Highlights from the Book of 2 Kings Source Material................................................................................2 2 Kings - Outline of Contents.........................................................3 Chapters 1- 4....................................................................................7 Chapters 5 - 8.................................................................................25 Chapters 9 - 11...............................................................................41 Chapters 12 - 15.............................................................................58 Chapters 16 - 18.............................................................................71 Chapters 19 -22..............................................................................98 Chapters 23- 25............................................................................116 Source Material This material has been sourced from the 2014 Watchtower Library compact disk. Scriptures Included. Only verses that are explained in some way are included in the Scripture Index. Hence, if the material explains the meaning of the text, gives its background, tells why the text was written, or clarifies an original-language word and its implications, the text would be indexed, since the verse or part of it is explained. Scriptures that are used as proof texts but that are not explained are omitted. For example, Ezekiel 18:4 may be used merely to show that the soul dies. In this instance the scripture would not be indexed, since no explanation of the text is given. Additional personal research is encouraged. Page 2 2 Kings 2 Kings - Outline of Contents 1 Elijah foretells Ahaziah’s death (1-18) 2 Elijah taken up in a windstorm (1-18) Elisha gets Elijah’s official garment (13, 14) Elisha heals Jericho’s water (19-22) Bears kill young boys from Bethel (23-25) 3 Jehoram, king of Israel (1-3) Moab rebels against Israel (4-25) Moab defeated (26, 27) 4 Elisha multiplies a widow’s oil (1-7) A Shunammite woman’s hospitality (8-16) Woman rewarded with a son; he dies (17-31) Elisha resurrects the dead son (32-37) Elisha makes stew edible (38-41) Elisha multiplies bread (42-44) 5 Naaman healed of leprosy by Elisha (1-19) Greedy Gehazi struck with leprosy (20-27) 6 Elisha makes axhead float (1-7) Elisha versus the Syrians (8-23) Eyes of Elisha’s attendant opened (16, 17) Syrians mentally blinded (18, 19) Famine in besieged Samaria (24-33) 7 Elisha foretells end of famine (1, 2) Food found at abandoned Syrian camp (3-15) Elisha’s prophecy fulfilled (16-20) 8 Shunammite woman’s land restored to her (1-6) Elisha, Ben-hadad, and Hazael (7-15) Jehoram, king of Judah (16-24) Ahaziah, king of Judah (25-29) Page 3 2 Kings 9 Jehu anointed as king of Israel (1-13) Jehu kills Jehoram and Ahaziah (14-29) Jezebel killed; dogs eat her flesh (30-37) 10 Jehu kills the house of Ahab (1-17) Jehonadab joins Jehu (15-17) Baal worshippers killed by Jehu (18-27) Summary of Jehu’s reign (28-36) 11 Athaliah usurps the throne (1-3) Jehoash secretly made king (4-12) Athaliah killed (13-16) Jehoiada’s reforms (17-21) 12 Jehoash, king of Judah (1-3) Jehoash repairs the temple (4-16) Syrian invasion (17, 18) Jehoash killed (19-21) 13 Jehoahaz, king of Israel (1-9) Jehoash, king of Israel (10-13) Elisha tests Jehoash’s zeal (14-19) Elisha’s death; his bones resurrect a man (20, 21) Elisha’s final prophecy fulfilled (22-25) 14 Amaziah, king of Judah (1-6) War with Edom and with Israel (7-14) Death of Jehoash of Israel (15, 16) Death of Amaziah (17-22) Jeroboam II, king of Israel (23-29) 15 Azariah, king of Judah (1-7) Israel’s last kings: Zechariah (8-12), Shallum (13-16), Menahem (17-22), Pekahiah (23-26), Pekah (27-31) Jotham, king of Judah (32-38) 16 Ahaz, king of Judah (1-6) Ahaz bribes the Assyrians (7-9) Page 4 2 Kings Ahaz copies pagan altar (10-18) Death of Ahaz (19-20) 17 Hoshea, king of Israel (1-4) Fall of Israel (5, 6) Israel exiled because of apostasy (7-23) Foreigners brought into Samaritan cities (24-26) Samaritans’ mixed religion (27-41) 18 Hezekiah, king of Judah (1-8) Review of Israel’s fall (9-12) Sennacherib invades Judah (13-18) The Rabshakeh taunts Jehovah (19-37) 19 Hezekiah seeks God’s help through Isaiah (1-7) Sennacherib threatens Jerusalem (8-13) Hezekiah’s prayer (14-19) Isaiah conveys God’s answer (20-34) Angel slays 185,000 Assyrians (35-37) 20 Hezekiah’s sickness and recovery (1-11) Messengers from Babylon (12-19) Death of Hezekiah (20, 21) 21 Manasseh, king of Judah; his bloodshed (1-18) Jerusalem to be destroyed (12-15) Amon, king of Judah (19-26) 22 Josiah, king of Judah (1, 2) Instructions for temple repair (3-7) Book of the Law found (8-13) Huldah’s prophecy of calamity (14-20) 23 Josiah’s reforms (1-20) Passover celebrated (21-23) Josiah’s further reforms (24-27) Josiah’s death (28-30) Jehoahaz, king of Judah (31-33) Page 5 2 Kings Jehoiakim, king of Judah (34-37) 24 Jehoiakim’s rebellion and death (1-7) Jehoiachin, king of Judah (8, 9) First deportation to Babylon (10-17) Zedekiah, king of Judah; his rebellion (18-20) 25 Nebuchadnezzar’s siege of Jerusalem (1-7) Jerusalem and its temple destroyed; second deportation (8-21) Gedaliah made governor (22-24) Gedaliah murdered; people flee to Egypt (25, 26) Jehoiachin released in Babylon (27-30) Page 6 2 Kings Chapters 1- 4 (2 KINGS 1:1) After the death of Aʹhab, Moʹab revolted against Israel. *** si p. 69 par. 2 Bible Book Number 12—2 Kings *** It was completed about 580 B.C.E. and covers the period beginning with the reign of Ahaziah of Israel in about 920 B.C.E. and ending in the 37th year of Jehoiachin’s exile, 580 B.C.E.—1:1; 25:27. *** it-1 p. 152 Archaeology *** The Moabite Stone was one of the earliest discoveries of importance in the area E of the Jordan. (PICTURE, Vol. 1, p. 325) Found in 1868 at Dhiban, N of the Arnon Valley, it presents Moabite King Mesha’s version of his revolt against Israel. (Compare 2 Ki 1:1; 3:4, 5.) In part the inscription says: “I (am) Mesha, son of Chemosh-[. .], king of Moab, the Dibonite . As for Omri, king of Israel, he humbled Moab many years (lit., days), for Chemosh [the god of Moab] was angry at his land. And his son followed him and he also said, ‘I will humble Moab.’ In my time he spoke (thus), but I have triumphed over him and over his house, while Israel hath perished for ever! . And Chemosh said to me, ‘Go, take Nebo from Israel!’ So I went by night and fought against it from the break of dawn until noon, taking it and slaying all . And I took from there the [vessels] of Yahweh, dragging them before Chemosh.” (Ancient Near Eastern Texts, edited by J. B. Pritchard, 1974, p. 320) (2 KINGS 1:2) It was then that A·ha·ziʹah fell down through the grating in his roof chamber in Sa·marʹi·a and was injured. So he sent messengers and said to them: “Go, inquire of Baʹal-zeʹbub the god of Ekʹron to find out whether I will recover from this injury.” *** it-1 p. 63 Ahaziah *** A house accident, in which the king fell through a grating (perhaps one covering a daylight shaft) in his roof chamber, left him bedridden and seriously ill. (2Ki 1:2) As if the true God no longer existed, Ahaziah sent messengers to inquire of the Philistine god Baal- zebub (meaning “Owner of the Flies”) as to his prospects of recovery. *** it-1 p. 233 Baal-zebub *** BAAL-ZEBUB (Baʹal-zeʹbub) [Owner of the Flies]. The Baal worshiped by the Philistines at Ekron. There are indications that it was a Page 7 2 Kings common practice among the Hebrews to change the names of false gods to something similar but degrading. Hence, the ending “zebub” may be an alteration of one of the titles of Baal shown in the Ras Shamra texts as “Zabul” (“Prince”), or Zebul. Some scholars, however, suggest that the name was given to the god by his worshipers because of his being viewed as the producer of flies and therefore able to control this common pest of the Middle East. Since the giving of oracles was associated with Baal-zebub, others favor the view that Baal-zebub was a god who was regarded as giving oracles by the flight or buzzing of a fly.—2Ki 1:2. *** it-1 p. 843 Fly *** The name of the god venerated by the Philistines at Ekron, “Baal-zebub,” means “Owner of the Flies.” This has given rise to the thought that his worshipers may have regarded him as being able to control these insects. Since the giving of oracles was associated with Baal-zebub, others have suggested that the name may denote that this god gave oracles by means of the flight or buzzing of a fly.—2Ki 1:2, 6; see BAAL-ZEBUB; GADFLY. (2 KINGS 1:3) But the angel of Jehovah said to E·liʹjah the Tishʹbite: “Rise up, go to meet the messengers of the king of Sa·marʹi·a and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baʹal-zeʹbub the god of Ekʹron? *** nwt p. 1694 Glossary *** Beelzebub. A designation applied to Satan, the prince, or ruler, of the demons. It is possibly an alteration of Baal-zebub, the Baal worshipped by the Philistines at Ekron.—2Ki 1:3; Mt 12:24. (2 KINGS 2:1) When Jehovah was about to take E·liʹjah up to the heavens in a windstorm, E·liʹjah and E·liʹsha went out from Gilʹgal.