I Kings

The book of I Kings is a historical time line showing how the kings of Israel and Judea obeyed or disobeyed God and is part of the Old Testament of the Bible. It covers the time period from what occurred to make Solomon King until the death of wicked King Ahaziah. I Kings picks up when II Samuel left off and is followed by II Kings. Coinciding histories are given in the Biblical book of II Chronicles which also starts with Solomon, but ends in a different place.

I Kings covers the time period from approximately 970 to 853 B.C. This book was approximately written around the time of the Babylonian Exile of the Jews, somewhere between 560 and 550 B.C. The author of this book is uncertain, but many Jewish traditions believe the prophetJeremiah to be the author.

(In the Hebrew Bible used by Judaism, there is only one book called "Kings". Similar to I & II Samuel, the split was made in the Septuagint and that standard was later picked up by Christianity.)

References

• http://www.biblecentre.org/commentaries/ar_11_ot_overview_12kings.htm
• The NIV Study Bible, Zondervan Corporation, 1985