Books of Kings Facts for Kids

The Books of Kings are important books found in the Old Testament part of the Bible. Both Judaism and Christianity consider them sacred texts. These books tell the story of the kings of Israel, starting from the end of King David's reign. They cover about 450 years, all the way until the time when the people of Israel were sent away to Babylon. After a detailed look at King Solomon's time, the books explain how the kingdom of Israel split into two parts: the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah. They then show how these two kingdoms grew and changed.

What Are the Books of Kings?
Who Wrote the Books of Kings?
Timeline of Kings
Main Ideas in the Books of Kings
- Kings and Their Promises to God
- Prophets and History
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What Are the Books of Kings?

The books known as 1 Kings and 2 Kings were originally just one long book called "Kings." They are similar to 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Books of Chronicles, which also started as single books.

The change from one book to two happened when scholars translated the Old Testament into Greek. This translation is called the Septuagint. Later, when the Bible was translated into Latin and other languages, it kept the two-book format: 1 Kings and 2 Kings. The split between 1 and 2 Kings happens after the death of King Ahab in the northern kingdom and King Jehoshaphat in the southern kingdom.

Who Wrote the Books of Kings?

We don't know for sure who wrote the Books of Kings. Some old Jewish traditions say that the prophet Jeremiah wrote them. However, most experts today don't think that's true.

Whoever the author was, they clearly knew a lot about the book of Deuteronomy. Many of Israel's prophets also knew this book well. The writer of Kings used many different sources to gather information. Some of these sources are mentioned directly in the books, like:

"the books of the annals of Solomon" (1 Kings 11:41)
"the book of the annals of the kings of Israel" (1 Kings 14:19)
"the book of the annals of the kings of Judah" (1 Kings 14:29)

It's likely that other historical records, possibly even some found in the Books of Chronicles, were also used.

Timeline of Kings

The Books of Kings provide a lot of information about when events happened. They tell us how long each king ruled. Often, they also share other details, such as the king's age when they started ruling and whether they were a good leader.

By combining the dates from the Bible with records from ancient Assyria, historians have figured out some key dates:

King Ahab probably died in 853 B.C.
King Jehu likely began his rule in 841 B.C.
The kingdom of Israel split into two around 930 B.C.
The city of Samaria was defeated by the Assyrians in 722 B.C.
Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in 586 B.C.

There have been some puzzles about how the reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah connect. But most of these problems have been solved. Experts now understand that sometimes kings ruled at the same time (overlapping reigns). Also, sons sometimes ruled alongside their fathers. There were also differences in when a king's rule officially began each year, and how their first year was counted.

Main Ideas in the Books of Kings

The Books of Kings don't directly state their main purpose. But it seems the author wanted to continue the story from the Books of Samuel. It's a history about the kings and their relationship with God's special agreement, called a covenant.

The writer wasn't trying to create a social, political, or economic history like modern history books. Instead, they focused on how the kings followed or broke their promises to God.

Kings and Their Promises to God

The books highlight kings who either kept God's covenant very well or broke it very badly. They also focus on kings who had important meetings with God's prophets.

For example, King Omri was a powerful political leader. But the books only mention him briefly (six verses). This is because he "did evil in the eyes of the Lord" (1 Kings 16:25).
King Jeroboam II ruled northern Israel during its most powerful time. Yet, his story is also very short (2 Kings 14:23-29).

The books don't say much about the early years of King Josiah of Judah. But they give a long description of how he helped his people return to keeping God's covenant in his 18th year as king (2 Kings 22:3-23:28).

The kings written about the most are:

King Ahab and King Manasseh: They broke the covenant so badly that it put Israel in danger.
King Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:1-20:21) and King Josiah (2 Kings 22:1 - 23:29): They are written about a lot because they tried to remind the people of their promises to God. They are the only two kings the writer truly praises for their loyalty to the Lord.

Prophets and History

Another key part of 1 and 2 Kings is how it shows that prophecy (messages from God) comes true in history. At least 11 prophecies are shown to have happened exactly as predicted.

The writer also shows how important the prophets were. They were messengers from God, sent to tell the kings and people of Israel to return to God. Often, people didn't listen to their warnings (like Ahijah, Shemaiah, Micaiah, Jonah, Isaiah, Huldah). But the books write a lot about the prophets Elijah and Elisha.

A famous story is when Elijah was on Mount Carmel. He called upon God, and a miracle happened. This showed everyone that the God of Israel is the one true God. Before this, another group had called upon their false gods, but nothing happened.