Jehoiachin (aka Jeconiah) (598/597 BC) surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem (2 Kings 24:8). Jehoiachin’s reign was ended after just 3 months when he was deported to Babylon and imprisoned (along with 10,000 other Judeans). Jehoiachin was released from prison when he was 37, but he remained in Babylon (as attested by Babylonian sources).
Judean king Manasseh ruled from 698-642 BC, beginning his reign when he was only 12 years old. Migrants from the destroyed Northern Kingdom had brought their Canaanite characteristics into the Southern Kingdom, despite Hezekiah’s reforms. Canaanite cults flourished, including astrology and Ba’al worship (Ba’al is a traditional Canaanite deity). Also, the name Manasseh itself is from the Northern Kingdom, which is unusual considering Hezekiah’s Yahwism. Manesseh grew desperate as Edomites and Assyria exerted pressure on Judah, even going so far as to perform the Phoenician practice of sacrificial infanticide.
Before 742 BC, Judah (Jotham) is attacked by Damascus (Rezin) and Israel (Pekah) in an attempt to force Judah to join them against Assyria. But an attack by Assyrua upon Aram relieved Judah’s pressure.
When Assyrian king Sargon II (721-705 BC) died, Hezekiah stopped paying the tribute imposed upon Judah and allied with the Egyptians. However, Sargon II’s son Sennacherib (704-681 BC) invaded Judah in ~701 BC and his prism states the he conquered 46 Judean cities. Sennacherib came against the walls of Jerusalem and Hezekiah surrendered at a tribute of 300 silver talents (800 total were eventually procured) and 30 gold talents.
Hezekiah performed massive religious reforms to severely oppress Canaanite cults. This scale of opposition to Canaanite traditions was unmatched until Josiah’s reign 100 years later. He struck down bamoth (likely Canaanite shrines), masseboth (likely Canaanite sacred stone pillars) and Asherah poles (poles representing the Canaanite deity Asherah). Religious reforms do not just happen spontaneously; they happen in response to a pressure or danger. In Hezekiah’s case, the cause was the impending attack from Assyria.
When Hezekiah stopped paying tribute to Assyria yet again, he believed that Yahweh would protect Judah. However, Hezekiah also made practical preparations just in case: development of fortifications; storage of food in jars stamped with special lmlk seals; and protection of Jerusalem’s water source. The lmlk seal denoted a jar belonged to the king and jars bearing lmlk seals have been found throughout Judah (although primarily at Lachish and Judah). A notable fortification was the broad wall around Jerusalem that was 8m thick and 8m high (Isaiah 22:1-14). To protect Jerusalem’s water source, Hezekiah built Hezekiah’s Tunnel to bring water from nearby hills into Jerusalem (according to the tunnel inscription). In 701 BC, the siege finally occurred and Jerusalem was able to repel the Assyrians. Thus, Judah was free from being a vassal to Assyria.
Judean king Josiah’s (639-609 BC) prophet warned him of the doom that awaited Judah, as Judah had strayed from Yahweh. In response, Josiah instituted widespread and very dramatic reforms, striking down any Canaanite cultic edifices he could reach and even abandoning Canaanite burial practices. These reforms were arguably more extensive than those of Judean king Hezekiah. Regardless, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem when Josiah rebelled against them.
10 He defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech. 11 He took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entrance of the house of Yahweh, by the room of Nathan Melech the officer, who was in the court; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12 The king broke down the altars that were on the roof of the upper room of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of Yahweh, and beat them down from there, and cast their dust into the brook Kidron. 13 The the king defiled the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mountain of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon. 14 He broke in pieces the pillars, and cut down the Asherim, and filled their places with the bones of men.
