The history of Israel under the monarchy is the focus of 1-2 Kings. 1 Kings opens with the last days of David’s rule and closes with the end of David’s dynasty in the Babylonian exile. Together the books of Samuel and Kings recount the entire history of the monarchy from its origin during Samuel’s ministry to its fall to Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians. Many scholars believe Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel, and 1-2 Kings once comprised a major history of Israel that now forms part of our Bible (see Author, Sources, and Date). That history connects the monarchy period with events between the installation of Joshua and the birth of Samuel.
Originally written as a single book, 1 and 2 Kings were divided later at a fitting halfway point: the deaths of Ahab and Jehoshaphat. The historic reign of Ahab dominates 1 Kgs 16–22, and Jehoshaphat was his contemporary and ally. Elijah, Ahab’s antagonist, remains active but only briefly. Elijah’s main task in 2 Kings is to prepare his successor, Elisha (1 Kgs 19:15–21), the prophet that 2 Kgs 1–13 features. At the same time, several things affirm the unity of 1 and 2 Kings. Ahab dies, but the end of his dynasty that the prophets foresaw plays out in 2 Kgs 1–10. Elijah anoints Elisha at the end of 1 Kgs 19, but the latter’s dramatic succession takes place in 2 Kgs 2. The transition between the two prophets compares to that between Moses and Joshua (Deut 34—Josh 1) and signals the dawn of a new era in 2 Kings.
Author, Sources, and Date
The author of 1-2 Kings is unknown. Jewish tradition deems it to be Jeremiah, but no biblical evidence supports that assumption, and what we know of Jeremiah’s chronology probably rules out authorship by Jeremiah. Certainly, Jeremiah died long before the closing episode of 2 Kings, the release of Jehoiachin from prison in Babylon in 561/60 BC (2 Kgs 25:27–30). The prominence of prophets in the book may hint that the author was a prophet (though not Jeremiah). Internal evidence suggests that the book was finished in Babylon between 561/60 and 539 BC. The Jehoiachin episode establishes both the earliest date that the book as we know it was completed (561/60 BC) and its place of composition (Babylon). The book does not reflect events or conditions in Judah after the first return of exiles in 539 BC, so it probably was already complete by that later date. But internal evidence also suggests that 1-2 Kings may have originated as the final section of a long history compiled over time by several generations of authors.
It is clear that the book of Deuteronomy and its theology of history have greatly influenced 1-2 Kings. Deuteronomy urged Israel to worship and serve only Yahweh and to obey all his instructions. It also warned Israel that to abandon Yahweh for other gods would anger Israel’s God and doom them to destruction for violating the covenant (Deut 7:4; 8:19–20; 11:16–17). That same pattern of idolatry, divine anger, and divine destruction of Israel for covenant breach also reverberates across 1-2 Kings (1 Kgs 11:4–13; 14:9–11; 2 Kgs 17). But links with Deuteronomy in Joshua, Judges, and 1-2 Samuel are also evident. The dramatic assembly of Israel between Mounts Ebal and Gerizim (Josh 8:30–35) fulfills the mandate of Moses (Deut 11:29; 27:1–8, 13). Themes from Deuteronomy echo in speeches spoken at crucial historical junctures by Joshua, Samuel, David, and Solomon (Josh 23–24; 1 Sam 12; 1 Kgs 2:1–9; 8:12–61). The very prominence of speeches in Joshua–2 Kings may also reflect Deuteronomy’s influence because it features the final words of Moses. Deuteronomic theology also drives the long explanation for the destruction of the northern kingdom (2 Kgs 17). In sum, Deuteronomy’s influence on Joshua to 2 Kings suggests that those books once comprised a single, long history. The accord with Deuteronomy has led some scholars to call Joshua to 2 Kings (excluding Ruth) the “Deuteronomic History” (or DH).
As for the date of the sources, two literary phenomena favor a preexilic origin for the contents of 1 Kgs 1—2 Kgs 23. The first is the recurrent retrospective phrase “to this day” to note something from the past that still continues in the time of the writer. The remark concerning the ark of the covenant’s carrying poles (1 Kgs 8:8), e.g., presumes that Solomon’s temple remains intact (or pre-586 BC).
