Kings
Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary [1]
This word does not always imply the same degree of power, nor the same degree of importance; nor does it imply the magnitude of the dominion or territory of these officers. In Scripture many persons are called kings, whom we should rather denominate chiefs or leaders; and many single towns, or, at most, together with their adjacent villages, are said to have had kings. Not aware of this lower sense of the word king, or unwilling to adopt it, many persons have been embarrassed by the following passage: "Moses commanded us a law,—he was king in Jeshurun," Deuteronomy 33:4-5 , or king among the Israelites; that is, he was the principal among the assembly of the superiors of the Israelites. Some refer this to Jehovah. Moses was the chief, the leader, the guide of his people, fulfilling the duties of a king; but he was not king in the same sense as David or Solomon was afterward. This remark reconciles the following observation: "These kings reigned in Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel," Genesis 36:31; for Moses, though he was king in an inferior sense, did not reign, in the stronger sense, over the children of Israel, their constitution not being monarchical under him. Beside, we find in Joshua, that almost every town in Canaan had its king; and we know that the territories of these towns must have been very inconsiderable, Joshua 12:9-24 . Adonizedek, himself no very powerful king, mentions seventy kings whom he had subdued and mutilated.
Kings, Books Of. The first book of Kings commences with an account of the death of David, and contains a period of a hundred and twenty-six years, to the death of Jehoshaphat; and the second book of Kings continues the history of the kings of Israel and Judah through a period of three hundred years, to the destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. These two books formed only one in the Hebrew canon, and they were probably compiled by Ezra from the records which were regularly kept, both in Jerusalem and Samaria, of all public transactions. These records appear to have been made by the contemporary prophets, and frequently derived their names from the kings whose history they contained. They are mentioned in many parts of Scripture; thus 1 Kings 11:41 , we read of the book of the Acts of Solomon, which is supposed to have been written by Nathan, Ahijah, and Iddo, 2 Chronicles 9:29 . We elsewhere read that Shemaiah the prophet, and Iddo the seer, wrote the Acts of Rehoboam, 2 Chronicles 12:15; that Jehu wrote the Acts of Jehoshaphat, 2 Chronicles 20:34; and Isaiah those of Uzziah and Hezekiah, 2 Chronicles 26:22; 2 Chronicles 32:32 . We may therefore conclude, that from these public records, and other authentic documents, were composed the two books of Kings; and the uniformity of their style favours the opinion of their being put into their present shape by the same person.
People's Dictionary of the Bible [2]
Kings, the Books of. In the Hebrew canon they formed one book, as did the books of Samuel, which were also called books of the Kings. The two books of Kings deal especially with the theocratic promise of 2 Samuel 7:12 : see 1 Kings 14:7-11; 1 Kings 15:29; 1 Kings 16:1-7; and treat the history from the kingly side, and show the evil of schism and the worship of idols set up for political reasons, as by Solomon, 1 Kings 11:1-43, and Jeroboam, 1 Kings 12:26. The reign of Solomon is described, with a minute account of the glorious temple and the royal houses. The story of the revolt of the larger part of the land to form the kingdom of Israel follows, and of the frequent changes of dynasty, no less than seven, which furnished 19 kings, every one evil, during the 253 years of its existence. Captivity of the best of the land closed the history of this kingdom. The same books also show that David's royal house continued unbroken through a series of 19 kings, reigning in Jerusalem about 130 years longer, till Judah was punished for its idolatry. See list of kings and prophets in Appendix.
The author cannot be identified. Ancient tradition in the Talmud names Jeremiah; some have supposed them compiled by Ezra or Baruch. The books, originally one, have a very marked unity of design, plan, and style, and were first divided in the Septuagint. They are in large measure a compilation from existent documents. They have always had a place in the Jewish canon. The concise narrative is illustrated, enlarged, and confirmed by the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah. This history is referred to in the New Testament, Luke 4:25; Acts 7:47; Romans 11:2; James 5:17, and modern research is continually bringing new evidence to the truth of the history.
Smith's Bible Dictionary [3]
Kings. Kings of Judah and Israel. For the list, see the table at the end of this volume.
