1 Kings 12, State worship in Bethel and Dan (12:25–33)
Jeroboam became the founder and quasi-democratically legitimized ruler of northern Israel (1 Kings 12:20), but he was always afraid to be dethroned by the same constituents when they still remember the Davidic rule (verses 26–27), so he initiated a number of building projects (imitating Solomon), such as castles in the cis-Jordanian Shechem and in trans-Jordanian Penuel (verse 25); cf. 1 Samuel 11), — (as the central city of the original Israelite region of Gilead, cf. 1 Samuel 11) and state holy sites in Dan (far north) and Bethel (deep in the south of his kingdom), at the sites of long existed worship places (cf. Judges 17–18; Genesis 28; 35).


1 Kings 12, State worship in Bethel and Dan (12:25–33)
Jeroboam's statue of 'calves' more closely resembled those of (young) bulls, the animal symbolizing Canaan's main gods El and Baal, but he claimed to worship the Israelite YHWH 'who brought you up out of the land of Egypt'  (verse 28), as also evidenced in the archaelogical excavations in Tel-Dan, the site of ancient city of Dan, where the seal impressions with Yahwistic names, the architecture of the high place, the artifacts, and the animal bones for sacrifices to YHWH.


1 Kings 12, State worship in Bethel and Dan (12:25–33)
Nonetheless this is not in accordance to the main belief that God's temple resides in Zion (Jerusalem), so Jeroboam's policy was severely criticized and interpreted as 'the seed of the fall of his dynasty and also the kingdom he founded' (cf. 12:29; 13:33–34; as the links of all northern kings' wickedness to 'the sins of Jeroboam'), in particular, the establishment of holy high places (cf. verse 31 with Leviticus 26:30; Deuteronomy 12; 2 Kings 17:9–10), the appointment of non-Levite priests (cf. verse 31 with Deuteronomy 18:1-8), and the unauthorized introduction of a religiousfeast (cf. verse 32 with Leviticus 23:34).


1 Kings 13
1 Kings 13 is the thirteenth chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section comprising 1 Kings 12:1 to 16:14 which documents the consolidation of the kingdoms of northern Israel and Judah. The focus of this chapter is the reign Jeroboam in the northern kingdom.


1 Kings 13, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 34 verses.


1 Kings 13, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


1 Kings 13, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


1 Kings 13, Jeroboam’s hand withers (13:1–10)
Jeroboam's 'illegitimate cult activities' at the 'illegitimate holy site' of Bethel was exposed by a prophet from Judah who was loyal to YHWH and demonstrated that the miraculous power of God was superior to a king. The conflict in Bethel may lead to the story of prophet Amos' appearance in Bethel (cf. Amos 7:10–17). The anonymous prophet foretold the end of Jeroboam's dynasty and the northern kingdom, that only the 'house of David' would remain to take action against the high places in Bethel (cf. Josiah's actions in 2 Kings 22:1–23:10). The broken altar provided a sign that the prophecy is true, whereas Jeroboam's withered hand showed the impotence of the king against the prophetic word.


1 Kings 13, The old prophet and the man of God (13:11–34)
The second narrative of the chapter deals with the meeting between two prophets to address the question "who can decide who is right when two prophets speak, claiming God'sauthority, yet contradict each other?" (cf. 1 Kings 22 and Jeremiah 27–28). In the story, the 'true' prophet allowed himself to be deceived by the 'false' prophet and paid for it with his life, so that his death convinced skeptics of the 'true' prophet's relationship to God.


1 Kings 13, The old prophet and the man of God (13:11–34)
As the previous passage, the focus of the story was 'the holy site in Bethel and its altar', both of which were contaminated by 'Jeroboam's sin': the prophet's word immediately destroyed the altar (verses 3, 5) and the holy site would be abolished 300years later by King Josiah (2 Kings 23:15–18), while the common grave of both prophets was preserved. Another point of the story is that God requires 'complete and radical obedience' to what he has commanded, not to be swayed by another's claim that God had spoken through the other person.


1 Kings 14
1 Kings 14 is the fourteenth chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section comprising 1 Kings 12:1 to 16:14 which documents the consolidation of the kingdoms of northern Israel and Judah. The focus of this chapter is the reigns Jeroboam and Nadab in the northern kingdom and Rehoboam in the southern kingdom.


1 Kings 14, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 31 verses.


1 Kings 14, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


1 Kings 14, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


1 Kings 14, A breach between Ahijah of Shiloh and Jeroboam (14:1–20)
After the event in previous chapter Jeroboam received a further rebuke from Ahijah of Shiloh, when he attempted to cheat the prophet who was already old and blind, to get a word about his sick child. Although Jeroboam's wife was well disguised, the prophet immediately recognized her (in contrast to Genesis 27) and mercilessly revealed that her child (also Jeroboam's) would die (thematically similar to 1 Samuel 9:1–10:16 and  2 Kings 1). The same prophet who prophesied Jeroboam's rise to power (1 Kings 11:29–39) now forecasts the fall of Jeroboam's dynasty, because Jeroboam failed to behave like David.


1 Kings 14, A breach between Ahijah of Shiloh and Jeroboam (14:1–20)
The end of Jeroboam's family would be dishonorable as the bodies of his family members would not be properly buried but would be eaten by 'dogs and birds' (verse 11, cf. 1 Samuel 31:8–13 for the significance of proper burial), and the fulfillment happened quickly in the second year of the reign of Jeroboam's son, Nadab (1 Kings 15:29–30).


1 Kings 14, A breach between Ahijah of Shiloh and Jeroboam (14:1–20)
The pattern of prophecy and fulfilment are common in the books of Kings (cf. 1 Kings 11:29–31 then 12:15; 16:1–4 then 16:11–12; 21:21–23 then 22:38 + 2 Kings 9:36–37; 2 Kings 9:7–10 then 10:17; 21:10–15 then 24:2; 22:16–17 then 25:1–7), emphasizing that the history of Israel is dictated by its relationship to God.


1 Kings 14, A breach between Ahijah of Shiloh and Jeroboam (14:1–20), Verse 15
Without a strong, continuous dynasty in the northern kingdom of Israel, the land would know only the instability of 'a reed shaken (blown by the wind) in the water', and finally be exiled to places beyond "the River" (that is, "Euphrates") in Assyria.


1 Kings 14, Rehoboam's reign in Judah and the attack of Shishak (14:21–31)
The proper introductory formula, an editorial principe in Kings, is only now inserted for Rehoboam, although his reign was mentioned in the story of the kingdom's division. It was mentioned twice (verses 21, 31) that Rehoboam's mother was an Ammonite, recalling Solomon's foreign wives and their idol-worship (1 Kings 11:1–8) that caused widespread idolatry in Judah (not confined to Jerusalem, as with Solomon).


1 Kings 14, Rehoboam's reign in Judah and the attack of Shishak (14:21–31)
Standard sentences (verses 22–24) were used repeatedly later in the books of Kings to build the case 'how breaches of the first commandment formed the underlying evil' which led to the downfall (and implicitly, exile) of the kingdom of Judah (and even earlier, the kingdom of [northern] Israel). Just five years after the death of Solomon, Pharaoh Shishak plundered the wealth that Solomon had accumulated as a high price of freedom for Jerusalem, a first sign of warning for 'the city that the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there' (verse 21). The invasion of Shishak is documented in Egyptian sources and archaeological record, the first event in the Bible to have support from independent witnesses.


1 Kings 14, Rehoboam's reign in Judah and the attack of Shishak (14:21–31), Verse 25
Most scholars support the identification by Champollion with Shoshenq I of the 22nd dynasty (ruled Egypt 945–924 BCE), who left behind "explicit records of a campaign into Canaan (scenes; a long list of Canaanite place-names from the Negev to Galilee; stelae), including a stela [found] at Megiddo", and Bubastite Portal at Karnak, although Jerusalem was not mentioned in any of these campaign records. A common variant of Shoshenq's name omits its 'n' glyphs, resulting in a pronunciation like, "Shoshek". Other identifications of Shishak are:


1 Kings 15
1 Kings 15 is the fifteenth chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section comprising 1 Kings 12:1 to 16:14 which documents the consolidation of the kingdoms of northern Israel and Judah. The focus of this chapter is the reigns Abijam (or Abijah) and Asa in the southern kingdom, as well as Nadab and Baasha in the northern kingdom.


1 Kings 15, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 34 verses.


1 Kings 15, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


1 Kings 15, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


1 Kings 15, Abijam, the king of Judah (15:1–8)
Abijam is the first king who is given synchronized dating, that is, correlation to the line of kings in the northern kingdoms, a reminder of the common heritage, despite their separate development, as the people of YHWH.


1 Kings 15, Abijam, the king of Judah (15:1–8)
The names of the Judean queen mothers are always noted for specific political reasons: as an overriding factor to decide who took up the reins of the government among rival parties and interest-groups (cf. 1 Kings 1), also as she held a specific rank of 'mistress' (synonymous with the Hebrew word for 'queen mother') giving her power especially in the case of her son's death, similar to other cultures of the ancient Near East, such as amongst the Hittites.


1 Kings 15, Abijam, the king of Judah (15:1–8)
Abijam did not rule for long (about two full years, cf. verse 1 with 15:9; the number 'three' in 15:2 can be explained since the years of accession and death were not complete calendar years).


1 Kings 15, Abijam, the king of Judah (15:1–8)
Abijam was given a poor rating as a king, because he did not reverse the (alleged) atrocities introduced by Rehoboam, and failed to be "like David", but for David's sake, God still gave "a lamp in Jerusalem" (verse 4; cf. 1 Kings 11:36) even when there were conflicts with the northern state at this time (v. 7b, probably a note from the annals of the Judean kings).