Second, many scholars have observed the striking literary prominence that 1-2 Kings gives to the reign of King Josiah (1 Kgs 13:2; 2 Kgs 22:1—23:28), especially the remarkable finding of “the Book of the Law” (2 Kgs 22) and its impact on the king’s religious reform. His mention by name in 1 Kgs 13:2 clearly anticipates the report of his destruction of idolatrous Bethel three centuries later in 2 Kgs 23. The two texts at least accord Josiah special importance within 1-2 Kings, as does his connection with the law book that shapes his reform efforts. The law book is usually thought to be Deuteronomy, rediscovered during temple renovations apparently after long years of disuse. The historical intersection of the reformer Josiah, the subject of an earlier prophecy, and the recently recovered words of Moses may have created the seedbed from which grew the long history (DH). Understandably, the history features Josiah’s reign as its climax and comprises 1 Kgs 1—2 Kgs 23. Its purpose was to support the ongoing royal reform. The rest of the book was completed in Babylon (561/60–539 BC) to extend the history down to 561/60 BC (2 Kgs 24–25). For the purpose of the finished book, see Occasion and Purpose.
The book of 1-2 Kings clearly draws on various sources to produce the history. The importance the authors of 1-2 Kings accord Yahweh’s covenant with the Davidic line shows their knowledge of parts of 1-2 Samuel (e.g., 1 Sam 16; 2 Sam 7). They repeatedly cite the royal annals of Israel and Judah (e.g., 1 Kgs 22:39, 45; 2 Kgs 8:23; 10:34) and probably draw on a prophetic source for the lives of Elijah and Elisha. Palace archives may lie behind the detailed descriptions of the palace complex, the temple, and its furnishings (1 Kgs 5–7). The history reflects the perspective of someone from Judah (e.g., 1 Kgs 12:19; 2 Kgs 8:22) who apparently had access to the palace archives from Jerusalem. Presumably, some of those archives were carried into exile when Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 BC. Access to the archives in Samaria would have been more problematic given the hostile relations between the northern and southern kingdoms. The royal annals of Israel may have reached Jerusalem in the custody of refugees from the north and become available to the authors of 1-2 Kings before the Assyrians destroyed Samaria in 722 BC. The prominence of prophets, noted earlier, suggests that the authors probably also drew on the writings of prophets that were recorded throughout the monarchic period, prophets whom 1-2 Chronicles mentions (e.g., Samuel, Nathan, Gad, Ahijah, Iddo, Shemaiah, Jehu, Isaiah; see 1 Chr 29:29; 2 Chr 9:29; 12:15; 20:34; 26:22; cf. 2 Chr 24:27).
Genre
1-2 Kings is a historical book that intends to recount accurately the people and events from a specific time and place in the past. 1-2 Kings frequently reports important royal accomplishments and failures: international alliances; royal staff appointments; the construction of palaces, temples, and fortresses; military victories and defeats; peaceful and violent conspiratorial successions, etc. As is the case with any historian, the authors’ priorities and perspectives dictate what items to include or exclude and establish the standard for evaluation. But the authors clearly do not pursue the interests typical of modern historians: in-depth biography or social, economic, military, or political endeavors. Had they done so, they would have given Omri’s reign more than just six verses since extrabiblical sources suggest he had political importance. The authors refer readers desiring more information to other sources that treat such subjects (e.g., 1 Kgs 11:41; 14:19, 29; 16:5, 14, 20, 27) and they instead provide God’s opinion of the kings, highlighting the kings’ faithfulness (or lack of it) to Yahweh and his covenant.
