1 Kings
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The time period extends from the anointing of King Solomon
(1015 BC) throughout the history of Israel and Judah all the
way to the death of Jehoiachin after he was freed from
Babylonian imprisonment (561 BC). The book of 1 Kings begins
with Solomon, and not David or Saul because the books of
Samuel cover their lives. Under King Solomon the dominion of
Israel extended from the Euphrates River all the way to the
Mediterranean Sea and down to the Egyptian border (1 Kings
4:21). At the end of each the kingdoms of Israel and Judah
the remaining kings were not seeking God and became a sad
remnant who were puppets of either Egypt or Assyria or
Babylon until they were finally uprooted and taken away. The
beginning of all of their problems happened after the death
of Solomon when his sons Rehoboam and Jeroboam divided the
kingdom, 10 of the tribes went with Jeroboam to the north
(Israel), and 2 of the tribes remained with Rehoboam in the
south (Judah). All 19 of Israel's Kings followed the heathen
nations and were idol worshipers and evil, leading Israel
into sin bringing upon themselves the wrath of God. They
were destroyed and taken captive to Assyria in 722 BC. In
the southern kingdom of Judah 8 out of their 20 Kings sought
the Lord and the rest forsook him also bring the wrath of
God when the Babylonian captivity took place under King
Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC.
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Quick Overview of 1 Kings. – –1-11 – –The peaceful and
prosperous reign of King Solomon, the idolatry of King
Solomon, the death of King Solomon.– – 12-22 – – The division
of the people of Israel into two kingdoms, The Kingdom of
Judah and the Kingdom of Israel.
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Greek Name - basilia (Greek form of the Hebrew)
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Author - Jeremiah (According to Tradition). According to
Hebrew tradition Jeremiah was the author, and wrote shortly
after the events have taken place.
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Date - From 1015-562 BC Approximately. It is difficult to give
a precise chronology of the books of Kings. According to
Hebrew tradition Jeremiah was the author, and wrote shortly
after the events have taken place. The Books of Chronicles
record the events of the same time period from a different
perspective.
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Theme of 1 Kings - The division of the kingdom
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Types and Shadows - In Kings Jesus is the peaceful King
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The Books of Kings (Hebrew: Sefer melakhim, ספר מלכים) are
books included in the Hebrew Bible. They were originally
written in Hebrew and are recognised as scripture by Judaism
and Christianity. According to Biblical chronology, the events
in the Books of Kings occurred between the 10th and 6th
centuries BCE.
The books contain accounts of the kings of the ancient Kingdom
of Israel (united monarchy) and the Kingdom of Judah. They
contain the annals of the Jewish commonwealth from the
accession of Solomon until the subjugation of the kingdom by
Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians (apparently a period of
about four hundred and fifty-three years). The Books of Kings
synchronize with 1 Chronicles 28 – 2 Chronicles 36:21. While
in the Chronicles greater prominence is given to the priestly
or Levitical office, in the Kings greater prominence is given
to the royal and prophetic offices. Kings appears to have been
written considerably earlier than Chronicles and as such is
generally considered a more reliable historical source...
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LITERATURE
I. Title.
The Hebrew title reads, melakhim, "kings," the division into
books being based on the Septuagint where the Books of Kings
are numbered 3rd and 4th, the Books of Kingdoms (Basileion),
the Books of Samuel being numbered respectively 1st and 2nd.
The separation in the Hebrew into 2 Books of Kings dates to
the rabbinic Bible of Daniel Bomberg (Venice, 1516-17), who
adds in a footnote, "Here the non-Jews (i.e. Christians)
begin the 4th Book of Kings." The Hebrew Canon treats the 2
Books of Samuel as one book, and the 2 Books of Kings as
one. Hence, both the King James Version and the Revised
Version (British and American) read incorrectly, "The First
Book of Kings," even the use of the article being
superfluous.gs (stadia) from Jerusalem, which he named
Absalom's Hand." In all probability this "pillar" was a
rough upright stone--a matstsebhah--but its site is lost.
The traditional Greek-Egyptian tomb of perhaps 100-200 years
BC which has been hewn out of the rock on the eastern side
of the Kidron valley is manifestly misnamed "Absalom's
pillar," and the Kidron ravine (nachal) cannot be the King's
Vale (`emeq).
