2 Kings¶

Book summary

After the Division of Israel in the previous book, 2 Kings continues the history of the two separate kingdoms of Israel and Judah, and the reigns of their respective kings. There are two catastrophic events recorded in this book:

Israel’s capital, Samaria, falls and the people are deported to Assyria.
Judah’s capital, Jerusalem, falls and the people are deported to Babylon.

Jerusalem lasted over a century longer than Samaria before its fall, but their fates were essentially the same: conquered and exiled by a foreign nation.

Contents

2 Kings
- Chapters 1-17 — The fall of Samaria
- Chapters 18-25 — The fall of Jerusalem

Chapters 1-17 — The fall of Samaria¶

Elijah and Elisha¶

Ch 2 — Elijah taken up to Heaven

As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two. (2 Kings 2:11-12)

Ch 4-8 — Elisha’s ministry

When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch. He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the Lord. Then he got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out on him, the boy’s body grew warm. Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out on him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. (2 Kings 4:32-35)
Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel… As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike this army with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked. (2 Kings 6:8,18)

Kings of Israel and Judah¶

Ch.	Israel	Judah	Notes
1	Ahaziah		Evil. Ahab’s son. Worshiped Baal.
3	Joram		Evil. Ahab’s son.
8		Jehoram	Evil. Jehoshaphat’s son. Ways of Ahab.
8		Ahaziah	Evil. Jehoram’s son. Ways of Ahab.
9-10	Jehu		Evil. Kills Joram, Ahaziah & Jezebel.
11		Athaliah	Evil. Ahaziah’s mother. Killed royal sons.
12		Joash	Good. Ahaziah’s son. Repaired temple.
13	Jehoahaz		Evil. Jehu’s son.
13	Jehoash		Evil. Jehoahaz’s son.
14		Amaziah	Good. Joash’s son. Victorious over Edom.
14	Jeroboam II		Evil. Victorious over Aram.
15		Azariah	Good. Amaziah’s son. Also called Uzziah.
	Zechariah		Evil. Jeroboam II’s son.
	Shallum		Evil. Assasinated Zechariah.
	Menahem		Evil. Assassinated Shallum.
	Pekahiah		Evil. Menahem’s son.
	Pekah		Evil. Assassinated Pekahiah.
		Jotham	Good. Azariah’s son. Rebuilt Upper Gate.
16		Ahaz	Evil. Jotham’s son. Besieged by Aram.
17	Hoshea		Evil. Assassinated Pekah.
17	Fall of Samaria to the Assyrians. People exiled to Assyria.

The fall of Samaria¶

The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege to it for three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes. (2 Kings 17:5-6)

Chapters 18-25 — The fall of Jerusalem¶

Kings of Judah¶

Chapter	Israel	Judah	Notes
18-20		Hezekiah	Good. Ahaz’s son. Spiritual reform.
21		Manasseh	Evil. Hezekiah’s son. Rebuilt pagan objects.
21		Amon	Evil. Manasseh’s son. Killed by his officials.
22-23		Josiah	Good. Amon’s son. Spiritual reform.
23		Jehoahaz	Evil. Josiah’s son. Imprisoned by Pharaoh.
23		Jehoiakim	Evil. Josiah’s son. Made king by Pharaoh.
24-25		Jehoiachin	Evil. Jehoiakim’s son. Exiled to Babylon.
		Zedekiah	Evil. Made king by Nebuchadnezzar.
	Fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians. People exiled to Babylon.

Josiah’s reforms¶

Ch 22 — The Book of the Law is found

Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord.” (2 Kings 22:8)
When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes. He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Akbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant: “Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.” (2 Kings 22:11-13)

Ch 23 — Josiah renews the covenant

The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord — to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant. (2 Kings 23:3)

The fall of Jerusalem¶

[Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, finished his siege of Jerusalem.] He set fire to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the imperial guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem. Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the rest of the populace and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon. But the commander left behind some of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields. (2 Kings 25:9-12)