The United Kingdom of Israel and Judah (the ‘United Kingdom’) lasted a brief eighty years, under the rule of Saul, David and Solomon, from c.1012 to c.931BC. For eighteen of these years, however, the kingdom was anything but ‘united’. The kingdom was permanently divided into two at the death of Solomon.
The northern kingdom of Israel - with its capital initially at Shechem, then at Tirzah and finally at Samaria - existed for 209 years until it was overthrown by the Assyrians in 722BC. The southern kingdom of Judah – with its capital at Jerusalem - lasted a further 135 years before the Babylonian conquest in 587BC. The exiles began returning from Babylonia fifty years later, in 537 BC, but the restored walls of Jerusalem were not completed until 445BC.
The United Kingdom of Israel and Judah c.1012BC - c.931BC
c.1012-c.1011 BC Saul becomes King of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah
c.1011-c.1004 BC Ishbosheth becomes King of Israel; David becomes King of Judah
c.1004-c.971 BC David becomes King of the re-united Kingdom of Israel
c.995-c.984 BC Absalom becomes King of Israel; David rules in exile at Mahanaim
c.984-c.971 BC David defeats Absalom and returns to Jerusalem
c.971-c.931 BC Solomon reigns as King of Israel
Many of the Psalms, the Book of Proverbs, the Song of Songs and the Book of Ecclesiastes are written around this time
c.1012 BC Saul defeats the Ammonites at Bezek
c.1012 BC Saul beats the Philistines at Gibeah
c.1012 BC Saul defeats the Amalekites of Havilah
c.1012 BC David kills the Philistine champion Goliath of Gath
c.1011 BC Saul is killed by the Philistines at the Battle of Gilboa
c.1011 BC Ishbosheth, Saul's son, becomes King of Israel
c.1011 BC David becomes King of Judah at Hebron
c.1004 BC Ishbosheth is murdered and David becomes King of Israel and Judah
c.1004 BC David captures Jerusalem
c.1004 BC David defeats the Philistines at Baal Perazim
c.1004 BC David brings the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem
c.999 BC David has an affair with Bathsheba and defeats the Ammonites
c.998 BC David defeats the Arameans at Helam
c.995 BC David’s son Absalom rises in revolt and claims the throne
c.984 BC David defeats Absalom at the Battle of Ephraim
c.982 BC David purchases the land on which the Temple is later built
c.972 BC Adonijah, David's eldest surviving son, claims the throne
c.971 BC David dies and his son Solomon becomes King of Israel
c.968 BC Solomon begins to build the Temple in Jerusalem
c.961 BC Solomon finishes building the Temple
c.948 BC Solomon finishes building his palace in Jerusalem
c.947 BC Solomon’s ships set out for Ophir
c.946 BC Solomon’s Egyptian queen dies
c.945 BC The Queen of Sheba visits Solomon in Jerusalem
c.939 BC Ramesses II of Egypt fights the Hittites at the Battle of Kadesh
c.938 BC King Rezon of Damascus rebels against Solomon
c.931 BC Solomon dies and is succeeded by his son Rehoboam
c.931 BC Israel rebels against Rehoboam. Jeroboam becomes King of Israel.
Rehoboam continues to rule as King of Judah
The Divided Kingdom c.931BC - 722BC
The Kingdom of Judah The Kingdom of Israel
c.931-c.914 BC Rehoboam c.931-c.911 BC Jeroboam I
c.914-c.913 BC Abijah c.911-c.910 BC Nadab
c.912-c.871 BC Asa c.910-c.887 BC Baasha
c.887-c.886 BC Elah
c.886 BC Zimri
c.886-c.883 BC Tibni
c.886-c.874 BC Omri
c.871-849 BC Jehoshaphat c.874-852 BC Ahab
855-853 BC Ahaziah
849-842 BC Jehoram 853-842 BC Joram (Jehoram)
842 BC Ahaziah
842-835 BC Athaliah 842-813 BC Jehu
835-795 BC Joash 813-797 BC Jehoahaz
795-767 BC Amaziah 797-783 BC Jehoash
767-737 BC Azariah (Uzziah) 782-741 BC Jeroboam II
747-731 BC Jotham 741-740 BC Zechariah
740 BC Shallum
740-731 BC Menahem
739-737 BC Pekaniah
737-730 BC Pekah
731-716 BC Ahaz 730-722 BC Hoshea
c.931 BC Jeroboam I of Israel fortifies Shechem and Penuel
c.927 BC Jerusalem is attacked by Israel’s ally Pharaoh Ramesses II of Egypt
c.914 BC King Abijah succeeds Rehoboam. Judah is at war with Israel
c.910 BC King Baasha of Israel fortifies Ramah then moves to Tirzah
c.887 BC King Baasha of Israel is succeeded by his son Elah
c.886 BC King Elah of Israel is assassinated by Zimri
c.886 BC Omri is installed as King of Israel by a military coup
c.881 BC The capital of Israel is transferred from Tirzah to Samaria
c.874 BC King Ahab of Israel and Queen Jezebel introduce Baal worship
