Background: Elijah’s death and the emergence of his ward the prophet Elisha occupy the early chapters. The remaining sweep of the history covers some 300yrs. and from a religious point of view is all downhill apart from 1 or 2 religious revival promoted by the remaining monarch. The end of the North Kingdom comes a century and half before that of Judah, but in both cases it is understood as inevitable punishment for turning away from God. 25chs.
Author: Unknown. Possibly Jeremiah, recording the final day of the southern kingdom, since he enjoyed a good relationship with Josiah. Some scholars think Jeremiah wrote all of 1,2Kings, though he could not have written the final chapter of the 2Kings, since he was not in exile in Babylon.
Date and Location: See 1K. Chapter 25 was probably recorded in Babylon, within 30yrs after the fall of Jerusalem 586. The Jews were allowed to maintain scribal activities while in captivity
Purpose: See 1K: purpose
Unique Features:
*Records final 2 OT resurrections (4:32-37; 13:20, 21). For the first see 1K17:17-24
*The second and third of 3 occasions when God rolled back the waters of Jordan River (2:8, 14; see Js3)
*Records the second OT miracle involving the rotation of the earth around the sound (20:8-11) see Js10:12-14)
*2K18, 19, Herodotus attributed the destruction of the Assyrian army to mice and Bubonic plague
Comparison:
Isaiah
^Both record the attack of Sennacherib and Hezekiah’s illness (18:13-20:21; Is36-39
Jeremiah
^Both records of the Southern Kingdom’s final days, its fall, and Jehoiachin’s fate in Babylon(24:18-25:30; Jr52) see Chr
Abbreviations: 2Kin. /Kgs. /Ki. / K.
MV: Memorize and understand, 1Co15:2
Bib1Yr: Da 1Daniel
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