As a result, these pages are also filled with an emphasis on traditional values, with frequent warnings against unfaithfulness, and. The book of kings or introduction to prophecy in ancient israel. The book of 2 kings, along with 1 kings, was likely written between 560 and 540 b. It concludes the deuteronomistic history, a history of israel also comprising the books of joshua and judges and the book of samuel, which biblical commentators believe was written to provide a theological explanation for the destruction of the kingdom of judah by babylon in. The second book of kings chapter 18 is taken from jimmy swaggarts, the expositors study bible. Why was the book of kings written and what was its message. The similarity between jeremiah 52, which concludes that book, and 2 kings 25, which ends the book of kings, was intended to tighten the bond between jeremiah and previous parts of the deuteronomistic history. The second book of kings the reigns of kings jehoram and. In 722 bc, the powerful nation of assyria invaded the northern kingdom, scattering and taking captive the people of israel.
Josiah orders the people to celebrate the passover as decreed by the lord and written down in the book of the covenant. The second book of the kings arno clemens gaebelein. The books of kings were written between 560 and 538 539 b. It is likely that other written sources were also employed such as those. Entry for kings, first and second books of, cyclopedia of biblical, theological and ecclesiastical literature one of 8 bible encyclopedias freely available, this encyclopedia, with its nearly 50,000 entries and 17 millin words, dwarfs modern bible encyclopedias with the depth of knowledge. Israel suffered from a severe and unprecedented crisis. Their sins will result in conquest by the kingdom of assyria in 722 bc, to exile from their homeland, and to captivity in. Oct 31, 2017 the second book of kings chapter 18 is taken from jimmy swaggarts, the expositors study bible. However, it was divided into two books by the translators of the septuagint the greek translation of the old testament, and so it was written as 1 and 2 kings by the latin translation and many other versions. 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.
The events recorded in the two books of kings embrace the time of the last days of david around 970 bc down to the 37 th year of jehoiachins captivity in babel around 561 bc. Gods pronouncement of judgement upon adam and eve actually tells us some of the problems that will beset men and women and thus, civilization. This book is the sequel to 1 and 2 samuel and begins by tracing solomons rise to kingship after the death of. Second kings is the twelfth book in the old testament, immediately after 1 kings and before 1 chronicles. Kings, first and second books of, cyclopedia of biblical. Views concerning the warnings the five warnings occur in the following passages.
Uusally, nobody listened to their warnings for example, ahijah, shemaiah, micaiah. The jews understood that the book was written my jeremiah, and indeed there are many resemblances cf. Kings, first and second books of definition and meaning. The books of kings were probably written during the time of judahs captivity in babylon which begins at the end of second kings. The tradition is that the prophet jeremiah was the author of both 1 and 2 kings. Second kings 25 describes the destruction of jerusalem and the temple of the lord with the beginning of the babylonian exile in 587586 bc. The main events in the book of second kings hubpages. However, it was divided into two books by the translators of the septuagint the greek translation of the old testament, and so it was written as 1 and 2 kings by the latin translation and many other versions the division between 1 and 2 kings was made after the death of.
Thy children to the fourth generation shall sit upon the throne of israel. In the hebrew bible 1st and 2nd samuel form one book, 1st and 2nd kings form a second, and. The greek translation of the ot, the septuagint lxx, divided the book in two, and this was followed by the latin vulgate vg. The book ends with an epilogue of sorts, giving a peek into the good fortune of jehoiachinjudahs last true ruler before a series of puppet kings were installed by babylon. The writings upon which the books of kings are based and to which they refer more than thirty times are. 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. If jeremiah did write much of kings, he could not have written this section, set in babylon, for he had been taken away to egypt years earlier. The second book of kings was originally part of a single work. Kings, or in greek, was originally a book of the former prophets in hebrew scripture. The second book of kings in the books of 1 and 2 kings, nineteen evil kings from nine different dynasties rule the northern kingdom of israel.
The jews understood that the book was written my jeremiah, and indeed there are. In the case of solomon it is the book of the acts of solomon i kings xi. Intro to 1 kings biblica the international bible society. As stated in the introduction to the book of kings, both books were originally undivided. Book of second kings overview insight for living ministries. Josiah gets rid of all the mediums and spiritists in judah and jerusalem. The book of 1 kings was likely written between 560 and 540 b. Second kings features many unique events and people. In the hebrew bible 1st and 2nd samuel form one book, 1st and 2nd kings form a second, and 1st and 2nd chronicles form a third book. The tribes of judah, benjamin, and some of levi were serving a pagan king in a faraway country. It reads like a novel told by different main characters, all crucial to the time period of the first kings of israel. The book of 1 kings does not specifically name its author.
The book of kings by james thackara has a great premise. This book became the basis of a series of reforms, which made josiah, according to his own scribes, the best king ever. The second book of kings, otherwise known as the fourth. This book relates the transactions from the death of saul until the end of davids reign, being a history for the space of about fortysix years. The book of 2 nd kings is narrative history and prophecy concerning the affairs of the divided kingdoms. The second epistle of john, often referred to as second john and often written 2 john or ii john, is a book of the new testament attributed to john the evangelist, traditionally thought to be the author of the gospel of john and the other two epistles of john. The second book, 2 kings, tells of the reigns of kings of the surviving southern kingdom of judah until its eventual collapse in 586 bc. The same thing happened with the books of samuel and chronicles immediately before and after the books of kings. The first book contains the history of samuel and of the reign of saul. Second john and third john are the two shortest books in the bible. Who really wrote the biblical books of kings and the. Aug 23, 2016 this book uses stories form the bible and other known texts to tell this beautifully written story. First and second kings are drawn from several sources. Listen to chuck swindolls overview of second kings in his audio message from the.
