• So Kuenen, Onderzoek, § 26 : Wellhausen, Composition,
g298fl., etc. Konig, on the contrary, holds that the editor of mgs compiled his work not earlier than B.c. 688, i.e. duringthe Exile (Einlrilunff, § 63»).
t In speaking of a second Deuteronomic editor (ROl) it is not, of course, intended dogmatically to assert that all passages assigned to such a writer must have flowed from (A« tame pen,
Kings, as it stands in the Hebrew Bible, has, again, undergone still later re>-ision than that of K"". IMiis is clear from certain variations in form and order between the MT and the recension of the text which is represented by the LXX, Whik in some cases the condition of the LXX text is greatly inferior to that of MT, yet, on the otlter hand, it is clear that in a number of sections LXX pre- serves a superior arrangement in order, or a simpler form, of narrative which points to the fact that MT has sull'ered dislocation and inter- polation at the hands of a reviser or revisers of a date later than the separation of the two recensions. As instances of this we may notice I 4^""'' (Ileb. 4-''- 5") 5-7 (Heb. S"-?) in the main, S'"" II'"", and the position of MT 21 after 19, so that 22 succeeds 20 without a break in the narrative. Consideration of such points as must here be raised is best reserved tor a sectional criticism of the composi- tion of the book.
6. Sources and Compo.sition of King.s con- sidered IN DETAIL.* — I l'-2^''. Narrative of the events which led to the establishment of Solomon as the successor of David. It is generally assumed, and «-ith great probability, that this .section origin- ally formed part of tlie document 2 S 9-20, wliich gives a history of David. 2--' is due to R" (see above, phrases of R", Nos. 1-6,60, 61).
A point of interest in connexion with the homogeneity of the narrative is the fact th,at after 235« LXX (B, Luc.) insei'ts ««; n ^xiriXitcc xetTofitlouTt f» 'Upi>vff-tt>.yiu, i.e. MT 2-wb with the reading D7[:n'D for n07V T3. The correct position of the sentence seems to be at the end of v.35, from which in MT it was separated by the insertion of the Shiniei section. .Solomon's establishment in the kingdom resulted from the death of his powerful adversaries, Adonijah and Joab. and could not have been much enhanced by the death of 8himei some three years later. The fact tliat in Lx.V these words precede v.sst. suggest* that this latter may be a later insertion made to complete the information supplied by v.^Sa,
S'-Il'". History of Solomon's reign. The narra- tive follows a well-defined plan. The kernel is 5'-"" (Heb. 5"-7°'), the description of Solomon's building operations, with its sequel, ch. 8. .'Ground this are grouped (chs. 4. 9. 10) a series of notices, for the most part brief, illustrative of the king's wisdom, magnificence, and prosperity. Ch. .S forms an introduction to the whole, detailing Solomon's request for wisdom, with a signal instance of its exercise: ch. 11, as a conclusion, gives a descrip- tion of the circumstances which paved the way for the disruption of the kingdom.
3', as it stands in MT, is out of place. There can be little doubt that, together with 9"- "*, it originally formed part of the document embodied In ch. 4-''"'-. See ad loc.
3-- ' expresses disapprobation of Bdma worship, based upon the law of Deut. which restricts sacrifice to the central sanctuary. Similar notices by R° are found elsewhere in Ivings (see phrases, No. 73). The old narrative treats Bdmd worship as a matter of course ; cf. v.* 18* 19" etc.
Though vv.i' of 3 both exhibit the infliience of Deut, it is scarcely possible to assign both to one author Ro. In v.s the subject, aa in w.i-*, is Solomon, while in v.2 the people are specitied. V.3 simply places two facts side by side without any attempt at correlation : — Solomon loved J", only he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places ; v. 2 supplies an explana- tion : — This Bdmd worship waa a popular custom, due to the fact that the house of J" was not yet built. Hence v. 3 is the work of Rp, and opens the account of Solomon's reign by in- troducing the narrative of the vision at Gibeon ; v. 2 proceeds from a later editor, who, with a view to explaining Solomon's conduct, inserted the phrase, which he found to be frequent elsewhere, v. 2a, together with the explanation which follows, v.2b^ and, in order to illustrate this latter, probably moved v.l, which
since it is obvious that more than one Deuteronomist may have had a hand in the revision of Kings. Ru2 denotes a Deutero- nomic redactor or redactors of the Bk. of Kings who lived in exiUc or post-exilic times.
* The following criticisms upon the narratives of Kings are, in the main, taken, directly or in an abridged form, from the writer's Notes on the Hebrew Text oj the Books of Kings, which is in course of preparation by the Oxford University Press.
KINGS, I. AND II.
KINGS, I. AND IL
803
mentiona the fact of the house of J" bcinp not yet built, from the position which it properly occupits in ch. 4 LXX. In LXX of ch. 3, v.l ia wanting and v,3 frag'iDentary'.