Literary Devices in 2 Kings
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
2 Kings is set in Israel and Judah from roughly 850 BCE, when King Ahab dies, to roughly 550 BCE, when Judah is exiled to Babylon. It's a time of trials and tribulations—there's even a stretch wh...
Genre
2 Kings isn't actually a history book—it's not a textbook about history. But it is about history, in the sense that it's the narrators' specific interpretation of the history and destiny of Judah...
What's Up With the Title?
Originally, 2 Kings and 1 Kings were part of the same book in Hebrew. But later on, after the advent of Christianity, they were split in half. So that explains the "2" part of the title. Really, th...
What's Up With the Ending?
The ending of 2 Kings is a major disaster for Judah and Israel. First, the Assyrian King Shalmaneser devastates Israel and sends everyone into exile, before repopulating it with people sent in from...
Trivia
The Angel of Destruction kills 180,000 Assyrian troops in 2 Kings. But according to the Greek historian Herodotus, some mischievous mice actually ate through the Assyrian army's sword straps and be...
Sex Drugs And Violence Rating
There's not much sex or drug use in 2 Kings—just oodles… and oodles of violence. Quentin Tarantino could write and direct the movie version, easily: bears maul a crowd of children, Jezebel's co...
Allusions
Ludovico Ariosto, Orlando FuriosoIn this literary masterwork of the Renaissance, an English Knight named "Astolfo" flies to the moon in Elijah's chariot... Far out. Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's...