06 Kings

THE BOOK OF KINGS
OUTLINE OF KINGS

I. Solomon and the United Monarchy 1 Kings 1-11
A. Solomon secures the throne 1-2
B. Solomon's wisdom 3-4
C. Building the temple 5-8
D. Solomon's downfall 9-11
II. Parallel Histories of Israel and Judah 1 Kings 12-2 Kings 17
A. Division of the kingdom 12-16
B. Prophetic ministry of Elijah 1 Kings 17-2 Kings 2
C. Prophetic ministry of Elisha 2-9
D. Assyrian crisis 10-16
III. Judah to the Babylonian Exile 2 Kings 18-25
A. Hezekiah and Isaiah 18-20
B. Josiah's Reform 21-23
C. First conquest of Jerusalem 24
D. Second conquest of Jerusalem 25
I FROM STATE TO EMPIRE (2 Sm & 1 Kgs 1-11)
A THE LITERARY WORLD: SOLOMON
1. The Succession Narrative (2Sm 9 - 1Kgs 2) initially
keeps Solomon in the background
2. It then shows how the prophet Nathan manipulated
Solomons rise to power
3. The secular nature of the Succession Narrative shows a
more subtle view of divine involvement
B THE HISTORICAL WORLD:
THE REIGN OF SOLOMON
1. Davids military career created an empire, Solomons
kingship developed the empire
2. Gained kingship by eliminating opposition of Davids
eldest son, Adonijah (Joab and Abiathar)
3. The single-minded brutality and ambition of Solomon is
evident executes Adonijah, Joab and Shimei
By the end of the Succession Narrative (1 Kgs 2) Solomon
has solidified his power and prestige
4. Divine legitimation at Gibeon and introduction to
wisdom motif (1 Kgs 3)
Some very interesting problems with this passage
1 Kgs 3:2-3 What information does the author provide?
The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no
house had yet been built for the name of the LORD. Solomon loved
the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David; only, he
sacrificed and offered incense at the high places.
Note: Kings is part of DH material (Deut 12:13-14)
Take care that you do not offer your burnt offerings at any place you
happen to see. But only at the place that the LORD will choose in one of
your tribesthere you shall offer your burnt offerings and there you shall
do everything I command you.
1 Kgs 3:4 How does Solomon break Gods law?
The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the principal
high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that
altar.
1 Kgs 3:5 How does God punish Solomon for his
disobedience?
At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God
said, Ask what I should give you.
GIBEON
North of Jerusalem. What remains that is
worth seeing is the water shaft
5. Solomon reorganized bureaucratic and military
structures (all made possible because of peace):
a. Government
(adding features common to Egyptian government)
i. Divided northern kingdom into twelve administrative districts,
each with its own governor (changed tribal allotments)
ii. Each district responsible for expenses of the royal court
(Solomons tribe of Judah was exempt!)
a. Government
(adding features common to Egyptian government)
iii. Districts took care of taxation, military conscription and
public compulsory labour (corve)
iv. District boundaries disregard of traditional tribal territories
weakened independence
b. Military
i. Built extensive passive defences (walls and fortified cities:
e.g., Hazor, Gezer, & Megiddo) see following slides
HAZOR
GEZER
MEGIDDO
b. Military
i. Modernized weaponry
(esp. chariots at least 10 times more than David)
ii. Imported horses and built chariot garrisons all over
c. Trade and Commerce
i. Broadened trade in all directions
ii. Most ambitious: agreement with Hiram (Tyre) for a fleet of
ships!
iii. Queen of Sheebas visit may have involved issues regarding
this commerce (1 Kgs 10)
d. Construction
i. Temple (most renowned accomplishment): seven years to
build
ii. Palace took thirteen years to build: considerably larger!
6. Theological developments during the monarchy
a. Royal Theology
i. The oracle of the prophet Nathan to king David (2 Sam 7)
the unconditional Davidic Covenant as follows:
2 Sam 7:16
Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever;
your throne shall be established forever.
How long is forever?
a. Royal Theology
Incidentally . . . 2 Kgs 11:1 (= 2 Chr 22:10) tells of Queen
Athaliah, a non-Judean, having the surviving males of
Davids house murdered and seizing the throne for 6 years
Thus, the eternal dynasty almost ended prematurely
Ahaziahs son Joash, a Judean, however, escaped the
massacre (2 Kgs 11:23 = 2 Chr 22:1112)
a. Royal Theology
ii. The Royal Psalms (Psalms 2, 72, 110, 132) used for
coronations and associated royalty to Gods favour
Psalm 2:6
I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill
a. Royal Theology
iii. King was Gods representative; he was the administrator of
justice (this impinges on later messianic expectations)
Psalm 72:1-2
Give your king your justice, O God, and your righteousness
to a kings son
May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor
with justice
TEMPLE
PALACE
PEOPLE
What do you notice?
Model of the City of David
(Jerusalem)
b. Zion Theology (assured that Jerusalem is eternal)
i. Psalms also refer to Jerusalem as a holy mountain and as the
dwelling place of God (Psalms 46, 48, 76)
Psalm 48:8
. . . In the city of our God, which God establishes forever
Psalm 76:2
His abode has been established in Salem, his dwelling place
in Zion
c. The Yahwistic History (J)
i. Written during the early monarchic period (likely the time of
Solomon)
ii. Relates Israels history from creation to settlement
iii. This stratum of Pentateuchal literature (one of 4 strands)
reflects tension between tribal freedom under Yahweh alone
and the later bureaucratic regimes of the kings
II FROM EMPIRE TO EXILE (1 Kgs 12 - 2 Kgs 25)
A THE LITERARY WORLD: THE PATTERNING
OF HISTORY IN KINGS
1. Repeated use of a formula to summarize and assess the
reigns of the kings
a. Includes reference to historical source, length of reign, and
naming successor
b. All northern Israelite kings were assessed negatively because
they worshipped Yahweh improperly
c. Only two southern Judean kings are praised (Hezekiah and
Josiah) simply because their actions as kings fell in line with
the authors particular theology (DH)
OF HISTORY IN KINGS
2. The role of prophets and prophecy
a. DH has a very particular view of prophets and formulates the
narrative accordingly
i. Deuteronomy 13:1-5
How does one detect a false prophet?
(See next slide)
Deut. 13:1 If prophets or those who divine by dreams appear among you
and promise you omens or portents,

