2 Kings
About this date: Dates are broad scholarly estimates of composition or final editing, not dates of the events narrated. Traditional attributions and scholarly assessments can differ.
2 Kings continues the prophetic narratives and royal evaluations through the falls of Samaria and Jerusalem. Reform, judgment, exile, and a final note about Jehoiachin prevent the book from ending as a simple account of military defeat.
Historical context
Assyrian and Babylonian expansion frame the later narrative. A ruler's religious evaluation and the independently studied political circumstances of a siege are not identical kinds of evidence.
Key points
- Elisha's healing of Naaman challenges assumptions about nationality and access to mercy.
- Hezekiah destroys the bronze serpent when it becomes an object of worship.
- Jerusalem's fall and Jehoiachin's release leave judgment and unresolved hope together.
Scripture
- 2 Kings 5:1-19 — Naaman's healing joins prophetic instruction, humility, and a foreigner's confession.
- 2 Kings 18:1-8 — Reform includes the destruction of the bronze serpent revered by the people.
- 2 Kings 25:1-30 — Jerusalem's destruction is followed by the limited relief of Jehoiachin in Babylon.
- Luke 4:24-30 — Luke's Jesus explicitly recalls Naaman alongside Elijah's widow in a dispute about prophetic reception.
Sources and further reading
- 2 Kings: complete public-domain WEB text
- Anglican Thirty-Nine Articles: canonical books and Apocrypha
- Catholic Catechism §120: canon and book list
- Orthodox Church in America: canon of Scripture
- Orthodox Church in America: Old Testament historical books
- USCCB Bible introductions: historical and literary notes