disobedience will lead to national disaster (9:1-9)

H. Solomon’s further dealings with Hiram (9:10-14)

I. Solomon’s conscription of forced labor; his shipping and commercial interests, wealth, wisdom and impression made on visiting queen of Sheba (9:15–10:29)

J. Solomon’s apostasy through marriage to foreign women and resultant difficulties toward close of reign (11:1-25)

K. Jehovah makes known purpose to rip ten tribes away from Solomon and give them to Jeroboam; Solomon dies and is succeeded by Rehoboam (11:26-43)

IV. Beginning of Rehoboam’s reign and the division of the kingdom (12:1-24)

V. Jeroboam rules as king over ten tribes, faithlessly introduces calf worship and has Jehovah’s adverse judgment pronounced against him and his house (12:25–14:20)

VI. Judean King Rehoboam’s rule marked by idolatry, and, in his fifth year, Egypt’s King Shishak invades Judah (14:21-31)

VII. Abijam of Judah rules three years while Jeroboam reigns over Israel (15:1-8)

VIII. Judean King Asa’s rule witnesses campaign against idolatry and continual warfare between Israel and Judah during reign of Baasha, third king of ten-tribe kingdom (15:1-24)

IX. Nadab’s two-year reign as king of Israel and Baasha’s conspiracy (15:25-31)

X. Baasha’s rule and Jehovah’s judgment against him (15:32–16:7)

XI. Reign of Israelite King Elah and conspiracy and reign of his successor Zimri (16:8-15)

XII. Omri gains throne by successfully warring against Zimri and, with aid of his supporters, overcoming his rival Tibni; exceeds wickedness of predecessors (16:16-28)

XIII. Events of Israelite King Ahab’s reign starting with thirty-eighth year of Asa (16:29–22:40)

A. Ahab marries Jezebel and becomes Baal worshiper (16:29-33)

B. Hiel the Bethelite rebuilds Jericho (16:34)

C. Elijah’s prophetic activity, his miracles, confrontation with Ahab, execution of Baal worshipers, flight from Jezebel’s wrath and commission to anoint Hazael, Jehu and Elisha (17:1–19:21)

D. Ahab’s conflicts with Syrian King Ben-hadad; his God-given victory followed by rebuke for failing to devote Ben-hadad to destruction (20:1-43)

E. Ahab covets Naboth’s vineyard; Jezebel maneuvers Naboth’s murder and Ahab takes possession of vineyard; for this vile deed Jehovah, through Elijah, pronounces doom for Ahab and his house (21:1-29)

F. Ahab and Judean King Jehoshaphat join in an effort to wrest Ramoth-gilead from Syrians; attack fails, with Ahab being mortally wounded in battle (22:1-40)

XIV. Reigns of Judean King Jehoshaphat and Israelite King Ahaziah (22:41-53)

2 KINGS

I. Closing period of Elijah’s prophetic work in Israel (1:1–2:13)

A. Elijah announces death for injured King Ahaziah (1:1-18)

B. Elijah taken away in windstorm while in Elisha’s company (2:1-13)

II. Elisha’s service as prophet spans reigns of Israelite Kings Jehoram, Jehu, Jehoahaz and Jehoash (2:14–13:21)

A. Jordan’s waters part for Elisha; he heals water at Jericho and, on way to Mount Carmel, calls down evil on jeering children, forty-two of whom are subsequently torn in pieces by two she-bears (2:14-25)

B. During military expedition against Moab, allied armies of Jehoram of Israel, Jehoshaphat of Judah and king of Edom become trapped in waterless region; Elisha’s inspired advice given for Jehoshaphat’s sake saves them and results in defeat for Moabites (3:1-27)

C. Elisha miraculously increases oil of widow, enabling her to pay off debts (4:1-7)

D. Hospitably received by a couple at Shunem, Elisha promises son to Shunammite woman; son born, later dies and is resurrected by Elisha (4:8-37)

E. Elisha renders poisonous stew harmless, multiplies provision of bread, heals Naaman of leprosy and causes axhead to float (4:38–6:7)

F. During Israel’s warfare with Syria, Elisha alerts king of Israel about Syrian moves; Syrians unsuccessfully try to capture Elisha (6:8-23)

G. Syrian King Ben-hadad invades in force and besieges Samaria, causing extreme famine in city; Israel’s king blames Elisha for this and purposes to kill prophet (6:24-33)

H. Elisha predicts end of famine brought by siege; prediction fulfilled (7:1-20)

I. Elisha’s further dealings with Shunammite woman, and events in her life (8:1-6)

J. Elisha goes to Damascus and there makes known that Hazael would become king of Syria; his words are fulfilled (8:7-15)