The repeated format in 1-2 Kings shows what the authors deem a king’s most important accomplishment—whether he “did evil” or “did what was right” according to the covenant stipulations outlined in the book of Deuteronomy. If a king “did evil,” he perpetuated rather than eliminated the idolatry that kept Israel from the loyal devotion to Yahweh set forth in the Mosaic covenant. If a king “did what was right,” he showed loyal devotion to God and had an anti-idolatry stance. Further, the authors personify their standard of evaluation in two historic kings, each a founding father of a monarchical system. In Judah, a king was reckoned good if he followed his ancestor David in wholehearted devotion to Yahweh—and took steps to curb idolatry (e.g., 1 Kgs 15:11; 2 Kgs 22:2); he was reckoned bad if he did not (e.g., 1 Kgs 15:3, 5; 2 Kgs 16:2). David’s example provided the gold standard by which to measure the quality of kings of Judah. In the northern kingdom, Israel’s first king, Jeroboam I, served as the standard, and the authors of 1-2 Kings reckon all Israel’s kings as bad because they all supported Jeroboam’s idolatrous religious system (e.g., 1 Kgs 16:2; 2 Kgs 13:11). The authors particularly single out two other kings—Ahab of Israel (1 Kgs 16–22) and Manasseh of Judah (2 Kgs 21; 23:12, 26; 24:3)—for evil reigns that proved decisive for the terrible fates of their respective realms.
In sum, the genre of 1-2 Kings is a theological history. It is a history of real events evaluated from the theological stance of Deuteronomy and the Davidic covenant. It asserts that the principle of cause and effect—theologically the covenant’s blessings and curses (Deut 27–28)—drives the story of the monarchy. Good kings enjoy God’s blessing and have successful reigns, while evil kings suffer disasters under the covenant curses.
Occasion and Purpose
The book makes no comment concerning the circumstances of its composition, but as noted above, its contents and its completion in the exile suggest a possible scenario and purpose. The exiles probably interpreted Jehoiachin’s release as a positive sign, perhaps a harbinger that their captivity might soon end. Jeremiah had written to those deported in the first and second deportations (605 BC and 597 BC, respectively), advising them on how to live during the 70-year exile he prophesied (Jer 29:10; cf. Jer 25:11–12). After the exile, Zechariah still referred to that prophecy (Zech 1:12; 7:5; cf. 2 Chr 36:21–22; Dan 9:2), and Jehoiachin’s release may have led the exiles to revisit its promises. They even may have begun to ponder what a return to Judah might mean. Thus, the purpose of 1-2 Kings probably was to explain the exile and to prepare the exiles for the anticipated return. To prepare, the exiles must reckon with the rebellion and idolatry (a string of covenant violations) that had angered Yahweh and led to the many decades in Babylon. The history contained in 1-2 Kings confronted them with the reasons for their tragic story and taught them what to do to avoid repeating it when the opportunity to go home came.
In short, revived hope of return from exile became the occasion for the completion of 1-2 Kings. Its purpose was to teach the exiles the God-pleasing way of life that would prevent the past from repeating itself so that they didn’t ruin their future as well. Its message was, “Hold on tight to our God. Never let go. And above all, obey what he says.”
Chronology
1-2 Kings teems with chronological data. The treatment of each king typically includes a regnal introduction that dates his accession to the reign-year of his counterpart in Israel or Judah. It sometimes also reports the king’s age at taking the throne and always records the length of his reign. It typically concludes with a regnal summary concerning the king’s death and burial and occasionally mentions his accomplishments. To determine the historical dates of each reign, however, requires synchronization of biblical data with two well-established dates from Assyrian records. These two dates are 853 BC, the date of the battle of Qarqar in which Ahab participated and the year he died, and 841 BC, the first year of Jehu’s reign and the year he paid tribute to the Assyrian king. These dates enable us to fix important dates backward and forward: the division of the united kingdom (931/30 BC), the fall of Samaria to Assyria (722 BC), the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians (586 BC), and the length of each king’s reign.
At first glance, biblical data sometimes doesn’t quite compute. For example, 1 Kgs 15 says that Abijah became Judah’s king in Jeroboam’s 18th year, reigned three years, and was succeeded by his son Asa in Jeroboam’s 20th (not 21st) year (vv. 1–2, 9). But recent study has suggested three ways to understand many of what seem like discrepancies: (1) How does a given citation count a king’s first year? In Mesopotamia, a king’s first year was the first full year of his rule, not the year in which he ascended the throne, whereas Egypt counted the latter as year one. Both systems figure in the chronologies of Israel and Judah. (2) What calendar system is the author using? Does New Year’s Day occur in the spring or the fall? (3) The practice of coregencies (overlapping reigns of royal fathers and their sons) was common in the ancient Near East. This practice, e.g., illumines the otherwise perplexing chronology of the transition from Jotham to Uzziah as king of Judah (2 Kgs 15:1–7, 32–33). In short, these three ancient factors help sort out most chronological problems in 1-2 Kings That is why royal chronological lists from different scholars noticeably vary (see “Rulers of the Divided Kingdoms of Israel and Judah”).
