Kings

KINGS OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH.— Continued. DIAGRAM OF THE KINGS. — The design of the foregoing table of the kings of Israel and Judah is to represent to the eye the order in which the kings reigned, and the dates and relative duration of their reigns. The period of Jewish history covered by the table is from b.c. 1095 to rounded with splenb.c. 586, or about 509 years. Where the reigns were very short (as one month or six months), it was necessary to make the "lines" or "steps "representing their reigns somewhat out of the exact proportion. Frequently parts of years are counted in round numbers as if full years. For example, Nadab's reign is given as "2 years," though it was not probably two full years, but only parts of them. This will explain several of the figures given. Jehoshaphat associated Jehoram with him during the last two years of his reign, so "25 years" and Jehoram's "6 years" overlap each other. the power of life and death, 2 Sam 14; had some charge of the public worship. 1 Kgs 8; 2 Kgs 23. The Hebrew monarchy was in a sense limited, 1 Sam 10:25; 1 Kgs 12:4; 2 Kgs 11:17, checks being furnished by the Mosaic law and the protests of prophets and people. The king could appoint his own successor, 1 Kgs 1:30; 2 Chr 11:21, and generally chose the firstborn. Anointing with sacred oil was the main feature of the ceremony of inauguration. 1 Sam 10:1; 2 Sam 2:4. Some of the officers of the court were, (1) the recorder, 2 Sam 8:16; (2) scribe, 2 Sam 8:17; (3) chief steward or treasurer, Isa 22:15; (4) "king's friend," 1 Kgs 4:5; (5) keeper of the wardrobe, 2 Kgs 22:14; (6) captain of the bodyguard, 2 Sam 20:23; (7) commander-in-chief, 1 Chr 27:34; (8) royal counsellor, 1 Chr 27:32; (9) officers over storehouses, trees, vineyards, cattle, and laborers. 1 Chr 27:25. The king's revenues were from crown-lands, flocks, tithes, tributes, customs, presents, trading, spoils of war, and enforced labor. 1 Sam 8: 1 Kgs 20; 2 Chr 27. During life they were surrounded with spendor and signs of honor; after death they were buried in the royal cemetery. 1 Kings 2:10.