Textual History of the Books of Kings

Abstract The Septuagint (LXX) edition of Kings differs significantly from the Masoretic Text. These differences stem from a different Hebrew base text of the LXX (Vorlage). The LXX edition lacks many textual units added later through protomasoretic editing, but it also contains lengthy textual units not found in the Masoretic Text. Many verses and passages are transposed. Scholarly positions as to which edition has precedent have been highly polarized: while some believe that the LXX is the oldest preserved edition of Kings, others find its text secondary to the Masoretic Text. This question of the textual history and growth of the books of Kings has become one of the most pressing subjects in the contemporary study of Kings. This chapter discusses the methodological repercussions of this textual multiplicity for the study of Kings and gives examples of the major differences between the two extant editions.