1 Kings 15, Asa, the king of Judah (15:9–24)
Asa reigned for an unusually long time in Jerusalem, seeing five Israelite kings rise and fall before Ahab started to reign, until Asa was 'diseased in his feet' in old age, which indicates his son Jehoshaphat's regency during Asa's lifetime.


1 Kings 15, Asa, the king of Judah (15:9–24)
He was given a good assessment compared to David, though he did not abolish the high places outside Jerusalem (which was left to Josiah, 2 Kings 23:8), but otherwise was regarded as exemplary as he 'made pious donations' to the temple, 'chased the cult-prostitutes out' of the land (cf. 1 Kings 14:24), and dismissed the queen mother (his grandmother) 'because she had made an abominable image for Asherah'. The queen mother, Maacah, was the mother of Abijam, not Asa, but kept her position as queen mother following Abijam's early death until Asa relieved her of the post.


1 Kings 15, Asa, the king of Judah (15:9–24)
Asa's strategy to fend off northern Israel's provocative expansion of the Benjaminite town of Ramah into a border fortress (cf. Joshua 18:25) was questionable, because he incited the Aramean king in Damascus to carry out a military attack on northern Israel, devastating Galilee, and while the Israelite king turned his back on the south to concentrate on the enemy in the north, Asa took the chance to build his own border fortress in Ramah, using the available materials from the northern kingdom.


1 Kings 15, Nadab, the king of Israel (15:25–32)
The narrative turns to the kingdom of northern Israel, where Nadab, son ofJeroboam I, inherited a dynasty which only lasted a short time, although he managed to wage war against the Philistines in the Philistine territory (apparently resumed the war which Saul had begun; cf. 1 Samuel 13–14; 31). The motives of Baasha was not clear on why he overthrew the king and liquidated the entire royal family, other than stated as everything came to pass as prophesied by the prophet Ahijah that due to Jeroboam's sin, his 'house' had to be eliminated and Baasha carried it out. However, this is not a licence for political murder, for in 1 Kings 16:7 Baasha and his son would pay the price for the bloodbath he brought upon the house of Jeroboam (God may use humans as instruments of his judgement, but he does notcondone their crimes).


1 Kings 15, Baasha, the king of Israel (15:33–34)
It is already recorded in previous passages how Baasha became the second founder of a dynasty in the northern kingdom of Israel (after killing the heir of the previous dynasty, 15:27–28), and was involved in a war on two fronts against Judah and Syria (15:17–22). Now it is noted that he reigned for twenty-four years in Tirzah, a city in the territory of Manasseh (generally identified as "el-Far'ah", about 10 km. north of Nablus) which Jeroboam had already used as a residence (1 Kings 14:17). Baasha was given a poor rating as king because he walked 'in the way of Jeroboam', a religious (not political) criteria, as he left the bull cult of Bethel (and Dan) untouched.


1 Kings 16
1 Kings 16 is the sixteenth chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section comprising 1 Kings 12:1 to 16:14 which documents the consolidation of the kingdoms of northern Israel and Judah. The focus of this chapter is the reigns Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri and Ahab in the northern kingdom during the reign of Asa in the southern kingdom.


1 Kings 16, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 34 verses.


1 Kings 16, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


1 Kings 16, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century). A long addition is found in the Septuagint of Codex Vaticanus following 1 Kings 16:28 (numbered as verses 28a–28h).


1 Kings 16, End of reign of Baasha, the king of Israel (16:1–7)
Baasha was 'walking in the way of Jeroboam', left the bull cult of Bethel (and Dan) intact, although he had eliminated the Jeroboam dynasty, so a prophet, Jehu ben Hanani, confronted him and gave him a warning and a scolding (verses 2–4) very similar to that of Ahijah of Shiloh (1 KIngs 14:7–11), resulting in parallels of fates befallen Baasha's and Jeroboam's dynasties.


1 Kings 16, Elah, the king of Israel (16:8–14)
As happened with Jeroboam, the end of dynasty befell not during the reign of the founder of the dynasty, but of his son, very soon after his accession. Baasha's dynasty was eliminated on the second year of Elah, the son of Baasha, lasting no longer than Nadab, the son of Jeroboam. The assassin was Zimri a high-ranking officer, "commander of half the chariot troop" (a military form used in Israel since the time of Solomon, cf. 1 Kings 5:6,10:26; another officer of a chariot troop, Jehu, later also led a coup as recorded in 2 Kings 9). Zimri's butchery included not only Baasha's family but also family friends (verse 11).


1 Kings 16, Zimri, the king of Israel (16:8–14)
Zimri was 'the most spectacularly unsuccessful king of all' rulers in Israel and Judah as his suicide ended his seven-day reign. While still in war with the Philistines, the Israel army resented the coup in its capital, and as a chariot officer, Zimri likely 'represented the urban, Canaanite elements of the state too strongly for the army totolerate', becaue it was dominated by more Israelite, tribal forces.


1 Kings 16, Omri, the king of Israel (16:21–28)
The displeased army didn't recognize Zimri, as king, but instead, spontaneously hailed the army chief Omri as their leader to immediately marched and quickly seized the royal residence in Tirzah. Zimri set the citadel alight himself and died in the fire. Omri did not automatically become the sole ruler of Israel, because a certain Tibni was chosen as king by half of the people until his death four years later (cf the dates in 1 Kings 16:15 and 16:23).


1 Kings 16, Omri, the king of Israel (16:21–28)
Omri's name was not of Israelite, but mightbe of Arabian origin; perhaps he worked his way to be an army general and then a head of state because of his 'unusually charismatic personality'. He founded a dynasty in northern Israel with great significance to the political development of the country, as possibly becoming the only true state at that time.


1 Kings 16, Omri, the king of Israel (16:21–28)
Archaeological studies have discovered a great amount of building from the period of this dynasty (the ninth century BCE) across the entire land: city walls and fortifications, administrationcentres etc., whereas non-biblical sources from Assyria, Aram, and Moab indicate 'reluctant respect' for the power and influence of Israel at the time of Omri's dynasty (Assyrian records refer to Israel as "the land of the house of Omri"). By establishing a new capital city belonging to the crown, as David had done before him (cf. 2 Samuel 5), Omri's kingdom achieved a stability.


1 Kings 16, Omri, the king of Israel (16:21–28)
Samaria (later Sebaste) was geopolitically and strategically well situated and could be built without taking larger, existing structures into account. It was equipped with a generous acropolis (about 180 x 90 meter in Omri's time to about 200 x 100 meter in Ahab's time), and created an opulent city in all respects (cf. Isaiah 28:1), which served as the royal residence of the Israelites until the destruction of the state.


1 Kings 16, Omri, the king of Israel (16:21–28)
However, the kingdom became further away from YHWH, so the prophets were increasingly brought to the foreground, especially Elijah and Elisha, who, despite being always loyal to YHWH, became 'necessary counterparts' to and sometimes advisors of the Israelite kings, while setting the standards of what is important and right in Israel.


1 Kings 16, Ahab, the king of Israel (16:29–34)
Ahab was considered as 'evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him', especially as he married the Phoenician princess Jezebel, built a temple for Baal (the classic Canaanite god of fertility, responsible for nature's rebirth) in Samaria, and erected a cult symbol for the goddess Asherah (the mother goddess of the Canaanite pantheon and stands atEl's, Baal's, or even YHWH's side, presumably symbolized by some wooden object such as a stylized tree).


1 Kings 16, Ahab, the king of Israel (16:29–34)
These could be the signs of Phoenician influence (cf. Jezebel's father's name: Ethbaal), although Ahab's action 'must have been driven by the need to appease the religious influence of Israel's urban Canaanite population', because Bethel and Dan were mainly Israelite YHWH-worshipping sites (cf. 1 Kings 12:25–30). Archaeological studies discovered the 9th-century establishment in Jericho. Two sons of Hiel, who was responsible for the construction of Jericho, died during the building of it (theywere not ritually killed, and this event was interpreted as an example of God's unambiguous word in form of Joshua's (prophetic) curse upon Jericho (Joshua 6:26).


1 Kings 17
1 Kings 17 is the seventeenth chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section comprising 1 Kings 16:15 to 2 Kings 8:29 which documents the period of Omri's dynasty. The focus of this chapter is the activity of prophet Elijah during the reign of king Ahab in the northern kingdom.


1 Kings 17, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 24 verses.


1 Kings 17, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


1 Kings 17, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


1 Kings 17, Elijah's conflict with Ahab and his flight (17:1–6)
Following the list of Ahab's mistake in the previous chapter, prophet Elijah suddenly appeared to confront the king with YHWH's word against Ahab's policy of syncretizing the worship of YHWH and Baal, and declaring the war against Baal (as the god of fertility and rain) that the land would suffer drought and hunger (only YHWH can control rain). This set up a tense conflict between the worship of the two deities which would be resolved in 1 Kings 18:41-5. As soon as he finished with his message, Elijah withdrew to a small east Jordanian river valley, being fed by the usually greedy (ravenous) ravens.


1 Kings 17, Elijah and the widow in Zarephath (17:7–16)
After a period of time, Elijah experienced the same drought as the people of Israel with brook near where he lived running dry, so God sent him to the Sidon region, on the coast of Phoenicia (modern Lebanon), home of Queen Jezebel, and the heartland of Baal worship (cf. 1 Kings 16:31). Elijah was to find a widow to feed him there by having randomly asked a woman at the gates of Zarephath for water and then for bread. When she claimed, 'as YHWH your God lives', that she and her son are starving themselves, Elijah repeated his wish, but adding the soothing words, 'Do not be afraid', and a prophecy of an endless supply of food, which happened as Elijah had said.


