The Two Kingdoms of Israel and Judah: 920–720 BC
Podcast Episodes: 1.42 The Kingdom Sundered to 1.51.
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The Bible depicts Solomon's reign as a vast golden empire of peace, fame, and prosperity. It turned to ashes mere weeks after his death. The vast majority of the Hebrews, the northern tribes, rebelled against his feckless son Rehoboam and established their own kingdom, under Solomon's repentant taskmaster Jeroboam. They called their kingdom Israel. The Bible often refers to it as Ephraim, after one of its tribes. In Assyrian and other records it is often called Samaria, after its capital city.
In the south the rump kingdom of Judah remained loyal to the line of it's son David. The southern kingdom is traditionally considered to have consisted of just two tribes, Benjamin and Judah. This ignores the fact that Simeon had been absorbed into Judah at some point in the past, and that the Levites were still around. Until the destruction of Israel, Judah was a small and impoverished rural kingdom.
Map of the Two Kingdoms
The two kingdoms of Israel and Judah, about 930–722 BC.
Map of the Regional Powers
This map shows the regional powers during the period of the two kingdoms, Iron Age II. The main regional power was the kingdom of Aram-Damascus, which was strong enough to act as a buffer from Assyrian incursions for many years. The kingdoms alternately warred against Aram-Damascus or allied with it against the Assyrians.
800 BC. Iron Age II. The regional powers during the two kingdoms period. From Wikipedia, author unknown.
Synoptic Timeline of the Kings of Israel and Judah
The books of II Kings and II Chronicles give a wealth of information about the accession dates and reigns of the kings of the two kingdoms. Unfortunately, that information is riddled with inconsistencies. Moreover, it cannnot be reconciled with Egyptian, Assyrian and Syrian records. Some scholars have devoted entire careers to untangling the mess. It does not help that many kings are referred to by different names in the Bible, and there is even the possibility that King Jehoram of Judah is the same person as King Jehoram of Israel. I have used the dating system from Miller and Hayes.
Click the chart to enlarge. You can also get a handy-dandy one-page printable pdf of the chart. When you print it out please check the "Fit to page" (or equivalent) box in your pdf print dialog box.
But wait, there's more! For a poster-sized version of the history of Israel and Judah, visit our site Garrys Charts.
Synoptic timeline of the Kings of Israel and Judah. Click to enlarge.
Regnal Dates of the Kings of Israel and Judah
Kings of Judah
| King | Transliterated Hebrew Name | Regnal dates according to Miller and Hayes | Maximal regnal dates from other scholars |
|---|---|---|---|
| House of David | |||
| Rehoboam | Rehavam | 926–910 | 932–913 |
| Abijah | Aviyam | 909–907 | 915–911 |
| Asa | Asa | 906–878 | 913–870 |
| Jehoshaphat | Yehoshafat | 877–853 | 873–845 |
| Jehoram (Joram) | Yehoram (Yoram) | 852–841 | 851–841 |
| Ahaziah (Jehoahaz I) | Ahazyahu (Yehoahaz) | 840 | 843–841 |
| Athaliah | Atalyah | 839–833 | 842–835 |
| Joash (Jehoash) | Yoash (Yehoash) | 832–803 | 842–796 |
| Amaziah | Amatzyah | 802–786 | 805–767 |
| Uzziah (Azariah) | Uziyah (Azaryah) | 785–760 | 788–736 |
| Jotham | Yotam | 759–744 | 758–730 |
| Ahaz | Ahaz | 743–728 | 742–715 |
| Hezekiah | Hizkiyah | 727–699 | 726–687 |
| Manasseh | Menasheh | 698–644 | 697–642 |
| Amon | Amon | 643–642 | 643–640 |
| Josiah | Yoshiyahu | 641–610 | 641–609 |
| Jehoahaz II (Shallum) | Yehoahaz (Shallum) | 609 | 609 |
| Jehoiakim (Eliakim) | Yehoyakim (Eliakim) | 608–598 | 609–598 |
| Jehoiachin (Jeconiah) | Yehoyakin (Yekonyahu) | 598 | 598–597 |
| Zedekiah (Mattaniah) | Zidkiyahu (Mattanyahu) | 598–586 | 597–586 |
Kings of Israel
| King | Transliterated Hebrew Name | Regnal dates according to Miller and Hayes | Maximal regnal dates from other scholars |
|---|---|---|---|
| House of Jeroboam | |||
| Jeroboam I | Yeravam | 927–906 | 931–901 |
| Nadab | Nadav | 905–904 | 911–900 |
| House of Baasha | |||
| Baasha | Baasha | 903–882 | 910–877 |
| Elah | Elah | 881–880 | 887–876 |
| House of Zimri | |||
| Zimri | Zimri | 880 | 886–876 |
| House of Omri | |||
| Omri | Omri | 879–869 | 886–869 |
| Ahab | Ahav | 868–854 | 875–850 |
| Ahaziah | Ahazyahu | 853–852 | 853–849 |
| Jehoram (Joram) | Yehoram (Yoram) | 851–840 | 852–841 |
| House of Jehu | |||
| Jehu | Yehu | 839–822 | 842–814 |
| Jehoahaz | Yehoahaz | 821–805 | 819–798 |
| Jehoash (Joash) | Yehoash | 804–789 | 806–782 |
| Jeroboam II | Yeravam | 788–748 | 791–746 |
| Zechariah | Zekaryah | 747 | 753–746 |
| House Of Shallum | |||
| Shallum | Shallum | 747 | 749–745 |
| House of Menahem | |||
| Menahem | Menahem | 746–737 | 752–738 |
| Pekahiah | Pekahyah | 736–735 | 742–736 |
| House of Pekah | |||
| Pekah | Pekah | 734–731 | 740–732 |
| House of Hoshea | |||
| Hoshea | Hoshea | 730–722 | 732–722 |