K. Relationship between ruling families of Judah and Israel in Elisha’s time (8:16-29)

L. Elisha sends attendant to anoint Jehu as king; Jehu conspires against Israel’s King Jehoram, proceeds against house of Ahab and destroys Baal worshipers (9:1–10:36)

M. Jehu’s executional work also brings death to Judean King Ahaziah (9:27, 28), enabling the queen mother Athaliah to seize throne and rule until anointing of Jehoash as king and her execution; Jehoash’s reign starts out well but ends in failure (11:1–12:21)

N. Israel under Syrian oppression during Jehoahaz’ reign, but later there is some relief; his successor Jehoash (of Israel) visits Elisha and receives indication of victory over Syrians; Elisha dies (13:1-21)

III. Israelite King Jehoash strikes down Syrians three times (13:22-25)

IV. Reigns of Judean King Amaziah and Israelite King Jehoash and the defeat of Judah at hands of Israel (14:1-22)

V. Jeroboam (II) rules over Israel and restores lost territory (14:23-29)

VI. Reigns of Judean Kings Azariah and Jotham and Israelite Kings Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah and Pekah (15:1-37)

VII. Reign of Judean King Ahaz, his idolatry and dealings with Assyria (16:1-20)

VIII. Reign of Israelite King Hoshea; Israel, having made bad record before God, taken into Assyrian exile and other peoples settled by Assyrian monarch in cities of Samaria (17:1-41)

IX. Reign of Judean King Hezekiah (18:1–20:21)

A. Hezekiah’s campaign against idolatry, his rebellion against Assyria and war against Philistines; northern kingdom taken into Assyrian exile during his reign (18:1-12)

B. Assyrian King Sennacherib invades Judah; Jerusalem, though threatened, is saved in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, Jehovah’s angel destroying 185,000 of the Assyrian host and thus causing Sennacherib to return to his land (18:13–19:37)

C. Hezekiah’s sickness, recovery, reception of Babylonian messengers and death (20:1-21)

X. Reigns of Manasseh and Amon (21:1-26)

XI. Josiah’s reign (22:1–23:30)

A. Temple repair work undertaken; book of law found, prompting extensive religious reforms and destruction of appendages of idolatry (22:1–23:27)

B. Josiah’s death in battle with Pharaoh Nechoh (23:28-30)

XII. Reigns of Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim (23:31–24:7)

XIII. Jehoiachin’s rule and first Babylonian exile (24:8-17)

XIV. Zedekiah’s reign; destruction of Jerusalem and temple by Babylonians and subsequent exile (24:18–25:21)

XV. Gedaliah appointed governor over people not taken into exile; after his assassination people go to Egypt (25:22-26)

XVI. Babylonian King Evil-merodach elevates exiled King Jehoiachin (25:27-30)

See the book “All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial,” pp. 64-74.

KING’S ROAD

The road from which the Israelites promised not to depart if allowed to pass through Edomite territory and the Amorite realm of King Sihon. (Num. 20:17; 21:21, 22; Deut. 2:26, 27) So this road must have extended from the Gulf of Aqabah at least as far as the Jabbok, the apparent N boundary of Sihon’s territory. Many believe that it ran as far N as Damascus and generally corresponded to the paved Roman highway built by Emperor Trajan in the second century C.E. With the exceptions of needed adjustments for modern traffic, the present-day road closely follows the ancient Roman highway, portions of which still exist.

KINSMAN

See KIN, KINSMAN.

KIR

[Heb., qir; wall].

The place from which the Aramaeans came to Syria, although not necessarily their original home. (Amos 9:7) Through his prophet Amos (1:5), Jehovah indicated that the Aramaeans would return to Kir, but as exiles. This prophecy was fulfilled when Tiglath-pileser III, after having been bribed by Judean King Ahaz to do so, captured Damascus, the Aramaean capital, and led its inhabitants into exile at Kir.—2 Ki. 16:7-9.

Isaiah 22:5, 6 depicts Kir as readying itself against the “valley of the vision” (thought to represent Jerusalem). This prophecy is generally understood as having been fulfilled at the time of Assyrian King Sennacherib’s campaign against Judah. Because Kir is associated with Elam in this text, some have suggested that it must have been located in the same general area as Elam, E of the Tigris River. (Compare Isaiah 21:2, where Elam’s known geographical neighbor Media is similarly coupled with Elam.) Others, on the basis of similarity in names, place Kir in the region of the Kur River in northern Armenia. The true location thus remains uncertain. The Septuagint Version does not use “Kir” in any of the previously cited texts but employs several different words for the Hebrew qir.