1 Kings 17, Elijah awakens the dead (17:17–24)
This story as the previous one involves the same three people and deals with the same question of whether it is worthwhile to support the men of God, whose presence might bring not only death (by revealing sins and bestowing punishment, verse 18), but also life. The narrative is closely related to that in 2 Kings 4:18-37, showing that while a prophet 'plays the role of a magician reviving a dead soul by a ritual action', only God has the authority over life and death (the prophet had to plead twice to God).


1 Kings 17, Elijah awakens the dead (17:17–24)
There are notable parallels of this narrative with the raising of the son of the widow of Nain in Luke 7, especially some verbal parallels. The raising of the son of the woman of Shunem (2 Kings 4) by Elisha is also similar, giving an example of a repeated pattern in the history of redemption.


1 Kings 18
1 Kings 18 is the eighteenth chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section comprising 1 Kings 16:15 to 2 Kings 8:29 which documents the period of Omri's dynasty. The focus of this chapter is the activity of prophet Elijah during the reign of king Ahab in the northern kingdom.


1 Kings 18, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 46 verses.


1 Kings 18, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


1 Kings 18, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


1 Kings 18, Elijah and Obadiah (18:1–16)
The main theme of the narrative is drought and rain. As the land of Israel including the king suffered under the drought, YHWH sent for Elijah to bring about the crisis and then the solution to the conflict between the worship of two deities. Before Elijah faced Ahab, one (God-fearing) minister, named Obadiah (meaning: 'servant of YHWH') became an intermediate.


1 Kings 18, Elijah and Obadiah (18:1–16)
Obadiah was also the one helping to hide YHWH's servants during a purge of prophets by queen Jezebel (apparently the reason of Elijah's journey to the river of Kerith into the foreign territory of Phoenicia in Zarephath), so when Elijah unexpectedly standing before him, Obadiah fell to the ground in fear and respect. Similar miraculous transport of God's prophets is noted in Ezekiel 3:14, 11:1, cf. 2 Kings 2:11.


1 Kings 18, Elijah and the competition between the deities on Mount Carmel (18:17–40)
As soon as Ahab met Elijah, he tried to hold the prophet responsible for the calamity befallen Israel, calling Elijah 'the troubler of Israel' (verse 17; cf. Joshua 6:18; 7:25 concerning Achan, whose sin brought God's judgment on Israel) . Elijah immediately threw the accusation back at Ahab for the apostasy sin of him and his father's house forsaking YHWH and following the Baals.


1 Kings 18, Elijah and the competition between the deities on Mount Carmel (18:17–40)
In Joshua 7, the identity of the true 'troubler of Israel' was revealed in public before "all Israel", so in this case, Elijah wanted "all Israel" to gather on Mount Carmel, a place near to the Phoenician border, to resolve the matter. The people of Israel at this point seemed not to hold YHWH monotheism anymore as they didn't react to the choice Elijah offering at all: 'YHWH or Baal' alone, but they agreed to witness the competition (while the prophets of Baal didn't reply to the challenge).


1 Kings 18, Elijah and the competition between the deities on Mount Carmel (18:17–40)
Amiracle must bring truth to light, and it was quickly revealed that the Baals are incapable of doing this, even after their priests performing the whole cultic and ritual activities of Baalistic religion (as reliably reported in this narrative: the 'prayer, rhythmic movements, and self-mortification building up to ecstasy', verses 26–29). This violent cultic frenzy of Baalistic activities with 'swords and lances' (=spears) was attested by an Egyptian traverer "Wen-Amon" or "Wenamun", who around 1100 BCE witnessed it in Byblos, a Phoenician coastal city north of Jezebel's hometown of Sidon.


1 Kings 18, Elijah and the competition between the deities on Mount Carmel (18:17–40)
By contrast, YHWH-religion only requires the spoken word (prayer) to immediately produce miracles. The people who saw the demonstration of divine power quickly turned to YHWH's side with a call of faith, 'The LORD indeed is God', which unmistakably recalls Elijah's name ('my God is YHWH'), so the personal conviction of Elijah then became that of the people of Israel.


1 Kings 18, Elijah brings rain (18:41–46)
The triumph of Elijah on Mount Carmel seems to make king Ahab even listen to Elijah's word, that the king should eat and drink while expecting the rain to come soon. The return of the rains is another triumph for Elijah, who called for rain seven times (verses 42–44) and as the rain started to pour, Elijah had the 'hand of theLORD' grasping him so he could run ahead of the royal chariots for more than 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Carmel to Jezreel. Thus, the opening conflict of 16:32–33 and 17:1 is resolved by proving YHWH to be the only effective God.


1 Kings 19
1 Kings 19 is the nineteenth chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section comprising 1 Kings 16:15 to 2 Kings 8:29 which documents the period of Omri's dynasty. The focus of this chapter is the activity of prophet Elijah during the reign of king Ahab in the northern kingdom.


1 Kings 19, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 21 verses.


1 Kings 19, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


1 Kings 19, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


1 Kings 19, Elijah's flight to Horeb (19:1–8)
The strife for the exclusive worship of YHWH and against Baalism in Israel took longer time and less straightforward than expected from 1 Kings 18—a fact reflected in Elijah's sudden flight toHoreb, the name used in the Book of Deuteronomy and Chronicles for Mount Sinai, where the Israelites received the Ten Commandments. The dispirited Elijah miraculously received food and water as well as encouragement twice before reaching the mountain of God (cf. 1 Kings 18:46).


1 Kings 19, Elijah's meeting with God on Horeb (19:9–18)
Patterning after Moses who met God on Mount Horeb (Exodus 24; 33) Elijah hoped to have a similar meeting. However, instead of encountering God in impressive natural phenomena (which would have been connected with the weather god Baal) nor in violent power (such as in 1 Kings 18:40), Elijah met a completely different God whose approach was 'extremely powerful and quietly beautiful', a clear contrast to that of 1 Kings 18 and especially 2 Kings 10.


1 Kings 19, Elijah's meeting with God on Horeb (19:9–18)
The prophet was twice asked the reason for his presence, and twice he replied with the same frustration, as if God had not appeared to him in the meantime. God spoke of the 7,000 Israelites who did not kneel before Baal to redress the balance of Elijah's complaint about his apparent solitude. During that meeting Elijah was charged to enlist three warriors for YHWH's cause, two of whom would 'draw a line of blood through history': Hazael of Aram and Jehu of Israel. The third one is the prophet Elisha who would actually anoint the other two to carry out Elijah's mission after Elijah was taken up to heaven (cf. 2 Kings 8:7–15; 9:1–10).


1 Kings 19, Elijah charges Elisha (19:19–21)
In his lifetime, Elijah only fulfilled one out of three required appointments in 19:15-16, that is of Elisha, who would fulfill the other two appointments, when he later took over Elijah's staff (or his mantle, which was apparently his hallmark; cf. 2 Kings 2:8,14; in 1 Kings 1:8 a different Hebrew word is used). Becoming Elijah's disciple ("servant") required Elisha, who appeared to be a rich farmer, to relinquish his property and family and only to 'follow' Elijah(cf. Matthew 4:19; 8:18–22). After Elijah was taken up to heaven, Elisha would anoint Hazael (2 Kings 8:7–15) and Jehu (1 Kings 9:1–13).


1 Kings 2
1 Kings 2 is the second chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section focusing on the reign of Solomon over the unified kingdom of Judah and Israel (1 Kings 1 to 11). The focus of this chapter is the reign of David and Solomon, the kings of Israel.


1 Kings 2, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 53 verses.


1 Kings 2, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


1 Kings 2, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century). In the middle of chapter 2 in 1 Kings (3 Reigns 2), the Septuagint of Codex Vaticanus has two long additions, called  "Additions 1 and 2":


1 Kings 2, Analysis
The first two chapters of the Books of Kings describe the final phase of David's story and the beginning of Solomon's. These chapters are markedly written differently than other biblical and extrabiblical ancient literature.


1 Kings 2, David's bequest to Solomon (2:1–12)
This section contains the only time in the books of Kings that David spoke directly to Solomon. The parting words are similar to God's words to Joshua after the death of Moses (Joshua 1:6–9). David first charged Solomon to reign in accordance to the "law of Moses" (cf. Deuteronomy 4:29; 6:2; 8:6; 9:5; 11:1; 29:9), because everyone in Israel, even the king (cf. Deuteronomy 17:18–20; Psalm 132:12; cf. 2 Samuel 7:14–16), should fall under God and his laws.


1 Kings 2, David's bequest to Solomon (2:1–12)
It is followed by David's complaints to the 'wise' Solomon about the 'enemies', which were Joab and Shimei (cf. 2 Samuel 3:27; 20:9–10; 16:5–14; cf. 19:24) and incited him to deal with them, which gave legitimation for the subsequent purges. David also encouraged reward for the old Barzillai (verse 7, cf. 2 Samuel 17:26–29; 19:32–39). After all the words, David was able to die in peace and buried in the necropolis within the "city of David".


