Author
First Kings contains no explicit authorship claim. The unknown author knew the writings of Moses well, since he constantly measured the kings of Israel and Judah against the Lord’s commands, especially those recorded in Deuteronomy. The writer drew from several sources, including the “book of the acts of Solomon” (1 Kin. 11:41), the “book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel” (1 Kin. 14:19), and the “book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah” (1 Kin. 14:29). The books of 1 and 2 Kings have the same author and were originally one book.
Date
The date of 1 and 2 Kings is around 560 B.C. Second Kings ends with the release of Jehoiachin, sometime during the reign of Evil-Merodach between 562 and 560 B.C. The style of the Hebrew is consistent with this date. By 560 B.C., Israel had been conquered and dispersed by Assyria (around 722 B.C.), and Judah had been taken into captivity by the Babylonians (around 586 B.C.).
Background
Setting
The chosen people had been conquered and were in exile; Babylon was in control of the Promised Land; Jerusalem lay in ruins; the temple had been destroyed; and Jehoiachin, David’s descendant, was a captive. In this time of disruption, the exiles wondered what had happened to God’s promises to His people.
Purpose
Kings reveals that God did not forget His people. Rather, God fulfilled His covenant promises. Idolatry and lawbreaking brought the covenant curses upon Israel (Deut. 28:15–68). First and 2 Kings do not record God’s neglect of His people but present His faithfulness to His Word. The books end on a note of hope. Second Kings ends with Jehoiachin, the last king of Judah, still alive. God’s covenant people still have hope if they turn and obey.
Audience
Both 1 and 2 Kings record the history of Israel and Judah for the Jewish people scattered by the exile. These books remind believers of all generations that God blesses obedience and judges disobedience by documenting His workings with His chosen people in the past.
Literary Characteristics
The books of 1 and 2 Kings are not a simple recounting of kings and wars. The writer records history through the lens of the standards of the Law. The kings are evaluated by their adherence to or disregard for God’s commands rather than by their building programs and conquests. The writer utilizes those sources in order to make theological commentary. The literary structure of Kings is built on an accounting of kings’ reigns, each summed up by a simple formula. The formula includes the king’s name and his burial place; it may also record the length of his reign, sources used to document his life, and his successors.
The chronology of 1 and 2 Kings is an ongoing problem for scholars. Each king’s reign is dated by the reign of his counterpart in Israel or Judah (see chart, The Kings of Israel and Judah). Some historical events can also be dated from extrabiblical sources. When these events are recorded in a particular year of a king’s reign, they provide a firm reference point for dating. The dating may be affected by several factors:
1) Coregencies. In many cases, father and son may have ruled jointly for some years, making it almost impossible to date their reigns without overlapping.
2) Accession and nonaccession-year dating. In accession-year dating, the reckoning of the new king’s reign does not begin officially until the new year. In nonaccession-year dating, the last months of the preceding king’s reign are reckoned as one year, while the remaining months are also reckoned as a full year for the new ruler. To further complicate matters, Israel used nonaccession-year dating until about 900 B.C., then changed to accession-year dating. Judah used accession-year dating until about 850 B.C., then adopted the other method.
3) Religious and civil new years (see chart, The Jewish Sacred Calendar). Years were reckoned both from Tishri to Tishri (the seventh month) and from Nisan to Nisan (the first month).
Some see the chronologies found in Kings as contradictory and inconsistent. However, over the years these problems and seeming inconsistencies are being resolved so that God’s Word is clearly trustworthy.
Themes
Since God’s blessing or judgment depends on the obedience of the people to the Law, these books focus on the requirements of the Law and how they were broken or obeyed. Most important were the prohibitions against foreign alliances and marriages (Deut. 7:3, 4; 17:17; 1 Kin. 11:2), the tests for true and false prophets (Deut. 18:21, 22; 1 Kin. 17:1–7), and the commands against idol worship (Deut. 12:3, 4; 1 Kin. 12:26–30). The books also show that God did not break His promise to David that his line would endure (2 Sam. 7:15–16).
Outline
I. The Succession of Solomon (1:1–2:12)
A. Adonijah’s rebellion (1:1–53)
B. David’s charge to Solomon (2:1–9)
C. The death of David (2:10–12)
II. The Reign of Solomon (2:13–11:43)
A. Solomon’s securing of the kingdom (2:13–46)
B. The wisdom of Solomon (3:1–28)
C. The greatness of Solomon’s kingdom (4:1–10:29)
1. Solomon’s government (4:1–34)
2. Solomon’s building programs (5:1–7:51)
3. Solomon’s dedication of the temple (8:1–9:9)
4. Solomon’s additional accomplishments (9:10–10:29)
D. God’s judgment of Solomon (11:1–40)
1. Solomon and his foreign wives (11:1–8)
2. God’s rebuke of Solomon (11:9–40)
E. The death of Solomon (11:41–43)
III. The Division of the Kingdom (12:1–22:53)
A. The reign of Jeroboam in Israel (12:1–14:20)
B. The reign of Rehoboam in Judah (14:21–31)
C. The reign of Abijam in Judah (15:1–8)
D. The reign of Asa in Judah (15:9–24)
E. The reign of Nadab in Israel (15:25–32)
F. The reign of Baasha in Israel (15:33–16:7)
G. The reign of Elah in Israel (16:8–14)
H. The reign of Zimri in Israel (16:15–20)
I. The reign of Omri in Israel (16:21–28)
J. The reign of Ahab in Israel (16:29–22:40)
1. Ahab’s evil (16:29–34)
2. God’s sending of Elijah to Israel (17:1–19:21)
3. Ahab’s battle with the Syrians (20:1–34)
4. The condemnation of Ahab for his evil (20:35–21:29)
5. The death of Ahab in battle (22:1–40)
K. The reign of Jehoshaphat in Judah (22:41–50)
L. The reign of Ahaziah in Israel (22:51–53)