The books of 1 and 2 Kings tell the story of the kings of Israel (northern kingdom) and Judah (southern kingdom) from the time of David until the Babylonian captivity some 400 years later. Written from the perspective of the prophets, the book of Kings (Hb. melakim) was undoubtedly one book in its original form. Patterson and Austel observe, “Thematically the continuity of Elijah narrative (1 Kings 17–2 Kings 2), itself part of the prophetic section
1 Kings–2 Kings