A Complete List of Rulers in the Bible Books of Kings
The books of 1 & 2 Kings in the Bible can be hard to follow, but here I break down the rulers in a way you can understand and relate to the rest of the Old Testament.
One King to Rule Them All
Let’s do a recap of the Old Testament:
- Genesis: Creation of the world, first generations of God’s people through Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph
- Exodus-Deuteronomy: Israelite slaves in Egypt are freed by Moses, only to anger God and wander the desert for 40 years
- Joshua: Led by Joshua, they enter the Promised Land and go to war to claim Canaan
- Judges: Years of Israelite leaders, called judges, such as Deborah, Gideon, and Samson
- Ruth: Story of redemption of a Moabite woman during the time of Judges who later becomes King David’s great-grandmother
- 1 & 2 Samuel: First 3 kings of Israel (Saul, David, and his son Solomon)
So far, so good…right? King Solomon is heir to the throne after his father, David dies. When God tells him to ask for whatever he wants, he requests “a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong“. Pleased with his answer, God gives him riches, honor, and (if he follows God) a long life.
Solomon quickly becomes famous and other leaders seek his advice. He marries Pharaoh’s daughter and enjoys a 40-year reign of peace. He even built the Temple over seven years (to replace the traveling tabernacle Moses and the Israelites used) and covered it with the best materials money could buy.
The book of 1 Kings 6:29 says, “On the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and outer rooms, he carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. He also covered the floors of both the inter and outer rooms of the temple with gold.” Then he goes on to build a grand palace for himself and the Bible lists all the wealth he’s acquired. One verse said he had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses!
Two Kings to Rule Them All
God had warned the Israelites back in Numbers not to intermarry with foreign women because they would turn away from God and worship false pagan gods. But Solomon, seduced by his wealth and power, leaves his life of monogamy and marries 700 wives (in addition to his 300 concubines!). To please his wives, he sets up idols and “high places” to worship their gods: Astoreth, Chemosh, and Molech (known for child sacrifice). God tells Solomon that his son’s kingdom will be divided because he turned away from God.
So (stay with me!), here’s where it gets tricky: In 930 BC, rebels rise up and the KINGDOM SPLITS, forming two separate kingdoms!
The Israelite kingdom (you know the one big area that’s made up of 12 tribes from Genesis), becomes:
- ISRAEL (larger, northern kingdom, ruled by rebels and murderers)
- JUDAH (smaller, southern kingdom, ruled by the line of David)
In 722 BC, the Kingdom of Israel was overthrown by the brutal Assyrians and sent into exile. Later, in 586, the Babylonian empire also takes the Kingdom of Judah captive. This is where we leave at the end of 2 Kings. Confused? Let me help break everything down for you…
The Books of 1 and 2 Kings in the Bible
Open up your Bible, read through the books of Kings, and print out these visual notes to learn about the kingdom split.
While the digital pages are perfect for group study, you may prefer a physical book. This one covers all 39 books in the Old Testament. Grab your copy here:
Why I Keep Coming Back to Study the Books of Kings
I’m always noticing something new when I reread a book of the Bible. Maybe that’s because it builds off other parts I’ve studied! Check out the main points I noted this time around:
You Might Also Like…
Before you go, check out these other posts:
- The Chronicles of the Kings Books by Lynn Austin
- 5 Reasons to Read the Bible Chronologically for Better Understanding
- Women of the Old Testament: The Book I Couldn’t Find
You’ve got this!