Themes
The first thematic thread that weaves its way through 1-2 Kings concerns the nature of the monarchy. From the outset, the book stresses that the monarchy is not a right but a God-given task with conditions attached and articulated in the Davidic covenant. David himself instructs Solomon on what God expects of him and the risks to the dynasty of not pleasing God (1 Kgs 2:1–4). Faithfully obeying the law of Moses is the condition Israel must meet for God to remain with them and ensure the king a long and prosperous reign. God twice reiterates this point to Solomon in connection with the temple, perhaps lest the king think that the temple wins him a waiver of those demands (1 Kgs 6:11–13; 9:4–5). The book also ties the judgment on Solomon with his failure to meet those demands (1 Kgs 11:4–11, 33). The same conditions apply to God’s promise of a dynasty for Jeroboam, the northern kingdom’s first king (1 Kgs 11:37–38), whose reign similarly ends in judgment for disobedience (1 Kgs 14:9–11). The book later holds all Israel responsible for the same disobedience that ended in national doom (2 Kgs 17:15–17) and praises Josiah of Judah for keeping the Torah (2 Kgs 23:3).
A variant form of this theme is the frequent comparison of Judah’s kings with David’s kingship as the paradigm, noted above. The book stresses that exemplary kings compare to the Davidic ideal of faithfulness to God (i.e., they keep God’s covenant with David) and that reprehensible kings do not (1 Kgs 15:11; 2 Kgs 14:3; 18:3; 22:2). Elsewhere, the Davidic ideal also finds expression in prophecies concerning a future, new David, the Messiah (e.g., Isa 11:1–5; Jer 23:5–6). Later, descent from David (Matt 1; Luke 1:27) and Jesus’ actions lead people to recognize him as the long-awaited “son of David” (Matt 12:23; Mark 10:48). Against the Davidic ideal, 1-2 Kings highlights a notorious list of kings whose reigns decisively set God’s people on an inescapable, disastrous course. Solomon heads the list (1 Kgs 11) that includes Jeroboam and Ahab in Israel (1 Kgs 14; 21:25–26) and Manasseh in Judah (2 Kgs 23:26; 24:3). In the end, 2 Kings underscores that not even Josiah’s religious reform could stop the terrible judgment to which Manasseh’s reign had condemned Judah. Each king’s reign marks a tipping point toward inevitable judgment on both nations despite having spared Judah earlier crises out of loyalty to David (e.g., 1 Kgs 11:12–13, 32; 2 Kgs 19:34; 20:6).
A second theme is the fulfillment of prophecy. The prominence of prophets in 1-2 Kings was noted above, so it is no surprise that 11 times the book highlights that something spoken by a prophet later came true (e.g., 1 Sam 2:27–36 and 1 Kgs 2:27; 2 Sam 7:13 and 1 Kgs 8:20; 1 Kgs 11:29–39 and 1 Kgs 12:15; 1 Kgs 13:2 and 2 Kgs 23:15–18). The prophets were the prime shapers of events in the history that 1-2 Kings recounts. Indeed, in one respect the prophets in 1-2 Kings differ from the prophets with books in the Bible (e.g., Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea). The latter speak primarily to Israel as a whole people, while the former primarily speak personally to ruling monarchs about their fates. Nathan, Ahijah, Elijah, Elisha, and Micaiah figure the most prominently, but two others also speak for Yahweh to his people (Shemaiah and Huldah). What links the historical events in 1-2 Kings is not mere happenstance or human initiatives but Israel’s covenant God, who speaks through his prophets and guides his people’s destiny. In 1-2 Kings the prophets are usually sent by the sovereign initiative of God rather than the king, and they function primarily as messengers. Their work marks God’s corrective action in response to the nagging breakdown of royal obedience in both Israel and Judah.