KIR-HARESETH

(Kir-harʹe·seth) [in Hebrew, wall of potsherds; in Moabite, city of potsherds].

Apparently another name for Kir of Moab, a city usually identified with modern Kerak.—2 Ki. 3:25; Isa. 16:7; see KIR OF MOAB.

KIR-HERES

(Kir-heʹres) [in Hebrew, wall of potsherds; in Moabite, city of potsherds].

Evidently an alternate name for Kir-Hareseth or Kir of Moab, a city commonly linked with modern Kerak.—Jer. 48:31, 36; see KIR OF MOAB.

KIRIATH

(Kirʹi·ath) [city].

A city of Benjamin usually thought to be the same as Kiriath-jearim. Some scholars believe that the name “Kiriath-jearim” appeared in the original Hebrew text at Joshua 18:28, as it does in the Alexandrine Manuscript (LXX).—See KIRIATH-JEARIM.

KIRIATHAIM

(Kir·i·a·thaʹim) [twin cities].

1. A city E of the Jordan, built or rebuilt by the Reubenites. (Num. 32:37; Josh. 13:15, 19) At a later period the city came under Moabite control. It is mentioned in the prophecies of Jeremiah (48:1) and Ezekiel (25:9) as a city of Moab that would experience calamity. Earlier, Moabite King Mesha of the tenth century B.C.E. boasted about building Qaryaten (apparently Kiriathaim).

Geographers usually identify Kiriathaim with modern el-Qereiyat, about six miles (10 kilometers) NW of the suggested location of Biblical Dibon. The remains found there, however, do not date prior to the first century B.C.E.

2. A site in Naphtali given to the Levitical Gershonites (1 Chron. 6:71, 76) and generally identified with Kartan.—Josh. 21:32; see KARTAN.

KIRIATH-ARBA

(Kirʹi·ath-arʹba) [city of Arba].

The ancient name for the city of Hebron. The name was even used after the Babylonian exile. (Neh. 11:25) This city, as its name suggests, appears to have been founded by Arba, “the great man among the Anakim.”—Josh. 14:15; see HEBRON No. 3.

KIRIATH-BAAL

(Kirʹi·ath-baʹal) [city of Baal].

An alternate name for the Judean city of Kiriath-jearim. This place is usually identified with Deir al-Azhar, several miles W-NW of Jerusalem.—Josh. 15:60; 18:14; see KIRIATH-JEARIM.

KIRIATH-HUZOTH

(Kirʹi·ath-huʹzoth) [city of streets].

A site probably located in Moab somewhere between the Arnon River and Bamoth-baal. (Num. 23:36, 39, 41) Its exact location is today unknown.

KIRIATH-JEARIM

(Kirʹi·ath-jeʹa·rim) [city of forests].

A Hivite city associated with the Gibeonites (Josh. 9:17), also known as Baalah (Josh. 15:9), Baale-judah (2 Sam. 6:2) and Kiriath-baal. (Josh. 15:60) Kiriath-jearim later came to belong to Judah and bordered on Benjamite territory. (Josh. 15:1, 9; 18:11, 14; Judg. 18:12) Apparently descendants of Judah through Caleb settled there.—1 Chron. 2:3, 50, 52, 53.

In the twelfth century B.C.E., sometime after being returned by the Philistines, the Ark was taken to Kiriath-jearim at the request of the men of nearby Beth-shemesh. It appears to have remained there until moved by King David to Jerusalem some seventy years later.—1 Sam. 6:20–7:2; 1 Chron. 13:5, 6; 16:1; 2 Chron. 1:4.

Jeremiah’s contemporary, the prophet Urijah, was the son of Shemaiah of Kiriath-jearim. (Jer. 26:20) Descendants of those who had lived in the city were also represented among those returning from Babylonian exile.—Ezra 2:1, 2, 25; Neh. 7:6, 7, 29.

Deir al-Azhar is the place commonly suggested as corresponding to the Biblical description of Kiriath-jearim as a city of the mountainous region (Josh. 15:48, 60) on the border between Judah and Benjamin in the vicinity of the other Gibeonite cities. This site is strategically situated atop a hill about eight miles (13 kilometers) from Beth-shemesh and some seven and a half miles (12 kilometers) W-NW of Jerusalem. This location approximately fits Eusebius’ placing Kiriath-jearim once as nine Roman miles (c. 8 English miles; 13 kilometers) and another time as ten Roman miles (c. 9 English miles; 14 kilometers) from Jerusalem. Also, the fact that Deir al-Azhar lies in what at one time seems to have been a well-wooded region accords nicely with the name Kiriath-jearim, “city of forests.”