While 2 samuel leaves off near the end of davids reign, 1 and 2 kings take us from the reign of solomon to the catastrophic division of israel into northern and southern factions. As the titles of the books indicate, 12 kings describe the period of the monarchy in ancient israel 970586 b. Possibly jeremiah or a group of prophets time written. He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in jerusalem fiftytwo years. In the hebrew bible the book of kings continued the narrative started in samuel. Dale ralph davis 1 kings, 2 kings focus on the bible, 2002, 2005. Overview of the book of 2 kings reformed answers to. As the titles of the books indicate, 1 2 kings describe the period of the monarchy in ancient israel 970586 b. The book of 2 chronicles was likely written between 450 and 425 b. As walton and hill write, the books share a prophetic view of history in which cause and effect are tied to the blessings and cursings of the covenant. In chapter 25, the southern kingdom judah goes into babylonian captivity 586 b. As the illustrious life of king david draws to a close, only some quick thinking by the prophet nathan and solomons mom bathsheba prevents adonijah from stealing the throne from solomon, the rightful king. Book of second kings overview insight for living ministries. Like the books of samuel, the books of kings were originally one book but divided into two by the greek translators of the original hebrew.
Aug 15, 2008 the books of 1 and 2 kings describe a major reversal, a movement towards the eventual loss of the land and exile. The relationship between the books of kings and chronicles. The two books of kings recount the fate of the monarchy in israel after the death of king david. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of israel and judah by a deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century bce, with a supplement added in the sixth century bce. The book of 2nd kings is narrative history and prophecy concerning the affairs of the divided kingdoms. I finished reading this book 2 days ago and am not only still reeling from the incredible story but am seriously considering picking it up to read again tonight. About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of samaria.
Elijah was one of the most powerful prophets in israeli history, but for all his strong faith and go. David plans it, solomon builds it, kings are crowned in it, prophets are killed in it, and the law is rediscovered in it. Enoch was the only other man in the bible to do so genesis 5. In chapter 17, the ten tribes of the northern kingdom israel go into assyrian captivity 722 b.
Yet there is still hope for the nation, because gods chosen family of kings has not come to an end 2 kings 25. The tribes of judah, benjamin, and some of levi were serving a pagan king in a faraway country. The main events in the book of second kings ii kings ii kings 1. The books of 1 and 2 kings recount events that cover a period of just over four hundred years, from the death of david to the release of jehoiachin from prison in babylon. Study 112 terms old testament survey flashcards quizlet.
Some prophets overlap, lived in different areas, or the chronology cannot be estimated with any accuracy. The books of kings were probably written during the time of judahs captivity in babylon which begins at the end of second kings. Casual bible readers often assume that these refer to the books of 1 and 2 chronicles that appear in the old testament. Ahaziah the new king of israel injures himself and sends a servant to inquire of baalzebub the false god of ekron whether he the king will recover from the injury. The tradition is that the prophet jeremiah was the author of both 1 and 2 kings. Often called the deuteronomic history of the kings of israel and judah because of the prominence attached to the deuteronomic law of the central sanctuary, kings discusses the attitudes of israels kings toward the observance of the law of the central sanctuary as the most important factor in their various reigns.
The book of 2 kings, along with 1 kings, was likely written between 560 and 540 b. Kjv bible verses from 1 kings offer free, online access, for those of the christian faith, to study scriptural passages for biblical studies, contained in the. The writings upon which the books of kings are based and to which they refer more than thirty times are. The overviews for 1 kings and 2 kings are identical. Like the books of 1 and 2 samuel, 1 and 2 kings originally were one book. The main events in the book of second kings hubpages.
Kings, or in greek, was originally a book of the former prophets in hebrew scripture. The book of 2 kings is a sequel to the book of 1 kings. The books of 1 and 2 kings describes a movement towards the eventual loss of the land and exile. Book of first kings overview insight for living ministries. One thing that almost everyone agrees on is that the two books or sets of two books each were written at different times by different people. This is a book a guide and helps you have a long life. After ahab king of israel died, a neighboring country moab rebelled against israel. Aug 04, 20 as you read first and second chronicles, youll see that the temple of god is the main location of interest. We hope that you find the 2 kings summary from the kjv bible chapters and verses helpful to your bible studies and for references as a guide to further reference to the book of 2 kings. In these four books the history of the nation is traced from the time of its greatest extent, influence, and prosperity under david and solomon to the division and finally the captivity and exile of both kingdoms. Presenting israels national history from a divine viewpoint, these narratives measure the kings of israel and judah not by the mark they leave on secular. The books show that israel suffers again and again because of its great sinfulness 2 kings 17. We hope that you find the 1 kings summary from the kjv bible chapters and verses helpful to your bible studies and for references as a guide to further reference to the book of 1 kings.