Deut. 13:2 and the omens or the portents declared by them take place,
and they say, Let us follow other gods (whom you have not known) and
let us serve them,

Deut. 13:3 you must not heed the words of those prophets or those who
divine by dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether
you indeed love the LORD your God with all your heart and soul.

Deut. 13:4 The LORD your God you shall follow, him alone you shall fear,
his commandments you shall keep, his voice you shall obey, him you shall
serve, and to him you shall hold fast.

Deut. 13:5 But those prophets or those who divine by dreams shall be put
to death for having spoken treason against the LORD your Godwho
brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of
slaveryto turn you from the way in which the LORD your God
commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
OF HISTORY IN KINGS
2. The role of prophets and prophecy
a. DH has a very particular view of prophets and formulates the
narrative accordingly
i. Deuteronomy18:21-22
How does one detect a true prophet?
(See next slide)
Deut. 18:21 You may say to yourself, How can we recognize a word that
the LORD has not spoken?

Deut. 18:22 If a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD but the thing
does not take place or prove true, it is a word that the LORD has not
spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; do not be frightened
by it.
B THE HISTORICAL WORLD
1. Two narratives cover the period of the Divided
Kingdom
a. 1 Kings 12 - 2 Kings 25
i. DH material completed during exilic period
(ca. 550 B.C.E.)
ii. Used several sources that are cited but unfortunately are
no longer available
1. Two narratives cover the period of the Divided
Kingdom
b. 2 Chronicles 10-36
i. Three features render it less useful than the DH:
It repeats much of the information in Kings
It frequently alters details in order to serve specific
theological purposes (e.g., 2 Chr 33:10-17)
It displays an almost exclusive interest in the
Southern Kingdom
2. Features that characterize the DH narrative
(1 Kings 12 - 2 Kings 25)
a. Theological assumption guides the construction of the
narrative:
i. Faithfulness to Sinai covenant brought blessing;
disobedience resulted in national ruin
b. Focus is on the kings of both kingdoms but they are judged
according to DH theology
2. Features that characterize the DH narrative
(1 Kings 12 - 2 Kings 25)
c. Bias towards Judah is evident and it is due to the fact that DH
is a southern source
d. DHs selective coverage of events leaves significant gaps in
the history
3. The Division of the Kingdom: Four Specific Causes
a. Pro-Saul people in the north unhappy with Davidic line
replacing him
b. Solomons heavy taxation and forced labour (corve) more
pronounced on the northern kingdom
c. Centralization of the Yahweh cult to the city of Jerusalem
deemphasized the northern shrines
d. Solomons son Rehoboam, trying to enforce a more
oppressive policy, was the final straw!
4. The Northern Kingdom (922-722 B.C.E.)
a. Jeroboam I
i. Served under Solomon who once tried to kill him and so he
was forced to flee to Egypt
ii. Chosen to be first king of the Northern Kingdom
iii. Israel dominated in size (10 versus 2 tribes!), economy and
military strength over Judah
iv. DH concentrates on his religious reforms the reactivation
of northern Yahwistic shrines at Dan and Bethel (use of
golden calves see Ex. 32 for propagandistic narrative)
TELL DAN HIGH PLACE
This open-air platform, called a high place (Hebrew bamah) goes back as early as the
10th century B.C.E. and may be related to Jeroboams religious program. Sacrifices and
rituals would have been performed here.
a. Jeroboam I
v. Rejection of both Davidic (Royal) and Zion theology
but not Yahwism!
b. Four different kings
i. None were able to stabilize the monarchy eventually losing
territory and power along the way
c. The Omrid Dynasty (result of a successful coup)
i. Omri moved capital to Samaria and its splendour was
unrivalled in Palestine
SAMARIA
c. The Omrid Dynasty (result of a successful coup)
ii. Enhanced Israels international standing through political
alliances
His son Ahab was married to Jezebel from Tyre
iii. Jezebels Baalism was a serious challenge to Yahwism and
DH heightens the drama with a number of narratives focusing
on this struggle (see Baal image on next slide)
Stele Showing the Storm-God Baal
Ras-Shamra, formerly Ugarit
14th-13th centuries BC
Sandstone

