Wikipedia's first sentence called it “names of four books of the hebrew bible given in the septuagint version”. Today it says “names that four books of the hebrew bible are given in the septuagint”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2025 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since.Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now.Red text: written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot.1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in 2025
Books of the Kingdoms , Books of Kingdoms , or Books of Reigns ( Koine Greek : Βíβλοι Βασιλειῶν ) are the names that four books of the Hebrew Bible are given in the Septuagint . 1 and 2 Kingdoms are equivalent to 1 and 2 Samuel , and 3 and 4 Kingdoms are equivalent to 1 and 2 Kings in most modern English versions. These books are known in the Vulgate version as the four Books of the Kingdoms ( Libri Regnum or Regnorum ), or the Book of Kings ( Liber Regum ) as Jerome disagreed with the expression Books of the Kingdoms ( Libri Regnorum ) of the LXX . Jerome says: Third comes Samuel, which we call the first and second Kings. Fourth Malachim , that is contained in the third and fourth books of Kings. It is much better to say Malachim, of kings, than Malachoth, of kingdoms. Those books are known as the Books of Reigns in the New English Translation of the Septuagint . In Schaff, Philip (ed.). Vol. 5: The books of Samuel. Our Hebrew editions of the Bible follow the Seventy in dividing the Hebrew book of Samuel into two parts; they (the LXX.) did not, however, name these two books after Samuel, but included them with the two books of Kings, מְלָכִים , under the common name "Books of the Kingdoms," Βíβλοι Βασιλειῶν . After the example of the Septuagint we find in the Greek Church-fathers and also in the Vulgate and the Latin Church-fathers, this division of the books of Samuel and Kings as one historical work into four books cited as the four Βíβλοι Βασιλειῶν , libri regnum or regnorum . This way of combining, dividing, and naming, in which our "Books of Samuel" are numbered as Βασιλειῶν πρώτη , δευτɛ́ρα "First, Second Kings" (comp. Gal. ) corresponds certainly to the general contents of these four, or more precisely two, books, so far as it consists chiefly of the history of the kingdom in the Old Testament covenant-people, and appears as a connected whole in the continuous narrative from Samuel's birth to the time of the Babylonian Exile. Jérôme : Préfaces aux livres de la Bible . New English Translation of the Septuagint .
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 1254582067.
The opening as it stood in 2015
The Books of the Kingdoms ( Βασιλειῶν ) are the names of four books of the Hebrew Bible given in the Septuagint version. 1 and 2 Kingdoms are equivalent to 1 and 2 Samuel , and 3 and 4 Kingdoms are equivalent to 1 and 2 Kings in most modern English versions. They are also known as the four Books of Kings ( Regum ) in the Vulgate version, and occasionally as the Books of Reigns in English.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 424446248.
The opening as it stood in 2020
The Books of the Kingdoms ( Koine Greek : Βíβλοι Βασιλειῶν ) are the names of four books of the Hebrew Bible given in the Septuagint version; 1 and 2 Kingdoms are equivalent to 1 and 2 Samuel , and 3 and 4 Kingdoms are equivalent to 1 and 2 Kings in most modern English versions. They are also known as the four Books of Kings ( Libri Regnum ) in the Vulgate version, and occasionally as the Books of Reigns in English. In Schaff, Philip (ed.).Vol. 5: The books of Samuel.Our Hebrew editions of the Bible follow the Seventy in dividing the Hebrew book of Samuel into two parts; they (the LXX.) did not, however, name these two books after Samuel, but included them with the two books of Kings, מְלָכִים, under the common name "Books of the Kingdoms," Βíβλοι Βασιλειῶν.After the example of the Septuagint we find in the Greek Church-fathers and also in the Vulgate and the Latin Church-fathers, this division of the books of Samuel and Kings as one historical work into four books cited as the four Βíβλοι Βασιλειῶν, libri regnum or regnorum .This way of combining, dividing, and naming, in which our "Books of Samuel" are numbered as Βασιλειῶν πρώτη, δευτɛ́ρα "First, Second Kings" (comp.Gal. ) corresponds certainly to the general contents of these four, or more precisely two, books, so far as it consists chiefly of the history of the kingdom in the Old Testament covenant-people, and appears as a connected whole in the continuous narrative from Samuel's birth to the time of the Babylonian Exile.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 964915726.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Four books of the Septuagint The Books of the Kingdoms , Books of Kingdoms , or Books of Reigns ( ) are the names that four books of the Hebrew Bible are given in the Septuagint . 1 and 2 Kingdoms are equivalent to 1 and 2 Samuel , and 3 and 4 Kingdoms are equivalent to 1 and 2 Kings in most modern English versions.These books are known in the Vulgate version as the four Books of the Kingdoms ( Libri Regnum or Regnorum ), or the Book of Kings ( Liber Regum ) as Jerome disagreed with the expression Books of the Kingdoms ( Libri Regnorum ) of the LXX .Jerome says: Third comes Samuel, which we call the first and second Kings.Fourth Malachim , that is contained in the third and fourth books of Kings.It is much better to say Malachim, of kings, than Malachoth, of kingdoms.Those books are known as the Books of Reigns in the New English Translation of the Septuagint . In Schaff, Philip (ed.). Vol. 5: The books of Samuel. Our Hebrew editions of the Bible follow the Seventy in dividing the Hebrew book of Samuel into two parts; they (the LXX.) did not, however, name these two books after Samuel, but included them with the two books of Kings, מְלָכִים , under the common name "Books of the Kingdoms," Βíβλοι Βασιλειῶν . After the example of the Septuagint we find in the Greek Church-fathers and also in the Vulgate and the Latin Church-fathers, this division of the books of Samuel and Kings as one historical work into four books cited as the four Βíβλοι Βασιλειῶν , libri regnum or regnorum . This way of combining, dividing, and naming, in which our "Books of Samuel" are numbered as Βασιλειῶν πρώτη , δευτɛ́ρα "First, Second Kings" (comp. Gal. ) corresponds certainly to the general contents of these four, or more precisely two, books, so far as it consists chiefly of the history of the kingdom in the Old Testament covenant-people, and appears as a connected whole in the continuous narrative from Samuel's birth to the time of the Babylonian Exile. Jérôme : Préfaces aux livres de la Bible .New English Translation of the Septuagint .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1143904731.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “names of four books of the hebrew bible given in the septuagint version”. Today it says “names that four books of the hebrew bible are given in the septuagint”. Read the current article and compare.
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2015, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
names of four books of the hebrew bible given in the septuagint version
Now
names that four books of the hebrew bible are given in the septuagint
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.