A final theme is the inevitability of judgment to befall Israel and Judah and why it happened. This theme debuts in Deuteronomy (Deut 29:1–29), recurs in the Davidic covenant (2 Sam 7:14) and many times in 1-2 Kings. It appears as early as in Solomon’s prayer for the temple (1 Kgs 8:46–51) and God’s answer to it (1 Kgs 9:6–9), as well as in divine condemnation of Jeroboam (1 Kgs 14:15–16). Its climax is the lengthy postmortem the writer gives to detail the reasons why the northern kingdom fell (2 Kgs 17) and the detailed treatment of the southern kingdom’s destruction (2 Kgs 24–25). This theme played a prominent role in the book’s purpose of preparing its exilic audience for its eagerly awaited restoration to Judah. By detailing the rationale for the judgment about to end, 1-2 Kings taught them what God required for them both to go home and to avoid a replay of the past.
Theology
The sovereign good will of Israel’s God, the Mosaic and Davidic covenants, and the reality of prophecy are the theological pillars on which 1-2 Kings rests. In the Davidic covenant (2 Sam 7), God promised David that he would found a royal dynasty—that God’s people would always be ruled by one of David’s descendants. The covenant has only two stipulations: (1) Davidic kings are to remain exclusively loyal to Yahweh alone rather than abandon Yahweh for other gods or worship and serve them alongside Yahweh. (2) They must obey the laws, statutes, teachings, and ordinances that comprise the Mosaic covenant, especially as Deuteronomy articulates them. These two considerations are inextricably bound to each other. To love God faithfully is to do what the Torah says, and to obey the Torah shows that one loves God. Both stipulations must be satisfied for Israel to enjoy the covenant’s blessings. The Mosaic covenant supplies the stipulations of the Davidic covenant and so enjoys theological primacy in 1-2 Kings. Its provisions govern not only Israel’s monarchs but also its people as a whole. Both king and people are to carry out what Deuteronomy stipulates, although the king is specifically responsible to lead the nation to practice covenant faithfulness. The need for a righteous king rings across 1-2 Kings.
The Torah carries with it blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. The promised blessings for obedience (Deut 28:1–13) include abundant prosperity, protection from enemies, and the admiration of other nations. The curses promised (Deut 28:15–68) are more numerous than the blessings, and they are just as terrible as the blessings are wonderful. Disobedient Israelites can expect to suffer drought, famine, agonizing diseases, great tragedies, gruesome defeats by enemies, and violent expulsion from the promised land. The covenant framework of relationship with God underlies the summary principle that governs events in 1-2 Kings—the connection of acts and their consequences. Conduct that pleases Yahweh results in divine blessings, while reprehensible behavior yields disasters at God’s hand. This cause-and-effect theological principle explains why the invasions of foreign armies enjoy such success during the reigns of disobedient kings (e.g., 1 Kgs 14:25–26; 2 Kgs 17:4–6; 23:31–35).
The prophets speak officially for Yahweh in the first person, expecting that their audiences will respond to them as they would to Yahweh himself. The primary social role of the prophets is correcting errant kings through personal messages from sovereign Yahweh. Those messages drive the book’s central plot-thread, the connection of a prophetic word at one historical moment and its fulfillment at a subsequent one. 1-2 Kings makes it clear that the destruction of Israel and Judah happened because they rejected prophetic warnings to change their ways in order to escape imminent divine judgment (2 Kgs 17:13–14; 21:10–15; 24:2). Prophecy displays a fundamental theological truth: God cares so much about his people—he so passionately desires that their covenant relationship flourish and flower in blessings—that he repeatedly speaks to them in their own best interest. Rather than abandon them, he tries to get through to them through his prophets.
