Judah (930-586 B.C.)
(Judah and Benjamin) | Israel (930-722 B.C.)
(The Ten Northern Tribes) |
| 930 | Rehoboam attempts to win back the ten tribes; finally prevented by the prophet Shemaiah. | 930 | Jeroboam I becomes leader of a democratic movement looking to the abolishment of the elective monarchy. Makes Dan and Bethel the chief centres of religion, where Yahveh is worshipped in the form of a bull. A new non-Levitical priesthood started. Ahijah, the prophet, denounces these reactionary measures. |
| 925 | Invasion of Judah by Shashanq I of Egypt. |
| Capture and sack of Jerusalem. |
| 920 | Abijam, king of Judah. |
| 917 | Asa, king of Judah. Wars with Israel continue. Asa allies himself with Ben-Hadad I of Damascus. | 917 | Nadab succeeds his father, is murdered after two years by |
| 915 | Baasha, a captain of the army, while besieging Gibbethon. Baasha makes himself king, and is denounced by the prophet Jehu. Ben-Hadad invades Israel. |
| 892 | Elah, Baasha’s son succeeds him, and is slain in conspiracy by |
| 890 | Zimri, one of his officers, who, usurping the throne for seven days, is killed by |
| Omri, the commander of the Israelites, who takes the throne after slaying another pretender, Tibni. The capital of the kingdom is transferred from Sechem to Samaria, built by Omri. He founds the first secure dynasty in Israel—makes the Moabites pay tribute, but is hard pressed by the growing power of Damascus. |
| 874 | Jehoshaphat, king of Israel. Alliance of Judah and Israel through marriage of Jehoram and Athaliah, daughter of Ahab. | 875 | Ahab, king of Israel. Defeats the Syrians twice, and then, to the offence of the prophets, allies himself with them, probably to resist Assyria. |
| 854 | Shalmaneser II of Assyria invades Syria, and defeats Israelites and Syrians at Qarqar. The alliance comes to an end, and Ahab is killed the following year in attempting to recover Ramoth-gilead from Ben-Hadad. Ahab marries Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal of Tyre, and the worship of Baal is instituted at Tyre. The prophet Elijah vigorously denounces this course. Contest between Baal and Yahveh, after which the latter is rehabilitated. Elijah flees. |
| 853 | Ahaziah, king of Israel. Elijah rebukes him for calling on Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron. |
| 851 | Jehoram succeeds his brother with help of Jehoshaphat. Attempts to recover allegiance of Moabites, but fails. |
| 849 | Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat, succeeds his father. Athaliah attempts to introduce the heathenism and profligacy of Israel into Judah. The Edomites successfully revolt. The Philistines invade and pillage Jerusalem. | | Elisha, servant and successor of Elijah, comes into prominence, and makes fierce war upon Baal worship, and in the course of this anoints Jehu, an officer of the army, king. Jehu in revolt at once attacks Jehoram and Ahaziah, who are visiting him, and slays them both. |
| 844 | Ahaziah succeeds his father. Is killed by Jehu. | 843 | Jehu. Roots out Baal worship by fire and sword. The house of Omri is entirely exterminated. Comes to terms and pays tribute to Shalmaneser II, to protect his kingdom from Syria. |
| 842 | Athaliah usurps throne. Kills all the royal house except Joash, who is concealed by the high priest Jehoiada. The cult of Baal established in Jerusalem. |
| 836 | Jehoiada organises an insurrection. Athaliah is murdered and Joash made king. Reaction against Baal worship, although the cult still continues. Prophecies of Zechariah. Hazael of Damascus invades Judah. |
| | 815 | Jehoahaz, Jehu’s son, succeeds him. Ben-Hadad III of Damascus besieges Samaria, but withdraws on approach of Assyrian army. |
| | 802 | Jehoash. Defeats Syrians and recovers lost cities. Israel delivered from the Syrian yoke. Death of Elisha. Defeat and capture of Amaziah at Beth-shemesh. Enters Jerusalem. |
| 797 | Amaziah. The Edomites defeated in the valley of Salt. Declares war upon Israel and is badly defeated. Assassinated at Lachish in a conspiracy. |
| 782 | Jeroboam II, his son, succeeds. Recovers all of lost territory from Syria, reduced to impotency by Assyria, and Israel extends once more from “the entering in of Hamath unto the sea of the Arabah.” |
| 778 | Azariah (Uzziah). Builds harbour of Elath. Era of commercial prosperity. Kingdom made secure against the Philistines. Uzziah dies a leper. | | An era of peace and prosperity begins, although the attitude of Assyria is threatening. |
| Prophecies of Amos and Hosea. They denounce the corruption and heathenism of the people, and predict the fall of the kingdom. |
| 741 | Zechariah, king of Israel. |
| 740 | Jotham, his son, becomes king, after a short regency. | 740 | Shallum, a conspirator, murders the king and takes the throne. |
| 738 | Menahem, a soldier, kills and replaces Shallum. Levies an immense tax to purchase Tiglathpileser III’s support to his claim on the throne. |
| 737 | Pekahiah, his son, succeeds. |
| 736 | Ahaz, a man of weak character, succeeds his father. In spite of the prophet Isaiah’s warnings, calls upon Tiglathpileser III to help resist Pekah and Rezin. Religion is in a state of corrupt decay. Prophecies of Isaiah and Micah. Isaiah preaches against the consequences of the Assyrian alliance to the nation and religion of Judah, and advises a policy of quietness; Micah against the condition of the poor. | 736 | Pekah, an officer at the head of a military plot, slays the king and seizes the throne. Allies himself with Rezin of Damascus to attack Judah. |
| 734 | Hoshea, supported by Tiglathpileser, slays Pekah, and becomes an Assyrian vassal. |
| 727 | Hezekiah. Carries out moderate religious reforms in early years of reign. The religion centralised at Jerusalem. Many administrative improvements in the kingdom. | | |
| 725 | Hoshea, on Shabak’s advice, withholds tribute from Shalmaneser IV, who at once lays siege to Samaria. |
| 722 | Capture of Samaria by Shalmaneser’s successor Sargon II. The population is deported beyond the Euphrates, and replaced by Assyrio-Babylonian settlers. Absorption of the northern kingdom by Assyria. |