KINGS, BOOKS OF. The books called First and Second Kings in the Hebrew Bible are described in the Septuagint as the Third and Fourth Books of Kingdoms (the First and Second being the books called in Hebrew First and Second Samuel). The contents of the books naturally divide themselves into three sections. These deal (1) with the reign of Solomon (I. Kings i.-xi.); (2) with the history of the divided kingdom to the Fall of Samaria (I. Kings xii.-II. Kings xvii.); (3) with the his tory of Judah from the Fall of Samaria (II. Kings xviii. xxv.). The history of Solomon is treated very fully. The second section (2) is chiefly concerned with the history of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. The third section (3) deals for the most part with the religious reformation of Josiah and with events in which the prophet Isaiah was concerned. For information on all these and other matters the author indicates that he used a number of Sources. These included the " Book of the Acts of Solomon " (I. Kings xi. 41), apparently " a series of narratives descriptive of the glory of Solomon " (Whitehouse); the " Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel": and the " Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah." The two latter works seem to have been of the nature of official annals kept by a minister called the Recorder (Mazkir). It is clear that " they were mainly if not exclusively of a political character, con taining much valuable information regarding the doings of the several kings " (Skinner). These three Sources are referred to for Information which the compiler has not included in his history, but there can be little doubt that they were used to some extent for information Which he has included. A number of primary Sources, how ever, can be detected. These include a Court-memoir of the reign of David (I. Kings I., ii.), Temple-archives (I. Kings vi., vii.), Elijah-stories, Elisha-stories, and Isaiah stories. In the three latter different cycles of stories have been distinguished. There are Early Ephraimite
Elijah Stories, Gilgal Elisha and Elijah Stories, and Samaria Elisha Stories. There are two or three cycles of Isaiah Stories. The Septuagint has preserved in I. Kings viii. (after vs. 53) an utterance by Solomon (II. Kings viii. 11, 12 in a corrupt Hebrew text) which would seem to have been derived from a " Book of Songs " or from the " Book of Jashar " (q.v.). The utterance, as restored with the help of the Septuagint, may be rendered thus: The sun in the heavens did Yahweh give.
But in darkness deep did he will to hide.
" Now build me a dwelling in which to live," He said, " for ever to be and abide." The contents and structure of the Books of Kings were greatly influenced by the Book of Deuteronomy (q.v.; cp. CANON OF THE OLD TESTAMENT). Events in the reigns of the successive monarchs of Israel and Judah, and the characters of the monarchs, as White house says, " are estimated from the religious and legal standpoint of the Book of Deuteronomy, which enforced the legitimacy of the single sanctuary at Jerusalem only. and forbad the worship of the high places with their stone pillars and Ashgrim (mistranslated groves ')." And the books as we have them show signs of haviug been edited by more than one Deuteronomic redactor.
The first was the redactor who edited all the historical books from Genesis (ii. 4b) to II. Kings (xxiv. 7). This redaction belongs perhaps to about GOO B.C. The second redactor was a later one who, amongst other things, con tinued the history from II. Kings xxiv. 7. This redaction may belong to about 560-555 B.C. The hand of a third redactor of a different character has been detected. This was a writer belonging to the later Priestly School (P; e.g., I. Kings viii. 1-11). See I. Benzinger, Die Buecher der Koenige, 1899; C. F. Burney, The Books of Kings, 1903; J. Skinner, Kings in the " Century Bible "; C. F. Kent, Israel's Historical and Biographical Narratives, 1905; G. H. Box, Intr.; O. C. Whitehouse.