YINR 929: Tanach Yomi

I Kings 21: Vineyard Whines

Chapter 20 ended with the mystery prophet’s prophecy of doom for Achav and his household: “Thus said the LORD: Because you have set free the man whom I doomed, your life

I Kings 20: Self Inflicted Wounds

The chapter begins with Achav actually standing up for his people. Ben Hadad demands a tribute of gold and silver and slaves and women and Achav rebuffs the request. Inst

I Kings 19: A Quiet Place

Elijah loves bombast. He brought about a famine. He has no qualms threatening the king to his face. He orchestrated an epic showdown with the prophets of Baal. Elijah is

I Kings 18: This Reference Rocks!

Chapter 18 details the famous confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. Elijah utilizes anger, humor, bombast, and a miracle to convince the people that the

I Kings 17: Oh NOW I Believe You!

Eliyahu appears at the start of the chapter with absolutely no fanfare. He just starts talking. This opening verse is in stark contrast to everything else that will happe

I Kings 16: King for a Week

Chapter 15 began with the rule of Abijam, the son of Rechavam. Abijam was an evil king, but God made it clear that the Davidic line would continue because of the righteou

I Kings: 15 Ping Pong

Shaul (c. 1050–1010 BCE) to David (c. 1010–970 BCE) to Shlomo (c. 970–931 BCE) to Rechavam (c. 931–913 BCE) and Jeroboam (c. 931–910 BCE). This sequence led to a pretty l

I Kings 14: Kings of Egypt

The regional power in the Near East until the ascent of the Assyrian empire was Egypt. As such, Egypt has played and will play an outsized role in Tanach. Avraham went to

I Kings 13 Arm-aggedon

Jeroboam goes all in with his worship of thetwo new Golden Calves. He even appoints himself as a priest as if to show thepeople that anyone can be a priest in the North.

I Kings 12: The New King is a Cow-ard

The new king is faced with an early dilemma. What will happen when holiday season rolls around and the people return to the Temple to worship? Sensing there is a problem,

I Kings 12: The New King is a Cow-ard

The new king is faced with an early dilemma. What will happen when holiday season rolls around and the people return to the Temple to worship? Sensing there is a problem,

I Kings 11: Another Ripped Cloak

Chapter 11 has a thematic parallel to two different stories. The first is from the beginning of the book of Kings when David instructs Shlomo to tie up all of David’s loo

I Kings 10: The Queen of Sheba

Knowledge of Shlomo’s wealth and wisdom spread throughout the known world according to chapter 10. The Queen of Sheba hears about Shlomo through the name of God and wants

I Kings 9: Whistling past/present/future the Graveyard

Chapter 9 is God’s response to Shlomo’s prayer during the dedication ceremony. The structure is similar to the tochacha/rebuke and blessings and curses in Vayikra and Dev

I Kings 8: Party on Shlomo

It is party time in Jerusalem. The Temple iscomplete. The Ark and some of the vessels are now in their new (hopefully)permanent home in the Temple. Shlomo composes an epi

I Kings 7: 13 going on 7

In chapter six, the texts states that the building of the temple took seven years. According to chapter 7, Shlomo took 13 years to build his palace. The commentators are

I Kings 6: Illegal Building Permit

Four hundred and eighty years after the Israelites left Egypt, Shlomo begins to build the Temple. Back in Exodus, God was very clear with Moshe about the plans for the Ta

I Kings 5: Smarter than the Average Bear

He was the wisest of all men: [wiser] thanEthan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalkol, and Darda the sons of Mahol. His famespread among all the surrounding nations” (verse 11

I Kings 4: How Many Priests Does it Take to Screw in a Lightbulb?

David was king over Judah, then all of Israel, but it never seemed like he had steady control over the many tribes. Shlomo sets up a sophisticated administrative state wi

I Kings 3: Split Second Decision

Chapter 3 details the famous story of the two women fighting over a baby. After an introduction highlighting Shlomo’s wisdom, the chapter jumps directly into the story as