Kings, First and Second

The eleventh and twelfth books of the OT. They present the major history of the Israelite monarchy, covering the four centuries from the death of David and the succession of Solomon (ca. 965 BCE) to the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile (586 BCE).

Outline of Contents

1 and 2 Kings

I. The reign of Solomon (1Kgs 1:1-11:43)

A. Solomon’s appointment as king; David’s death; consolidation of power (1Kgs 1:1-2:46)

B. Solomon’s endowment with wisdom; the king’s wise judgments (1Kgs 3:1-28)

C. Organization of the kingdom; wealth and wisdom (1Kgs 4:1-5:14)

D. Building and dedication of the Temple and the royal palaces (1Kgs 5:15-8:66)

E. Solomon’s vision; eternal dynasty conditioned upon obedience to the law (1Kgs 9:1-9)

F. Administration of the kingdom; visit of Queen of Sheba (1Kgs 9:10-10:29)

G. Solomon’s apostasy, adversaries, and death (1Kgs 11:1-4)

II. The Divided Monarchy (1Kgs 12:1-2; 1Kgs 17:4)

A. Division of the kingdom; rebellion of Jeroboam in Israel against Rehoboam (1Kgs 12:1-33)

B. Prophetic activity during Jeroboam’s reign (1Kgs 13:1-14:20)

C. Synchronized history of Israel and Judah, the early ninth century BCE (1Kgs 14:21-16:1).

D. Rise and downfall of the house of Omri; reign of Ahab; the prophets Elijah and Elisha; the rebellion of Jehu (1Kings 16:15-2Kings 10:31)

E. Synchronized history of Israel and Judah, mid-ninth–mid-eighth century (2Kgs 10:32-16:20)

F. The end of the Northern Kingdom, Israel, 720 BCE (2Kgs 17:1-23)

G. The community in Samaria under the Assyrians (2Kgs 17:24-41)

III. The kingdom of Judah (2Kgs 18:1-25:30)

A. Hezekiah: cult reform and Sennacherib’s attack on Jerusalem (2Kgs 18:1-20:21)

B. The apostasy of Manasseh and Amon, the seventh century BCE (2Kgs 21:1-26)

C. Josiah: discovery of the book of law; cultic reform (2Kgs 22:1-23:30)

D. Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim (2Kgs 23:31-24:7)

E. The end of the kingdom of Judah; the exile of 597 BCE; the destruction of Jerusalem, 586 BCE (2Kgs 24:8-25:21)

F. Gedaliah as Babylonian governor; the release of Jehoiachin from prison (2Kgs 25:22-30)