Bible Study The First Book of Kings

[Atonement]

The First Book of
KINGS​

The first half of First Kings traces the life of Solomon. Under his leadership Israel rises to the peak of her size and glory. Solomon's great accomplishments, including the unsurpassed splendor of the temple he constructs in Jerusalem, bring him worldwide fame and respect. However, Solomon's zeal for God diminishes in his later years, as pagan wives turn his heart away from worship in the temple of God. As a result, the king with the divided heart leaves behind a divided kingdom. The Book of First Kings goes on to present the twin histories of two sets of kings and two nations of disobedient people who are growing indifferent to God's prophets and precepts in the century following Solomon's death.
Like the two books of Samuel, the two books of Kings were originally one in the Hebrew Bible. The original title was Melechim, "Kings," taken from the first word in First Kings 1:1, Vehamelech, "Now King." The Septuagint artificially divided the book of Kings in the middle of the story of Ahaziah into two books. It called the books of Samuel "First and Second Kingdoms" and the books of Kings "Third and Fourth Kingdoms." The Septuagint may have divided Samuel, Kings and Chronicles into two books each because the Greek required a greater amount of scroll space than did the Hebrew. The Latin title these books is Liber Regum Tertius et Quartus, "Third and Fourth Books of Kings."