Titles and Placement of Kings

The twin books of 1 and 2 Kings were once just one book with a Jewish title like “Now King David” or a complicated Syriac title like “The Book of the Kings Who Flourished Among the Hebrews, Containing Also the History of the Prophets Who Flourished in Their Times.” I’m with you—I’m glad we settled on the shorter titles of 1 and 2 Kings. The Greek title for the books when they were a single volume was simply “Kings.” Once divided up, the current 1 and 2 Samuel were called 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Kings were referred to as 3 and 4 Kings.

The Hebrew Bible was broken down into three divisions: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. These three divisions were broken down even further:

The Law, or Pentateuch:

• Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

The Prophets:

• Former Prophets:

  Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings

• Latter Prophets:

  Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, The Book of the Twelve (Minor Prophets)

The Writings:

• Poetical Books:

  Psalms, Proverbs, Job

• The Scrolls:

  Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Esther, Ecclesiastes

• Historical Books:

  Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah, Chronicles

Recognizing where these books fit into the Hebrew Bible can be helpful in comprehending their overall message. Notice 1 Kings is placed in “The Prophets” under the “Former Prophets.” The Former Prophets deal with the history of Israel from the time Joshua entered the land until Judah was carried away captive. The books of Kings are included under the prophetic division due to the relationship of leaders to the prophetic voice of God.

Author 

Some attribute the authorship of these books to Ezra, Jeremiah, or others. Likely, the book is a compilation from various writers by Ezra in Babylon.

Content

The six books from Joshua to 2 Kings make up the history of Israel. The books of Kings record history from the death of David to the release of Jehoiachin from imprisonment in Babylon, spanning a 400-year history, 960 B.C. to 560 B.C.

1 Kings opens with the final days of David and the intrigue involved in Solomon’s succession to the throne. The book then moves on to Solomon’s ascension to the throne (1 Kings 2:10) and the glory surrounding his reign when he experienced little opposition. After the death of Solomon (1 Kings 11:43), the northern kingdom divided from the southern kingdom; the book follows this history and ends just short of the final 100 years before Jehoiachin’s release.

It’s important to note that the northern kingdom’s split from the southern kingdom marks their division from covenant to Yahweh. So, the much larger Israeli population was ultimately captured by the Assyrians, scattered, and lost, with very little trace throughout history. 

Purpose

In the books of Kings, you will notice each king is evaluated by his relationship to his covenant responsibility of honoring Yahweh as the true King of Israel. This evaluation was generally made in relation to the Law and the standard of King David. The litmus test was whether the king “did evil” or “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” 

Throughout both books, one can see the relationship kings have to prophets, who were constantly bringing words from Yahweh to urge hard-hearted kings back into covenant relationship with Yahweh.