Author
—
Prophet
Written
c. 560–540 BC
Chapters
25
Audience
The nation of Israel in exile
The translation of Elijah and the commissioning of Elisha as his prophetic successor
Chapter 1 → Chapter 2Read in Bible
The ministry of Elisha marked by miracles, military involvement, and divine provision
Chapter 3 → Chapter 8Read in Bible
Jehu's violent purge of the house of Ahab and the eradication of Baal worship in Israel
Chapter 9 → Chapter 10Read in Bible
The parallel decline of Israel and Judah under a succession of mostly wicked kings
Chapter 11 → Chapter 16Read in Bible
The fall of Samaria to Assyria and the theological explanation for Israel's exile
Chapter 17Read in Bible
Hezekiah's faithful reign, miraculous deliverance from Assyria, and personal healing
Chapter 18 → Chapter 20Read in Bible
Manasseh's extreme wickedness followed by Josiah's sweeping covenant renewal and reform
Chapter 21 → Chapter 23Read in Bible
The fall of Jerusalem to Babylon, the destruction of the temple, and the exile of Judah
Chapter 24 → Chapter 25Read in Bible
"until the LORD removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there."
2 Kings 17:23"Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. He held fast to the LORD and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the LORD had given Moses."
2 Kings 18:5–6"He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left."
2 Kings 22:2"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."
2 Kings 2:112 Kings continues the history of the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah, chronicling the reigns of their kings and the ministries of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. The book traces the moral and spiritual decline of both kingdoms, culminating in the Assyrian conquest of Israel in 722 BC and the Babylonian exile of Judah in 586 BC. Theologically, it demonstrates that covenant unfaithfulness to God inevitably brings judgment, while affirming that God remains sovereign over the nations and faithful to his redemptive purposes.