Answer
The book of 2 Kings highlights God’s discipline of Israel for its spiritual and moral corruption. While the book doesn’t explicitly identify its author, Jewish tradition attributes it to the prophet Jeremiah. However, given the timeframe for the stories narrated in 2 Kings, it’s more likely that an anonymous writer composed the book between 560 and 540 BC, not long after the final events it describes.
Originally part of a single book called “Kings” in the Hebrew Bible, 2 Kings continues the narrative begun in 1 Kings, covering roughly 118 years. First Kings opens with David’s death in 971 BC and concludes with Ahaziah’s reign in 853 BC. It recounts the end of David’s reign (1 Kings 1:1—2:12), Solomon’s entire rule (1 Kings 2:12—11:43), the early days of the divided kingdom (1 Kings 12—16), and the rise of Elijah the prophet (1 Kings 17—22).
Second Kings begins with the end of Elijah’s life before recounting Elisha’s ministry (2 Kings 1—13). Historically, the narrative spans from 853 BC, starting with Elijah’s interaction with Ahaziah, to around 561 BC, when Jehoiachin is released from Babylonian prison at the end of the exile. The second half of the book focuses on the events leading up to the Babylonian exile (chapters 14—17), narrating both the exile itself and Jehoiachin’s release (chapters 18—25). In terms of authorship, the events in 2 Kings extend beyond Jeremiah’s lifetime (650—570 BC), making it unlikely that he is the author.
Furthermore, the Old Testament never indicates that Jeremiah was exiled to Babylon. Rather, it says that Jeremiah was taken to the land of Egypt (Jeremiah 43:6–7). If he was in Egypt in 561 BC, at approximately 86 years old, he wouldn’t have known about the events recorded at the end of 2 Kings and likely wouldn’t have lived long enough to learn and document them.
The author of 2 Kings used several sources in compiling the narrative. He mentions “the Book of the Acts of Solomon” (e.g., 1 Kings 11:41, ESV), “the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel” (e.g., 1 Kings 14:19, ESV), and “the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah” (e.g., 1 Kings 14:29, ESV). Some scholars also believe the author may have drawn from the book of Isaiah (compare 2 Kings 18:9—20:19 and Isaiah 36:1—39:8) and the book of Jeremiah (compare 2 Kings 25:27–29 and Jeremiah 52:31–34). The author’s use of these sources helps explain why the phrase to this day (e.g., 1 Kings 8:8) appears repeatedly, even though the book was most likely written after the events it records.
Tragically, the office of the king in Israel was not a beacon of righteousness but often embodied unrighteousness. As part of His chastisement, God allowed foreign nations to take the Israelites out of the Promised Land and into exile. Even through the discipline, God remained faithful, fulfilling His promise to never leave or forsake them by sovereignly orchestrating the end of the exile and their eventual return home. The author of 2 Kings was convinced that this story was important for future generations of God’s people to understand.
