Elisha and the House of Ahab

Elisha and the House of Ahab (2 Kings 1-8)

Second Kings begins at the death of Ahab and the accession of his son Ahaziah. The break between 1 and 2 Kings is purely a pragmatic move, to divide the longer narrative into more manageable chunks, so readers should regard the narrative as continuous, despite the separation of the books. As the fall of the northern kingdom creeps closer and closer, the narrative focuses more and more on international politics and the many wars swirling in the region. Elijah continues his prophecies against the house of Ahab by proclaiming to Ahaziah that he will not recover from his fall through the palace latticework. Ahaziah’s brother Jehoram (a.k.a. Joram), another son of Ahab and Jezebel, succeeds him…