(1) That the chronology of the two kingdoms is inconsistent with itself is readily shown. After the division of the kingdom the first year of Jeroboam in Israel coincides, of course, with the first year of Rehoboam in Judah; and after the death of Jehoram of Israel and Ahaziah of Judah in battle with Jehu (2 Kings ix. 24, 27), the first year of Jehu in Israel coincides similarly with the first year of Athaliah in Judah; there are thus in the history of the two kingdoms two fixed and certain synchronisms. Now, if the regnal years of the kings of Israel from Jeroboam to Jehoram be added together, they will be found to amount to 98, while if those of the kings of Judah for the same period (viz. from Rehoboam to Ahaziah) be added together, they amount only to 95. This discrepancy, if it stood alone, would not, however, be serious. But when we proceed to add up similarly the regnal years in the two kingdoms from the division after Solomon’s death to the fall of Samaria in the sixth year of Hezekiah (2 Kings xviii. 10), we find in the southern kingdom 260 years, and in the northern kingdom only 241 years 7 months. This is a formidable discrepancy. Ussher, in order to remove it, has recourse to the doubtful expedient of artificially lengthening the northern series of years, by assuming (without any authority in the text) an “interregnum of 11 years” after the death of Jeroboam II., and an “anarchy for some years” between Pekah and Hoshea (see the margin of A.V. at 2 Kings xiv. 29; xv. 8, 29).
Chronological Table.
The dates printed in heavy type are certain, at least within a unit.
| Chronology of Ussher. | Probable Real Dates. | Biblical Events. | Events in Contemporary History. | ||
| Babylonia. | Assyria. | Egypt.[38] | |||
| 4004 [4157][36] | Indeterminable, but much before 7000 B.C. | Creation of Man | |||
| 7-6000.[37] Temple of Bel at Nippur founded. | |||||
| 4777. Menes, the first king of the First Egyptian Dynasty | |||||
| c. 4000.[37] lugal-zaggisi, king of Uruk (Erech, Gen. x. 10) | |||||
| 3998-3721. Fourth Dynasty. 3969-3908. Cheops. The Great Pyramid The Great Pyramid | |||||
| 3800.[39] Sargon of Agade, who carries his arms as far as the Mediterranean Sea. | |||||
| 2348 [2501[40]] | The Deluge | c. 2800.[41] Ur-bau and Dungi, kings of Uru (Ur, Gen. xi. 28, 31) | |||
| c. 2300. Ushpia, priest of Ashur, builder of temple in the city of Ashur. | |||||
| 1996-1821 [2211-2036[40]] | c. 2100 (if, as is probable, the Amraphel of Gen. xiv. 1 is Khammurabi.) | Abraham | c. B.C. 2130-2088.[42] Khammurabi unifies Babylonia and constructs in it many great works (see art. [Babylonia].) | c. 2225. Ilu-shuma, first king of Assyria at present (1909) known.[43] | |
| 2098-1587. Rule of the Hyksos. 1587-1328. Eighteenth Dynasty. 1503-1449. Thothmes (Tethmosis) III. (leads victorious expeditions into Asia.) | |||||
| c. 1400. Burnaburiash. Tel el- Amarna correspondence. | 1414-1483. Amen-hōtep (Amenophis) III. 1383-1365. Amen-hōtep IV. 1328-1202. Nineteenth Dynasty | ||||
| c. 1300. Shalmaneser I. (builder of Calah, Gen. x. 11.) | |||||