1 Kings 2, The elimination of Adonijah (2:13–25)
After a while, Adonijah began to 'dig his own grave' by lusting after Abishag the Shunammite, which is a dangerous move, because 'she had, after all, lain in his father's bed', and 2 Samuel 16:20–22 indicate that having a sexual liaison with David's concubines was to legitimize Absalom's claim to the throne. Adonijah correctly recognized the power and influence of Bathseba as the queen mother (shown in verse 19), but he failed to understand her intentions and character, as she seemed to support Adonijah's petition, yet slipped the phrase 'your brother' to awaken Solomon's fears. Solomon used the opportunity to order Adonijah's execution by the unscrupulous Benaiah.


1 Kings 2, The elimination of Abiathar (2:26–27)
Solomon did not dare to harm Abiathar, one of David's trusted priests, but he had the authority relieve the priest of all duties and banish him to Anathoth, a small country town about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of Jerusalem. This is a fulfillment 1 Samuel 2:27–36. Jeremiah the prophet also came from Anatoth (Jeremiah 1:1; 32), so could be his descendant. Interestingly, David did not mention Abiathar nor Adonijah in his last words, so the actions against them were solely Solomon's decision. Zadok (cf 2 Chronicles 1:8,10, 34, 39) became the sole high priest after the departure of Abiathar (verse 35).


1 Kings 2, The elimination of Joab (2:28–35)
Joab realized the direction of the purge, so he took refuge in the holy tent, but Solomon used Joab's word "I will die here" as a request that the king would gladly grant with the addition of justifying words of Joab's past sins (verses 31–33), so Benaiah, under the explicit order of the king, could execute Joab at the altar. For his loyal service Benaiah was appointed to Joab's post as army chief (verse 35).


1 Kings 2, The elimination of Shimei (2:36–46)
Solomon plays a cruel game with Shimei, who had done unpleasant things to David, but later received David's personal promise of safety (2 Samuel 16:5–14 and 19:17–24). The king placed Shimei under housearrest, and would only be executed if he left his house with the addition of a seemingly reasonable requirement "not crossing the Wadi Kidron" on the east of Jerusalem. However, when Shimei eventually left his house to Gath, west of Jerusalem, the leaving of the house was the ground for his execution by Benaiah. The outcome of the actions in this chapter is that the kingdom was then firmly in Solomon's hands.


1 Kings 20
1 Kings 20 is the 20th chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section comprising 1 Kings 16:15 to 2 Kings 8:29 which documents the period of Omri's dynasty. The focus of this chapter is the reign of king Ahab in the northern kingdom.


1 Kings 20, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 43 verses.


1 Kings 20, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


1 Kings 20, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century). The extant palimpsest AqBurkitt contains verses 7–17 in Koine Greek translated by Aquila of Sinope approximately in the early or mid-second century CE.


1 Kings 20, Ahab's victory over the Arameans (20:1–34)
1 Kings 20 and 22 record a series of wars between an Aramean king, Benhadad, and King Ahabof Israel. With the help of prophetic oracles, the Israelite king managed to repeatedly defeat an aggressive, arrogant and stronger enemy.


1 Kings 20, Ahab's victory over the Arameans (20:1–34)
The Arameans initially regarded YHWH to be 'a mountain god who had no power on the plains' (verses 23), based on the religious and social history that YHWH's home was originally the mountains of southern Sinai and Edom (Exodus 3; Judges 5:4) and Israel was developed into an ethnic and political power on the mountains of Israel/Palestine (Judges 1:27-35; 1 Samuel 13–14; 2 Samuel 2:9). However, at the end it was shown that the entire country belongs to YHWH (and his people), even Ahab managed to force Ben-hadad to accept the establishment of an Israelite trading office in Damascus (verse34). This period may fit the record from Assyrian sources that Ahab and the Aramean king, Adad-idri (Aramaic: "Hadadezer") were closely allied to each other to fight Assyrian army (ANET 276–277).


1 Kings 20, A prophetic warning to Ahab (20:35–43)
The positive outcome of the war against Aram was tarnished by Ahab's action to make business contracts with Benhadad, instead of killing him  ("devoted him to destruction", which was an 'underlying principle of Deuteronomistic theory and historical writing'; cf. Deuteronomy 13:12–18; 20:16–18; Joshua 6–7; 11:10–15, etc.). The prophetic rebuke was given through a prophet's ingenious scheming which forced the king to call out his own error and 'bring judgementupon himself' (cf. as Nathan did to David in 2 Samuel 12).


1 Kings 21
1 Kings 21 is the 21st chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section comprising 1 Kings 16:15 to 2 Kings 8:29 which documents the period of Omri's dynasty. The focus of this chapter is the reign of king Ahab in the northern kingdom.


1 Kings 21, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 29 verses.


1 Kings 21, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


1 Kings 21, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


1 Kings 21, Ahab's and Jezebel's judicial murder of Naboth (21:1–16)
In ancient Israel the farming families (comprising over 90% of the population) were legally protected of landownership (Leviticus 25; Deuteronomy 5:21), so they have a secure economic existence and thus firm citizen's rights by the allocation of sufficient land. The farmer Naboth had thus the right as well as the duty to bequeath his land to his family and not to outsiders, to inhibit the alienation of family property (e.g., Leviticus 25:8–34; Numbers 27:9–11).


1 Kings 21, Ahab's and Jezebel's judicial murder of Naboth (21:1–16)
King Ahab was to abide to this rule, but this passage shows 'how unscrupulously the king's power over the civilian rights could still be used and how compliant the lay assessors' court was to his wishes', especially when it was driven by a queen originated from abroad (Jezebel was from Sidon, Phoenicia) and did not respect (or understand) Israelite ethics. In any case, the scandal of Naboth was still an individual case, whereas the theft of land by the ruling class 100 years later would become an economic principle (Isaiah 5:8; Amos 2:6; Micah 2:1-2).


1 Kings 21, Elijah's judgement against Ahab and his court (21:17–29)
The evil act towards Naboth required someone to confront the king and under such circumstances this was normally a prophet, such as Elijah who suddenly stood before king Ahab in the vineyards of Naboth. After briefly listening to Ahab's surprised question (verse 20: 'Have you found me, O my enemy? '), Elijah firmly threw his accusation (verse 19: 'Have you killed, and also taken possession? '), and immediately announced the judgement (verse 19: 'In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs will also lick up your blood').


1 Kings 21, Elijah's judgement against Ahab and his court (21:17–29)
Elijah must have scolded Ahab in a lengthy speech (verses 20b–22, 24, closely related to the speeches in 1 Kings 14:7–11 and 2 Kings 9:7–10) repeating the king's religious failings (verses 25–26). Ahab's response as a repentant sinner postponed his judgement to the next generation (verses 27–29). The reference in 2 Kings 9:36–37 ascertains the fulfilment of the prophecy. A parallel rendering of this story can be found in 2 Kings 9:25–26.


1 Kings 22
1 Kings 22 is the 22nd (and the last) chapter of the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible or the first part of Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section comprising 1 Kings 16:15 to 2 Kings 8:29 which documents the period of Omri's dynasty. The focus of this chapter is the reign of king Ahab and Ahaziah in the northern kingdom, as well as of king Jehoshaphat in the southern kingdom.


1 Kings 22, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 53 verses in Christian Bibles, but into 54 verses in the Hebrew Bible as in the verse numbering comparison table below.


1 Kings 22, Text, Verse numbering
This article generally follows the common numbering in Christian English Bible versions, with notes to the numbering in Hebrew Bible versions.


1 Kings 22, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, that is, 6Q4 (6QpapKgs; 150–75 BCE) with extant verses 28–31.


1 Kings 22, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


1 Kings 22, Death of Ahab (22:1–40)
Despite the announcement that his punishment for his crime against Naboth only befell his sons and he seemed to die of natural causes (1 Kings 22:40), Ahab was not left unreprimanded. The narrative of his death displays much life of Ahab into a single climactic story:


1 Kings 22, Death of Ahab (22:1–40)
Three prophets, three warnings, three witnesses; these are the sign of Yahweh's continuing mercy to Ahab and Ahab cannot plead ignorance nor innocence: first warning, Ahab became sullen and angry; second warning, Ahab showed repentance; third warning: Ahab defiantly went to battle in disguise, but he got three chances, so it was strike three, in the third year (1 Kings 22:1), and he was removed.


1 Kings 22, Death of Ahab (22:1–40)
The peace between Aram and Israel following the Battle of Aphek (1 Kings 20) lasted three years, Ahab decided to capture the strategic Transjordan trading hub, Ramoth Gilead, while he made use of the close ties between the kingdoms of Judah and Israel (remained until the rise of Jehu and Joash (2 Kings 9–11)). Ahab did not hesitate to sacrifice Jehoshaphat (Ahab advised Jehoshaphat not to disguise) to the enemy in order to save himself who went in disguise (verses 29–30). However, the results were different (verses 31–36) as Jehoshaphat remained unhurt whereas a stray arrow hit Ahab and he could not left battlefield until evening (verse 38; related to Elijah's prophecy in 1 Kings 21:19).


1 Kings 22, Death of Ahab (22:1–40)
The narrative also has an underlying theme of the battle between true and false prophecy (first initiated in 1 Kings 13). A fundamental problem regarding the prophets is the unaccountability of their own attitude towards God's messages (as in Jeremiah 28 and Micah 3:5–8). Micaiah ben Imlah states that the 'prophets' with opposing messages were possessed by an evil spirit who helped to drive Ahab to death, because he witnessed the discussions at a heavenly council (in a vision, cf. Isaiah 6). Just as Isaiah's warning to the people was ignored (Isaiah 6:9–10), Micaiah's message for Ahab to change course was not heard, so Ahab would meet his doom according to the true prophecy from YHWH.


