Berit Olam: 1 Kings

by Jerome T Walsh

Overview

The narratives of Solomon and Jeroboam, of Elijah and Ahab, have fascinated readers for millennia. Even apart from questions of historical authenticity, they are gripping stories of richly drawn characters caught up in the complex tale of God's dealings with Israel. This study explores the narrative world created by 1 Kings' ancient Israelite author: the people who inhabit it, the lives they live, the deeds they do, and the face of God who is revealed in their stories.

An introduction explains the significance of 1 Kings as a historical narrative. Originally intended as a literal history, after centuries of writing and rewriting it is now as much a literary work as a historical one: The views of those who formed it can be discerned and studied. Walsh also explains how the rich traditions of Hebrew prose narrative and the Hebrew language itself affect our reading of 1 Kings.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814650448
Publisher:	Liturgical Press
Publication date:	02/01/1996
Series:	Berit Olam
Pages:	418
Product dimensions:	6.44(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.44(d)

About the Author

Jerome T. Walsh, PhD, was a professor of theology and religious studies at the University of Botswana. He is the author of 1 Kings in the Berit Olam (The Everlasting Covenant) Studies in Hebrew Narrative and Poetry series for which he is also an associate editor.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . ix
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xi

Part One - The Story of Solomon: 1 Kings 1-11
  1. Solomon /Succeeds to the Throne of David: 
        1 Kings 1:1-2:12a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  2. Solomon's Throne Is Secure: 1 Kings 2:12b-46 . . . . . . . . 45
  3. The Early Promise of Solomon's Reign: 1 Kings 3:1-15 . . 69
  4. Solomon Uses His Gifts: 1 Kings 3:16-4:34 . . . . . . . . . . . 78
  5. Before Building the Temple: 1 Kings 5:1-18 . . . . . . . . . . . 93
  6. The Construction and Dedication of the Temple
        1 Kings 6:1-9:10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  102
  7. Solomonic Splendor: 1 Kings 9:10-10:29 . . . . . . . . . . . .  120
  8. The End of the Story: 1 Kings 11:1-43 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
  9. The Whole Solomon Story: 1 Kings 1-11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Part Two - The Story of Jeroboam: 1 Kings 11:26-14:20
 10. The Separation of the Kingdoms: 1 Kings 11:26-12:25 . . 159
 11. The Sin of Jeroboam: 1 Kings 12:26-13:10 . . . . . . . . . . . 171
 12. The Wages of Sin: 1 Kings 13:11-14:20 . . . . . . . . . . . . .  182
 13. The Whole Jeroboam Story: 1 Kings 11-26-14:20 . . . . .  202
 14. Kings of Judah and Israel: 1 Kings 14:21-16:34  . . . . . .  206

Part Three - The Story of Elijah: 1 Kings 17-19
 15. Elijah Announces a Drought: 1 Kings 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . .  225
 16. Elijah Ends the Drought: 1 Kings 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  236
 17. Elijah at Mount Horeb: 1 Kings 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
 18. The Whole Elijah Story: 1 Kings 17-19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  283

Part Four - The Story of Ahab: 1 Kings 20:1-22:40
 19. War with Aram: Ahab's Victories: 1 Kings 20 . . . . . . . . . . 293
 20. Naboth's Vineyard: 1 Kings 21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  316
 21. War with Aram: Ahab's Defeat and Death
          1 Kings 22:1-40 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  342
 22. The Whole Ahab Story: 1 Kings 16:29-22:40;
           More Kings of Judah and Israel: 1 Kings 22:42-53 . . . 361
 23. The Whole of 1 Kings and Larger Units . . . . . . . . . . . . .  368

For Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376
General Index  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  380
Index of Scriptural References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  387
 

 

Editorial Reviews

. . . thorough and even exciting. The scholarship and the research are impressive.
The Priest


. . . a good beginning for a series that promises to treat the entire Hebrew Bible from a narrative-critical perspective.
America


These new commentaries should be very helpful for both translation officers and translators. Walsh pays close attention to the structure of the text but also comments on individual words and phrases, especially when showing connections between different verses in the Hebrew text which may not be clear in most translations. . . . There is no other series - in English at least - which gives such careful attention to literary critical matters in reading the text.
The Bible Translator


Moving away from dry exposition, [Walsh] displays the storyteller's flair and thus draws the reader into the intricate interplay of events and characters. In so doing, he releases the narrative's power to work on its reader.
Ashland Theological Journal

From the Publisher