| 1300-1234. Ramses II. 1234-1214. Merenptab II. | |||||
| 1491 | c. 1230 | The Exodus. | · · | · · | |
| 1099-1058 | c. 1025-1010[44] | Saul (2)[45] | |||
| 1058-1017 | c. 1010-970 | David (40) | |||
| 1017-977 | c. 970-933 | Solomon (40) | |||
| Judah. | Israel. | 952-749 (al. 945-745). Twenty- second Dynasty | |||
| 977 959 956 | 933. Rehoboam (17) 916. Abijah (3) 913. Asa (41) | 933. Jeroboam I. (22) | · · | · · | 952-930[46] (Breasted 945- 924). Sheshonq (Shishak). Shishak invades Judah in the fifth year of Rehoboam (1 Ki. xiv. 25 f.) |
| 956 954 | · · · · | 912. Nadab (2) 911. Baasha (24) | |||
| 930 929 929 918 | · · · · · · · · | 888. Elah (2) 887. Zimri (7 days) 887. Omri (12) 876. Ahab (22) | 885-860. Asshur-nazir-abal 860-825. Shalmaneser II. | ||
| 914 | 873. Jehoshaphat (25) | ||||
| 898 896 | · · · · | 854. Ahab mentioned at the battle of Karkar | |||
| 892 885 | 849. Jehoram (8) 842. Ahaziah (1) | ||||
| 884 | 842. Athalia (6) | 842. Jehu (28) | 842. Jehu pays tribute to Shalmaneser II. | ||
| 878 | 836. Jehoash (40) | ||||
| 856 | · · | 814. Jehoahaz (17) | · · | ||
| 841 | · · | 798. Jehoash (16) | 825-812. Shamshi-Adad (Hadad) | ||
| 839 | 797. Amaziah (29) | · · | 812-783. Adad-Nirari IV. | ||
| 823 | · · | 783. Jeroboam II. (41) | |||
| 810 | 779. Uzziah(52) c. 750. Jotham (16) as regent. (2 Ki. xv. 5) | · · | |||
| 747-733. Nabonassar | 745-727. Tiglath-Pileser IV. | ||||
| 773 772 772 | · · · · · · | 743. Zecharia (6 mo.) 743. Shallum (1 mo.) 743. Menahem (10) | |||
| 758 | 740. Jotham, sole ruler | ||||
| 761 759 | · · · · | 738. Pekabiah(2) 737. Pekah(20) | · · | 738. Menahem pays tribute to Tiglath-pileser IV. (cf. 2 Ki. xv. 19) | |
| 742 | 736.[47] Ahaz (16) | ||||
| 730 | 733. (or 732) Hoshea (9) | 733 (or 732). Assassination of Pekah, and succession of Hoshea mentioned by Tiglath-pileser III. 732. Capture of Damascus by Tiglath-pileser IV. (2 Ki. xvi. 9; cf. Is. viii. 4, xvii. 1) | |||
| 726 | 728.[47] Hezeiah (29) | 729-724. Tiglath-pileser, under the name of Pulu (cf. 2 Ki. xv. 19), king of Babylon. | 727-722. Shalmaneser IV. | ||
| · · | 722-705. Sargon. | ||||
| 721 | 722. Fall of Samaria and end of northern kingdom. | 722. Capture of Samaria in Sargon's accession-year. | |||
| Biblical Events. | 721-710. The Chaldaean prince, Merodach-baladan, king of Babylon (cf. 2 Kings xx. 12 = Is. xxxix. 1) | ||||
| 715-663. Twenty-fifth (Ethiopian) Dynasty. 715.[48] Sabako (Shabaka) | |||||
| 711. Siege and capture of Ashdod. (cf. Is. xx. 1) 705-681. Sennacherib | |||||
| 707.[48] Shabataka | |||||
| 701. Campaign against Phoenicia, Philistia and Judah (2 Kings xviii. 13-xix. 35) | |||||
| 698 | 698. Manasseh (55) | ||||
| 693.[48] Taharqa (Tirhakah, Is. xxxvii. 9) | |||||
| 681-668. Esarhaddon | |||||
| 670. Esarhaddon conquers Egypt 668-626 Asshur-banipal (Assur-bani-pal) 663. Asshur-banipal invades Egypt, and sacks Thebes (Nah. iii. 8-10) | 664-525. Twenty-sixth Dynasty. 664. Psammetichus I. | ||||
| 643 641 629 | 641. Amon (2) 639. Josiah (31) 626. Call of the prophet Jeremiah in Josiah's 13th year. (Jer. i. 2, xxv. 3) | ||||
