Samuel (Books 1 & 2) is an enjoyable read and has a strong narrative, Kings less so, in my opinion – while Solomon is a fascinating character, and Ahab a memorable bad guy, I didn't find the first book of Kings very engaging. Two of the main issues for me were: 1) Solomon's descent into the standard bad behaviour of leaders of Israel (worshipping false idols, etc), which is a well-worn cliché and deserves more explanation given the wisdom attributed to him, and 2) the text would often mention that the stories of these kings are told more fully in the "chronicles", begging the question of why we should read these abridged versions, if there are more detailed accounts to come later?
Book 1 of Kings opens with quite a scene (1:15), involving Bathsheba visiting her old flame David, who's still king but growing weak (and cuddling a virgin to stay warm!), to ask him to keep his promise that their son Solomon will inherit the throne, not the upstart Adonijah. Solomon is indeed anointed king by Zadok the priest after arriving on the king's mule (1:39), and David tells Solomon not to let Joab's "hoar head go down to the grave in peace" (2:6). David dies, and is then buried – fittingly – in the City of David, after a 40-year rule that involved 7 years in Hebron and 33 in Jerusalem. One of the first acts of the new king Solomon is to commission the killing of (his elder brother) Adonijah, which comes across as quite harsh in the context, while he also fulfils his promise to his father by getting the henchman Benaiah to kill Joab.
Chapter 3 starts with a passing reference to the affinity between Solomon and the Pharaoh of Egypt, and the news that Solomon has married the Pharaoh's daughter, and ends with Solomon's God-given wisdom being put to the test by two harlots. He passes the test with flying colours. This idea that wisdom is something conferred on humans by a divine being runs counter to what we know about intelligence being an inheritable trait, and also doesn't align with Plato's view that wisdom is innate and, like other virtues, something that can be nurtured by education. We're told that “God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and largeness of mind like the sand on the seashore” (4:29), and that he presided over a long era of peace. His court also becomes known as a centre of learning, and much of Israelite literature (the Song of Songs, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes) is attributed to him (4:32).
In chapter 5, we learn that Solomon commissioned a new temple, from Lebanon cedar and stone, and built it with the help of Hiram and many men. In doing so, Solomon solidifies the political project of his father David and helps the nation of Israel to develop a positive international reputation, as evidenced by the later embassy visit of the Queen of Sheba (chapter 10). We're told that it took seven years to build the house of God, a very ornate structure overlaid with gold that became home to the ark. He embarks on other building projects too – with the regal coffers flush from the heavy taxes and unpaid labour imposed on the peasantry – including a house for his wife (after a while, it's hard to keep track of all of Solomon's wives and concubines). The influence of these women is the likely explanation for Solomon's descent into further sin against God, in the form of praising false idols, though this fact is never stated explicitly.
Chapter 8 involves the long supplication of Solomon to God, seeking forgiveness and validation, and in chapter 9 God appears to Solomon for the second time, hallowing the new temple but also threatening to cut off Israel for any crimes. Following this, we get the account of the visit of the Queen of Sheba, who is clearly very impressed by Solomon's wealth, as well as all the gold and spices and general trappings of royalty. This passage marks the start of the end for Solomon, however, and his descent (from chapter 11 onwards) is marked by three enemies rising up against Israel: Hadad of Edom, Rezon and Jeroboam.
After Solomon dies, we're told in chapter 12 that Rehoboam succeeds his father as king. He is more vindictive than Solomon – "My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions" (12:14) – and this causes the nation of Israel to rebel, but God manages to call off the civil war before it gets nasty (12:24). However, the united monarchy of David becomes divided – Israel in the North and Judah in the South – and this situation will persist for the next two hundred years. In chapter 13, Jeroboam – son of Nebat and the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel – is visited by an angel saying Josiah will be the future king. We're told that Jeroboam's acts are recorded in more detail in Chronicles (this sort of thing starts to happen a lot!) and that he reigned for 22 years. When his son Abijah died, the house of Israel was "uprooted" and "scattered".
Meanwhile, Rehoboam ruled the house of Judah for 17 years in Jerusalem. In chapter 15, we're told that Rehoboam's son Abijam suceeded him, followed by Abijam's son Asa. This is followed in chapter 16 by the story of the House of Baasha, which is wiped out for its sin and destroyed by Zimri, leading to the accession of Ahab to the throne of Israel (following his father Omri). We're told that Ahab is the worst behaved king of all time – "Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him" (16:33) – but more about him later.
In the meantime, we're introduced in chapter 17 to the great figure of Elijah, who comes to be seen as a Moses-type figure. Like Moses, Elijah experiences the rare site of God appearing to him personally (19:8) and also constructs an altar that's reminiscent of the one that Moses creates in Exodus. Like Moses, Elijah is able to call on God, who answers him by fire, causing the people of Israel to bow to him. In doing so, Elijah is trying to prevent them from succumbing to Baalism, the cult of false idols approved by King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel. In chapter 19, Elijah goes into the wilderness, hoping to die, but is visited by an angel while sitting under a tree. God tells Elijah to anoint Hazael king over Syria and Jehu king over Israel (19:15-16), and he sets off on his mission.
