Why are Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles divided into two books each?

Question:

Why are Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles divided into two books each?

Answer:

In earlier times books were written on scrolls -- long strips of parchment or similar material. The strips were wound around two sticks.  This works well for small books, but large books become cumbersome. Imagine trying to look up a passage that you know is about two-thirds of the way through a large scroll. You would have a lot of winding and unwinding to do to get to the part you are interested in reading.

Each book of the Bible is represented by a scroll. Some of the really long books were kept on two scrolls for convenience and that separation continued when the books became bound as we bind books today.

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