Font Size
Like the Books of Samuel, of which they are the continuation, the two Books of Kings are a single work in two parts that was probably composed after the capture of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. The editor, who is unknown to us, uses various documents to which he frequently refers the reader: the History of Solomon, the Annals of the Kings of Israel (or of the North), the Annals of the Kings of Judah, and others.
The Books of Samuel told of the rise of the monarchy from Saul to David, the latter being solidly established as king over the people of God.
The Books of Kings follow a descending curve: they begin with the reign of Solomon (970–931 B.C.), the most splendid in Israel’s history, and end with the capture of Jerusalem and the deportation to Babylon. There is then no longer a king, or a capital, or a temple; the destruction is complete.
But during the four centuries covered by the two Books we meet the great names of Elijah and Elisha, some reforming kings, and the activity of such prophets as Isaiah. This point should be underscored in order to avoid a blanket pessimistic judgment of the history of Israel. Destruction came about by degrees: at the death of Solomon the North and the South split apart, leaving divided a country that David had united by great effort; in 721 B.C., the capital of the North, Samaria, is captured by the Assyrians, and the kingdom of “Israel” disappears. In 587 B.C., it is the turn of the kingdom of Judah. The story of Solomon and the story of his successors form the two parts into which the entire work is divided.
In the Books of Kings religious reflections become more numerous and more systematic in character than in the Books of Samuel.
The author pays special attention to the fate of Jerusalem and of the temple; his aim is to explain how Israel could have fallen so low.
Events, reflected on in the light of faith, show that the kings had turned the chosen people away from God.
Because the kings failed to trust in God and to be faithful to him, they were unable to continue in the line begun by David; they did not deserve the covenant, and they betrayed it.
This vision is rather oppressive. Sin is everywhere so deeply rooted and so commonplace that it is not possible to see how human beings, left to themselves, can rescue themselves from it; God himself must intervene and give a “new heart” (Jer 31:32f; 32:39f).
The Books lead the reader to reflect on the emptiness of earthly glories as the author of Ecclesiastes (2:1-11) will do later on when he recalls the splendors of Solomon.
The Books of Kings may be divided as follows:
I: The Reign of Solomon (1 Ki 1:1—11:43)
II: The Reign of Jeroboam (1 Ki 12:1—14:20)
III: Kings of Israel and Judah (1 Ki 14:21—16:34)
IV: Stories of Elijah and Ahab (1 Ki 17:1—2 Ki 1:18)
V: Stories of Elisha and Joram (2 Ki 2:1—13:25)
VI: Kings of Israel and Judah (2 Ki 14:1—17:41)
VII: Kingdom of Judah after 721 B.C. (2 Ki 18:1—25:30)