15 Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, even that altar and the high place he broke down; and he burned the high place and beat it to dust, and burned the Asherah. 16 As Josiah turned himself, he spied the tombs that were there in the mountain; and he sent, and took the bones out of the tombs, and burned them on the altar, and defiled it, according to the word of Yahweh which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these things. (2 KIngs 23:8-16)
| Period or Event | King | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Early Divided Monarchy | 930–839 BC | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sennacherib’s Campaign | 701 BC | ||
| Rise of the Edomites | After the Assyrian conquest, Edomites entered Judah in hopes of exploiting its land. | ||
| Egyptian Conquest | ~925 BC | In ~925 BC, Shishak (Sheshonq) invades and attacks town in Israel and Judah (1 KIngs 14:25-28). | |
| 1st Judean Deportation | 597 BC | This is the first of three Judean deportations by Babylonia. King Jehoiachin and Prophet Ezekiel were exiled to Babylon. Zedekiah was placed on throne. | |
| 2nd Judean Deportation | 586 BC | In Judah, the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed and elites (craftsmen, administrators, etc) were exiled. Many Judeans fled to Egypt (Jeremiah 42–44). This year is considered the end of the Southern Kingdom. | |
| 3rd Judean Deportation | 581 BC | Babylonia performed a third and final deportation of Judeans. | |
| Period or Event | King | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Jeroboam | After leading the 930 BC coup that led to his control of Israel (the Northern Kingdom), Jeroboam established a capital at Tirzah in Shechem (1 Kings 12:25). Jeroboam also created shrines with golden calves (Canaanite god Ba’al) at Bethel and Dan (1 Kings 12:26-33). Jeroboam implemented the Bethel and Ban public temples to service the northern and southern parts of the kingdom, respectively. Israel worshipped Yahweh, although worship of Canaanite god Ba’al eclipsed reverence to Yahweh. According to 1 Kings 12:26-31, Jeroboam appeased Ba’al worship because he was afraid otherwise his citizens would head to Jerusalem and wind up reverting to obliging the Davidic Dynasty continued by Rehoboam. He continued to build additional bamot (highplaces), public shrines reminiscent of Canaanite tradition. In ~925 BC, Shishak (Sheshonq) invaded and attacked towns in Israel and Judah (1 KIngs 14:25-28). | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital at Tirzah | 930-880 BC | Capital is at Tirzah in Shechem. | |
| Omride Dynasty Start | Omri | 885-873 BC | Dynastic unrest had plagued prior kings of Israel. Omri, commander of the Israelite army, had his opponents killed so he could establish the Omride Dynasty. From 885-880 BC, he ruled from Tirzah. In 880 BC, he bought the field of Shemer and founded Samaria as his capital. During this time, Judah was weak and may have actually been a vassal to Israel. |
| Capital at Samaria | 880-720 BC | Capital is at Samaria. Has a collection of ostraca and ivories, as well as a pool and a palace. | |
| Ahab | 873-851 BC | Marries Jezebel, daughter of Sidonian king Ethbaal. Built temple to Ba’al at Samaria. Built Jezreel. Ben-Hadad I of Aram Damascus invaded Israel after being bribed by Asa of Judah with temple gold (1 Kings 15:16–20). Aram Damascus was a major threat that kept Ahab engaged until he was killed in a battle. Ben-Hadad II of Damascus (with 32 kings) unsuccessfully besieged Samaria. | |
| Jehoram | 849-843 BC | In 850 BC he joined Jehoshaphat of Judah (874-850 BC) and king of Edom against Mesha of Moab (2 Kings 3); Mesha supposedly defeated (2 Kings 3). Ben Hadad (II) besieges Samarai (2 Kings 6:24ff) but siege lifted aftera period of time. Battles with Hazael and is wounded (2 Kings 8:28ff). | |
| Jehu | 843-816 | In 843 BC, Jehu led a coup d’etat against the Omride Dynasty (2 Kings 9-10). His coup was facilitated by Hazael of Damascus, who attacked Israel (Tel Dan destroyed) to create a diversion. Jehu was aided by the prophet Elisha, who anointed him king (2 Kingss 9:1ff) and thus ended the Omride Dynasty. Jehu killed Jehoram of Israel and Ahaziah of Judah at Jezreel. Also, Jehu killed Jezebel (wife of Ahab) in Jezreel. Sons of Ahab and all of House of Ahab were executed. In addition, Jehu slaughtered priests of Ba’al. In 841 BC, Jehu paid tribute to Assyrian king Shalmanesser III, as noted in the Black Obelisk. | |
| Jehoahaz | 816-800 BC | ||
| Jeroboam | 785-745 BC | ||
| Israel’s Demise | 720 BC | The Assyrians conquered Israel. | |