1 Kings 22, Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah (22:41–50)
Jehoshaphat was officially introduced, after the report that he was closely linked to Ahab, supporting the statement in the Annals that there was no war with Israel during his reign. The kingdom of Judah at this time controlled Edom and therefore had access to the Red Sea at the seaport of Ezion-geber, but they lacked the nautical skill to undertake trade projects and the big ships (the type which can sail to Tarshish) were wrecked at the harbor


1 Kings 22, Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah (22:41–50), Verse 43
Verse 22:43b in the English Bible is numbered as 22:44 in the Hebrew text (BHS).


1 Kings 22, Ahaziah, the king of Israel (22:51–53)
Ahaziah, Ahab's son and successor, followed the footsteps of his father and his mother in his short reign, so did not change the punishment of Omri's dynasty which was only postponed.


1 Kings 3
1 Kings 3 is the third chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section focusing on the reign of Solomon over the unified kingdom of Judah and Israel (1 Kings 1 to 11). The focus of this chapter is the reign of Solomon, the king of Israel.


1 Kings 3, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 28 verses.


1 Kings 3, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, that is, 6Q4 (6QpapKgs; 150–75 BCE) with extant verses 12–14.


1 Kings 3, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


1 Kings 3, Analysis
This chapter contains one of the important 'biblical treatments' of wisdom in the practical (or,  in this case, also political) context. The first part is dominated with Solomon's request for wisdom, whereas the last part is the demonstration of the wisdom he received from God. The story of Solomon's judgment is similar in certain aspects to the events in 1 Kings 1–2 as in the table below:


1 Kings 3, Solomon's prayer for wisdom (3:1–15)
Early in his reign, Solomon entered a diplomatic marriage with the Egyptian Pharaoh's daughter which played a significant role in the story of Solomon (cf. 1 Kings 7:8; 9:16; 11:1), although Solomon's heir (Rehoboam) was not born from her, but from Solomon's Ammonite wife (1 Kings 14:21). Solomon received a good mark in the early religious assessment, noted that "he loved YHWH" (just as YHWH loved him, 2 Samuel 12:24).


1 Kings 3, Solomon's prayer for wisdom (3:1–15)
One negative note was that there were 'high places' – sacrificial sites in top of hills, but this happened because Solomon had not yet built the Temple in Jerusalem, which should later be the only place of worship according to the Torah of Moses (Deuteronomy 12). Solomon also went to a high place in Gibeon (today al-Jib, about 8 km (5.0 mi) north-west of Jerusalem) to offer a great sacrifice to God and stayed overnight there, when God appeared to him to offer him a free wish. In the Hebrew Bible (and also in the New Testament) dreams are a legitimate method of discovering God's will (cf. Genesis 28; 37; 1 Samuel 28:6, 15; Joel 3:1; Daniel 2; Matthew 2:13), although it could also open to abuse (cf. Jeremiah 23:25–27; Zechariah 10:2, cf. Psalms 73:20).


1 Kings 3, Solomon's judgement (3:16–28)
This section records one episode of Solomon putting to effect the wisdom granted to him in giving an 'unusually clever court judgement' when he was confronted with a seemingly insoluble problem: 'claim against counter-claim without witnesses or evidence'. It was the maternal love– in itself not a legally relevant factor– that supplied 'the key to truth and justice'. The wisdom of Solomon in the administration of justice is an important royal function (cf. 2 Samuel 8:15; 15:2–6).


1 Kings 4
1 Kings 4 is the fourth chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section focusing on the reign of Solomon over the unified kingdom of Judah and Israel (1 Kings 1 to 11). The focus of this chapter is the reign of Solomon, the king of Israel.


1 Kings 4, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 34 verses.


1 Kings 4, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


1 Kings 4, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


1 Kings 4, Analysis
The structure of the first 28 verses of this chapter centers on the abundant provision of Solomon's table:


1 Kings 4, Analysis
The section starting from 1 Kings 4:29 to 1 Kings 5:12 is organized as a chiasm:


1 Kings 4, Solomon's royal officials and officers (4:1–19)
The orderly structure of the kingdom shows the quality of Solomon's wisdom, resulting in happy and prosperous citizens, fulfilling not only the Abrahamic promise (Genesis 22:17), but also the fruit of Joshua's conquest (Joshua 11:23). A comparison with David's list of officers (2 Samuel 8:16–18; 20:23–26) demonstrate the continuity and development of the court, with the increase of the number of ministers: some remained (Ado[ni]ram] and Jehoshaphat), some removed (Joab and Abiathar), one promoted (Benaiah), and some as rewards to his party followers (Zadok's son, Azariah, and Nathan's sons in verse 5).


1 Kings 4, Solomon's royal officials and officers (4:1–19)
Provincial governors were assigned in the twelve provinces of Israel, mainly of northern Israel, not including Jerusalem and the land of Judah, nor the 'foreign possessions' (verses 7–19). The geographical organization of the list is interesting: beginning with the central mountains of Ephraim, moving north (Naphtali, Asher, and Issachar) and concluding with the south and south-east (Benjamin and Gad).


1 Kings 4, Solomon's prosperity and wisdom (4:20–34)
Under Solomon, the kingdom prospered and had a security from the neighboring states from the Euphrates to Egypt, while the state administration had become larger and more centralized since the time of Saul. Verses 29–34 focus on Solomon's wisdom, a full circle of Solomon's history since 1 Kings 3:1–15, more on the academic aspect, instead of as a king or a judge. In Solomon's time, science was already international, with the texts of wisdom from the whole of the ancient Near East (as found in archaeology) containing accumulated general knowledge. Solomon is named as the author of the many proverbs (verse 32; Proverbs 10:1; 25:1; hence also 1:1) and songs (Psalm 72, Psalm 127; Song 1:1). He also has ability to enumerate creation in natural order (verse 33; cf. Job 38–39, Psalm 104, and Genesis 1).


1 Kings 5
1 Kings 5 is the fifth chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section focusing on the reign of Solomon over the unified kingdom of Judah and Israel (1 Kings 1 to 11). The focus of this chapter is the reign of Solomon, the king of Israel.


1 Kings 5, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 18 verses.


1 Kings 5, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


1 Kings 5, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


1 Kings 5, Analysis
The first 12 verses of this chapter continue the section of 1 Kings 4:29–34 to form a chiasm:


1 Kings 5, Solomon's contract with Hiram of Tyre (5:1–12)
Israel at the time of David was a lowly developed agrarian country, so Solomon needed foreign help for his building projects, as the rest that eluded his father was finally achieved (2 Samuel 7:1, 10–13). The Phoenicians were suitable partners because of their world-wide trading connections, high cultural standards, and the source of large timber in the mountains of Lebanon. Solomon ordered timber shipments and offered compensation not only for the materials but also for labor. Hiram's price is the delivery of a large quantity of wheat and oil from Israel. The discussion between the two kings included the notes of the Davidic covenant and the clarification of why Solomon, not David before him, the one who built the temple.


1 Kings 5, Forced labor in Israel (5:13–18)
The massive availability of forced labor from 'all Israel' (cf. 1 Kings 9:20–23) would later be the cause of the kingdom's partition (1 Kings 12). The Israelite task force sent to Lebanon consisted of 'conscripted workers' from the Canaanite population and 150,000 people of Israel (cf. 1 Kings 4:6).


1 Kings 6
1 Kings 6 is the sixth chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section focusing on the reign of Solomon over the unified kingdom of Judah and Israel (1 Kings 1 to 11). The focus of this chapter is the reign of Solomon, the king of Israel.


1 Kings 6, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 38 verses.


1 Kings 6, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


1 Kings 6, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


1 Kings 6, Analysis
1 Kings 6 to 7 cover the building of the temple, with insertions of information about Solomon's palace, the "house of the forest of Lebanon", the hall of the throne, the hall of judgment, and a house for Pharaoh's daughter (1 Kings 7:1–12).


1 Kings 6, Construction of the Temple walls (6:1–10)
The ground-plan of the temple indicates a long and narrow building which was not particularly large (about 30x10x15 meters), a form that was commonly found in the region of Israel.


1 Kings 6, A word from God to Solomon (6:11–13)
In this section it is emphasized that God was not bound to the confines of the temple building, but the temple symbolizes God' permanent presence and thus, 'eternal security', contingent upon the obedience of the people to God's commandments (cf. Psalm 46 and 2 Kings19:32–34), a message repeated multiple times by the prophets (such as in Jeremiah 7; 26:1-6; Micah 3:9-12; Mark 11:15-19; 13:1-2). Therefore, the existence of the temple does not change the 'essential terms' of the divine-human relationship.


1 Kings 6, The interior decoration of the Temple (6:14–38)
All the walls of the holy site were clad with made of costly materials. The ornamentation in wooden panels and carvings s emphatically non-figural (no human or divine figures), but limited to plants and animals, a aniconic characteristic of the YHWH-religion. In comparison to the 'curtain walls and dust floor' of the tabernacle, much of the interior and floor of the temple was covered in gold (1 Kings 6:20–22; 28, 30, 32).


1 Kings 7
1 Kings 7 is the seventh chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section focusing on the reign of Solomon over the unified kingdom of Judah and Israel (1 Kings 1 to 11). The focus of this chapter is the reign of Solomon, the king of Israel.


1 Kings 7, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 51 verses.


1 Kings 7, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, that is, 4Q54 (4QKings; 50–25 BCE) with extant verses 20–21, 25–27, 29–42, 51.


1 Kings 7, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


1 Kings 7, Analysis
1 Kings 6 to 7 cover the building of the temple, with insertions of information about Solomon's palace, the "house of the forest of Lebanon", the hall of the throne, the hall of judgment, and a house for Pharaoh's daughter (1 Kings 7:1–12).


