Age 7 of 14
The Divided Kingdom
c. 931 BC – 586 BC (Israel to 722 BC, Judah to 586 BC)
Dating: Thiele chronology
Relevance
Because of Solomon's idolatry the kingdom was divided (; ). Israel continued in the sins of Jeroboam and was carried away to Assyria (). Judah, though warned by the prophets, was carried away to Babylon (; ; ). The line of David was preserved through these events ().
Key events
c. 931 BC
Golden calves at Bethel and Dan
Jeroboam makes two calves of gold ().
c. 931 BC
The kingdom divides
Israel rebels against the house of David; Jeroboam is made king over Israel ().
c. 926 BC
Shishak invades Judah
In the fifth year of Rehoboam, Shishak comes up against Jerusalem ().
c. 880 BC
Omri builds Samaria
Omri buys the hill Samaria and builds a city ().
853 BC · fixed by historical record
Battle of Qarqar
Shalmaneser III fights a coalition including "Ahab the Israelite." Recorded in Assyrian sources, not in Scripture.
c. 852 BC
Mesha of Moab rebels
After Ahab's death the king of Moab rebels against Israel ().
841 BC · fixed by historical record
Jehu pays tribute to Assyria
The Black Obelisk depicts Jehu's tribute to Shalmaneser III. Recorded in Assyrian sources, not in Scripture.
722 BC · fixed by historical record
Fall of Samaria
The king of Assyria takes Samaria and carries Israel away into Assyria (; ).
701 BC · fixed by historical record
Sennacherib's campaign against Judah
Sennacherib takes the fenced cities of Judah; the angel of the LORD smites the Assyrian camp (; ).
c. 622 BC
Book of the law found
In Josiah's eighteenth year, Hilkiah finds the book of the law in the house of the LORD (,8).
609 BC
Josiah slain at Megiddo
Pharaoh Necho slays Josiah at Megiddo ().
597 BC · fixed by historical record
Jehoiachin taken to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar takes Jehoiachin captive and carries away the treasures of the house of the LORD ().
586 BC · fixed by historical record
Fall of Jerusalem
Nebuzar-adan burns the house of the LORD and the king's house; Judah is carried away (,21).
Dating views (no position taken)
Thiele: 586 BC — Edwin R. Thiele
Alternative: 587 BC — Reckoning with a Tishri regnal year for Zedekiah (,8)
Reign of Ahab
Elijah on Mount Carmel
The fire of the LORD falls; the people say "The LORD, he is the God" ().
Kings of Israel
Dates: Thiele chronology
| King | Reign | Length per Scripture | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeroboam I | c. 931–910 BC | 22 years () | "hast done evil above all that were before thee" (); "made Israel to sin" () |
| Nadab | c. 910–909 BC | 2 years () | "did evil in the sight of the LORD" () |
| Baasha | c. 909–886 BC | 24 years () | "did evil in the sight of the LORD" () |
| Elah | c. 886–885 BC | 2 years () | "the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son ... they made Israel to sin" () |
| Zimri | c. 885 BC | 7 days () | "his sins which he sinned in doing evil in the sight of the LORD" () |
| Tibni | c. 885–880 BC (rival to Omri) | Not stated () | — |
| Omri | c. 885–874 BC | 12 years () | "wrought evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all that were before him" () |
| Ahab | c. 874–853 BC | 22 years () | "did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him" () |
| Ahaziah | c. 853–852 BC | 2 years () | "did evil in the sight of the LORD" () |
| Joram (Jehoram) | c. 852–841 BC | 12 years () | "wrought evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like his father" () |
| Jehu | c. 841–814 BC | 28 years () | "Jehu departed not from the sins of Jeroboam" (); commended for executing judgment on the house of Ahab () |
| Jehoahaz | c. 814–798 BC | 17 years () | "did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD" () |
| Jehoash (Joash) | c. 798–782 BC | 16 years () | "did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD" () |
| Jeroboam II | c. 793–753 BC (incl. co-regency) | 41 years () | "did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD" () |
| Zachariah | c. 753 BC | 6 months () | "did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD" () |
| Shallum | c. 752 BC | 1 month () | — |
| Menahem | c. 752–742 BC | 10 years () | "did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD" () |