The sovereign good will of the Lord stands behind everything in 1-2 Kings. Echoes of God’s long history with Israel appear throughout it: he is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (1 Kgs 18:36; 2 Kgs 13:23), the God who rescued their descendants from Egyptian oppression (1 Kgs 8:16; 2 Kgs 21:15), entered into a covenant with them (1 Kgs 8:9; 2 Kgs 17:35–39), settled them in their land (1 Kgs 14:15), provided them human leadership (1 Kgs 2; 12), and defeated their enemies (1 Kgs 20:28; 2 Kgs 19:32–37). These memories attest Yahweh’s unwavering commitment to his chosen people.
In 1-2 Kings God shows his sovereignty in two modes. Primarily, he shows his sovereignty by means of public acts. He twice appears to Solomon (1 Kgs 3; 9), and he sends armies to defeat Israel and defeats armies to save them. He sends fire on Mount Carmel to display his greatness (1 Kgs 18), sends Ahijah to announce Jeroboam’s judgment (1 Kgs 14), and sends Isaiah to reassure Hezekiah (2 Kgs 19). He launches future events by commissioning Elijah and Elisha (1 Kgs 19; 2 Kgs 2). But occasionally God’s sovereignty also adopts an indirect mode, working behind the scenes. Rehoboam’s decision not to relax his policies proves to be a “turn of events . . . from the LORD” (1 Kgs 12:15; cf. 1 Kgs 12:24). God ensures that the decision fulfills Ahijah’s word to Jeroboam. The sovereign God of 1-2 Kings is very much in charge of his world.
Finally, the tone of the book strikes some readers as harsh and strident, but it also rings with divine grace and displays divine patience on every page. So many times God gives the Israelites much more than they deserve. Despite their idolatry, God generously preserves one tribe for Solomon and permits Jeroboam an additional generation of rule. Despite their waywardness, God gives the Israelites many victories (e.g., 2 Kgs 13:4, 23) and through every judgment calls them back to himself so they may experience the full blessings of the covenant. Even evil Ahab’s moment of humility wins God’s grace (1 Kgs 21:29), and God is “unwilling to destroy” even idolatrous Israel (2 Kgs 13:23). Even the blustery general Naaman receives healing, a newfound faith in Yahweh, and a prophet’s blessing as he returns home (2 Kgs 5). He personifies the believing foreigner who comes to know Yahweh through an anonymous Israelite: a young, captured servant girl, who gives him advice. The God of 1-2 Kings shows his sovereignty in both direct and indirect ways, in both judgment and grace, and to both Israelites and believing foreigners.
Content
The first section of 1-2 Kings presents Solomon as a wise king who built an empire, brought Israel great prosperity, and left the temple as his lasting legacy (1 Kgs 3–10). But 1 Kings also sees the root of the nation’s eventual doom in Solomon’s worship of foreign gods (1 Kgs 11). God’s punishment of Solomon launches the second focus of the book—the divided kingdom (1 Kgs 12—2 Kgs 17). The Davidic dynasty rules “Judah” (the tribes of Judah and Benjamin) and another king rules “Israel” (the northern ten tribes; ch. 12). Sadly, Israel’s first king makes a fatal misstep: the “sins of Jeroboam” (1 Kgs 16:31) comprise a new, idolatrous religion (1 Kgs 12:26–33) that later kings perpetuate rather than uproot. But the book’s true villains are King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, who promote the idolatry that the prophets Elijah and Elisha oppose (1 Kgs 17—2 Kgs 9). 1-2 Kings portray Elijah as a new Moses who shows that Yahweh, not Baal, controls rain, fertility, and life itself (1 Kgs 17–19). Elijah announces that Ahab’s dynasty will end (1 Kgs 20—2 Kgs 1). Elijah’s successor, Elisha, also battles Israel’s idolatry but does so through a series of striking miracles (2 Kgs 2–8; cf. 2 Kgs 13:1–21). Elisha also anoints the successor of Ahab’s dynasty, Jehu (2 Kgs 9–10), but new rulers continue the idolatrous worship of Jeroboam (2 Kgs 11–15). Finally, Israel falls to Assyria (722 BC) as punishment for abandoning Yahweh with persistent idolatry (2 Kgs 17). The final chapters of 1-2 Kings follow the fate of the kingdom of Judah alone (2 Kgs 18–25). Sadly, religious reforms by Hezekiah (2 Kgs 18–20) and Josiah (2 Kgs 22–23) are insufficient to halt the judgment incurred by the idolatrous policy of King Manasseh (2 Kgs 21), Judah’s counterpart to Israel’s Ahab. Judah staggers through two decades of puppet-kings, finally falling to the Babylonians in 586 BC. The Babylonians destroy Jerusalem and the temple and carry thousands from Judah into exile (2 Kgs 24–25). Solomon’s early idolatrous course and the perpetuation of Jeroboam’s false worship centers condemn once-great Israel to a final disaster. Samuel’s early warning about the price to be paid for idolatry proves true (1 Sam 12:25). But in the release of Jehoiachin from prison in Babylon (2 Kgs 25:27–30), 1-2 Kings hints at hope for Israel’s future.
