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| The authorship, or rather compilation, of these books is uncertain. The sources of the narrative are explicitly given as | The authorship, or rather compilation, of these books is uncertain. The sources of the narrative are explicitly given as | ||
| *the "book of the acts of Solomon" (1 Kings 11:41) | |||
| *the "book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah" (14:29; 15:7, 23, etc.) | |||
| *the "book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel" (14:19; 15:31; 16:14, 20, 27, etc.). | |||
| The text concerning the kings of Judah appears to have been spliced together with that concerning the kings of Israel by the method of alternating between one kingdom and the other. | |||
| There are some portions that are almost identical to the ], e.g., 2 Kings 24:18-25 and Jeremiah 52; 39:1-10; 40:7-41:10. There are also many undesigned coincidences between Jeremiah and Kings (2 Kings 21-23 and Jer. 7:15; 15:4; 19:3, etc.), and events recorded in Kings of which ] had personal knowledge. Because of this, traditionally Jeremiah was credited the author of the books of Kings. An alternative supposition is that ], after the ], compiled them from official court chronicles of ], ], ], Gad, and ], and that he arranged them in the order in which they now exist. | There are some portions that are almost identical to the ], e.g., 2 Kings 24:18-25 and Jeremiah 52; 39:1-10; 40:7-41:10. There are also many undesigned coincidences between Jeremiah and Kings (2 Kings 21-23 and Jer. 7:15; 15:4; 19:3, etc.), and events recorded in Kings of which ] had personal knowledge. Because of this, traditionally Jeremiah was credited the author of the books of Kings. An alternative supposition is that ], after the ], compiled them from official court chronicles of ], ], ], Gad, and ], and that he arranged them in the order in which they now exist. | ||
| The modern ] alleges that the books of Samuel are part of a larger original text (referred to as the ''Deuteronomic history'') by the ] (a supporter of the priesthood of Shiloh, rivals to the Aaronids). Some scholars think that the deuteronomist was either Jeremiah or his scribe Baruch. The book of Chronicles, covering the same period, is thought to have been created as a response by the Aaronids to the Deuteronomic history. | |||
| The Books of Kings are frequently quoted or alluded to by (] 6:29; 12:42; ] 4:25, 26; 10:4; comp. 2 Kings 4:29; ] 1:6; comp. 2 Kings 1:8; and ] 3:4, etc.). | The Books of Kings are frequently quoted or alluded to by (] 6:29; 12:42; ] 4:25, 26; 10:4; comp. 2 Kings 4:29; ] 1:6; comp. 2 Kings 1:8; and ] 3:4, etc.). | ||
Revision as of 04:25, 6 January 2005
| Books of Nevi'im |
|---|
| Former Prophets |
| Latter Prophets (major) |
| Latter Prophets (Twelve minor) |
| Hebrew Bible |
The Books of Kings (Sefer Melachim in Hebrew) are two books of the Jewish Tanakh (or Tanach), and included by Christians in their Bible (the Old Testament). They contain accounts of the kings of ancient Israel and Judah.
The two books of Kings comprise the fourth book in the second canonical division of Hebrew Scriptures: in the threefold division of the Tanach, these books are ranked among the Prophets. The present division into two books was first made by the Septuagint, which numbers them as the third and fourth books of "Kingdoms", the two books of Samuel being considered the first and second books of Kingdoms; this numbering was also followed in the Vulgate with 1-4 Kings, but most modern Christian Bibles have two books of Samuel and two of Kings.
They contain the annals of the Jewish commonwealth from the accession of Solomon till the subjugation of the kingdom by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians (apparently a period of about four hundred and fifty-three years). The books of Chronicles are more comprehensive in their contents than those of Kings. The latter synchronize with 1 Chronicles 28 - 2 Chronicles 36:21. While in the Chronicles greater prominence is given to the priestly or Levitical office, in the Kings greater prominence is given to the royal office.
The authorship, or rather compilation, of these books is uncertain. The sources of the narrative are explicitly given as
- the "book of the acts of Solomon" (1 Kings 11:41)
- the "book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah" (14:29; 15:7, 23, etc.)
- the "book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel" (14:19; 15:31; 16:14, 20, 27, etc.).
The text concerning the kings of Judah appears to have been spliced together with that concerning the kings of Israel by the method of alternating between one kingdom and the other.
There are some portions that are almost identical to the Book of Jeremiah, e.g., 2 Kings 24:18-25 and Jeremiah 52; 39:1-10; 40:7-41:10. There are also many undesigned coincidences between Jeremiah and Kings (2 Kings 21-23 and Jer. 7:15; 15:4; 19:3, etc.), and events recorded in Kings of which Jeremiah had personal knowledge. Because of this, traditionally Jeremiah was credited the author of the books of Kings. An alternative supposition is that Ezra, after the Babylonian captivity, compiled them from official court chronicles of David, Solomon, Nathan, Gad, and Iddo, and that he arranged them in the order in which they now exist.
The modern documentary hypothesis alleges that the books of Samuel are part of a larger original text (referred to as the Deuteronomic history) by the deuteronomist (a supporter of the priesthood of Shiloh, rivals to the Aaronids). Some scholars think that the deuteronomist was either Jeremiah or his scribe Baruch. The book of Chronicles, covering the same period, is thought to have been created as a response by the Aaronids to the Deuteronomic history.
The Books of Kings are frequently quoted or alluded to by (Matthew 6:29; 12:42; Luke 4:25, 26; 10:4; comp. 2 Kings 4:29; Mark 1:6; comp. 2 Kings 1:8; and Matthew 3:4, etc.).
The date of its composition was perhaps some time between 561 BC, the date of the last chapter (2 Kings 25), when Jehoiachin was released from captivity by Evil-merodach, and 538 BC, the date of the decree of deliverance by Cyrus the Great.
External link
- Jewish Encyclopedia: Kings, Books of.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Easton, Matthew George (1897). Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)