Book 1 of Kings opens with quite a scene (1:15), involving Bathsheba visiting her old flame David, who's still king but growing weak (and cuddling a virgin to stay warm!), to ask him to keep his promise that their son Solomon will inherit the throne, not the upstart Adonijah. Solomon is indeed anointed king by Zadok the priest after arriving on the king's mule (1:39), and David tells Solomon not to let Joab's "hoar head go down to the grave in peace" (2:6). David dies, and is then buried – fittingly – in the City of David, after a 40-year rule that involved 7 years in Hebron and 33 in Jerusalem. One of the first acts of the new king Solomon is to commission the killing of (his elder brother) Adonijah, which comes across as quite harsh in the context, while he also fulfils his promise to his father by getting the henchman Benaiah to kill Joab.
Chapter 3 starts with a passing reference to the affinity between Solomon and the Pharaoh of Egypt, and the news that Solomon has married the Pharaoh's daughter, and ends with Solomon's God-given wisdom being put to the test by two harlots. He passes the test with flying colours. This idea that wisdom is something conferred on humans by a divine being runs counter to what we know about intelligence being an inheritable trait, and also doesn't align with Plato's view that wisdom is innate and, like other virtues, something that can be nurtured by education. We're told that “God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and largeness of mind like the sand on the seashore” (4:29), and that he presided over a long era of peace. His court also becomes known as a centre of learning, and much of Israelite literature (the Song of Songs, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes) is attributed to him (4:32).
In chapter 5, we learn that Solomon commissioned a new temple, from Lebanon cedar and stone, and built it with the help of Hiram and many men. In doing so, Solomon solidifies the political project of his father David and helps the nation of Israel to develop a positive international reputation, as evidenced by the later embassy visit of the Queen of Sheba (chapter 10). We're told that it took seven years to build the house of God, a very ornate structure overlaid with gold that became home to the ark. He embarks on other building projects too – with the regal coffers flush from the heavy taxes and unpaid labour imposed on the peasantry – including a house for his wife (after a while, it's hard to keep track of all of Solomon's wives and concubines). The influence of these women is the likely explanation for Solomon's descent into further sin against God, in the form of praising false idols, though this fact is never stated explicitly.
Chapter 8 involves the long supplication of Solomon to God, seeking forgiveness and validation, and in chapter 9 God appears to Solomon for the second time, hallowing the new temple but also threatening to cut off Israel for any crimes. Following this, we get the account of the visit of the Queen of Sheba, who is clearly very impressed by Solomon's wealth, as well as all the gold and spices and general trappings of royalty. This passage marks the start of the end for Solomon, however, and his descent (from chapter 11 onwards) is marked by three enemies rising up against Israel: Hadad of Edom, Rezon and Jeroboam.
After Solomon dies, we're told in chapter 12 that Rehoboam succeeds his father as king. He is more vindictive than Solomon – "My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions" (12:14) – and this causes the nation of Israel to rebel, but God manages to call off the civil war before it gets nasty (12:24). However, the united monarchy of David becomes divided – Israel in the North and Judah in the South – and this situation will persist for the next two hundred years. In chapter 13, Jeroboam – son of Nebat and the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel – is visited by an angel saying Josiah will be the future king. We're told that Jeroboam's acts are recorded in more detail in Chronicles (this sort of thing starts to happen a lot!) and that he reigned for 22 years. When his son Abijah died, the house of Israel was "uprooted" and "scattered".
Meanwhile, Rehoboam ruled the house of Judah for 17 years in Jerusalem. In chapter 15, we're told that Rehoboam's son Abijam suceeded him, followed by Abijam's son Asa. This is followed in chapter 16 by the story of the House of Baasha, which is wiped out for its sin and destroyed by Zimri, leading to the accession of Ahab to the throne of Israel (following his father Omri). We're told that Ahab is the worst behaved king of all time – "Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him" (16:33) – but more about him later.
In the meantime, we're introduced in chapter 17 to the great figure of Elijah, who comes to be seen as a Moses-type figure. Like Moses, Elijah experiences the rare site of God appearing to him personally (19:8) and also constructs an altar that's reminiscent of the one that Moses creates in Exodus. Like Moses, Elijah is able to call on God, who answers him by fire, causing the people of Israel to bow to him. In doing so, Elijah is trying to prevent them from succumbing to Baalism, the cult of false idols approved by King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel. In chapter 19, Elijah goes into the wilderness, hoping to die, but is visited by an angel while sitting under a tree. God tells Elijah to anoint Hazael king over Syria and Jehu king over Israel (19:15-16), and he sets off on his mission.
The final books of book 1 of Kings chart the demise of Ahab. At first, we find Ahab sulking on his bed and refusing to eat bread, because somebody (Naboth) won't sell their vineyard to him (21:4), so Jezebel has to sort the situation for him by arranging for Naboth to be killed. This invokes God's wrath, and so Ahab humbles himself with sackcloth and ashes (21:29) – bizarrely, in an act of unfathomable moral logic, God decides to pardon him and punish his future son instead. Then we read that a "spirit" comes forth and promises to be a "lying spirit" that God can put in the mouths of prophets to influence Ahab (22:21-22), and thereby bring about his end. The final chapter of book 1 of Kings closes with the news that Ahab has died, with his son Ahaziah succeeding him (22:40), and that on the other throne (of Judah) Jehoshaphat has died, with his son in turn succeeding him.
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