Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Argumentum
In the first book of Kings we heard the deeds of the two last Judges, namely Eli the high priest and Samuel the prophet, and the exploits of Saul the first king of Israel. The first book therefore contains a chronology of eighty years: for Eli presided over Israel for 40 years, and Samuel and Saul together for the same number. Interwoven with these deeds are the exploits of David in his youth, before he was made king, namely his anointing as king performed by Samuel, the duel with Goliath, the war with the Philistines, his flights and hiding places when Saul was pursuing him.
In the second book of Kings we heard the deeds of David from the beginning of his reign to its end and his death, which was a span of 40 years; for David reigned that many years.
There now follow the two last books, namely the third and fourth of Kings, which narrate the deeds of Solomon and all the other successors of David as kings, up to the Babylonian captivity, in which Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans, and the Jews were carried off to Babylon, which was a span of 430 years. The history of the kings of Israel over so many years is woven together in these two books, and therefore these two books are properly called Kings by the Hebrews, and Kingdoms by the Greeks, while the first two books are called Samuel.
Order of the Kings of Judah
Receive the order of these kings, as well as the series of the time in which they reigned. 1. Solomon reigned 40 years, 3 Kings ch. 11, v. 42. 2. Rehoboam his son, 17 years, 3 Kings ch. 14, v. 21. 3. Abijah, 3 years, 3 Kings ch. 15, v. 2. 4. Asa, 41 years, 3 Kings ch. 15, v. 10. 5. Jehoshaphat, 25 years, 3 Kings ch. 22, v. 42. 6. Joram, 8 years, but three with his father, and after him alone for five years, 4 Kings ch. 8, v. 17. 7. Ahaziah, one year partly with his father, partly alone, 4 Kings ch. 8, v. 26. 8. Athaliah, 6 years, 4 Kings ch. 11, v. 4. 9. Joash, 40 years, 4 Kings ch. 12, v. 1. 10. Amaziah, 29 years, 4 Kings ch. 14, v. 2. 11. Azariah, or Uzziah, 52 years, 4 Kings ch. 15, v. 2. 12. Jotham, 16 years, 4 Kings ch. 15, v. 33. 13. Ahaz, 16 years, 4 Kings ch. 16, v. 2. 14. Hezekiah, 29 years, 4 Kings ch. 18, v. 2. 15. Manasseh, 55 years, 4 Kings ch. 21, v. 1. 16. Amon, 2 years, 4 Kings ch. 21, v. 19. 17. Josiah, 31 years, 4 Kings ch. 22, v. 1. 18. Jehoahaz, three months, 4 Kings ch. 23, v. 31. 19. Jehoiakim, 11 years, 4 Kings ch. 23, v. 36. 20. Jehoiachin, three months, 4 Kings ch. 24, v. 8. 21. Zedekiah, 11 years, 4 Kings ch. 24, v. 18.
Collect all these years and you will find 430, which I said are treated in these two books.
Furthermore, most of these kings were impious; few indeed were pious, namely Jehoshaphat, Jotham, Hezekiah, and Josiah.
Finally, because under Rehoboam the kingdom of Israel, that is, of the twelve tribes, was torn and divided into two, for ten tribes set up Jeroboam as their king; but the tribe of Judah alone with Benjamin adhered to King Rehoboam: hence this kingdom and its kings are called Judah, while the rest are called kings of Israel or of the twelve tribes, whose deeds are likewise recounted in these last two books of Kings; therefore I shall add their order and the time in which they reigned. They presided over the ten tribes for 256 years. For they began in year 1 of Rehoboam, and ceased in the 6th year of Hezekiah, when, as is stated in 4 Kings 18:10, Samaria and the kingdom of Israel was overthrown by Shalmaneser king of the Assyrians, and the ten tribes were carried off to Assyria. Therefore this Assyrian captivity of the ten tribes preceded the Babylonian captivity, in which Judah and Benjamin were carried off to Babylon in the last year of Zedekiah, by 134 years.
Furthermore, twelve [kings of Judah] preceded Romulus and Rome; for Rome began to be founded around the eleventh year of Jotham. From which it follows that the first eleven kings preceded the beginning of the Olympiads. For the Olympiads began to be celebrated and computed around the 40th year of Azariah or Uzziah: therefore the Olympiads preceded the founding of Rome by 23 years, as all chronologists admit. See the Chronological Table which I prefixed to the Pentateuch. St. Jerome supports this, who in chapter 1 of Isaiah, verse 1, asserts that Hezekiah began to reign in the 12th year of Romulus: therefore Romulus began to reign in Rome in the 4th year of Ahaz, who was the father of Hezekiah. In that year therefore Rome was already founded; namely around the eleventh year of Jotham it began to be built, and its construction lasted seven or eight years, so that it was finished around the fourth year of Ahaz, and then Romulus began to reign in it. Eusebius however places these events slightly later, namely he situates the beginning of the Olympiads in the 49th year of Azariah, and the founding of Rome in the 5th year of Ahaz. Others differ, but by a small margin of a few years.
That the author of the third and fourth books of Kings was Jeremiah, who compiled them from ancient annals and diaries, is the view of Procopius, Isidore, Abulensis, and Rabbi Moses Kimchi, whom Sixtus of Siena cites in book 1, whence also the last chapter of Jeremiah is the same as the last chapter of the fourth book of Kings. But I spoke of this matter in the introduction to book 1.
The Kings of Israel (Ten Tribes)
The first king of Israel, that is, of the ten tribes, was therefore: 1. Jeroboam, who reigned 22 years, 3 Kings ch. 14, v. 20. 2. Nadab, 2 years, 3 Kings ch. 15, v. 25. 3. Baasha, 24 years, 3 Kings ch. 15, v. 33. 4. Elah, 2 years, 3 Kings ch. 16, v. 8. 5. Zimri, seven days, 3 Kings ch. 16, v. 15. 6. Omri, 12 years, 3 Kings ch. 16, v. 23. 7. Ahab, 22 years, 3 Kings ch. 16, v. 29. 8. Ahaziah, 2 years, 3 Kings ch. 22, v. 52. 9. Joram, 12 years, 4 Kings ch. 3, v. 1. 10. Jehu, 28 years, 4 Kings ch. 10, v. 36. 11. Jehoahaz, 17 years, 4 Kings ch. 13, v. 1. 12. Joash, 16 years, 4 Kings ch. 13, v. 10. 13. Jeroboam, 41 years, 4 Kings ch. 14, v. 23. 14. Zechariah, six months, 4 Kings ch. 15, v. 8. 15. Shallum, one month, 4 Kings ch. 15, v. 13. 16. Menahem, 10 years, 4 Kings ch. 15, v. 17. 17. Pekahiah, 2 years, 4 Kings ch. 15, v. 23. 18. Pekah, 20 years, 4 Kings ch. 15, v. 27. 19. Hoshea, 9 years, 4 Kings ch. 17, v. 1.
To this must be added an interregnum of eleven years which intervened between Zechariah and Jeroboam, as I shall show at 4 Kings 15:8.
Finally, these kings of Israel were all without exception impious, as schismatics and idolaters.