II. Scope.
The Books of Kings contain 47 chapters (I, 22 chs; II, 25
chs), and cover the period from the conspiracy of Adonijah
and the accession of Solomon (975 BC) to the liberation of
Jehoiachin after the beginning of the Exile (561 BC). The
subject-matter may be grouped under certain heads, as the
last days of David (1 Ki 1 through 2:11); Solomon and his
times (1 Ki 2:12 through 11:43); the Northern Kingdom to the
coming of Assyria (1 Ki 12:16 through 2 Ki 17:41) (937-722
BC), including 9 dynastic changes; the Southern Kingdom to
the coming of Babylon (1 Ki 12:1 through 2 Ki 25:21, the
annals of the two kingdoms being given as parallel records
until the fall of Israel) (937-586 BC), during which time
but one dynasty, that of David, occupied the throne; the
period of exile to 561 BC (2 Ki 25:22-30). A simpler
outline, that of Driver, would be: (1) Solomon and his times
(1 Ki 1 through 11); (2) Israel and Judah to the fall of
Israel (1 Ki 12 through 2 Ki 17); Judah to the fall of
Jerusalem (586 BC), and the captivity to the liberation of
Jehoiachin (561 BC) (2 Ki 18 through 25).
"Above all, there are three features in the history, which,
in the mind of the author, are of prime importance as shown
by the prominence he gives them in his narrative. (1) The
dynasty of David is invested with peculiar dignity. This had
two aspects. It pointed back to the Divine election of the
nation in the past, and gave the guaranty of indefinite
national perpetuity in the future. The promise of the `sure
mercies of David' was a powerful uniting influence in the
Exile. (2) The Temple and its service, for which the writer
had such special regard, contributed greatly to the phase of
national character of subsequent times. With all the
drawbacks and defacements of pure worship here was the
stated regular performance of sacred rites, the development
and regulation of priestly order and ritual law, which
stamped themselves so firmly on later Judaism. (3) Above
all, this was the period of bloom of Old Testament prophecy.
Though more is said of men like Elijah and Elisha, who have
left no written words, we must
not forget the desires of pre-exilic prophets, whose
writings have come down to us--men who, against the
opposition of rulers and the indifference of the people,
testified to the moral foundation on which the nation was
constituted, vindicated Divine righteousness, rebuked sin,
and held up the ideal to which the nation was called."--
Robertson...
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originally only one book in the Hebrew canon, from in the
LXX. and the Vulgate the third and fourth books of Kings
(the books of Samuel being the first and second). It must be
remembered that the division between the books of Kings and
Samuel is equally artificial, and that in point of fact the
historical books commencing with Judges and ending with
2Kings present the appearance of one work, giving a
continuous history of Israel from the time of Joshua to the
death of jehoiachin. The books of Kings contain the history
from David's death and Solomon's accession to the
destruction of the kingdom of Judah and the desolation of
Jerusalem, with a supplemental notice of an event that
occurred after an interval of twenty-six years --viz., the
liberation of Jehoiachin from his prison at Babylon --and a
still further extension to Jehoiachin's death, the time of
which is not known, but which was probably not long after
his liberation. The history therefore comprehends the whole
time of the Israelitish monarchy, exclusive of the reigns of
Saul and David. As regards the affairs of foreign nations
and the relation of Israel to them, the historical notices
in these books, though in the earlier times scanty, are most
valuable, and in striking accord with the latest additions
to our knowledge of contemporary profane history. A most
important aid to a right understanding of the history in
these books, and to the filling up of its outline, is to be
found in the prophets, and especially in Isaiah and
Jeremiah. Time when written. --They were undoubtedly written
during the period of the captivity, probably after the
twenty-sixth year. Authorship. --As regards the authorship
of the books, but little difficulty presents itself. The
Jewish tradition which ascribes them to Jeremiah is borne
out by the strongest internal evidence, in addition to that
of the language. Sources of information. --There was a
regular series of state annals for both the kingdom of Judah
and that of Israel, which embraced the whole time
comprehended in the books of Kings, or at least to the end
of the reign of Jehoiakim. 2Ki 24:5 These annals are
constantly cited by name as "the book of the acts of
Solomon," 1Ki 11:41 and after Solomon "the book of the
Chronicles of the Kings of Judah" or "Israel," e.g. 1Ki
14:29; 15:7; 16:5,14,20; 2Ki 10:34; 24:5 etc.; and it is
manifest that the author of Kings had them both before him
while he drew up his history, in which the reigns of the two
kingdoms are harmonized and these annals constantly appealed
to. But in addition to these national annals, there, were
also extant, at the time that the books of Kings were
compiled, separate works of the several prophets who had
lived in Judah and Israel. Authority. --Their canonical
authority having never been disputed, it is needless to
bring forward the testimonies to their authenticity which
may be found in Josephus, Eusebius, jerome, Augustine, etc.
They are reckoned among the prophets, in the threefold
division of the Holy Scriptures; a position in accordance
with the supposition that they were compiled by Jeremiah,
and contain the narratives of the different prophets in
succession. They are frequently cited by our Lord and by the
apostles.
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The two books of Kings formed originally but one book in the
Hebrew Scriptures. The present division into two
books was first
made by the LXX., which now, with the Vulgate,
numbers them as
the third and fourth books of Kings, the two books
of Samuel
being the first and second books of Kings.