1 Kings 7, Construction of the palace (7:1–12)
The temple was actually integrated into a larger complex of government buildings, by itself is comparable to a palace chapel. Other buildings were larger and taken in all almost twice as long to build than the Temple alone (13 years vs. 7 years), but seems to share similar architectural style and material. The monumental 'House of the Forest of the Lebanon' was apparently named for its richly crafted and precious Lebanese timber, measuring roughly 50x25 meter with 45 pillars supporting the ceiling and partly an upper floor (perhaps functions as the royal bodyguard's armoury and quarters, cf. 1 Kings 10:17; Isaiah  22:8).


1 Kings 7, The interior decoration of the Temple (7:13–51)
The big structures and furnishings in the temple of Solomon were crafted by a Phoenician craftsman called Hiram (or Ahiram), especially the two pillars which stood at the entrance to the temple (verses 15–22), and the circular bronze sea ("molten sea"; verses 23–26), among those listed in verses 40–47. A note states that Solomon established his own ore-refinery in the Jordan valley to produce the necessary bronze material. Other holy instruments and royal blessing-gifts were richly covered with gold (verses 48–51).


1 Kings 7, The interior decoration of the Temple (7:13–51), Verse 21
These two pillars most likely were not support structures, but were free standing, based on similar pillars in other nearby contemporary temples.


1 Kings 7, The interior decoration of the Temple (7:13–51), Verse 23
The approximation of the mathematical constant "π" ("pi"), defined as the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, can apparently be calculated from this verse as 30 cubits divided by 10 cubits to yield "3". However, Matityahu Hacohen Munk observed that the spelling for "line" in Hebrew, normally written as קו , in  is written (ketiv) as קוה . Using gematria, qaweh yields "111" whereas qaw yields "106", so when used in calculation 3010∗111106{\displaystyle {\frac {30}{10}}*{\frac {111}{106}}} it results in π =  "3.1415094", very close to the modern definition of "3.1415926".


1 Kings 7, The interior decoration of the Temple (7:13–51), Verse 23
Charles Ryrie gives another explanation based on 1 Kings 7:26 (cf. 2 Chronicles 4:5) that the molten sea has a brim of a handbreadth (about 4 inches or 10 cm) wide, so when the inside diameter, subtracting 10 cubits (about 180 inches or 4.6 meter; from outer "brim to brim") with 2 times 4 inches (two handbreadth) to yield 172 inches (4.4 meter), is divided by π, it results in 540 inches (45 feet or 14 meter or 30 cubits) which is the circumference given in this verse.


1 Kings 8
1 Kings 8 is the eighth chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section focusing on the reign of Solomon over the unified kingdom of Judah and Israel (1 Kings 1 to 11). The focus of this chapter is the dedication of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem.


1 Kings 8, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 66 verses.


1 Kings 8, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, that is, 4Q54 (4QKings; 50–25 BCE) with extant verses 1–9, 16–18.


1 Kings 8, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


1 Kings 8, Analysis
This chapter serves as the climax of the narrative about Solomon in the Books of Kings, which is also an 'event of world-historical importance' because YHWH, the creator of the universe, settles his Temple in Jerusalem. One key moment of the Temple dedication was the transfer of the Ark of the Covenant from Mount Zion to Mount Moriah (Temple Mount), and once the ark was in the temple, YHWH descended and consecrated the Temple as his holy place. Hereafter, the ark was never mentioned again in the Books of Kings and not listed among the Temple furniture seized by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (2 Kings 25).


1 Kings 8, Analysis
Solomon made seven petitions in the center of the passage, which provide a 'rough preview of the events Israel would face later, with some mentioned curses also listed in Deuteronomy 28:


1 Kings 8, Analysis
In Kings 8:46–48 there is a running pun on the Hebrew words שָׁבָה,  ("take captive"; referring to "exile"; used four times), and שׁוּב,  ("return" or "repent"; used three times). These two verbs 'alternate chiastically', indicating a connection between captivity and repentance, which could suggest that the solution to "exile" is to "return" to YHWH, so they can "return to the land".


1 Kings 8, The dedication of the Temple (8:1–21)
The temple dedication began with a procession of the ark from the tent in the city of David (cf. 2 Samuel 6:16–17; 7:2; 1 Kings 3:15) to the temple grounds. The ark, containing the two tablets of the Ten Commandments (verse 9; Exodus 25:21; Deuteronomy 10:1–5), was originally designed as a 'transportable war palladium' which could be carried into battle in the conviction that 'YHWH was enthroned upon it and would lead his people to victory' (cf. 1 Samuel 4; 2 Samuel 11:11).


1 Kings 8, The dedication of the Temple (8:1–21)
It was placed in the most holy place in the temple, beneath the spread wings of the cherubim, still retaining the signs of mobility with its staves (may symbolize that YHWH is not bound to one place). Next in the ceremony is the blessing of the assembly, opened with a short sermon by Solomon (verses 12–13; 15–21) that since 'the Exodus from Egypt (cf. 1 Kings 6:1), God had intended to reside in Jerusalem' and finally the house of the name of the Lord could be built there.


1 Kings 8, The dedication of the Temple (8:1–21), Verse 21
The theme of the Exodus in Samuel-Kings was altered in the Chronicles, where the portrayal of David in relationship with Moses was sharpened, especially by comparing 1 Kings 8:21 and 2 Chronicles 6:11.


1 Kings 8, The dedication of the Temple (8:1–21), Verse 21
wherein is the covenant of the Lord,which he made with our fathers,when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.


1 Kings 8, The dedication of the Temple (8:1–21), Verse 21
wherein is the covenant of the Lord,that he made with the children of Israel.


1 Kings 8, Solomon's dedicational prayer at the Temple (8:22–61)
The dedicational prayer reflects the relationship between God's promise to David (2 Samuel 7) and the people's loyalty to the Torah (verses 23–26), and between the inestimablesize of God and his residence in Zion (verses. 27–30). God cannot literally 'dwell on earth' (verse 27), but he can listen in heaven (verses 32, 34, 36, 39, 43, 45, 49) when 'people pray toward the Temple'.


1 Kings 8, Solomon's dedicational prayer at the Temple (8:22–61)
In the main prayer Solomon asked God to hear all future prayers made to heaven in this temple, especially in the time of difficult trials (verses 31–32), wartime hardship (verses 33–34), drought (verses 35–36), and other calamities (verses 37–40), also the prayers of the proselytes who would come to Jerusalem (verses 41–43) and of the Israelites who would dwell in other countries (verses 44–45, 46–51) as this would 'give every member of YHWH's chosen people a commonidentity' (verses 52–53).


1 Kings 8, Solomon's dedicational prayer at the Temple (8:22–61)
Finally, Solomon plead for God 'to instil in their hearts a willingness to abide by the commandments, expresses their awe of God's judgement and acceptance of their own insufficiencies'. Israel's existence is solely due to God's mercy and serves the purpose of 'manifesting God to all the peoples of the world' (cf. Isaiah 43:10-12; 45:4-6).


1 Kings 8, The Feast of the Temple Dedication (8:62–66)
The festivities of the dedication lasts seven days involving more sacrifices than what Solomon made in Gibeon (1 Kings 3:4) and far too many for the usual altar to deal with (verse 64), to show that Solomon was alway 'generous in making every effort to satisfy God and God's people'.


1 Kings 9
1 Kings 9 is the ninth chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section focusing on the reign of Solomon over the unified kingdom of Judah and Israel (1 Kings 1 to 11). The focus of this chapter is the Solomon's achievements.


1 Kings 9, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 28 verses.


1 Kings 9, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


1 Kings 9, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


1 Kings 9, God’s response to Solomon (9:1–9)
With the completion of the Temple, God did not need to appear to Solomon in Gibeon (verse 2) but in Jerusalem, assuring Solomon of the continuation of his dynasty and the temple, as long as God's laws were kept. The destruction of the Temple and the loss of land are predicted here, as well as the possibility of return, so this section contains twothings: 'an explanation for woe and an offer of salvation'.


1 Kings 9, The tribute to Tyre (9:10–14)
Several times 1 Kings 9–10 overlaps with 1 Kings 3:1–4:34, bracketing the construction of the temple. After paying Hiram of Tyre with agricultural products (1 Kings 5:25), Solomon gave a strip of land in Galilee (at the Bay of Akko), but Hiram was not satisfied with this gift. However, in 2 Chronicles 8:2 it is asserted that Hiram also gave Solomon some cities as a present.


1 Kings 9, Construction of towns and forced labor (9:15–28)
This section parallels the narrative in 1 Kings 5:13–18, emphasizing that Israelites were not employed as forced labor, but 'only' Canaanites, for the construction of various cities outside Jerusalem. Currently, there are archaeological excavation of the cities in the list, in particular of Gezer, Megiddo, and Hazor. In Jerusalem, Solomon expanded the construction of 'Millo' (verse 15), a term which is probably related to the meaning of 'to fill', referring to a substructure designed to secure the sloping terrain of the palace grounds (cf 2 Samuel 5:9; 1 Kings 11:27; 2 Kings 12:20).


1 Kings 9, Construction of towns and forced labor (9:15–28)
Pharaoh's daughter (verse 16) moved to her own palace (verse 24). Solomon's triannual sacrificial feasts at the temple was mentioned in verse 25, followed by a report of Solomon's shipping expedition from Red Sea (or 'Reed Sea, cf. Exodus 14), to Ophir, a place that could be near Aden or on the Horn of Africa.