The god is shown brandishing a mace and a spear,
the extremity of which is tipped with vegetation; this
is an allusion to the beneficial effects of the rain
released by the storm. A young and popular god,
celebrated in beautiful mythological texts
discovered at Ugarit, Baal is also the tutelary god
the dynasty: the king of Ugarit is shown in prayer
beneath the arms of Baal. The style is both attentive
to anatomical detail and nobly hieratic. This stele
of Baal is one of the finest pieces of sculpture that
has come down to us from Oriental antiquity.
STELA OF MESHA, KING OF
MOAB
COMMEMORATING HIS
VICTORY OVER THE KINGS OF
ISRAEL
Discovered in 1868, carries an
inscription of thirty-four lines in
Moabite, a script close to ancient
Phoenician. The text commem-
orates the defeat inflicted on the
kingdom of Israel after the death of
Ahab, shortly before 842 BC. The
stela was erected at Dibn, capital
of Moab, by Mesha, son of
Kamoshyat, King of Moab.
d. The Jehu Dynasty (result of a successful and very
bloody coup urged by the prophet Elisha)
i. Overthrowing the Omrids placed Israel in conflict with
neighbouring states
ii. Jeroboam II managed to restored Israels boundaries back to
that of the old Davidic kingdom
See next slide for Seal Impression
The seal impression above is from a seal found at Megiddo dating to the eighth
century B.C.E. It belonged to "Shema, servant of Jeroboam." The roaring lion
was a symbol of royal power.
d. The Jehu Dynasty (result of a successful and very
bloody coup urged by the prophet Elisha)
iii. The prophets Amos and Hosea attacked social injustices
exhibited in the Northern Kingdom during this time
e. The Fall of Israel (722 B.C.E.)
i. Followed five successive kings who simply added to internal
disintegration
ii. Assyrian expansion and consolidation under Tiglath-pileser
III threatened
See next slide for Map of Assyrian Empire
e. The Fall of Israel (722 B.C.E.)
iii. Syro-Israelite alliance sought Judean support against Assyria
but did not obtain it (see Ahaz of the Southern Kingdom
below)
iv. Assyrian program of deportation resettled Israelites
throughout Mesopotamia and replaced them with people
imported from other areas of the empire
See next slide of Assyrian battle
SENNACHERIBS
ATTACK ON LACHISH