They contain the annals of the Jewish commonwealth
from the
accession of Solomon till the subjugation of the
kingdom by
Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians (apparently a
period of about
four hundred and fifty-three years). The books of
Chronicles
(q.v.) are more comprehensive in their contents than
those of
Kings. The latter synchronize with 1 Chr. 28-2 Chr.
36:21. While
in the Chronicles greater prominence is given to the
priestly or
Levitical office, in the Kings greater prominence is
given to
the kingly.
The authorship of these books is uncertain. There
are some
portions of them and of Jeremiah that are almost
identical,
e.g., 2 Kings 24:18-25 and Jer. 52; 39:1-10; 40:7-
41:10. There
are also many undesigned coincidences between
Jeremiah and Kings
(2 Kings 21-23 and Jer. 7:15; 15:4; 19:3, etc.), and
events
recorded in Kings of which Jeremiah had personal
knowledge.
These facts countenance in some degree the tradition
that
Jeremiah was the author of the books of Kings. But
the more
probable supposition is that Ezra, after the
Captivity, compiled
them from documents written perhaps by David,
Solomon, Nathan,
Gad, and Iddo, and that he arranged them in the
order in which
they now exist.
In the threefold division of the Scriptures by the
Jews, these
books are ranked among the "Prophets." They are
frequently
quoted or alluded to by our Lord and his apostles
(Matt. 6:29;
12:42; Luke 4:25, 26; 10:4; comp. 2 Kings 4:29; Mark
1:6; comp.
2 Kings 1:8; Matt. 3:4, etc.).
The sources of the narrative are referred to (1)
"the book of
the acts of Solomon" (1 Kings 11:41); (2) the "book
of the
chronicles of the kings of Judah" (14:29; 15:7, 23,
etc.); (3)
the "book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel"
(14:19;
15:31; 16:14, 20, 27, etc.).
The date of its composition was some time between
B.C. 561,
the date of the last chapter (2 Kings 25), when
Jehoiachin was
released from captivity by Evil-merodach, and B.C.
538, the date
of the decree of deliverance by Cyrus.
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Title. In the Septuagint the books are called "the third and
fourth of the Kingdoms," in Vulgate "the third and fourth
book of Kings." Originally the two were one: Bomberg in his
printed editions, 1518,1549, divided them into two. Three
periods are included. The first (1 Kings 1-11), 1015-975
B.C., Solomon's ascent of the throne, wisdom, consolidation
of his power, erection of the temple, 40 years' reigning
over the undivided twelve tribes; the time of Israel's
glory, except that toward the close of his reign his
polygamy and idolatry caused a decline, and God threatened
the disruption of the kingdom (1 Kings 11). The second
period, from the division into two kingdoms to the Assyrian
captivity of the ten northern tribes, 975-722 B.C. The third
period, from thence, in Hezekiah's reign, until Judah's
captivity in Babylon, 722-560 B.C., down to the 37th year of
Jehoiachin's exile and imprisonment. The second period (1Ki
12:1-2 Kings 10) comprises three stages:
(1) the enmity at first between Judah and Israel
from Jeroboam to Omri, 1 Kings 12:1-16:28;
(2) the intermarriage between the royal houses of
Israel and of Judah, under Ahab, down to the destruction of
both kings, Joram of Israel and Ahaziah of Judah, by Jehu,
1Ki 16:29-2 Kings 10;
(3) the renewal of hostilities, from Jehu's
accession in Israel and Athaliah's usurpation in Judah to
Israel's captivity in Hezekiah's sixth year, 1 Kings 11-17.
The book is not a mere chronicle of kings' deeds and
fortunes, but of their reigns in their spiritual relation to
Jehovah the true, though invisible, King of the theocracy;
hence it is ranked in the canon among "the prophets." The
prophets therefore as His ministers, guardians of His
rights, and interpreters of His counsel and will, come
prominently forward in the book to maintain His prerogative
before the kings His viceroys, and to counsel, warn, and
punish as He who spoke in them deemed necessary, confirming
their word by miraculous signs. Thus, Samuel by His
direction anointed Saul and David to reign over His people;
Nathan announced God's promise that David's throne and seed
should be forever (2 Samuel 7); then when he sinned Nathan
remounted his punishment, and upon his repentance immediate
forgiveness (2 Samuel 12); similarly, Gad (2 Samuel 24).
Nathan announced Solomon's appointment as successor (2
Samuel 12:25; 1 Chronicles 22:9); anointed and installed him
instead of Adonijah, the older brother (1 Kings 1).
Thenceforth, David's seed having been established in
Judah in conformity with God's promise (2 Samuel 7), the
prophets' agency in Judah was restricted to critical times
and special cases requiring the expression of Jehovah's will
in the way of either reproof of declension or encouragement
of faithfulness. But in Israel their agency was more
continuous and prominent, because of the absence of
Jehovah's ordinary ministers the priests and Levites, and
because of the state idolatry of the calves, to which Ahab
added Baal worship. Jehovah appeared to Solomon at Gibeon
shortly after his accession, again...
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