Kingdom of Israel
See also History of ancient Israel and JudahKingdom of Israel
Soon after the death of Solomon, Ahijah's prophecy (1 Kings 11:31-35) was fulfilled, and the kingdom was rent in twain. Rehoboam, the son and successor of Solomon, was scarcely seated on his throne when the old jealousies between Judah and the other tribes broke out anew, and Jeroboam was sent for from Egypt by the malcontents (12:2,3). Rehoboam insolently refused to lighten the burdensome taxation and services which his father had imposed on his subjects (12:4), and the rebellion became complete. Ephraim and all Israel raised the old cry, "Every man to his tents, O Israel" (2 Sam. 20:1). Rehoboam fled to Jerusalem (1 Kings 12:1-18; 2 Chr. 10), and Jeroboam was proclaimed king over all Israel at Shechem, Judah and Benjamin remaining faithful to Solomon's son. War, with varying success, was carried on between the two kingdoms for about sixty years, till Jehoshaphat entered into an alliance with the house of Ahab.
Extent of the Kingdom
The area of Solomon's kingdom, excluding the Phoenician territories on the shore of the Mediterranean, did not much exceed 34,000 km˛ (13,000 square miles). The kingdom of Israel comprehended about 24,000 km2 (9,375 square miles). Shechem was the first capital of this kingdom (1 Kings 12:25), afterwards Tirza (14:17). Samaria was subsequently chosen as the capital (16:24), and continued to be so till the destruction of the kingdom by the Assyrians (2 Kings 17:5). During the siege of Samaria (which lasted for three years) by the Assyrians, Shalmaneser died and was succeeded by Sargon, who himself thus records the capture of that city: "Samaria I looked at, I captured; 27,280 men who dwelt in it I carried away" (2 Kings 17:6) into Assyria. Thus after a duration of two hundred and fifty-three years the kingdom of the ten tribes came to an end. They were scattered throughout the East, and are known as the lost tribes of Israel.
"Judah held its ground against Assyria for yet one hundred and twenty-three years, and became the rallying-point of the dispersed of every tribe, and eventually gave its name to the whole race. Those of the people who in the last struggle escaped into the territories of Judah or other neighbouring countries naturally looked to Judah as the head and home of their race. And when Judah itself was carried off to Babylon, many of the exiled Israelites joined them from Assyria, and swelled that immense population which made Babylonia a second Judah."
After the deportation of the ten tribes, the deserted land was colonized by various eastern tribes, whom the king of Assyria sent thither (Ezra 4:2, 10; 2 Kings 17:24-29).
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Here follows the chronology accepted by most historians.
- 928 - 907[?] Jeroboam I[?]
- 907[?] - 905[?] Nadab
- 905[?] - 883[?] Baasha[?]
- 883[?] - 881[?] Elah
- 881[?] Zimri (Son, ruled for 7 days)
- 881[?] - 870[?] Omri (Khumri in some foreign records, founder of a new dynasty)
- 870[?] - 848[?] Ahab (Defeated the Assyrians at Qarqar)
- 848[?] - 847[?] Ahaziah
- 851[?] - 842 Joram[?]
- 842 - 814 Jehu
- 814 - 800 Jehoahaz[?]
- 800 - 783[?] Jehoash or Joash.
- 783[?] - 748 Jeroboam II (Israel was at the height of its power)
- 748 Zachariah[?]
- 748 Shallum
- 748 - 738[?] Menahem[?]
- 738[?] - 733[?] Pekahiah[?]
- 733[?] - 732[?] Pekah
- 732[?] - 722 Hosheah[?]
The kings of Judah
- 928 - 913[?] Rehoboam
- 913[?] - 911[?] Abijam
- 911[?] - 871[?] Asa
- 931[?] - 906[?] Jehosaphat[?]
- 906[?] - 898[?] Jehoram
- 898[?] - 897[?] Ahaziah
- 897[?] - 891[?] (Queen) Athaliah[?]
- 891[?] - 851[?] Jehoash[?] (Joash).
(Georgios Syncellus wrote that the First Olympiad[?] (776/775 BCE) took place in his 48th regnal year.)
See details for absolute dating under him. He was contemporary with King Sennacherib of Assyria, and Merodach-Baladan king of Babylonia. However, the latter kings cannot provide a reliable absolute date for his reign: Al-Biruni and Bar Hebraeus mention a "King Sennacherib the Less" as well. Furthermore, there was another king named Merodakh Baladan ben Baladan, also known as Mardokempad. Ptolemy assumed, without any reason, that Mordac Empadus was contemporary with King Hezekiah.) These two Baladans remained pretenders during Sennacherib's reign, therefore it isn't easy to identify their regnal years as Ptolemy attempted. This ancient scholar frequently attributed some observations to certain years of some kings for the sake of simplicity in his tabulation, but those were not part of the original observations. Also, he often arbitrarily fudged astronomical data in order to support his own theories. Refer to Robert R. Newton, The Crime of Claudius Ptolemy, 1977. Unfortunately many authorities still accept his list of rulers as the base of a perfect chronology.
23 years passed from his 13th year (640) to the first year of King Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 25: 1-3), whose reign began in 617, "in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah" in the revised chronology.
- 621[?] - 621[?] Jehoahaz[?]
- 620[?] - 609 Jehoiakim[?]
- 609 Jehoiachin[?]. Perhaps from March to May as Chronicles 36:10 allows.
- 609 - 598[?] Zedekiah.
II. p. 21.
Winslow was at first of the same opinion, but afterward saw cause for
Chronicles, P 355. See also _Roger Williams's Key_, Trumbull's ed.,
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warm, but not so good as the former."--_Vide Historical Collections_,
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stated in the text.
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referred.--_Vide_ notes on the map of Port Fortuné.
226. _Port Fortuné_, perhaps here used, to signify the port of chance.
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