King James Version
1 Kings
1 Kings in the King James Version (1769), public domain in the United States.
Background and History
The chapters above are the King James text. This essay is the setting of 1 Kings: who is said to have written it, when and where, what happens in it, and how the text has been copied.
At a Glance
| Author | Jeremiah, in the Talmud. The book is anonymous and cites earlier royal annals. Critical scholars treat it as part of the Deuteronomistic History. |
|---|---|
| Date | 560–540 BC in one survey for the completed Kings, since 2 Kings ends in the exile. Critical scholars often propose a first edition under Josiah, about 620 BC, and a second in the exile. |
| Place written | Not stated. Some propose Babylon or Judah during the exile. |
| Genre | Narrative history of the kings of Israel and Judah. |
| Chapters | 22 |
| Verses | 816 in the King James Version |
| Key verse | 1 Kings 8:271 Kings 8:27 · King James VersionBut will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?1 Kings 8:27 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
Who Wrote It
1 and 2 Kings are one book in the Hebrew Bible. The writer cites sources: the book of the acts of Solomon in 1 Kings 11:411 Kings 11:41 · King James VersionAnd the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon?
1 Kings 11:41 · King James VersionOpen the Source and the chronicles of the kings of Israel in 1 Kings 14:191 Kings 14:19 · King James VersionAnd the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.
1 Kings 14:19 · King James VersionOpen the Source (1). The Talmud says Jeremiah wrote Kings. (2) Critical scholars treat Kings as the end of the Deuteronomistic History and see the evaluations of kings by Deuteronomy’s standards.
Who It Is Not
Solomon, Elijah, and the kings are subjects, not authors. The source books cited are lost.
When and Where
Bible Gateway gives 560–540 BC. (4) 2 Kings ends with Jehoiachin released in Babylon, so the finished work is exilic.
Audience and Setting
Israel in exile asking why the kingdom fell. The purpose is to show that unfaithfulness to the covenant led to judgment.
Rulers at the Time
Solomon, Rehoboam, Jeroboam, Ahab, and Jehoshaphat are among the kings named. Shishak king of Egypt appears in 1 Kings 14:251 Kings 14:25 · King James VersionAnd it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem:
1 Kings 14:25 · King James VersionOpen the Source. Reign dates were not checked for this essay and are omitted.
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Solomon | Accession, wisdom, temple. 1 Kings 1–11 |
| Division of the kingdom | 1 Kings 12–14 |
| Kings of Israel and Judah | 1 Kings 15–16 |
| Elijah and Ahab | 1 Kings 17–22 |
| Composition | 560–540 BC in one survey. (4) |
Places in This Book
| Ancient name | Modern-day location | References |
|---|---|---|
| Jerusalem | The Old City and the City of David, Jerusalem. | 1 Kings 8:11 Kings 8:1 · King James VersionThen Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.1 Kings 8:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
| Samaria | Sebastia, West Bank. | 1 Kings 16:241 Kings 16:24 · King James VersionAnd he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria.1 Kings 16:24 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
| Mount Carmel | Mount Carmel, near Haifa, Israel. | 1 Kings 18:191 Kings 18:19 · King James VersionNow therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table.1 Kings 18:19 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
What Is Happening
1 Kings 1–11 are Solomon’s reign, temple, and decline. 1 Kings 12–16 are the division of the kingdom and early kings. 1 Kings 17–22 are Elijah’s ministry and Ahab’s reign.
Key Themes
God’s presence in the temple and beyond it in 1 Kings 8:271 Kings 8:27 · King James VersionBut will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?
1 Kings 8:27 · King James VersionOpen the Source. Covenant faithfulness in 1 Kings 9:4–71 Kings 9:4–7 · King James Version9:4 And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments:
9:5 Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.
9:6 But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:
9:7 Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:
1 Kings 9:4–7 · King James VersionOpen the Source. The true God against Baal in 1 Kings 18:391 Kings 18:39 · King James VersionAnd when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.
1 Kings 18:39 · King James VersionOpen the Source.
Apologetics Questions
The size of Solomon’s kingdom is debated by archaeologists. Some argue for a modest tenth-century state, others for a substantial one. This page does not choose. Chronological differences between the reign totals of Israel and Judah are explained by co-regencies and different counting systems.
How the Book Points to Christ
Jesus says one greater than Solomon is here in Matthew 12:42Matthew 12:42 · King James VersionThe queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
Matthew 12:42 · King James VersionOpen the Source. Elijah’s ministry is recalled at the transfiguration in Matthew 17:3Matthew 17:3 · King James VersionAnd, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
Matthew 17:3 · King James VersionOpen the Source. Jesus is God.
Text and Manuscripts
Kings is among the books found at Qumran. (5)
Canon Reception
Never disputed. (3)
Further Reading
References
- First Book of Kings, 11:41; 14:19
- Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 15a, 15a (The William Davidson English on Sefaria is copyrighted. This page paraphrases it and does not reprint it. The page continues the list of writers and the debate about it.)
- Against Apion, 1.8Josephus, Against Apion 1.8 · William Whiston
For we have not an innumerable multitude of books among us, disagreeing from, and contradicting one another: [as the Greeks have:] but only twenty two books: which contain the records of all the past times: which are justly believed to be divine. And of them five belong to Moses: which contain his laws, and the traditions of the origin of mankind, till his death.
Josephus, Against Apion 1.8 · William WhistonOpen the Source (Flavius Josephus, Against Apion 1.8, translated by William Whiston. Josephus counts twenty-two books: five of Moses, thirteen of the prophets from Moses to Artaxerxes, and four of hymns and precepts.) - When Was Each Book of the Bible Written?, 1 Kings (Jacob Edson, Bible Gateway, 16 September 2024. The survey gives 1 Kings as 560–540 BC (1 and 2 Kings). It is one editor’s approximation, not a manuscript date.)
- Dead Sea Scrolls, introduction, Biblical manuscriptsDead Sea Scrolls, biblical manuscripts · Israel Antiquities Authority
Among the Scrolls are partial or complete copies of every book in the Hebrew Bible (except the book of Esther).
Dead Sea Scrolls, biblical manuscripts · Israel Antiquities AuthorityOpen the Source (Israel Antiquities Authority. Biblical manuscripts from the Qumran caves date from the third century BC into the first century AD, and every book of the Hebrew Bible except Esther is represented.)
The King James Version (1769) is in the public domain in the United States.