I and II Kings: A Commentary, 2nd Fully Revised Edition (The Old Testament Library)

Dr. Gray takes particular account of the theological interests of Kings as he lays emphasis upon such institutions as prophecy, the king who is the representative of the people before God, and the divine covenant with Israel and the Davidic house. He relates the histories of Israel and Judah to the histories of the surrounding nations, for example, to that of Egypt, which was then on the decline, and to Assyria and Babylon, which were then weak. He correlates them with the narratives of other canonical and noncanonical books. He compares his conclusions with those of other notable scholars, e.g., von Rad and Noth, who have treated closely associated themes. In his introduction he discusses the authorship and sources of Kings, the probable date of composition (compilation and redaction), the problems of the text, and the chronology of the narrative—about 400 years, from the death of David (c. 970) to the fall of Jerusalem (586). The book is a definitive work of the most profound scholarship, and it will be of interest to Jewish and Roman Catholic as well as Protestant students.