12
1 and 2 Kings: From Glory to Captivity

The story of 1 and 2 Kings is basically one
of failure: a nation passes “from a uence
and in uence to poverty and paralysis.”1
The opening chapters of 1 Kings describe
the glory attending Solomon’s reign, but by
the middle of the book antagonisms between
the ten northern tribes and the two southern
tribes bring on a split in the kingdom. The
troubles of the two new kingdoms (Israel
and Judah) carry over into the narrative of 2
Kings, climaxing in the fall and captivity of
both. The accompanying diagram shows the
downward movement in both books.


By revealing the failure of man and of
human governments, 1 and 2 Kings point
forward to that age when God will set up
His own Kingdom, with the greater Son of
David as its sovereign Head, and all nations
subject to Him.
I. PREPARATION FOR STUDY
1. Review the four periods of Israel as
shown on Chart 38.
2. Study carefully Chart 45. Read the
explanation furnished on the chart. Note

especially the reference to three periods of
Israel’s history: united kingdom, divided
kingdom, and surviving kingdom. Account
for the words united, divided, and surviving.
Where on the chart does each period begin?
Observe the prominence of the prophets
during the kingdom years. The prophets of
the rst half of the divided kingdom period,
among whom were Elijah and Elisha, did not
write any prophetical books of the Old
Testament. They were succeeded in the
prophetic o ce by such great prophets as
Isaiah and Jeremiah. Kings and Chronicles
furnish a background for the prophetic
utterances, and the prophetic books shed
much light on Kings and Chronicles.
3. Before reading each of the Kings books,
acquaint yourself with the geography
involved. Map L shows the geography of 1
Kings, and Map M that of 2 Kings.


4. Consult the Appendix (Charts 118 and
119) for a listing of the kings of Israel and
Judah. You will want to refer to these charts
from time to time as you survey the books of
Kings.
II. BACKGROUND
A. TITLE AND PLACE IN THE CANON


The title “Kings” is very appropriate for
these books, since they record events in the
careers of the kings of Judah and Israel from
Solomon to Zedekiah, the last king.
Chart 46 shows the locations of the four
books of Kings and Chronicles in the early
Hebrew canon, in the Greek Septuagint
listing, and in our present English Bible. As
the chart shows, 1 and 2 Kings were one
book in the early Hebrew Bibles. When the
Septuagint translators translated this one
book into Greek, they made two books out