📖 The Book of 1 Kings
Start reading →Old Testament · 22 chapters · History
The glory and division of Solomon's kingdom.
Who wrote 1 Kings?
Author
Anonymous (trad. Jeremiah)
Written
c. 560 BC
Genre
History
Compiled during the exile from court records.
Why 1 Kings was written
To record the height of Israel's glory under Solomon and the tragic division of the kingdom after his death, showing that faithfulness to the covenant brings blessing and idolatry brings judgment.
Outline of 1 Kings
- 11–11: Solomon's reign — wisdom, the Temple, and apostasy
- 212–16: The kingdom divides; early kings of Israel and Judah
- 317–22: The ministry of Elijah against Ahab and Jezebel
Key verses
1 Kings 3:91 Kings 8:271 Kings 18:21
How 1 Kings points to Christ
Solomon's wisdom, wealth, and the Temple he built all point to Christ as the greater Solomon — the wisdom of God incarnate, the true Temple, and the eternal King in whom all nations seek counsel.
How 1 Kings begins
1Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat.
Read 1 Kings 1 →