THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS.
The two Books of Kings contain the history of the kings of Judah and of Israel, for the space of about four hundred and twenty years. Respecting the authors of these books, we know in general that as the acts of David were written by Samuel, Nathan, and Gad, 1 Chronicles 29:29, so the life of Solomon was written by Nathan, Ahijah, and Iddo. 2 Chronicles 9:29. The life of Rehoboam by Shemaiah and Iddo. The life of Uzziah, and a great part, if not the whole, of Hezekiah's life was composed by Isaiah the prophet. But as the last chapter of the second book contains the imprisonment of Zedekiah in Babylon, it is supposed that Ezra transcribed the history from those holy prophets, and from the public records of the nation, as seems most reasonable to allow, from the frequent recurrence of the words, “to this day.” Their authority is farther confirmed by many correspondent passages in the sixteen Prophets, and by many quotations in the New Testament. In this first book we have the death of David, the accession of Solomon, the building of the Temple, and his retrograde from the highest glory to partial idolatry. It contains also the rent of the kingdom which began its miseries, and it closes with the reign of four kings of Judah, and of eight kings of Israel, comprehending a period of one hundred and eighteen years.