Book of 1 Kings: Overview and Scholarly Commentary
22 chapters · 81 video commentaries · covered in 17 courses
First Kings continues the Deuteronomistic History, narrating the reigns of King Solomon, the division of the united monarchy into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah, and the subsequent history of both kingdoms until the mid-9th century BCE. It judges each king based on their adherence to Deuteronomic law, particularly concerning centralized worship and foreign deities.
AuthorThe book is anonymous, reflecting an Old Testament narrative tradition where authors did not explicitly name themselves, as noted by Armin Baum and in *The Unknown Gospels* course.
WrittenCompiled during the Babylonian exile (6th century BCE), incorporating earlier sources.
GenreHistorical narrative
AudienceExiled Israelites, to explain their history through a theological lens, attributing their misfortunes to disobedience to God's laws.
PurposeTo provide a theological explanation for Israel's history, demonstrating that the nation's fate was directly tied to its obedience or disobedience to divine commands, as emphasized in *The Hebrew Bible: Exploring the Literature of Ancient Israel*.
Covered inBefore the Bible: Mesopotamia and the Myths that Shaped Scripture · Cities of the Bible · Demons and Ghosts in the Bible · Did Jesus Really Exist? Evidence That Even Atheist Historians Accept · Digging Up Eden: The Immortality of Adam and Eve · Everyday Life in Ancient Israel +11
What our scholars get into
Our commentary on 1 Kings delves into the Deuteronomistic historian's consistent negative judgment of Northern Kings, particularly due to Jeroboam's establishment of rival sanctuaries, a 'sin' that Bart Ehrman's team argues is a central theme. We explore how the golden calf narrative in Exodus serves as a polemic against these northern sanctuaries, as discussed in *The Ten Commandments* course. You'll find discussions on the historical reliability of the kings' lists, often corroborated by extra-biblical evidence, a point Bart Ehrman raises on YouTube. We also examine the widespread worship of Canaanite deities like Baal and Asherah in ancient Israel, despite prophetic warnings, and how Elijah's showdown with Baal's prophets in 1 Kings 18 is a polemic demonstrating Yahweh's supremacy. The course *Everyday Life in Ancient Israel* highlights how Elijah uses Baal's own symbols against him. Furthermore, we explore the disturbing depiction of God sending a 'lying spirit' to entice King Ahab, as discussed in *Demons and Ghosts in the Bible*, challenging modern notions of divine morality.
Introduction drafted from the lecture transcripts by AI, pending the team's edit.
Armin Baum suggests that the anonymity of the Gospels might be a deliberate choice, mimicking Old Testament books like Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, which also begin their narratives without explicitly naming their authors. This would imply the evangelists saw themselves as writing new sacred, authoritative scripture.
Summarized by AI · The Mysteries of the Synoptic Gospels: Discovering Matthew, Mark, and Luke · Lecture 11: Who Wrote the Synoptic Gospels? · watch the clip
Anonymity and Old Testament Narrative Tradition
The anonymity of the gospels may reflect a continuation of the Old Testament narrative tradition. Books like Exodus, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, which recount God's interactions with Israel, are also anonymous. By not attaching their names, the gospel authors might have intended to present their accounts as a continuation of this sacred, anonymous narrative of God's plan, rather than personal interpretations.
Summarized by AI · The Unknown Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John · Lecture 8: Why These Four Gospels | How We Got the New Testament · watch the clip
The Deuteronomistic History as a Theological Explanation
The Deuteronomistic History (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings) explains Israel's history through the lens of Deuteronomy's ideology. It portrays the period from the conquest of Canaan to the Babylonian exile as a working out of God's predictions, where Israel's fate is directly tied to its obedience or disobedience to divine laws.
Summarized by AI · The Hebrew Bible: Exploring the Literature of Ancient Israel · Lecture 11: The History | From Joshua to Josiah · watch the clip
Jeroboam's Sin and the Northern Kingdom's Downfall
Jeroboam I, the first king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, established two alternative worship sites at Bethel and Dan to rival Jerusalem (1 Kings 12). This act violated the Deuteronomic law of centralization, leading the Deuteronomistic historian to condemn every subsequent Northern king and attribute the kingdom's eventual destruction and exile by Assyria to this foundational sin (2 Kings 17).
Summarized by AI · The Hebrew Bible: Exploring the Literature of Ancient Israel · Lecture 11: The History | From Joshua to Josiah · watch the clip
The Deuteronomistic Judgment of Northern Kings
The Deuteronomistic historian consistently judges the kings of the Northern Kingdom of Israel negatively, starting with Jeroboam's establishment of alternative sanctuaries. This theological framework, developed after the North's fall and rooted in Deuteronomic law, condemns every subsequent northern king for perpetuating the 'sins of Jeroboam,' regardless of their political or military achievements.
