1 Kings

Old Testament · History / Narrative · 22 chapters

Quick answer

Solomon's glory and the temple, then the kingdom splits and slides toward idolatry.

1 Kings runs from Solomon's wisdom and temple to the divided kingdom and the prophets Elijah confronting Baal worship. The recurring question: will the kings be faithful to the covenant?

📖 Read the full introductionbackground · author & date · outline · how to read it

Chapters

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Major themes & people

Concept Infinity

Start here — curated resources

Lay

★ Start hereAudioThrough the WordThrough the Word · ~10 min/chapter · Free · evangelical
A clear ~10-minute audio teaching for every one of the Bible's 1,189 chapters — the most systematic free way to study chapter by chapter.

Pastoral

SermonChuck Smith — C2000 SeriesChuck Smith · Free · evangelical
Free verse-by-verse audio through the entire Bible from the founder of Calvary Chapel.

Watch & study

VideoBibleProject — 1 Kings videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
VideoWatch teaching on 1 KingsYouTube · Lay · Free
Sermon series and book overviews from across YouTube.
CommentaryMatthew Henry on 1 KingsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).