Dictionary
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KINGS, BOOKS OF
In the Douay Bible, translation of the Vulgate, there are four Books of Kings, corresponding to Samuel and Kings in the Hebrew Bible. The two Bibles and corresponding versions compare as follows:
Original Hebrew
Samuel
Kings
Vulgate and Douay
I and II Kings
III and IV Kings
Septuagint
Kingdoms A and B
Kingdoms C and D
Recent Versions
I and II Samuel
I and II Kings
The "Kings" are rulers of a united and divided Hebrew kingdom (c. 1040-561 B.C.). I Kings deals with Samuel, the last of the judges; the origin of the monarchy, and the first King, Saul. II Kings treats the reign of David. III Kings covers the reign of Solomon and the divided kingdom up to Elijah. IV Kings tells the rest of the history of Israel, to the Assyrian captivity, and the history of Judah to the Babylonian captivity.
All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.