| Period or Event | King | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Rehoboam | 10th cent. BC | Judean King Rehoboam ruled from Jerusalem (1 Kings 14:21-24). After his crushing loss that led to the fractionation of the United Monarchy, he built fortresses throughout Judah. In ~925 BC, Shishak (Sheshonq) invades and attacks town in Israel and Judah (1 KIngs 14:25-28). | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abijam | |||
| Asa | |||
| Jehoshaphat | |||
| Jehoram | |||
| Ahaziah | |||
| Athaliah | |||
| Joash | 837-800 BC | Joash (aka Jehoash) stripped the temple to pay off Hazael, thus sparing Jerusalem preventing further damage to Judah (2 Kings 12 12:17). Also, Assyria attacked (and distracted) the Arameans and was thus seen as a savior of Judah (2 Kings 13:4). | |
| Amaziah | |||
| Uzziah | Uzziah (aka Azariah) | ||
| Jotham | |||
| Ahaz | |||
| Hezekiah | 727-698 | Hezekiah led massive religious reforms that oppressed Canaanite cults and favored Yahwism. Hezekiah’s faith gave him the courage to rebel against Assyria, eventually regaining Judah’s independence after a failed first attempt. A growth in literacy began under Hezekiah and continued through Josiah, as evidenced by an increase in inscribed items such as ostraca (shards used for quick notes), pottery (descriptive notes on the shoulders), inscribed weights, seals and bullae, amulets and inscriptions (monuments and tombs). | |
| Sennacherib’s Campaign | 701 BC | In 701 BC, Assyrian king Sennacherib (704-681 BC) underwent an extensive invasion of Judah. This resulted in his locking Hezekiah into Jerusalem like “a bird in a cage” as attested in Sennacherib’s hexagonal prism. | |
| Rise of the Edomites | After the Assyrian conquest, Edomites entered Judah in hopes of exploiting its land. | ||
| Manasseh | 698-642 BC | Migrants from the destroyed Northern Kingdom brought their Canaanite culture into the Southern Kingdom. Despite Hezekiah’s reforms, there was a flourish of astrology, Ba’al worship (Ba’al is a traditional Canaanite deity) and other Canaanite characteristics. Also, the name Manasseh itself is from the Northern Kingdom, which is unusual considering Hezekiah’s Yahwism. Manesseh grew desperate as Edomites and Assyria exerted pressure on Judah, even going so far as to perform the Phoenician practice of sacrificial infanticide. | |
| Amon | 642-640 BC | ||
| Josiah | 639-609 BC | His reforms were massive. Josiah rebelled against Babylonians so they came and destroyed jerusalem. | |
| Jehoahaz II | 609 | Son of Josiah; deported by Neco after only 3 months on the Judean throne (2 Kings 23:31). | |
| Armageddon | 609 BC | ||
| Jehoiakim | 609-598 | Jehoiakim (born Eliakim and son of Josiah) was installed as king of Judah by Neco. Judah became a vassal to Babylonians for 3 years and Judah was beset by its neighbors (including the Edomites). | |
| Jehoiachin | 598/597 | Jehoiachin (aka Jeconiah) surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar during siege of Jerusalem (2 Kings 24:8). He was deported to Babylon, ending his reign prematurely at only 3 months. The Temple was stripped yet again and 10,000 Judeans were deported from Jerusalem. Jehoiachin was released from prison when he was 37, but he remained in Babylon (as attested by Babylonian sources). | |
| 1st Deportation | 597 BC | King Jehoiachin and Prophet Ezekiel were exiled to Babylon. Zedekiah was placed on throne. | |
| Zedekiah | 597–587 BC | Zedekiah (born Mattaniah and uncle of Jehoiachin) was installed as king of Judah by Babylon (2 Kings 24:18). However, he rebelled against Babylonian control and Jerusalem was besieged. Records indicate the onset of starvation within 6 months of the siege, and the city burned thereafter. Zedekiah was exiled to Babylon. | |
| 2nd Deportation | 586 BC | The Temple was destroyed and elites (craftsmen, administrators, etc) were exiled. Many Judeans fled to Egypt (Jeremiah 42–44). | |
| Judah’s Demise | 608-586 BC | The destruction of Megiddo — armageddon — was in 609 BC under Josiah’s reign (2 Kings 23:29-30). | |
| 3rd Deportation | 581 BC | Babylonia performed a third and final deportation of Judeans. | |
The Moabite Stone (aka Mesha Stele) is a ~850 BC stone, written by Moabite king Mesha, tells of Mesha’s liberation of Moab after 40 years of Israelite control by the House of Omri. It correlates to 2 Kings 1 and 1 Kings 3:4, “After death of Ahab, Moab rebelled…” Mesha mentions attacking Israelite towns in Gad and rebuilding Moabite towns, as well as possible references to House of David.
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