ABSTRACT
The Hebrew Bible subverts the social order, elevating the poor and denigrating kings. Kings are among the chief culprits in the national disaster. Most biblical kings are morally impoverished and are judged as such. Good kings are a drop in the bucket. The Bible is not tongue-tied by authority. As all are equal in the eyes of God, kings are judged by the same standards as the poor. There is no divine right of kings in the Hebrew Bible: a king is judged on his merits, particularly his treatment of the poor. Biblical prophets such as Nathan and Elijah speak truth to power and attack unjust, immoral kings. The biblical narrative sides with the rebelling slaves, as in the story of the Israelite slaves in Egypt in the book of Exodus. The prophet Jeremiah, in a bitter and angry diatribe against Jehoiakim (23:13f.), contrasts Josiah's just treatment of the poor with Jehoiakim's oppression.
