Kings, books of the Bible

Kings, books of the Bible, originally a single work in the Hebrew canon. They are called First and Second Kings in modern Bibles, and Third and Fourth Kingdoms in the Greek versions, where the books of Samuel are called First and Second Kingdoms. First and Second Kings cover the period c.1000 B.C.–c.586 B.C. and continue the historical narrative of First and Second Samuel, from the death of David to the destruction of Judah. The books are generally considered to belong to the Deuteronomic history (Joshua–2 Kings), in which existing sources were edited to describe and explain Israel's historical fate. The major divisions of First and Second Kings are as follows: first, the reign of Solomon, including the end of David's reign and a lengthy account of the Temple; second, a synchronizing parallel account of the two Hebrew kingdoms, beginning with the division between Rehoboam and Jeroboam and including the rise and fall of the house of Ahab of Israel, into which is woven the careers of the prophets Elijah and Elisha; and third, the end of the southern kingdom. First and Second Kings show Israel's kings leading the nation in its violation of the covenant between God and his people, thus bringing upon the nation the curses anticipated in chapters 27 and 28 of Deuteronomy. The events of Kings are told from a different point of view in Chronicles, which is an apologia for the Davidic monarchy.

Bibliography

See R. Nelson, 1 and 2 Kings (1987).

Kings, river, United States

Kings, river, 125 mi (201 km) long, rising in three forks in the Sierra Nevada, E Calif., and flowing SW to Tulare Lake in the San Joaquin valley. Its middle and southern forks flow through the great gorges of Kings Canyon National Park Kings Canyon National Park, 461,901 acres (187,070 hectares), E central California. Largely wilderness, the park features summits of the High Sierras and two enormous canyons on the Kings River.
..... Click the link for more information. . Part of the Central Valley project, the Kings River has been linked with the San Joaquin River; Pine Flat Dam (completed 1954) impounds a huge reservoir used for flood control, irrigation, and river regulation.

Kings, county, United States

Kings, county, N.Y.: see Brooklyn Brooklyn (br

k`lĭn), borough of New York City (1990 pop.
..... Click the link for more information. , borough.