Solomon’s reign is recounted in I Kings chapters1-11 and II Chronicles chapters 1-9 (tradition holds that the author of the latter was Ezra, by the way). The accounts overlap substantially but not completely, and where they describe the same events they do so in ways that are consistent but not identical — even, disconcertingly, in … [Read more…]
At the beginning of the reign of Rehoboam, Solomon’s son and successor, the northern tribes (that is, all but Judah itself and the small tribe of Benjamin) rebelled (I Kings 12:24) because of the new king’s highhandedness, and from then through the Babylonian exile there was never again a united kingdom. The account of this … [Read more…]
I suppose the first thing to say about this book is that it is, in a sense, the last book of the Old Testament. That is, while it does not come last in the Bible, it does cover the latest historical period prior to New Testament. The book is written mostly in the first person … [Read more…]
This book falls squarely in the history genre, and it is straightforward, plausible, and well-documented history at that. The basic narrative is simply the return of Jewish exiles after the Babylonian captivity, their rebuilding the temple, and the rejection of intermarriage — nothing supernatural. A number of official decrees are quoted at length, and … [Read more…]
I’m writing something on each book of the Bible, and for some books this is easier than for others. Genesis definitely falls in the more difficult category. It’s a relatively long book (the third longest or so, there being different translations and ways to count), and can’t really be summarized, and the stories in it … [Read more…]
This book is a mixture of verse and prose, of history, poetry, and biography. Sometimes the prophecy is woven directly into the historical narrative. And speaking of historical narrative, here’s a timeline of the major prophets that might be useful: Isaiah’s ministry, 740-681 B.C. Israel (northern kingdom) falls, 722 B.C. Jeremiah’ ministry, 627-586 B.C. Judah … [Read more…]
Ezekiel is a younger contemporary, if that’s not an oxymoron, of Jeremiah; Ezekiel was preaching to Babylonian Jews while Jeremiah was preaching to Jerusalem Jews (prior to its fall). Presumably some parts of the book were written — or at least delivered orally — before, and some after, the fall of Jerusalem: That is, it would … [Read more…]
The book of Daniel is the last and, next to Lamentations, the shortest of the major prophets’ books. It is also, to my mind, the most distinctive. It does not focus on warning of destruction to Israel or lamenting it, as the other major prophets do. It contains instead a narrative of six more … [Read more…]
This is a book of prayers, and it is fitting that it should be literally in center of the Bible and is one of its longest books (with its longest (119) as well as its shortest (117) “chapter”), since what is more important to a believer than prayer, and what can be more valuable to … [Read more…]
Lamentations is a book of five poems, each a chapter and the first four of which are acrostics (a typical form of poetry in Hebrew — see also Psalms 37, 119, and 145, and Proverbs 31:10-31). The author is Jeremiah: Having unsuccessfully warned his people in the book of Jeremiah to turn back to God … [Read more…]