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The books of 1 and 2 Kings cover the history of Israel from the last days of the united kingdom under David to the eventual fall of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.
Within these books, the deuteronomic code - 'doing what is right in the Lord's sight' - provides a framework by which monarchic history is measured. In the kings' cultic failures lies the apostasy of the nation and its eventual exile. This apostasy centres on Israel's commitment to worship YHWH exclusively, and to worship according to deuteronomistic norms within the Jerusalem temple as the locus of YHWH's covenant presence. To safeguard the kings' commitments, YHWH's prophets loom large in 1 and 2 Kings: they herald YHWH's purposes, warn of his judgment for apostasy and woo his people back to the full experience of covenant life.
Lissa M. Wray Beal's valuable commentary examines the successes and failures of monarchy in the divided kingdoms. It works with the final form of the biblical text and pursues historiographical, narrative and theological questions, including the relation of each chapter's themes to biblical theology. While it focuses on theological and narrative concerns, the commentary gives due attention to complex historical issues. It seeks to provide a nuanced reading that is faithful to the text's message.
Author's preface 11
Abbreviations 13
Introduction 21
1. The story of 1 - 2 Kings 21
2. 1 - 2 Kings in the canon 23
2.1. The prophetic character of 1 - 2 Kings 24
2.2. The historical character of 1 - 2 Kings 25
2.3. 1 - 2 Kings in relation to the larger canon
of Scripture 25
3. Distinctive features of 1 - 2 Kings 27
3.1. Continuity with 1 - 2 Samuel 27
3.2. Northern and southern kingdoms as the people
of YHWH 28
3.3. Regnal summaries as structuring device 30
3.4. 1 - 2 Kings as paradigms 31
3.5. The deuteronomic code 32
3.6. Reform of worship 33
4. Critical issues of authorship and date 34
5. 1 - 2 Kings as historiography 36
5.1. Defining historiography 36
5.2. Historiographical considerations 38
5.3. Israelite historiography and external witnesses 40
6. The problem of chronology 41
7. Theology of 1 - 2 Kings 45
7.1. The normative influence of the deuteronomic law 46
7.2. The covenant made with David 48
7.3. The power of the prophetic word 50
7.4. The sovereignty of YHWH over history 53
7.5. The twin realities of judgment and grace 55
7.6. Kingship as a tutor that leads to Christ 57
8. The approach of this commentary 59
Text and commentary 61
Bibliography 533
Index of Scripture references 573
Index of authors 600
Index of subjects 605