1 Kislev
Rosh Chodesh Kislev, the 1st day of the month of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar, is a holiday celebrated by the Chabad Hasidic movement. The day marks the recovery of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the seventh Rebbe of Chabad, from a heart attack in 1977.


1 Kislev, History
On Tuesday, October 4, 1977 (Tishrei 22, 5738), during the annual hakafot celebration of Shemini Atzeret, the Jewish holiday following the festival of Sukkot, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson suddenly turned pale and sat down. Realizing that something was not right, chassidim began vacating the synagogue and doctors were summoned. When a medic who was at the synagogue offered Schneerson a drink of water, he refused saying that he first wanted to complete the hakafot ceremony and make kiddush. Once the ceremony was completed, Schneerson walked to the Sukka where he made kidush on a cup of wine.


1 Kislev, History
It was only when the doctors began checking his pulse and vitals that they realized he had suffered a major heart attack. Per his request, Rabbi Menachem Mendel was treated at his office over the course of the next several weeks. On Friday, November 11, 1977 (Kislev 1, 5738), Rabbi Schneerson returned home; the day was celebrated by the Chabad community as a holiday.


1 Kislev, History, Celebrations
Rosh Chodesh Kislev is celebrated each year by Chabad Hasidim and is typically marked by public gatherings ("farbrengens") and song.


1 Kislev, History, Kinus Hashluchim
The annual convention of Chabad emissaries is held around Rosh Chodesh Kislev.


1 Lacertae
1 Lacertae is a solitary star in the northern constellation of Lacerta. It is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 4.15. Based upon measurements by the Hipparcos spacecraft, this star is located at a distance of roughly 620 light years. It is moving closer to the Earth with a heliocentric radial velocity of −8.6 km/s.


1 Lacertae
A stellar classification of K3 II-III suggests this is an evolved giant star/bright giant hybrid. It is 170 million years old with around four times the mass of the Sun and has expanded to an estimated 69 times the Sun's radius. The star is radiating 1,453 times the Sun's luminosity from its enlarged photosphere at an effective temperature of 4288 K, giving it the orange-hued glow of a K-type star. The star was once a suspected variable, but this was later rescinded.


1 Lancaster Circus, Birmingham
1 Lancaster Circus is a municipal facility in Birmingham, England. It was the headquarters of West Midlands County Council from its formation in 1974 until its abolition in 1986.


1 Lancaster Circus, Birmingham, History
The building formed part of an initiative in the 1960s by Birmingham City Council to improve the road infrastructure in the area and to redevelop the city centre. The site selected for development had previously been occupied by the "Perryian Pen Works", a business owned by Perry & Co., which ceased trading on the site in the 1960s. The factory was demolished in the late 1960s and replaced, briefly, by a motor car and cycle accessory depot.


1 Lancaster Circus, Birmingham, History
The conversion of the depot into an office block, which was designed in the brutalist style, was completed in the early 1970s. The design of the new building preserved the shape of the motor depot with a main frontage of 17 bays facing the Lancaster Circus roundabout, and then a long side wing of 34 bays extending along Staniforth Street. The office block served as the headquarters of West Midlands County Council from its formation in April 1974 becoming known as "County Hall".


1 Lancaster Circus, Birmingham, History
Following the abolition of the county council in 1986, the building was renamed 1 Lancaster Circus and occupied, as workspace, by the architecture, engineering, building, finance, environmental and consumer services departments of Birmingham City Council. A programme of refurbishment works to convert the building to an open plan layout was undertaken by Wates Group at a cost of £23 million to plans by architects, Urban Design, and completed September 2010. The redevelopment, which increased the capacity of the building from 800 occupants to 2,000 occupants and involved the installation of 179 chilled beams, won a regional award from the British Council for Offices in 2011.


1 Leadenhall Street
1 Leadenhall Street is an approved 36-storey, 183-metre skyscraper to be built adjacent to Leadenhall Market in London. It will replace the existing building located at 1 Leadenhall Street known as Leadenhall Court, and is expected to be completed in 2021.


1 Leadenhall Street, Planning history
A planning application was submitted to the Corporation of London in August 2016. The description included with the application is as follows:


1 Leicester Square
1 Leicester Square is a British chatshow hosted by Russell Brand which ran from 2 April to 31 December 2006 on MTV UK. The show's title was the actual address of MTV's glass walled central London studio that overlooked the world-famous Leicester Square. It featured celebrity guests, musical entertainment and various asides featuring the presenter. The show was widely viewed as a vehicle for the comeback of Brand after his sacking from MTV in 2001.


1 Leicester Square, Format
The show begins with an announcer introducing Brand. Controversially, he was once introduced as being "bigger than Jesus" in reference to a misquoted claim by John Lennon claiming that The Beatles were bigger than Jesus. After entering Brand sits in a flamboyantly upholstered chair with a zebra fabric for the seat covering. He then introduces the musical act for the show and they will play a track. After this, an announcer will introduce the first guest (usually the biggest star) with a comically fabricated fact or anecdote about them. The guest will then be interviewed whilst they sit on a sofa next to Brand. After this interview, there is usually a commercial break.


1 Leicester Square, Format
After the break, Brand usually interviews the musical act that is on the show this week in another area of the studio. This is usually punctuated with a sketch and Daniel and Len's Video Review (see below). This interview is typically followed with another interview by Brand next to a mock bar with another celebrity. After this interview there is another commercial break.


1 Leicester Square, Format
The last portion of the show is taken up with the segment For Pity's Sake Help Us (see below), followed by another performance from the guest musical act.


1 Leicester Square, Short features
In series 2 of the show, all of the short features have been removed from the show with the exception of For Pity's Sake Help Us. Daniel and Len later appeared on Russell Brand's Got Issues, introducing each show with a skit loosely connected to the week's topic.


1 Leicester Square, Short features, Pimp My Application
Pimp My Application is a spoof of the popular MTV UK show Pimp My Ride UK. It has only appeared once on the show. Russell Brand parodies Tim Westwood, giving him a hook for a hand, a peg leg and a squawking voice. Brand lampoons the show by using over-exaggerated street speak when describing how they are going to 'pimp' up a person's CV when he is applying for a job.


1 Leicester Square, Short features, For Pity's Sake Help Us
This is a feature that Brand always ends the show with, save the last musical performance. Audience members are asked if they have any problems and these are then answered by some of the celebrities that have appeared earlier in the show.


1 Leicester Square, Short features, The Rats
The Rats is a sketch that is performed before each of the commercial breaks and at the end of the show. Two rats are crudely manipulated and given human voices. They will usually engage in a short, humorous conversation that loosely relates to a topic of discussion in the previous segment.


1 Leicester Square, Minor characters, Gatwick
Gatwick is a model of a man that loosely resembles Prince Charles and is occasionally used by Brand as a prop on the show.


1 Leicester Square, Minor characters, Dan the Researcher
Dan is the show's mysterious researcher that Brand alludes to after fabricating or bringing up an obscure fact about his interviewee.


1 Lek
The 1 Lek coin  has a value of one lek and is composed of copper-covered steel or a copper-zinc alloy (brass). The coin has been used since 1926 and has been redesigned several times.


1 Lek, History
The coin dates from 1926, when Albania minted its first Lek coins. The obverse side featured a lion, the year 1926, and "Shqipni". During Albania's Italian rule, it featured the fasces and during Communist regime the coin featured the Albanian coat of arms. In 1969, the national bank minted coins to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Albanian Liberation.


1 Lek, History
Under the democratic government, the coin was redesigned and reminted in 1996 featuring its current design.


1 Lek, Design
The coins are composed of copper-covered steel, with a diameter of 18 mm and a mass of 3 grams. The coins' edges are smooth. The coins have been used from 1997.


1 Lek, Design, Reverse side
The reverse side features the mint year, "Republic of Albania" writing and a pelican in the center.


1 Lek, Design, Obverse (national) sides
The obverse side of the coin features its value and a crown wreath.


1 Lek, Usage
The one lek coins do not find much usage currently. Their value, equivalent to less than a penny or 1 euro cent coin, is so small that many citizens will refuse to accept these coins as change from markets, unintentionally creating a system similar to take a penny, leave a penny.


1 Lek, Nicknames
The coin is sometimes referred to as a "pelikan" (pelican) because of its reverse design.


1 Less G n da Hood
1 Less G n Da Hood is the debut studio album by American rapper Blaze Ya Dead Homie. Released on October 16, 2001, the album is his second release on the Psychopathic label, following his self-titled debut EP. 1 Less G n Da Hood was produced by Twiztid, Mike Puwal, Fritz "the Cat" Van Kosky, and Violent J, and features appearances by guests Anybody Killa, Monoxide Child, Violent J, Jamie Madrox, and Shaggy 2 Dope.


1 Less G n da Hood, Reception
Allrovi wrote, "Combining the seriousness of a violent life in the ghetto with the juvenile antics of the Insane Clown Posse doesn't quite sound like a formula for success, but Detroit rapper and ICP affiliate Blaze somehow made it work".


1 Less G n da Hood, Reissue
In 2006, the album was reissued under the title 1 Less G in the Hood: Deluxe G Edition. The reissue contained material from Blaze's self-titled EP, the 2001 album, and three additional bonus tracks. The reissue also deleted the introduction "The Eulogy", which was replaced by the Blaze Ya Dead Homie EP intro, and the songs "Str8 Outta Detroit", "Here I Am" and "Hatchet Execution", which remain unavailable due to the fact that the original version of 1 Less G N Da Hood is out of print and these tracks did not appear on any other albums.