| Chaldaean Dynasty 625. Nabopolassar | |||||
| 624 | 621. Discovery of the Book of the Law (Deuteronomy) in Josiah's 18th year (2 Kings xxiii. 3 ff.) | ||||
| 610 | 608. Jehoahaz (3 mo.) | · · | · · | 610. Necho 608. Battle of Megiddo, and death of Josiah. (2 Kings xxiii. 29) | |
| 610 | 608. Jehoiakim (11) | ||||
| 607. Destruction of Nineveh by the Medes, and end of the empire of Assyria. | |||||
| 605. Defeat of Egyptians by Nebuchadrezzar (as his father's general) at Carchemish (Jer. xlvi. 2) 604. Nebuchadrezzar | |||||
| 599 | 597. Jehoiachin (3 mo.) First deportation of captives (including Jehoiachin) to Babylonia, in the 8th year of Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings xxiv. 12-16) | ||||
| 599 | 597. Zedekiah (11) | ||||
| 594. Psammetichus II. (Psammis) 589. Apries (Hophra, Jer. xliv. 30) | |||||
| 588 | 586. Destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldaeans in the 19th year of 19th year of Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings xxv. 8). Second deportation of captives to Babylonia (2 Kings xxv. 4-21) | ||||
| 568. Nebuchadrezzar invades Egypt (cf. Jer. xliii. 8-13) | 570. Amasis II. (jointly with Apries) | ||||
| 564. Amasis alone | |||||
| 562 | 561. Jehoiachin released from prison by Evil-merodach in the 37th year of his captivity (2 Kings xxv. 27-30) | 561. Amēl-marduk (Evil- merodach, 2 Ki. xxv. 27) 559. Nergal-sharuzur (Neriglissar) 555. (9 months) Labashi-marduk (Laboriso-archod) 555. Nabu-na'id (Nabon-nēdus, Nabonidus) 539. Capture of Babylon by Cyrus. | |||
| Judah a province of the Persian Empire | Persian Kings | ||||
| 536 | 538. Edict of Cyrus, permitting the Jews to return to Palestine. Many return under the leadership of Zerubbabel (Ezra i.-ii.) | 538. Cyrus | |||
| 529. Cambyses | |||||
| 526. Psammetichus III. 525. Conquest of Egypt by Cambyses | |||||
| 522. (7 mo.) Gaumata (Pseudo-Smerdis) 522. Darius Hystaspis | |||||
| 515 | 516. Completion of the second Temple in the 6th year of Darius (Ezra vi. 15) | ||||
| 490. Battle of Marathon 485. Xerxes 480. Battles of Thermopylae and Salamis 465. Artaxerxes | |||||
| 457 | 458. Return of exiles with Ezra, in the 7th year of Artaxerxes (Ezra vii. 7) | ||||
| 445 | 445. Nehemiah's first visit to Jerusalem (Neh. i. 1, ii. 1) | ||||
| 434 | 432. Nehemiah's second visit to Jerusalem (Neh. xiii. 6) | ||||
| 423. Darius II. (Nothus) 404. Artaxerxes II. (Mnemon) 359. Artaxerxes III. (Ochus) | |||||
| c. 350. Many Jews carried away captive to Hyrcania and Babylonia, probably on account of a revolt against the Persians | |||||
| 338. Arses 336. Darius III. (Codomannus) 333. Persian Empire overthrown by Alexander the Great | |||||
Palestine now becomes a province, first of the empire of Alexander, and afterwards of that of one or other of Alexander’s successors.
332. The Jews submit to Alexander the Great.
323. Death of Alexander in Babylon.
322. Alexander’s general, Ptolemy Lagi, becomes Satrap of Egypt.
320. Ptolemy Lagi gains possession of Palestine, which, with short interruptions, continues in the hands of the Ptolemies till 198.