The book doesn’t give an author’s name
Unlike letters such as Paul’s, 1 Chronicles begins without telling readers who is writing. The author remains anonymous. That can feel unsatisfying, but it also directs attention towards the story God is telling through Israel’s history rather than towards the compiler’s reputation.
The final chapter names earlier written records about David, including accounts associated with Samuel, Nathan, and Gad. This shows that the writer gathered and shaped material from trustworthy sources. It does not, however, identify the person who brought 1 Chronicles together (1 Chronicles 29:29).
Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer,
Why Ezra is often suggested
Many ancient Jewish traditions identify Ezra as the writer of 1 and 2 Chronicles, and some Christians have accepted that view. Ezra was a priest and skilled scribe, someone devoted to studying, teaching, and applying God’s law (Ezra 7:6). That makes him a plausible person to compile Israel’s genealogies and history.
Still, Ezra’s name never appears as the author within Chronicles itself. A careful answer is that Ezra may have written or helped compile it, but Scripture does not settle the question. Other scholars think an unnamed writer from the same post-exile period did the work.
Clues point to a time after the exile
1 Chronicles looks back over Israel’s past, from Adam through David, while also speaking from the perspective of a people who had experienced exile. It notes that people of Judah were carried away to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness, then describes those living again in Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 9:1-2).
Chronicles was originally one continuous work, now divided into 1 and 2 Chronicles. Its closing scene records King Cyrus allowing Jewish exiles to return and rebuild the Lord’s house in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 36:22-23). That ending fits a writer living during, or after, the return from Babylon.
So all Israel were reckoned by genealogies; and, behold, they were written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah, who were carried away to Babylon for their transgression. Now the first inhabitants that dwelt in their possessions in their cities were, the Israelites, the priests, Levites, and the Nethinims.
What mattered most to the writer
Whether the compiler was Ezra or someone else, his purpose is clear. He reminded a restored and fragile community that they belonged to God’s covenant people. The long family lines were not random names. They connected people returning from exile with God’s promises to Abraham, Jacob, David, and the worship centred on Jerusalem.
The book gives special attention to David’s preparation for the temple and to the Levites who served in worship. It calls God’s people to seek him faithfully, even after failure and loss. So read 1 Chronicles not merely as a record of the past, but as a hopeful reminder that God has not forgotten his people (1 Chronicles 16:11).
Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.