At a glance
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Authorship | Same as 1 Kings |
| Date | Period covered ~850-586 BC; composition during exile |
| Genre | Historical narrative |
| Purpose | Divided kingdom's continuing decline and exile |
| Chapters | 25 |
Outline
| Section | Chapters | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Elijah-Elisha transition | 1-2 | Elijah's ascent; Elisha's ministry begins |
| Elisha and kings | 3-13 | Elisha's miracles; northern kings continuing pattern |
| Israel's fall | 14-17 | Northern kingdom's destruction by Assyria (722 BC) |
| Judah's continuing and fall | 18-25 | Hezekiah, Manasseh, Josiah; Babylonian exile (586 BC) |
Main themes
| Theme | Description |
|---|---|
| Continuing decline | Despite prophetic ministry |
| God's patience and judgment | Long patience eventually leading to exile |
| Faithful kings rare | Hezekiah and Josiah as bright spots |
| Exile | Covenant curses (Deuteronomy 28) fulfilled |
| Hope | Davidic line preserved in exile (2 Kings 25:27-30) |
Key passages
- 2 Kings 2, Elijah's ascension and Elisha's double portion
- 2 Kings 5, Naaman healed
- 2 Kings 17, Israel's fall and theological explanation
- 2 Kings 18-20, Hezekiah
- 2 Kings 22-23, Josiah's reform
- 2 Kings 25, Jerusalem's fall