1 Less G n da Hood, Reissue
1 Less G In The Hood: Deluxe G Edition peaked at #19 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart, #25 on the Top Independent Albums chart, and #86 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.


1 Less G n da Hood, Legacy
The album is widely considered a "Juggalo Classic" as it was a big hit for Blaze with it being dubbed "Blaze's own "'The Great Milenko'".


1 Less G n da Hood, Legacy
In early June 2017 it was announced that Blaze Ya Dead Homie would be performing 1 Less G N Da Hood in its entirety at Attack Of The Ninjas 2017 Afterparty.


1 Life (Xandee song)
"1 Life" was the Belgian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, performed in English by Xandee (stage name of Sandy Boets). It was her first single as a solo artist.


1 Life (Xandee song)
The song was performed thirteenth in the final, to which Belgium was prequalified, following Bosnia and Herzegovina's Deen with "In the Disco" and preceding Russia's Yulia Savicheva with "Believe Me". At the close of voting, it had received 7 points, placing 22nd. As Belgium did not place within the top 10, they were required to compete in the semi-final in 2005.


1 Life (Xandee song)
The song is an up-tempo Euro disco number, with Xandee singing about the need to take advantage of every opportunity because we only have "one life".


1 Life (Xandee song)
It was succeeded as Belgian representative at the 2005 contest by Nuno Resende with "Le grand soir".


1 Life 2 Live
1 Life 2 Live was an American hip hop group, which comprised musicians Red Handed, Babe Blue and Rambo, that became well noted in the late 1990s for their debut single "Can't Nobody" with Timbaland.


1 Life 2 Live, Career beginnings
In 1995, in Bronx, NY, Juan "Red Handed" Cordova produced Doug E. Fresh's "Take 'Em Uptown", which caught the attention of Kid Capri. Capri's affiliates went on to feature Red Handed in various DJing gigs, and later accumulated the attention of next-door neighbor John "Rambo" Arias, who had aspirations of becoming a rapper. The pair formed a friendship and later befriended neighbor Tanya "Babe Blue" Garcia, who also happened to be an aspiring rapper. In 1997, the trio formed as a musical group and recorded two tracks for DJ LS One's mixtape, Shut Em Down. The same year, the group was picked up by Foxy Brown to tour with her in various concert venues both in the United States and Japan. Around this time, the trio performed on Showtime at the Apollo.


1 Life 2 Live, Can't Nobody and debut album (1998–2000)
In 1998, the group signed to LaFace Records and made their debut appearance on Timbaland's Tim's Bio: Life from da Bassment on the track "Can't Nobody". The same year, the group began recording material for their self-titled debut album; however, complications stemming from features to production, resulted in multiple delays and eventual shelving. One of the complications included the trio not wanting guest appearances on the project; former manager Mark Pitts suggested a stand-out feature that the group admired.


1 Life 2 Live, Can't Nobody and debut album (1998–2000)
Eminem was initially penned as the sole feature, however after complaints of "expensive label fees", the group instead enlisted Ja Rule, Black Rob and Nature as features on their track "Sacrifice". Additional reports later surfaced and revealed that other guest appearances for the album were slated to include Too Short, CeeLo Green and Khujo of Goodie Mob.


1 Life 2 Live, Can't Nobody and debut album (1998–2000)
More conflicts later developed over the trio's pick for a lead single. The group's label felt their choice for the Timbaland-produced "Keep Movin'" as a single would underperform since the group were already known in mainstream markets for their debut single ("Can't Nobody") with Timbaland, and urged the group to follow with a different sound. Another single, "Never Fall in Love with Hoes", was issued as an accompanying release, however neither single managed to chart.


1 Life 2 Live, Can't Nobody and debut album (1998–2000)
In the midst of the conflicts, 1 Life 2 Live was featured on the soundtrack to the Will Smith film Wild Wild West (1999), on the Teddy Riley-produced "The Best". Despite the soundtrack appearance, 1 Life 2 Live's debut album was eventually shelved after further complications stemming from L.A. Reid's departure from LaFace to succeed Clive Davis as chairman of Arista Records. In 2000, the group made their final appearance on Madd Rapper's debut album, Tell 'Em Why U Madd, on the tracks "Esta Loca" and "Shysty Broads".


1 Life 2 Live, Dissolution
Shortly after the group disbanded, Red Handed was shuffled back to Foxy Brown's camp and joined the short-lived collective Fox-5 with fellow rappers Curtains, Young Mouse, Gavin & Foxy herself. Red Handed would go on to co-write the bulk of Foxy Brown's Broken Silence (2001), and the unreleased effort, Ill Na Na 2: The Fever (2003). Thereafter, Red Handed went on to reside in Oklahoma City and returned to his previous profession, deejaying.


1 Life 2 Live, Dissolution
Babe Blue went on to sign to Lil' Kim's label Queen Bee Entertainment in 2000; however after her 2-year contract expired, she left the music business after broken promises of recording new material and a failed reunion with former collaborator Timbaland. Rambo quietly resides in Boston, Massachusetts and still creates music. His most recent single "Bring It" has been generating a buzz.


1 Lincoln Plaza
1 Lincoln Plaza is a mixed-use, commercial and luxury residential condominium building in New York City with 43 floors and 671 units. Construction began in 1971. The building is in the heart of the Lincoln Center neighborhood. Completed and ready for occupancy in 1974, the building is divided into eight floors of commercial space and 36 floors of luxury residential apartments. The roof, which is often considered the 44th Floor is home to the building's private fitness club called Top of the One.


1 Lincoln Plaza, Usage
A five-story residential building at 33 West 63rd Street, a tenement constructed in the 1890s owned by Jehiel R. Elyachar, became the target of an effort by Paul Milstein to assemble a group of properties that would become the site of 1 Lincoln Plaza. After lengthy negotiations, Milstein and Elyachar had agreed to a deal in which Milstein would acquire the property for cash, and then agreed to an exchange for a building on the Upper East Side.


1 Lincoln Plaza, Usage
Though a verbal agreement had been reached, Elyachar insisted that a donation of $100,000 be made to one of the charitable organizations he supported, at which point Milstein walked away and said "You know what, you're going to keep your building". Howard Milstein, Paul's son, called the negotiations as being "among the most glaring examples of someone who overplayed their hand". The surrounding buildings on the site were demolished and 1 Lincoln Plaza was constructed around Elyachar's building at 33 West 63rd Street.


1 Lincoln Plaza, Usage
The building has multiple addresses other than "1 Lincoln Plaza", including 20 West 64th Street, 33 West 63rd Street, 1897 Broadway, and 1900 Broadway. Provided a unit number is included, any mail sent to any of the above addresses will reach the required tenant.


1 Lincoln Plaza, Usage
The building also has commercial tenants. These include three prominent commercial tenants in the entertainment industry: Sesame Workshop (which makes Sesame Street), SAG-AFTRA, and the prestigious American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP); the headquarters of ASCAP have been at One Lincoln Plaza since 1974.


1 Lincoln Plaza, Notable residents
In January 2012, actor Nick Santino, a resident, committed suicide soon after euthanizing his pit bull Rocco, due to pressure from what some neighbors told the press was harassment by building management. The condominium board had enacted a ban on pit bulls in 2010, though Santino's dog had been allowed to remain through grandfathering.


1 Lincoln Plaza, In popular culture
The building can be seen in almost any scene that was filmed in the plaza at Lincoln Center after 1971, including Ghostbusters.


1 Litre no Namida (TV series)
1 Litre no Namida (1リットルの涙, lit. "1 Litre of Tears"; also called A Diary with Tears or A Diary of Tears) is a 2005 Japanese television drama for Fuji Television, based on a true story of a 15-year-old girl named Aya Kitō, who suffered from degenerative disease and died at the age of 25.


1 Litre no Namida (TV series)
The script is based on Aya's diary that she kept writing until she could no longer hold a pen. The diary is later entitled, One Litre of Tears, which has sold over 1.1 million copies in Japan.


1 Litre no Namida (TV series), Plot
Fifteen-year-old Ikeuchi Aya is an ordinary girl, soon to be high school student and daughter of a family who works at a tofu shop. As time passes, unusual things start happening to Aya. She begins falling down often and walking strangely. Her mother Shioka, takes Aya to see the doctor, and he informs Shioka that Aya has spinocerebellar degeneration - a rare disease where the cerebellum of the brain gradually deteriorates to the point where the victim cannot walk, speak, write, or eat. A cruel disease, as it does not affect the mind. The story revolved around the time from when Aya was 14-20 before a big time skip. When she died at 25, her family carried her wishes for her body to be donated for medical research purposes.


1 Litre no Namida (TV series), Episodes, Special episode
On April 5, 2007, Fuji Television aired a three-hour special of the series set five years after Aya's death (2019) and focuses on Haruto Asō, who has now become a doctor at the same hospital Aya was treated in, and Ako Ikeuchi, Aya's younger sister who is a nurse in training. Rika, Aya's youngest sister, just started high school. Haruto is caring for a 14-year-old female patient, Mizuki, who was bullied in school because of her disease, the same one that Aya had.


1 Litre no Namida (TV series), Episodes, Special episode
Because of the bullying at school, Mizuki-chan decides not to receive therapy of any sort that would make her better, because she has lost her will to live. Haruto remembers how Aya fought her illness and lived her life with her disease; therefore, he offers support to his patient. Aya reappears in the episode using a number of flashbacks from the series and in new scenes.


1 Litre no Namida (TV series), Casts, Other cast
Asae Onishi starred in the 2004 movie version of the same title as Aya.