Summarized by AI · The Hebrew Bible: Exploring the Literature of Ancient Israel · Lecture 14: Of Kings and Kingdoms · watch the clip
Deuteronomistic History: Books and Scope
The Deuteronomistic History encompasses the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. It chronicles the period from Moses' death through the conquest and destruction of the Judean kingdom by the Babylonians and the subsequent exile. The term 'Deuteronomistic' indicates its theological alignment with the book of Deuteronomy.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · An Editor Built Israel’s History & Picked the Villains · watch the clip
Book Divisions as Scroll Technology
The divisions between books like Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings are not indicative of separate literary works but rather practical divisions based on ancient scroll technology. Longer continuous narratives had to be broken into smaller volumes because a single scroll could not contain the entire text.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · An Editor Built Israel’s History & Picked the Villains · watch the clip
Deuteronomistic Historian's Judgment of Kings
The Deuteronomistic historian consistently evaluates each king in the book of Kings based on their adherence to Deuteronomic standards, particularly regarding centralized worship. Kings of Judah are generally viewed more favorably, while northern kings are almost universally condemned for continuing the 'sin of Jeroboam' by maintaining multiple sanctuaries outside Jerusalem.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · An Editor Built Israel’s History & Picked the Villains · watch the clip
Background and context
Gods tied to specific cities in the Bible
Similar to Mesopotamian cities being the home and property of a particular god, the Bible also presents the idea of God being specifically tied to certain places, such as Jerusalem. This reflects a common ancient Near Eastern understanding of divine presence and ownership.
Summarized by AI · Before the Bible: Mesopotamia and the Myths that Shaped Scripture · Lecture 1: Writing, Gods, and the Rise of the First City · watch the clip
Assyrian Relocation Policy and Samaritan Identity
Following the conquest of the northern kingdom, the Assyrians exiled the remaining Israelite population to Assyria and resettled other conquered peoples into the land of Israel. This policy aimed to prevent rebellion by disrupting local connections and rewarding soldiers. Josephus later recorded that Jews in the South referred to the people in Samaria as 'Ians' (Assyrians) in the first century, reflecting a deep-seated animosity and the belief that Samaritans were foreign transplants rather than relatives.
Summarized by AI · Cities of the Bible · Lecture 3: Nineveh · watch the clip
Solomon invoked in PGM exorcism
Another fragmentary Greek Magical Papyrus includes an invocation of Solomon for those possessed by demons. This reflects a tradition, also found in Jewish and early Christian contexts, where Solomon was believed to possess power over demons and could perform exorcisms.
Summarized by AI · Demons and Ghosts in the Bible · Lecture 20: Demons and Magic in the Bible (II) · watch the clip
Bamah (High Place) as Local or Household Shrine
A 'bamah' or 'high place' could refer to either an official local shrine or a smaller, unofficial household shrine where religious rituals and sacrifices were performed. These could be natural elevated sites or artificial platforms, aiming to bring worshipers closer to the divine.
Summarized by AI · Everyday Life in Ancient Israel · Lecture 3: Household Religion · watch the clip
Divine authorship is primary for many Christians
Many Christian communities, including Catholics, view God as the ultimate author of scripture, making human authorship a secondary concern. This perspective allows them to accept texts as authoritative and inspired, even if academic scholarship suggests a different human author than traditionally believed, as seen with anonymous books like 1 Kings.
Summarized by AI · The New Testament: Exploring the Christian Bible · Lecture 22: In Paul’s Name | The Disputed Letters · watch the clip
Kings and Chronicles' historical reliability
The lists of kings in the books of Kings and Chronicles are considered more historically reliable than earlier biblical narratives. This is partly due to the existence of corroborating extra-biblical evidence for many of these monarchs, which helps to confirm their historical presence.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · History vs Myth: Can We Trust the Stories in the Hebrew Bible? · watch the clip
God's physical location and presence
Ancient Israelites likely conceived of God as having a physical presence and location, including living on a mountain (like Mount Olympus for Greek gods), in heaven, and also wandering on Earth. They held a less rigid demand for consistency than modern interpreters, accepting that God could be both distant and present, and could manifest in various places and times. This is evidenced by concepts like "Yahweh of Samaria" or "Yahweh of the South," indicating both universal and local aspects of the deity.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · God’s Real Name Isn’t in Your Bible · watch the clip
The Evolution of Israelite Identity
The archaeological evidence reverses the biblical narrative of Israel's origins, suggesting a ground-up formation rather than a top-down unity. Instead of starting as a unified nation that conquered Canaan and then fragmented, Israel likely emerged from Canaanites gradually moving into the highlands, forming small settlements that coalesced into clans and tribes. These groups developed distinct cultural markers, including dietary and religious practices, to differentiate themselves from their origins, eventually banding together to form a nation.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Joshua Never Conquered Canaan. Here’s What Really Happened · watch the clip
Biblical authors acknowledge other deities
The Bible frequently mentions and acknowledges the existence of other deities worshipped by neighboring peoples. Examples include Baal, El, Asherah, Ashtoreth, Milcom (Ammonites), Chemosh (Moabites), and Kaus (Edomites). This indicates that biblical authors were aware of and did not deny the reality of these other gods.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · The Most Famous Prayer in Judaism Isn’t Monotheistic; Neither is the Bible · watch the clip
Courses that cover 1 Kings
Before the Bible: Mesopotamia and the Myths that Shaped Scripture
Cities of the Bible
Demons and Ghosts in the Bible
Did Jesus Really Exist? Evidence That Even Atheist Historians Accept
Digging Up Eden: The Immortality of Adam and Eve
Everyday Life in Ancient Israel
Finding Moses: What Scholars Know About the Exodus and the Jewish Law
Judaism Before Jesus
Luke's Maverick Gospel
The Hebrew Bible: Exploring the Literature of Ancient Israel
The Israelite Goddess Asherah
The Mysteries of the Synoptic Gospels: Discovering Matthew, Mark, and Luke
The New Testament: Exploring the Christian Bible
The Rise and Fall of Biblical Israel: The Books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings
The Ten Commandments
The Unknown Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