c.870 BC The prophet Elijah tells Ahab about the forthcoming drought
c.867 BC Elijah defeats the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel
c.857 BC King Ben-Hadad III of Aram (Damascus) lays seige to Samaria
c.856 BC King Ahab seizes Naboth's vineyard to extend his palace
853 BC King Ahab & King Ben-Hadad III fight King Shalmaneser III of Assyria at the Battle of Karkar
853 BC Elijah is taken up to heaven and is succeeded by Elisha
852 BC King Ahab is killed in the battle for Ramoth Gilead
849 BC King Joram of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah attack Moab
848 BC Elisha helps King Joram to defeat the King of Syria at Dothan
842 BC Hazael murders Ben-Hadad III and becomes King of Syria
842 BC Jehu defeats King Joram of Israel and kills his mother Jezebel
842 BC Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, grabs power in Judah
835 BC Joash is proclaimed King of Judah by Jehoiada the priest
811 BC King Hazael of Syria attacks Gath and Jerusalem
802 BC Pharoah Shoshenk I defeats the Arameans and rescues Israel
785 BC King Jehoash of Israel defeats King Amaziah of Judah
782 BC King Jeroboam II of Israel recaptures all the land east of the Jordan
Amos and Hosea denounce social injustice in Israel between 760BC and 725BC
747 BC King Azariah (Uzziah) of Judah is struck by leprosy
741 BC King Zechariah of Israel is assassinated by Shallum who is murdered
Micah speaks against both Israel and Judah between 747 and 722BC
Isaiah prophesies the destruction of Israel and Judah between 737BC and 716BC
Jonah preaches a message of judgement to Ninevah before the defeat of Israel in 722BC.
733 BC King Tiglath-Pilesar of Assyria invades Israel and captures Galilee
732 BC The Israelites from Galilee and Napthali are deported to Assyria
731 BC Tiglath-Pilesar captures Damascus and kills King Rezin of Syria
724 BC Shalmaneser V of Assyria seizes Hoshea and lays seige to Samaria
722 BC Samaria and the northern kingdom of Israel fall to the Assyrians
721 BC The defeated Israelites are led into exile in Assyria
The Kingdom of Judah 722BC - 586BC
727-699 BC Hezekiah
698-644 BC Manassah
644-642 BC Amon
642-610 BC Josiah
610 BC Jehoahaz
610-598 BC Jehoiakim
598-597 BC Jehoiachin
597-587 BC Zedekiah
711 BC Isaiah heals King Hezekiah’s boils with a poultice of figs
705 BC King Hezekiah builds a tunnel to secure Jerusalem’s water supply
702 BC King Sennacherib of Assyria destroys Lachish and attacks Jerusalem
702 BC Prince Taharka of Egypt attacks but is unable to defeat the Assyrians
698 BC Manasseh becomes King of Judah and re-builds the altars to Baal
642 BC King Amon is assassinated by his royal officials
624 BC Hilkiah re-discovers the Book of the Law in the Temple
624 BC King Josiah destroys the pagan altars and celebrates Passover
612 BC The Babylonians conquer Nineveh, the capital of Assyria
Nahum celebrates the destruction of Ninevah by the Babylonians in 612BC
Jeremiah & Zephaniah warn the people of Jerusalem prior its fall in 587BC that it will be judged for its unfaithfulness to God
Habbakuk asks why God apparently allows the cruel Babylonians to succeed.
610 BC Pharaoh Neco of Egypt defeats King Josiah at Megiddo
610 BC Neco deposes Josiah's son Jehoahaz and installs Jehoiakim as King of Judah
606 BC Neco is defeated by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon at Carchemish
605 BC Nebuchadnezzar invades Judah and Jehoiakim becomes a vassal king
602 BC Neco re-takes Gaza and Jehoiakim rebels against Nebuchadnezzar
598 BC Nebuchadnezzar beseiges Jerusalem. King Jehoiachin surrenders
597 BC Jehoiachin is taken to Babylon and Zedekiah is installed as king
597 BC Ten thousand captives (including Ezekiel) are taken to Babylonia
Ezekiel predicts the fall of Jerusalem and speaks about the return of the exiles to Israel.
Daniel is in exile in Babylon at the same time as Ezekiel. He is persecuted for his faith between 598 and 539BC.
589 BC Zedekiah rebels and Jerusalem is beseiged for over a year and a half
587 BC Jerusalem falls and the population is taken to exile in Babylonia
586 BC The Temple and royal palace are burnt and the walls are demolished
The Book of Lamentations is a collection of five poems lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem in 587BC.
Obadiah decries Edom after it takes advantage of Jerusalem's fall in 587BC.