The Kingdom
- When
- c. 970–850 BC
- Written by
- Unknown; tradition names Jeremiah
- Chapters
- 22
The big idea
Solomon builds the temple in wisdom and glory, but his heart turns away. The kingdom splits in two, and Elijah stands alone against Baal.
Themes
- Wisdom
- Idolatry
- The temple
- The prophetic word
Memory verse
How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.
Key passages
- 3Solomon asks for wisdom
- 8The temple dedicated
- 12The kingdom divides
- 18Elijah on Carmel
- 19:11–13A still small voice
Links to other Scripture
- Matthew 6:29Solomon in all his glory
- Matthew 12:42A greater than Solomon
- Luke 4:25–26Elijah and the widow
- James 5:17–18Elijah prayed
Read the text
Choose a chapter to read it here in the King James Version. Verses with a dotted underline have notes from Bible scholars. Tap one to open them.
Notes from
Chapters
King James text and the commentaries of Henry, Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Gill, Clarke, Calvin, and Keil and Delitzsch are in the public domain. Tyndale Open Study Notes are used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license, from tyndaleopenresources.com. Texts were reformatted for this site.
Journal prompts
Keep a journal or notebook for your study. Write your answers there, in your own words.
- Where do you see Christ in this book?
- Solomon asked for wisdom and received more than he asked. What would you ask for if God said yes?
- Solomon’s heart drifted slowly. Where might yours be drifting without a sound?
- Elijah heard God in a still small voice, not in the wind or the fire. How do you make room to hear that kind of quiet?
- In one sentence, this book is about…