Outline
I. The United Kingdom of Solomon (1 Kgs 1:1—11:43)
A. Solomon’s Accession (1:1—2:46)
1. Adonijah Sets Himself Up as King (1:1–14)
2. David’s Decision Sought (1:15–27)
3. David Makes Solomon King (1:28–53)
4. David’s Charge to Solomon (2:1–12)
5. Solomon’s Throne Established (2:13–46)
B. Solomon’s Wisdom (3:1–28)
1. Solomon Asks for Wisdom (3:1–15)
2. A Wise Ruling (3:16–28)
C. Solomon’s Kingdom (4:1–34)
1. Solomon’s Officials and Governors (4:1–19)
2. Solomon’s Realm (4:20–28)
3. Solomon’s Wisdom (4:29–34)
D. Solomon’s Temple (5:1—9:9)
1. Preparations for Building the Temple (5:1–18)
2. Solomon Builds the Temple (6:1–38)
3. Solomon Builds His Palace (7:1–12)
4. The Temple’s Furnishings (7:13–51)
5. The Temple’s Dedication (8:1–66)
a. The Ark Brought to the Temple (8:1–21)
b. Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication (8:22–61)
c. Dedicatory Sacrifices and a Festival (8:62–66)
6. The Lord Appears to Solomon (9:1–9)
E. Solomon’s Other Activities (9:10—10:29)
1. Solomon’s Actions (9:10–28)
2. The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon (10:1–13)
3. Solomon’s Splendor (10:14–29)
F. Solomon’s Condemnation (11:1–43)
1. Solomon’s Wives (11:1–13)
2. Solomon’s Adversaries (11:14–25)
3. Jeroboam Rebels Against Solomon (11:26–40)
4. Solomon’s Death (11:41–43)
II. The Kings of Israel and Judah Until Ahab (12:1—16:34)
A. Israel Rebels Against Rehoboam (12:1–24)
B. Golden Calves at Bethel and Dan (12:25–33)
C. The Man of God From Judah (13:1–34)
D. Ahijah’s Prophecy Against Jeroboam (14:1–20)
E. Rehoboam King of Judah (14:21–31)
F. Abijah King of Judah (15:1–8)
G. Asa King of Judah (15:9–24)
H. Nadab King of Israel (15:25–32)
I. Baasha King of Israel (15:33—16:7)
J. Elah King of Israel (16:8–14)
K. Zimri King of Israel (16:15–20)
L. Omri King of Israel (16:21–28)
M. Ahab Becomes King of Israel (16:29–34)
III. The Prophetic Ministries of Elijah and Elisha (1 Kgs 17:1—2 Kgs 10:36)
A. Elijah’s Confrontation With Baal (1 Kgs 17:1—18:46)
1. Elijah Announces a Great Drought (17:1)
2. Elijah Fed by Ravens (17:2–6)
3. Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath (17:7–24)
4. Elijah and Obadiah (18:1–15)
5. Elijah on Mount Carmel (18:16–46)
B. Elijah Flees to Horeb (19:1–9a)
C. The Lord Appears to Elijah (19:9b–18)
D. The Call of Elisha (19:19–21)
E. Ahab’s Conflicts With the Arameans (20:1–43)
1. Ben-Hadad Attacks Samaria (20:1–12)
2. Ahab Defeats Ben-Hadad (20:13–34)
3. A Prophet Condemns Ahab (20:35–43)
F. Naboth’s Vineyard (21:1–29)
G. Ahab’s Death (22:1–40)
1. Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab (22:1–28)
2. Ahab Killed at Ramoth Gilead (22:29–40)
H. Jehoshaphat King of Judah (22:41–50)
