The First And Second Books Of Kings

"A masterpiece of contemporary Bible translation and commentary."—Los Angeles Times Book Review, Best Books of 1999 Acclaimed for its masterful new translation and insightful commentary, The David Story is a fresh, vivid rendition of one of the great works in Western literature. Robert Alter's brilliant translation gives us David, the beautiful, musical hero who slays Goliath and, through his struggles with Saul, advances to the kingship of Israel. But this David is also fully human: an ambitious, calculating man who navigates his life's course with a flawed moral vision. The consequences for him, his family, and his nation are tragic and bloody. Historical personage and full-blooded imagining, David is the creation of a literary artist comparable to the Shakespeare of the history plays.

This commentary on 1 and 2 Kings demonstrates the continuing intellectual and practical viability of theological interpretation of the Bible for today's church.

This volume in the popular Ignatius Catholic Study Bible series leads readers through a penetrating study of the First and Second Books of Kings using the biblical text itself and the Church's own guidelines for understanding the Bible. Ample notes accompany each page, providing fresh insights by renowned Bible teachers Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch as well as time-tested interpretations from the Fathers of the Church. These helpful study notes provide rich historical, cultural, geographical, and theological information pertinent to the Old Testament book—information that bridges the distance between the biblical world and our own. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible also includes Topical Essays, Word Studies, and Charts. The Topical Essays explore the major themes of 1 & 2 Kings, often relating them to the teachings of the Church. The Word Studies explain the background of important biblical terms, while the Charts summarize crucial biblical information "at a glance".

Old Testament scholar Terence Fretheim identifies the theology in the dramatic accounts of the books of Kings, which chronicles the reigns of more than forty kings over a period of nearly four hundred years. Interspersing theological reflections throughout, Fretheim trace's God's words of judgement and promise for Israel--and for us--accross the entirety of Kings. Books in the Westminster Bible Companion series assist laity in their study of the Bible as a guide to Christian faith and practice. Each volume explains the biblical book in its original historical context and explores its significance for faithful living today. These books are ideal for individual study and for Bible study classes and groups.

The Book of Kings narrates the vivid and turbulent history of Israel and its monarchs. In I Kings: Torn in Two, master educator Alex Israel uncovers the messages hidden between the lines of the biblical text and draws rich and indelible portraits of its great personalities. Revealing a narrative of political upheaval, empire building, religious and cultural struggle, national fracture, war and peace, I Kings: Torn in Two depicts the titanic clashes between king and prophet and the underlying conflicts that can split apart a society. Using traditional commentaries and modern literary techniques, the author offers a dynamic dialogue between the biblical text and its interpretations. The result is a compelling work of contemporary biblical scholarship that addresses the central themes of the Book of Kings in a wider historical, political and religious perspective.

By the waters of Babylon, in the sixth century B.C., the Jewish people felt like permanent refugees in a foreign land. Israel had undergone captivity once before, in Egypt. This time the people were in exile because of disobedience. The books of 1 and 2 Kings were meant as an antidote for the sorrow of heart that afflicted their souls. Robert L. Hubbard, Jr. guides you through the maze of kings and empires, prophets and priests, that are the subjects of those two Old Testament historical books. In those books, Hubbard says, are "peaks of unbelievable glory and valleys of unforgettable despair." His study of 1 and 2 Kings and of the chaotic time chronicled in those books is written in a comfortable style but with scholarly care. Hubbard applies to our lives today the lessons learned through years of pain. Scholar and layman alike will appreciate the combination of readability and scholarly investigation that marks this book.

This volume offers a close reading of the historical books of I and II Kings, concentrating on not only issues in the history of Israel but also the literary techniques of storytelling used in these books.