1 Kings

About 1 Kings

First Kings traces Israel from its golden age under Solomon—wisdom, wealth, and a glorious temple—to a kingdom torn in two by pride and idolatry. It follows the kings of Israel and Judah, measuring each one by faithfulness to God, and introduces the prophet Elijah, who confronts a nation drifting toward Baal. The book was written to explain how God's people lost so much, and to insist that the LORD alone is God.

Written by

The book is anonymous; Jewish tradition names Jeremiah, and the writer clearly drew on older royal records that the book itself cites.

When

It covers roughly 970 to 850 BC, from Solomon's rise through the ministry of Elijah; Kings as a whole reached its final form during or after the Babylonian exile, sometime after 560 BC.

Themes

• Wisdom and its limits
• The temple and God's presence
• A kingdom divided
• Idolatry and its cost
• Prophets who speak for God

Key verses

• 1 Kings 3:9Therefore give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to govern this great people of Yours?”
• 1 Kings 8:27But will God indeed dwell upon the earth? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.
• 1 Kings 18:39When all the people saw this, they fell facedown and said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”