The Second Book of Kings-a book whose very title seems to assert the prerogative of male rule-is in fact filled with fascinating female characters as well as issues related to gender. In this commentary, Song-Mi Suzie Park argues that an interrogation of the masculinity of YHWH, Israel's deity, functions as the driving force behind the narrative in 2 Kings. While the sufficiency of YHWH's masculinity is affirmed by his military and reproductive prowess, it is also challenged and deconstructed through the painful defeats that end the book. Through a series of close readings, Park elucidates how the story of Israel's monarchic past in 2 Kings unfolds through a process of continual reformulation of masculinity and femininity in relation to YHWH and Israel.

Contents Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations List of Contributors Foreword: "Tell It on the Mountain"-or, "And You Shall Tell Your Daughter [as Well]" Athalya Brenner-Idan Editor's Introduction to Wisdom Commentary: "She Is a Breath of the Power of God" (Wis 7:25) Barbara E. Reid, OP Author's Introduction: Women Among Kings 2 Kings 1:1-18 Feminine Powers and Masculine Rivalries 2 Kings 2:1-25 Feminine Powers and Masculine Reproduction 2 Kings 3:1-27 War, Death, and Sacrifice: A Colonial Enterprise 2 Kings 4:1-44 Fecundity, Reproduction, and Life 2 Kings 5:1-27 The Powerless as Conduits of YHWH's Power 2 Kings 6:1-7:20 Women, Children, and the Sick as Victims of War 2 Kings 8:1-29 The Remaining Deeds of Elisha 2 Kings 9:1-37 The Murder of Queen Jezebel 2 Kings 10:1-36 Regime Change and the Final Desecration of Queen Jezebel 2 Kings 11:1-21 The Rise, Fall, and Delegitimation of Queen Athaliah 2 Kings 12:1-21 The Reign and Mysterious Death of King Joash in Judah 2 Kings 13:1-25 The Reigns of Jehoahaz and Jehoash in Israel, and the Death of Elisha 2 Kings 14:1-29 The Reigns of Amaziah in Judah and Jeroboam II in Israel 2 Kings 15:1-38 Political Instability and Voiceless Victims 2 Kings 16:1-20 The Reign of Ahaz in Judah 2 Kings 17:1-41 The Destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel 2 Kings 18:1-20:21 The Reign of Hezekiah in Judah 2 Kings 21:1-26 The Reign of Manasseh in Judah 2 Kings 22:1-23:37 The Prophecy of Huldah and the Reign of Josiah in Judah 2 Kings 24:1-25:30 The End of Judah and the Deconstruction of Androcentrism Afterword Works Cited Index of Scripture References and Other Ancient Writings Index of Subjects