Davids death solomons reign the division of the kingdom elijahs ministry. The majority of 2 kings was written prior to 586 b. The book of 2 kings together with references for further study. The balance of 2 kings the last eight chapters is devoted to judah, because israel ceased to exist after 2. May 02, 2020 the tradition is that 1 and 2 chronicles were written by ezra. To demonstrate the justice of the exile, to affirm continuing hope in davids house, and to call for repentance so that israel might return from exile. King solomon reigned over the united kingdom of israel circa 960 to 922 bc, and built the temple of solomon in jerusalem in the midtenth century bc. In the twentyseventh year of jeroboam king of israel, azariah son of amaziah king of judah began to reign. The reason why i say this is because it has verses in proverbs that instructs you how to be successful in this time. Second kings features many unique events and people. The temple is center stage in the drama of chronicles. Interesting facts about 2 kings barnes bible charts author. Dec 14, 2010 the three kings subdued the king of moab who offered his eldest son as a sacrifice on a city wall. The author or authors of these two books is unknown.
First and second kings show us how, despite the persistent sins of israels leaders, israels god remained faithfully present. The first book of kings begins with the elderly king david naming solomon, his son by bathsheba, as king of israel and judah to succeed him. Solomon prays to the lord god to give him wisdom to. Solomon has adonijah executed along with the rest of his enemies, and gets to work building an empire. In the hebrew scriptures the book of kings kings was broken into two books for convenience sake because of its length. Kings falling is book 2 of the series the book of the wars and it does not disappoint. This list details all the major and minor old testament prophets, though not necessarily in perfect chronological order. Summary of the books of kings the story of the bible. The prophet elijah left this earth without dying 2. Ii kings 4 a widow cries out to elisha for help and the lord helps the women pay off her debts by filling all her jars with oil to sell. This is definitely a series, in my opinion, that you need to read in order. According to josiahs reforms, why are they different between 2 kings 2223 and 2 chron.
The book 2 chronicles covers much the same timeperiod as the books of kings, but it ignores the northern kingdom of israel almost completely, david is given a major role in planning the temple, hezekiah is given a much more farreaching program of reform, and manasseh of judah is given an opportunity to repent of his sins, apparently to account for his long reign. It continues the story of the kings over the divided kingdom israel and judah. Now as soon as this letter comes to you, since your masters sons are with you, and you have chariots and. For an outline of both 1 and 2 kings see introduction to 1 kings.
Proverbs includes different character traits that you must put on. Frequent reference is made to the book of the chronicles of the kings of judah and the book of the chronicles of the kings of israel. The book 2 chronicles covers much the same timeperiod as the books of kings, but it ignores the northern kingdom of israel almost completely, david is given a major role in planning the temple, hezekiah is given a much more farreaching program of reform, and manasseh of judah is given an opportunity to repent of his sins, apparently to. The book was divided into the two books of first kings and second kings in the historical books of the greek septuagint old testament, and continues as such in the latin vulgate and our christian old testament of the bible. An introduction to the books of first and second kings. The middle part of the book, 1 kings 12 2 kings 17, covers the divided kingdom, and is overwhelmingly slanted toward coverage of israelof these 28 chapters, approximately 20 are devoted to israel.
The book covers the last 12 kings of the northern kingdom, and the last 16 kings of the southern kingdom a period, in all, of about 250 years. Many old traditions have been preserved in the books, but they have been reworked by the historian. While 2 samuel leaves off near the end of davids reign, 1 and 2 kings take us from the reign of solomon to the catastrophic division of. List of major and minor prophets of the old testament. Listen to chuck swindolls overview of first kings in his audio message from the classic series gods masterwork. The manner in which elisha sweetened this fountain, and made the soil fruitful by casting salt into the water, was in order to make the miracle more conspicuous. The first two chapters of 1 kings complete the story of david, begun in the preceding books of samuel, and tell of the accession of his son solomon. The book of 2 chronicles does not specifically name its author. The major themes of the book in chiastic structure. Kjv bible verses from 2 kings offer free, online access, for those of the christian faith, to study scriptural passages for biblical studies, contained in the. Overview of the book of 2 kings reformed answers to bible.
The book of 2 nd kings is narrative history and prophecy concerning the affairs of the divided kingdoms. God judges ahabs family with elisha, jehu, and hazael 2 kgs 110 more kings of the north and south rule israel and judah 2 kgs 1116 israel falls to assyria 2 kgs 17 judah reforms under hezekiah 2 kgs 1820 manasseh provokes god, dooms judah 2 kgs 21 judah reforms under josiah 2 kgs 22. And jehu wrote and sent letters to samaria, to the rulers of jezreel, to the elders, and to those who reared ahabs sons, saying. The waters of the jordan river rolled back twice 2 kings 2. The book of kings is a unique source for understanding the history of israel from the last days of the united kingdom under david to the eventual fall of the kingdoms of israel and judah. Elishas ministry to the northern kingdom of israel chapters 18. The book of proverbs is the book of wisdom and instructions. Josephus limitation of the hebrew canon to twentyfour books seems to verify a unified kings. This summary of the book of 2 kings provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of 2 kings.