2 Kings

The Second Book of Kingsa book whose very title seems to assert the prerogative of male ruleis 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, Israels deity, functions as the driving force behind the narrative in 2 Kings. While the sufficiency of YHWHs 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 Israels monarchic past in 2 Kings unfolds through a process of continual reformulation of masculinity and femininity in relation to YHWH and Israel.