Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Argumentum
The Hebrews join this book with the third, and make one out of them both. But the Latins more aptly divide them, and begin the fourth here. For here began the decline of the kingdom of Judah, which, under Solomon and the other kings up to this point, had been strong, vast, and wealthy. Now in the first book of Kings we heard the deeds of Eli, Samuel, and Saul over 80 years; in the second book, the deeds of King David over 40 years; in the third book, the deeds of Solomon, Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, and Jehoshaphat over 126 years; but now in this fourth book we shall hear the deeds of Joram, Ahaziah, Athaliah, Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah over 304 years, descending in direct line of generation successively from David; alongside whom in Israel, that is in the ten tribes, there reigned Ahaziah son of Ahab, Joram, Jehu, Jehoahaz, Joash, Jeroboam, Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah, and Hoshea, under whom the kingdom of Israel came to an end in the sixth year of Hezekiah, when its entire people was led away by Shalmaneser into Assyria, as we shall hear in chapter XVIII, 10. The kingdom of Judah, however, came to an end in the last year of Zedekiah, when its people was carried off by Nebuchadnezzar into the Babylonian captivity, as we shall hear in the final chapter.