The book is suspected to have been written sometime between 586 and 540 bc. 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. They will lead the people into idol worship and apostasy from yahwehs covenant. Catholic encyclopedia 19first and second books of kings. 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. It continues the story of the kings over the divided kingdom israel and judah.
The book ends with davids own words of praise to god, who had delivered him from all his enemies 22. It has subdivisions of hezekiah reigns over judah, sennache. Who really wrote the biblical books of kings and the prophets. Enoch was the only other man in the bible to do so genesis 5. The composition of the books of kings therefore can at the earliest have been written or concluded during the babylonian. After ahab king of israel died, a neighboring country moab rebelled against israel.
The book of kings is the ninth book of the hebrew bible or the eleventh and twelfth books of the christian old testament. Books of kings, two books of the hebrew bible or the protestant old testament that, together with deuteronomy, joshua, judges, and 1 and 2 samuel, belong to the group of historical books deuteronomic history written during the babylonian exile c. The book of the acts of solomon is mentioned in 1 kings 11. The second book of kings, otherwise known as the fourth book. It concludes the deuteronomistic history, a history of israel also comprising the books of joshua and judges and the book of samuel, which biblical commentators believe was written to provide a. While this account of the authorship of these books is widely accepted by christian and jewish religious authorities, modernday biblical scholars overwhelmingly reject it. Kings, first and second books of, originally only one book in the hebrew canon, from in the lxx. 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. This work must have been compiled some time after the capture of judah by the babylonians in 586 b. Originally this book and the preceding book were combined into one longer book in the hebrew bible. Although the writer is unknown, it was written while the first temple was still standing 1 kings 8. 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 books of kings are a set of books in the old testament. Modern scholarship assigns the authorship to the prophets. The second book of the kings the argument this second book containeth the acts of the kings of judah and israel. The guiding thesis of the book is that the welfare of israel and her kings. And the book of kings, according to tradition, was written by the prophet jeremiah. Introduction to the books of first and second kings, lesson 1.
An introduction to the books of first and second kings. In the hebrew bible the book of kings continued the narrative started in samuel. It has subdivisions of hezekiah seeks help from god, isaiah foretells assyrias defeat. People typically only focus on certain phrases in the genesis account and thus, miss the warning. This book is the sequel to 1 and 2 samuel and begins by tracing solomons rise to kingship after the death of david. Second kings uses the history of the kings of judah and israel to explain the destruction of. The second book of kings otherwise called the fourth book of kings. Iii books of kings comprise the history of israel from the birth of samuel to the close of davids public life, and cover a period of about a hundred years. The book of 2 kings is a sequel to the book of 1 kings. The book of jeremiah was written about the same time covering the previous 40 years from 626 to 586 bc. The book of genesis has a warning to men and to civilizations.
Second kings is actually the second half of a single book 1 and 2 kings that was. The end of the second book of kings covers the babylonian captivity and a few years beyond. Second kings continues the history of the divided kingdom, picking up the story around 853 bc. Men have foolishly ignored the warning in the book of. The book of 2nd kings is narrative history and prophecy concerning the affairs of the divided kingdoms. The impression is given that the book is the fruit of a single author who witnessed the fall of jerusalem.
The main events in the book of second kings ii kings ii kings 1. These songs echo many of the themes of hannahs song 1sa 2. Book of first kings overview insight for living ministries. The second epistle of john, often referred to as second john and often written 2 john or ii john, is a book of the new testament attributed to john the evangelist, traditionally thought to be the author of the other two epistles of john, and the gospel of john though this is disputed. Most modern scholars believe this is not john the apostle, but in general there is no consensus as to the.
Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law. At first we dont know who the child that narrates the first part of the book is, but we can sense that he is important. The two books of kings present a history of ancient israel and judah from the death of king david to the release of jehoiachin from imprisonment in babylon, a period of some 400 years c. The second book of kings chapter 19 is taken from jimmy swaggarts, the expositors study bible. Originally one book, they were divided by the septuagint translators. Scholars tend to treat the books as made up of a first edition from the late 7th century bce and a second. Books of kings simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
First and second kings were originally one book, called in the hebrew text, kings, from the first word in 1. The prophet elijah left this earth without dying 2. Listen to chuck swindolls overview of first kings in his audio message from the classic series gods masterwork. Merciful father, we understand that your divine judgments are meant to be redemptive. For an outline of both 1 and 2 kings see introduction to 1 kings. In the books of 1 and 2 kings, nineteen evil kings from nine different dynasties rule the northern kingdom of israel. The second book of the kings is a continuation of the history of the kingdoms of israel and judah up to the time of the captivities. The books of kings were written between 560 and 538539 b. The setting for the book of second kings is the land of palestine and the great nation of israel which is now a divided kingdom.
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