I. Ahaziah King of Israel (22:51–53)
J. The Lord’s Judgment on Ahaziah (2 Kgs 1:1–18)
K. Elijah Taken Up to Heaven (2:1–18)
L. Elisha’s Ministry (2:19—8:15)
1. Healing of the Water (2:19–22)
2. Elisha Is Jeered (2:23–25)
3. Moab Revolts (3:1–27)
4. The Widow’s Olive Oil (4:1–7)
5. The Shunammite’s Son Restored to Life (4:8–37)
6. Death in the Pot (4:38–41)
7. Feeding of a Hundred (4:42–44)
8. Naaman Healed of Leprosy (5:1–27)
9. An Axhead Floats (6:1–7)
10. Elisha Traps Blinded Arameans (6:8–23)
11. Famine in Besieged Samaria (6:24—7:2)
12. The Siege Lifted (7:3–20)
13. The Shunammite’s Land Restored (8:1–6)
14. Hazael Murders Ben-Hadad (8:7–15)
M. Jehoram King of Judah (8:16–24)
N. Ahaziah King of Judah (8:25–29)
O. Jehu King of Israel (9:1—10:36)
1. Jehu Anointed King of Israel (9:1–13)
2. Jehu Kills Joram and Ahaziah (9:14–29)
3. Jezebel Killed (9:30–37)
4. Ahab’s Family Killed (10:1–17)
5. Servants of Baal Killed (10:18–36)
IV. The Kings of Israel and Judah Until Israel’s Exile (11:1—17:41)
A. Joash King of Israel (11:1—12:21)
1. Athaliah and Joash (11:1–21)
2. Joash Repairs the Temple (12:1–21)
B. Jehoahaz King of Israel (13:1–9)
C. Jehoash King of Israel (13:10–25)
D. Amaziah King of Judah (14:1–22)
E. Jeroboam II King of Israel (14:23–29)
F. Azariah King of Judah (15:1–7)
G. The Final Kings of Israel (15:8–31)
1. Zechariah King of Israel (15:8–12)
2. Shallum King of Israel (15:13–16)
3. Menahem King of Israel (15:17–22)
4. Pekahiah King of Israel (15:23–26)
5. Pekah King of Israel (15:27–31)
H. Jotham King of Judah (15:32–38)
I. Ahaz King of Judah (16:1–20)
J. Hoshea Last King of Israel (17:1–6)
K. Israel Exiled Because of Sin (17:7–23)
L. Samaria Resettled (17:24–41)
V. The Last Kings of Judah (18:1—25:30)
A. Hezekiah King of Judah (18:1—20:21)
1. Hezekiah’s Reign (18:1–16)
2. Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem (18:17–37)
3. Jerusalem’s Deliverance Foretold (19:1–13)
4. Hezekiah’s Prayer (19:14–19)
5. Isaiah Prophesies Sennacherib’s Fall (19:20–37)
6. Hezekiah’s Illness (20:1–11)
7. Envoys From Babylon (20:12–21)
B. Manasseh King of Judah (21:1–18)
C. Amon King of Judah (21:19–26)
D. Josiah King of Judah (22:1—23:30)
1. The Book of the Law Found (22:1–20)
2. Josiah Renews the Covenant (23:1–30)
E. The Final Four Kings of Judah (23:31—24:20a)
1. Jehoahaz King of Judah (23:31–35)
2. Jehoiakim King of Judah (23:36—24:7)
3. Jehoiachin King of Judah (24:8–17)
4. Zedekiah King of Judah (24:18–20a)
F. The Fall of Jerusalem (24:20b—25:26)
G. Jehoiachin Released (25:27–30)
View of the Old City of Jerusalem, the capital of the united monarchy.
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