| Pekahiah | c. 742–740 BC | 2 years () | "did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD" () |
| Pekah | c. 752–732 BC (overlapping reign per Thiele) | 20 years () | "did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD" () |
| Hoshea | c. 732–722 BC | 9 years () | "did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him" () |
Kings of Judah
Dates: Thiele chronology
| King | Reign | Length per Scripture | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rehoboam | c. 931–913 BC | 17 years () | "Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD" () |
| Abijam (Abijah) | c. 913–911 BC | 3 years () | "walked in all the sins of his father" () |
| Asa | c. 911–870 BC | 41 years () | "did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD" () |
| Jehoshaphat | c. 872–848 BC (incl. co-regency) | 25 years () | "doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD" () |
| Jehoram (Joram) | c. 853–841 BC (incl. co-regency) | 8 years () | "he did evil in the sight of the LORD" () |
| Ahaziah | c. 841 BC | 1 year () | "did evil in the sight of the LORD" () |
| Athaliah (queen) | c. 841–835 BC | 6 years () | — |
| Joash (Jehoash) | c. 835–796 BC | 40 years () | "did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him" () |
| Amaziah | c. 796–767 BC | 29 years () | "did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like David his father" () |
| Azariah (Uzziah) | c. 792–740 BC (incl. co-regency) | 52 years () | "did that which was right in the sight of the LORD" () |
| Jotham | c. 750–732 BC (incl. co-regency) | 16 years () | "did that which was right in the sight of the LORD" () |
| Ahaz | c. 735–715 BC (incl. co-regency) | 16 years () | "did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD his God" () |
| Hezekiah | c. 715–686 BC | 29 years () | "did that which was right in the sight of the LORD" () |
| Manasseh | c. 697–642 BC (incl. co-regency) | 55 years () | "did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD" () |
| Amon | c. 642–640 BC | 2 years () | "did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD" () |
| Josiah | c. 640–609 BC | 31 years () | "did that which was right in the sight of the LORD" () |
| Jehoahaz | 609 BC | 3 months () | "did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD" () |
| Jehoiakim | c. 609–598 BC | 11 years () | "did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD" () |
| Jehoiachin | 598–597 BC | 3 months () | "did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD" () |
| Zedekiah | 597–586 BC | 11 years () | "did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD" () |
Rulers and empires
c. 945–924 BC
Shishak (Shoshenq I)
9th century BC
Ben-hadad, king of Syria
859–824 BC
Shalmaneser III
9th century BC
Mesha, king of Moab
c. 842–800 BC
Hazael, king of Syria
745–727 BC
Tiglath-pileser III (Pul)
727–722 BC
Shalmaneser V
722–705 BC
Sargon II
705–681 BC
Sennacherib
610–595 BC
Pharaoh Necho II
605–562 BC
Nebuchadnezzar II
Prophets
- Ahijah the ShiloniteIsrael
Foretold the division of the kingdom to Jeroboam ().
- ElijahIsrael
Confronted Ahab and the prophets of Baal at Carmel (); taken up by a whirlwind into heaven ().
- Micaiah son of ImlahIsrael
Prophesied before Ahab and Jehoshaphat ().
- ElishaIsrael
Successor to Elijah (); died in the days of Joash king of Israel ().
- JonahIsrael; NinevehWrote: Jonah
Prophesied in the days of Jeroboam II (); sent to Nineveh ().
- AmosIsraelWrote: Amos
A herdman of Tekoa ().
- HoseaIsraelWrote: Hosea
Prophesied in the days of the kings named in .
- MicahJudah and SamariaWrote: Micah
The Morasthite (); cited in .
- IsaiahJudahWrote: Isaiah
Prophesied in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah ().
- ZephaniahJudahWrote: Zephaniah
Prophesied in the days of Josiah ().
- JeremiahJudahWrote: Jeremiah, Lamentations
Prophesied from the thirteenth year of Josiah to the captivity of Jerusalem ().
- Huldah the prophetessJudah
Consulted when the book of the law was found ().
- JoelJudahWrote: Joel
The son of Pethuel ().
Books written during or about this period
1 Kings (ch. 12–22) · 2 Kings · 2 Chronicles (ch. 10–36) · Isaiah · Jeremiah · Hosea · Amos · Jonah · Micah · Zephaniah