1 & 2 Kings (Apollos Old Testament Commentary Series)

617 Pages·2016·3.02 MB·English

by  Lissa Wray Beal

APOLLOS OLD TESTAMENT
C O M M E N T A RY
9
1 & 2   K I N G S
TITLES IN THIS SERIES
LEVITICUS, Nobuyoshi Kiuchi
DEUTERONOMY, J. G. McConville
JOSHUA, Pekka M. A. Pitkänen
1 & 2 SAMUEL, David G. Firth
1 & 2 KINGS, Lissa M. Wray Beal
ECCLESIASTES & THE SONG OF SONGS,
Daniel C. Fredericks & Daniel J. Estes
DANIEL, Ernest C. Lucas
A O T
POLLOS LD ESTAMENT
C O M M E N T A R Y
9
1 & 2  K I NG S
Series Editors
David W. Baker and Gordon J. Wenham
LISSA M. WRAY BEAL
AOTC_1&2Kings.indd 3 2/19/14 11:50 AM
InterVarsity Press, USA
P.O. Box 1400
Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426, USA
World Wide Web: www.ivpress.com
Email: [email protected]
©2014 by Lissa M. Wray Beal
Lissa M. Wray Beal has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of InterVarsity Press.
InterVarsity Press®, USA, is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA® www.intervarsity.org and a
member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students.
Inter-Varsity Press, England, is closely linked with the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship, a student movement connecting
Christian Unions throughout Great Britain, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. Website:
www.uccf.org.uk
ISBN 978-0-8308-9622-6 (digital)
ISBN 978-0-8308-2509-7 (print)

1-2Kings AOTC p4.indd 1 2/19/14 11:31 AM
CONTENTS
Editors’ preface 9
Author’s preface 11
Abbreviations 13
Introduction 21
1. The story of 1 – 2 Kings 21
2. 1 – 2 Kings in the canon 23
2.1. The prophetic character of 1 – 2 Kings 24
2.2. The historical character of 1 – 2 Kings 25
2.3. 1 – 2 Kings in relation to the larger canon
of Scripture 25
3. Distinctive features of 1 – 2 Kings 27
3.1. Continuity with 1 – 2 Samuel 27
3.2. Northern and southern kingdoms as the people
of YHWH 28
3.3. Regnal summaries as structuring device 30
3.4. 1 – 2 Kings as paradigms 31
3.5. The deuteronomic code 32
3.6. Reform of worship 33
4. Critical issues of authorship and date 34
5. 1 – 2 Kings as historiography 36
5.1. Defining historiography 36
5.2. Historiographical considerations 38
5.3. Israelite historiography and external witnesses 40
6. The problem of chronology 41
7. Theology of 1 – 2 Kings 45
7.1. The normative influence of the deuteronomic law 46
7.2. The covenant made with David 48
7.3. The power of the prophetic word 50
7.4. The sovereignty of YHWH over history 53
7.5. The twin realities of judgment and grace 55
7.6. Kingship as a tutor that leads to Christ 57
8. The approach of this commentary 59
Text and commentary 61
Bibliography 533
Index of Scripture references 573
Index of authors 600
Index of subjects 605
To my parents,
Douglas Kenmure Wray and
Virginia May Wray,
with love and gratitude.
For the Lord is good and his covenant love endures for ever;
His faithfulness continues from generation to generation.
(Ps. 100:5)

EdITORS’ PREf ACE
The Apollos Old Testament Commentary takes its name from the
Alexandrian Jewish Christian who was able to impart his great learning
fervently and powerfully through his teaching (Acts 18:24–25). He ably
applied his understanding of past events to his contemporary society. This
series seeks to do the same, keeping one foot firmly planted in the universe
of the original text and the other in that of the target audience, which is
preachers, teachers and students of the Bible. The series editors have
selected scholars who are adept in both areas, exhibiting scholarly excel­
lence along with practical insight for application.
Translators need to be at home with the linguistic practices and semantic
nuances of both the original and target languages in order to be able to
transfer the full impact of the one into the other. Commentators, however,
serve as interpreters of the text rather than simply its translators. They
also need to adopt a dual stance, though theirs needs to be even more solid
and diversely anchored than that of translators. While they also must have
the linguistic competence to produce their own excellent translations,
they must moreover be fully conversant with the literary conventions,
sociological and cultural practices, historical background and under­
standing, and theological perspectives of those who produced the text as
well as those whom it concerned. On the other side, they must also under­
stand their own times and culture, able to see where relevance for the
original audience is transferable to that of current readers. For this to be
accomplished, it is not only necessary to interpret the text, but one must
also interpret the audience.
Traditionally, commentators have been content to highlight and expound
the ancient text. More recently, the need for an anchor in the present day
has also become more evident, and this series self­consciously adopts this
approach, combining both the traditional and the modern. Each author
analyses the original text through a new translation, textual notes, a dis­
cussion of the literary form, structure and background of the passage, as
well as commenting on elements of its exegesis. A study of the passage’s
interpretational development in Scripture and the church concludes each
section, serving to bring the passage home to the modern reader. What
we intend, therefore, is to provide not only tools of excellence for the
academy, but also tools of function for the pulpit.
David W. Baker
Gordon J. Wenham