since originally all, or almost all, of
these bāmōth had been sacred places of the Canaanite gods, old
idolatrous symbols (e.g. the ashērah) and old idolatrous ideas and
rites persisted in the worship there offered. When finally the Jews
restricted sacrificial worship to Jerusalem, the odium attaching to
these “high places” became greater than ever, and hostility towards
them came to be regarded as the mark of any pious monarch.
Hezekiah removed the bāmōth throughout the country.
 ¹³Know ye not what I and my fathers have
done unto all the peoples of the lands? Were
the gods of the nations of the lands any ways
able to deliver their land out of mine hand?
¹⁴Who was there among all the gods of those
nations which my fathers utterly destroyed ¹,
that could deliver his people out of mine hand,
that your God should be able to deliver you
out of mine hand? ¹⁵Now therefore let not
Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on
this manner, neither believe ye him: for no god
of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver
his people out of mine hand, and out of the
hand of my fathers: how much less shall your
God ² deliver you out of mine hand? ¹⁶And his
servants spake yet more against the Lord
God, and against his servant Hezekiah.
¹ Hebrew devoted. ² Or, gods.

13. the peoples of the lands] In 2 Kings xviii. 34 the lands are
specified and include Samaria.

¹⁷He wrote also letters ¹, to rail on the Lord,

the God of Israel, and to speak against him,
saying, As the gods of the nations of the
lands, which have not delivered their people
out of mine hand, so shall not the God of
Hezekiah deliver his people out of mine hand.
 ¹ Or, a letter.

17. to rail on] Or, to defy (the same Hebrew word as in 2 Kings
xix. 4, 16, 22, 33, and there rendered “reproach”).

¹⁸And they cried with a loud voice in the Jews’

language unto the people of Jerusalem that
were on the wall, to affright them, and to
trouble them; that they might take the city.
18. in the Jews’ language] i.e. in Hebrew. From the parallel
passage, 2 Kings xviii. 26 ff., it is evident that the language of
diplomacy at this time in Western Asia was Aramaic (“Syrian,” 2
Kings); and that, whilst understood by the Jewish leaders and
officials, it was not yet intelligible to the common people. In the
negotiations the Rabshakeh showed clearly that his object was not
to treat with Hezekiah, but to excite a revolt among the Jews against
Hezekiah and so gain possession of the city.

¹⁹And they spake of the God of Jerusalem, as

of the gods of the peoples of the earth, which
are the work of men’s hands.
19. the God of Jerusalem] For this designation compare Psalms
cxxxv. 21.

20‒23 (compare 2 Kings xix. 1‒4, 14‒19, 35‒37).

Hezekiah and Isaiah pray. The Deliverance.

This section is a very brief summary of 2 Kings xix.

²⁰And Hezekiah the king, and Isaiah the

prophet the son of Amoz, prayed because of
this, and cried to heaven.
 20. And Hezekiah ... and Isaiah ... prayed] According to Kings,
Hezekiah prayed, and was answered by God through the medium of
a message delivered by Isaiah the prophet (2 Kings xix. 20‒34).

heaven] Here used reverently for “God”; compare xxviii. 9; Daniel

iv. 26; Luke xv. 21.

²¹And the Lord sent an angel, which cut off all

the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and
captains, in the camp of the king of Assyria.
So he returned with shame of face to his own
land. And when he was come into the house
of his god, they that came forth of his own
bowels slew him ¹ there with the sword.
¹ Hebrew caused him to fall.

21. all the mighty men] In number 185,000 according to 2 Kings

xix. 35 and Isaiah xxxvii. 36. The agency was probably the plague,
which is pictured as a destroying angel in 2 Samuel xxiv. 16.

And when he was come] The murder of Sennacherib did not

occur till some 20 years after his Judean expedition (circa 701 b.c.),
i.e. not till 681 b.c.

they that came forth] The Chronicler no doubt follows Isaiah

xxxvii. 38, “Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him”; but the
accuracy of the present text of this passage of Isaiah is doubtful, for
in the parallel passage (2 Kings xix. 37, Kethīb) the words his sons
are missing. The only notice of Sennacherib’s death known to us at
present from the inscriptions reads “Sennacherib king of Assyria was
slain by his son (singular) in a revolt.” No name is given to this son.
(Driver in Hogarth, Authority and Archaeology, p. 109.)
 ²²Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the
inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of
Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the
hand of all other, and guided them on every
side.
22. guided them on every side] Read, as the LXX., gave them
rest on every side; compare xx. 30.

²³And many brought gifts unto the Lord to

Jerusalem, and precious things to Hezekiah
king of Judah: so that he was exalted in the
sight of all nations from thenceforth.
23. brought gifts] Compare Psalms lxviii. 29; Isaiah xviii. 7;
Haggai ii. 7, 8.

24‒33 (compare 2 Kings xx.; Isaiah xxxviii., xxxix.).

Hezekiah’s Sickness. The Ambassadors from Babylon.
Hezekiah’s Death.

²⁴In those days Hezekiah was sick even

unto death: and he prayed unto the Lord; and
he spake unto him, and gave him a sign ¹.
¹ Or, wonder.

24. Remark that this single verse epitomises 2 Kings xx. 1‒11.

In those days] The phrase is taken over from 2 Kings xx. 1, and it
cannot be determined what date is intended, though we may
conclude from 2 Kings xx. 6 that it was a time at which the Assyrian
danger was not yet past, and that it was about the fourteenth year of
Hezekiah (compare Barnes on 2 Kings xx. 1).

he spake] The Hebrew word means, in certain connections, “to

promise,” and the idea of “promise” is present here, the sense being
“God made him a promise and confirmed it by a wonder”; compare 2
Kings xx. 5, 6, 8‒11.

a sign] Rather, a wonder (margin), as in verse 31.

²⁵But Hezekiah rendered not again according

to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was
lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him,
and upon Judah and Jerusalem.
25. his heart was lifted up] Compare verse 31; 2 Kings xx. 12‒15.

wrath] Hebrew ḳeṣeph, a visitation of Divine wrath; compare xix.

2, 10, xxiv. 18, xxix. 8.

²⁶Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself

for the pride ¹ of his heart, both he and the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of
the Lord came not upon them in the days of
Hezekiah.
¹ Hebrew the lifting up.

26. humbled himself] Compare 2 Kings xx. 19.

²⁷And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches

and honour: and he provided him treasuries
for silver, and for gold, and for precious
 stones, and for spices, and for shields, and for
all manner of goodly vessels;
27. riches and honour] Compare 2 Kings xx. 13 (= Isaiah xxxix.
2).

shields] Hebrew māginnōth, i.e. small round shields. Perhaps,

like Solomon’s (ix. 15, 16), they were overlaid with gold or silver.
Barnes suggested the reading migdānōth, “precious things” (as in
verse 23), instead of māginnōth. LXX. ὁπλοθήκας, i.e. “armouries”;
Peshitṭa (text being doubtful here) “shields” or “pearls” or “precious
gifts.”

²⁸storehouses also for the increase of corn

and wine and oil; and stalls for all manner of
beasts, and flocks in folds.
28. flocks in folds] The “folds” were enclosures with high stone
walls as a defence against robbers and wild beasts. The text is
probably faulty; Peshitṭa omits the clause.

²⁹Moreover he provided him cities, and

possessions of flocks and herds in
abundance: for God had given him very much
substance.
29. cities] The context suggests that these cities were meant
chiefly as places of refuge for the flocks and herds in time of war; but
again it is probable that the text is corrupt, and that this word should
be omitted.

³⁰This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper

spring of the waters of Gihon, and brought
them straight down on the west side of the city