New International Biblical Commentary: 1 and 2 Kings

New International Biblical Commentary

by Iain W. Provan

Provan treats 1 and 2 Kings as a unified whole nestled within its canonical context. Kings constantly presupposes knowledge of the remainder of the story of Israel and invites reflection upon itself in the light of the prophetic writings and of the New Testament. It is examined here as narrative literature with historiographical intent, designed to teach its readers about God and the Ways of God. Provan does a masterful job of drawing the reader's attention to themes that are repeated in Kings, such as the theme of God's promise and how it is fulfilled among God's people. He has succeeded in making Kings a more readily accessible book.

Genres: Theology, Biblical Studies, Christian, Reference, Nonfiction, Old Testament

Hardcover

First published October 1, 1993

About the author

Marshall Sheppard Professor of
Biblical Studies (OT) at Regent College (Vancouver) and formerly senior lecturer in Hebrew and Old Testament Studies at the University of Edinburgh.

Reviews

[Shaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Provan has written a well-researched and accessible expository commentary that gives intriguing and applicable insights.

I particularly enjoyed the excurses on explaining the symbols and imagery in Kings when read in canocial context; it is always good to keep in mind how the characters in Kings finds parallel in prior figures (David, Saul, Moses, Aaron, Joshua etc.) and later figures (particular Jesus) and how it has been interpreted in the Christian tradition over time.

The book also lays out a theological framework on how one is to measure the various kings based on what is stated in Deuteronomy and discussion on the tension between law vs. grace (conditionality of the covenants?), which is helpful.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very good and very accessible commentary. It left technical comments to the footnotes (though I would have liked more) and provided penetrating insights that were easily applicable. At times I thought the author was a bit too negative on some of the kings but no one gets out of these books unscathed. His canonical excursus were a welcome addition and kept everything in perspective. Particularly subtle and yet important was how he highlighted throughout the tension between the covenant as unconditional and conditional this illustrating Grace triumphing over law. While I agreed with his comments here it was quite difficult to clearly demonstrate that is what the text is saying. It takes a very careful and close reading of Kings to see that and not obvious to the average reader. It would have been helpful to have that tension worked out a bit more and more sufficiently demonstrated form the text if possible. But perhaps I'm asking for something that is more clear within the whole canon and not in Kings in particular.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm largely convinced by Provan's somewhat dark reading of Solomon and Kingship (for an alternative, if occasionally valorising take, check out Leithart's commentary). His close attention to the text rarely stretches it beyond a legitimate reading, and his intertextual commentary never fails to preserve a close reading of the Hebrew Bible on its own terms. Provan's rhetoric can be occasionally overheated, but by and large this is a compelling and interesting reading of 1-2 Kings.

[Justin D Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great expository commentary on 1 and 2 Kings. A very useful tool whether you are preaching or just studying these biblical books.