This scene is from the palace reliefs
of Nineveh and depicts
Sennacheribs attack on Lachish, a
town in Judah he captured
in 701 B.C.E.
5. The Southern Kingdom (922-587 B.C.E.)
a. Rehoboam (922-915)
i. Solomons son who refused to heed advice to lessen the
economic burden on Israel
ii. Responsible for creating an economical dependence on Egypt
and ultimately Judah became the weaker of the two kingdoms
b. Ahaz (735-715)
i. Agreed to be a vassal of Assyria at an economic cost
ii. This political decision opened Judah to the influence of
Assyrian religious practices
Even constructed an altar in the Temple for Assyrian gods
iii. Kings of bordering Israel and Aram sieged Jerusalem in order
to persuade Ahaz to join them against Assyria
Isaiah comforts him with a prophecy (Isa 7)
c. Hezekiah (715-687)
i. Instituted reforms focused on eradicating foreign worship and
strengthening Yahwism
ii. Led to direct conflict with Assyria, Assyrian forces attacked
but then mysterious retreated
d. Manasseh (687-642)
i. Reversed his fathers policies in terms of Yahwism
Presented as the worst king ever!
ii. His long reign (55 years) was theologically problematic
Chronicles, therefore, added the repentance story (2 Ch 33)
e. Josiah (640-609)
i. Counted as one of Judahs greatest kings with his sweeping
reforms upon discovering the book of the law (Deut 12-26)
in the Temple:
Temple cult in Jerusalem purified by eradicating Assyrian and
Canaanite worship
Local shrines around Judean countryside were purged of non-
Yahwistic elements
Reform extended into area of former Northern Kingdom
exaggeration?
e. Josiah (640-609)
i. Counted as one of Judahs greatest kings with his sweeping
reforms upon discovering the book of the law (Deut 12-26)
in the Temple:
Reform represented a virtual declaration of independence from
Assyria
e. Josiah (640-609)
ii. Scholars: first version of DH recorded at this time
There was optimism and enthusiasm about Josiahs successful
consolidation of national religion
Like a second Joshua, he conquered (illegitimate worship) and then
had a covenant renewal with a Passover celebration
The death of Josiah at the hands of the Egyptian Pharaoh in battle
was not expected!
f. The Fall of Judah (587)
i. The rise of Babylon was the beginning of the end for Judah
See next slide for Map of Babylonian Empire
ii. Attempts at revolt from Babylonian imperialism eventually
led to deportation of Judah
See next slide for Babylonian cylinder
NEBUCHADNEZZAR AND THE CONQUEST OF
JERUSALEM CYLINDER
6TH CENTURY B.C.E.

Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562 B.C.E.) defeated the
Egyptians, rebuilt Babylon, and renewed the glories of
an independent Babylonia for the last time. He twice
invaded Judaea, capturing Jerusalem, destroying its
temple, and exiling the cream of its population to
Babylon. But like the other members of his dynasty
(variously known as the Chaldaean Dynasty or the
Tenth Dynasty of Babylon), he forbore to rehearse the
details of his victorious campaigns in his own
inscriptions, which dwell by preference on his pious
activities on behalf of the Babylonian deities. This
cylinder, for example, commemorates his
reconstruction of the temple of the god of the city
Marada. For his campaigns against Jerusalem, we must
turn instead to the Babylonian Chronicle, a priestly
record of the chief events of each year beginning in 747
B.C. The Chronicles version of matters is remarkably
similar to that preserved in the Bible
(2 Kings 24:10-17 etc.).
iii. Second edition of DH created to make the ultimate disaster
appear inevitable:
Did not alter the terms of the original Davidic covenant it
remained unconditional (2 Sam 7)
Rephrased in later references in order to making it conditional on
kings loyalty to Yahweh (e.g., 1 Kgs. 9:4-9 and Psalm 132)
Psalm 132:11-12
The LORD swore an oath to David a sure oath from which he will
not turn back . . . I f your sons keep my covenant . . . Forevermore
shall sit on your throne
iii. Second edition of DH created to make the ultimate disaster
appear inevitable:
Also blamed Manasseh for having provoked Yahweh by his reversal
of Hezekiahs reforms (2 Kgs 23:26-27)
iv. Note that the demise of Judah specifically is not ever
mentioned in the Babylonian records
Tonights Tutorial Assignment:
Read carefully Solomons temple dedication prayer
in 1 Kings 8:22-9:9
1. What do you see in its contents that suggest it was not
something he could have or would have said?
2. Isolate expressions or sentences that you find strange
in a dedicatory prayer for something that is suppose to
be the greatest moment in Israelite history.
3. When would you say it was likely written and why?
Tutorial Preparation for Next Week:
Isaiah was one of four OT prophets who operated during the
eighth century B.C.E. While Amos and Hosea concentrated their
labours on the Northern Kingdom, Micah and Isaiah dealt with
the Southern Kingdom. Read carefully chapter seven of Isaiah
and do not ignore the information in the footnotes.
A. Who are the important people in this incident?
B. What is their relationship to each other?
C. Why are they interacting at this time?
D. Why does Isaiah make an appearance?
E. Why does he give a sign and what does it mean in the context of
the story? Interpret the sign in terms of its original situation.

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THE BOOK OF KINGS

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